Thank you for the music.... lesson

There isn't a lot I do know despite my adoption of Charlie's Book of Everything, re-titled Pip's Book of Everything. I try and learn something new each day. Actually, I said that all wrong. I don't try to learn, I just happen to.

Most of my friends think I'm really smart. Some get asked silly questions from their children and their response is "Ask Pip when he comes around". Either way, I'm the person people come to for questions they can't be bothered Googling.

The sad part about this is, some people want to know something but won't listen to the answer. I've been frustrated by this for years. From the time I was asked to ride all the way to an audio shop just so my friend and his wife could pick the correct components for a new entertainment system. They went against all my recommendations and decided to buy everything the sales guy said. In the end I stopped bothering and just responded with "What's for dinner?"

Audio components are something I know a little about, and my time and patients were both wasted doing this small favour for a friend. This didn't really affect my friendship with my mate. It would have been silly to argue over something so superficial.

I'll give you another real life example of friends asking for my help, but not listening to the answer. I have a friend who's been playing guitar for about 12 years or something. I also have a mate who's been playing guitar for about 2 years. My friend who has been playing for 12 years hasn't listened to anything I suggest about music. While he's stuck in one genre and has limited experienced in musicology and performing. I have had the opportunity to play at the Sydney Opera House. I listen to all genre's, provided the music is good... I'll listen to it.

So, it pains me when I have been trying to pass on what I know for the last 5 years since I discovered I had more to offer my mate towards his musical ability and I hear that he starts taking guitar lessons.... Now, this isn't the bad part. The part that kills me is that he's just repeating all the things I have ever said to him, showed him and helped him with. We joked about the fact that I've been telling him this stuff for years, I should have charged him for it. Maybe if he paid for the advice it would get through to him.

On the other hand, my other friend who's been playing guitar for 2 years takes on everything I say and sadly for my other friend, this one is almost a better musician.

Lately, I've started to go to open mic nights to practice my performance skills and mate number one has decided that he wants to as well. This is something that I've been telling him he must do to get over his shyness and fear of performing live in front of people. However, while this is going to be excellent practice for him as well as a good wake up call. I am trying to psych myself up to support him because I know that people in the crowd aren't going to be impressed. After all, it will be his first time on stage, ever. He's going to butcher the perfect song he practised at home. I don't blame him. Saying he'll be nervous would be an understatement. And the scary part for me is, I'm not sure I want to see it or not.

Mate number two on the other hand will be ready for his first performance by the end of this year.

So, how can one person who's never played music at all, within 2 years of learning to play guitar be ready for the stage and the other, who knows all, been playing for years, calls simple music "too easy" not be able to hold their own in the lime light?

I don't want to come across as offensive or sound like I'm putting down my mate. But what do you do when you see a friend who needs help but doesn't accept what you give them? Do you let them sink or swim? Do you persist and keep helping despite the frustration of it all appearing like you're talking to a brick wall?