So Mrs. C's kid has been getting me to show him some things on guitar. It gets me to thinking about how far I've come in 23 years. I remember startng out, seeing sheet music and saying (for example) "No way, that can't be right, nobody could be jamming on this song and just hit a specific couple of strings amidst all the others and get it right, etc". Now when I'm showing him the chords to Rock You Like a Hurricane, he's all "How am I supposed to just hit three strings and not the others?" Suddenly, I'm 14 years old again, wondering the same thing. Then I realize that now, I can pretty much hit pretty much whatever combination of strings I need to pick, without much thought. 2-string open chord? Check. 3-string power chord? Check. Across the neck 6-string A chord? Check.
Time and practice, pal. The words NO 13 year old wants to hear. I didn't want to hear it. I look at my playing and realize that I've changed and tweaked and adapted the way I play to such an extent that if a beginner tried to emulate what I'm doing, it could be confusing, so I have to try to deconstruct all that and look at things from a beginner's perspective. It isn't easy.
And with all of that practice and learning of new songs (lots and lots), over time, it has become easier to pick stuff up quickly on a 2nd-3rd listen, but it has been work to get there. I never have to be the one that holds back band practice because I can't seem to learn a song that everyone else knows. There have been many times at practice where everyone else knows a song that I don't know and I tell them to just go and I'll find a way to follow along. It is something that I try never to take for granted. The downside is that whenever I go see live bands now, I'm evaluating them from a musician's standpoint as opposed to a casual listener's standpoint, which is a huge difference. It's hard to just sit back and enjoy a band when you're hearing every "mistake" that the average listener might not notice. The plus side is that you also hear cool things they do that you're inspired to try yourself.
I'm not where I want to be and I probably never will be (is any musician ever as good as they want to be?), but when I look back to the frustrations and limitations and uphill climb I faced 23 years ago, and where I'm at now, it's hard not to be just a little proud of myself.