A lot of people say that just playing the guitar or being in a cool band will win you all kinds of friends and influence. 

Is that a lie, or is it true? ...It may very well be true, however there are a few tricks to doing it...


KNOW HOW TO PLAY (NO FAKERS PLEASE):
First, be sure to know how to play guitar (it could be almost any cool instrument, but I highly recommend a guitar). It's not enough to only know a few chords, or how to strum through one song.

Learn a whole bunch of stuff on the guitar, (strumming, chords, scales, songs). Remember you're after winning friends and influence. You need to make a good impression! Hopefully, after a time, you are going to be good enough to play with a group. This is the ultimate goal as time goes on.



GET A STYLE TOGETHER:
Next, is get a style, get a "look," down for yourself, and it doesn't matter too much what that style is, just get a style. It could be with a bunch of Gothic stuff (buckles, cross necklaces or fingerless gloves), AC/DC stuff (with a uniform or a tux, wearing it Rock style, to be comfortable). Just make sure it all suits your personality. If you're faking it, people will see through that right away. And, that will actually be bad for you. Choose a style that makes sense and connects with who you really are as a person.

Are you a hard-rocker type? Into motorcycles? Maybe Slash style (with a leather jacket, aviator sunglasses, and being all mysterious), is right for you... Or, there's the ultimate look, just be the guy who doesn't care about his style (in fact, this one DOES seem to actually work best in most cases, just look at Pat Metheny or Eddie Van Halen - jeans and a t-shirt).



KEEP THE GUITAR OUT IN THE OPEN:
Be sure to always have the guitar sitting out in open at your place - on display for when people come over to your place. If it's out in the open people will see it and they'll want you to play something for them.

This is beyond excellent for winning friends and influence. When people hear you play, they'll dig the idea of knowing a "musician." It's amazing what it does for influence. People tend to always have more respect for truly creative people. It's just human nature. So, be sure to keep that guitar out in the open where any visitors to your home will see it.



LEARN ALL KINDS OF MUSIC:
Learn to play all kinds of music on guitar. Learn a few romantic, slow songs. Learn a classical piece. Learn top-40 tunes or the popular upbeat songs from classic rock bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Queen, Pink Floyd, etc.

Originals are okay, but people will always connect better /faster to songs that they're familiar with. If you want to add originals, play them after the popular songs that you know will instantly connect with people. Top-40 songs first, then play originals afterwards.



PLAY-OUT LIVE SOMEWHERE:
Be sure to book a gig someplace to play live. It might be as simple as a live event at your work (customer appreciation day). Or, it could be a local coffee shop at the top of your street. It doesn't really matter that much, as long as it's live and in public.

Once your gig is booked, you need to invite people to your performances. I know it could be hard to invite busy people to performances, but try to invite people when they are free. If you invite people to all of your gigs and they can't go to any, they'll feel bad and then on the next one they'll feel more or less obligated to go.



"CALL OUT" YOUR INVITED GUESTS:
If you have invited guests to your gig, play some songs to get their attention. If your band is a Classic Rock band, play a softer, but cool song from a popular group (like Aerosmith or Van Halen). Remember, those popular songs always connect better than originals. You can do originals - just add them into your set later on.

Some examples of good pop-songs include; "Walk This Way", "Sweet Emotion", "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", "You Really Got Me", etc.

If you have a mic in front of you, most definitely say into the mic, "And this song is for ____________" a big thanks to them for making it out tonight!

Doing this "call out" will be a lot better for winning influence. The people you call out will feel so honored that you mentioned them to the entire audience. If you don't sing, do not let that stop you - just step up to the mic and announce your "call out" anyway.

While playing, look at your invited guests from time to time. Give them a nod. Let them know that you see them there in the audience and that you appreciate their effort of coming out to your show. This small act of appreciation goes a very long way with people.



ORIGINAL MUSIC:
Once friends know that you play guitar, get those friends to listen to your own original music. When you compose a song, even when it's not inspired by anything immediate or connected to your friends, but still is cool sounding, tell them something like, "Hey, I've been working on this song a while and I would like your opinion about it." 

People always dig the idea that their opinion matters. When people notice that you value their opinion enough to bounce creative musical concepts off of them, it goes a long way.

People will feel honored that you respect their thoughts about music so much that when you're composing music you want to share that music with them. It means a lot to building much better friendships and even loyal musical followers in your life.



SUMMARY:
Everyone needs a solid group of friends around them. It not only makes people feel better, but it's healthy too. Gaining a "core" group of tight-friends goes a long way toward both a balanced and forming a better life.

Some things in this article may seem superficial, but the bottom line is, people dig musicians. Especially non-musicians. And, if you are a musical person, but you're hiding that fact, you're cheating yourself out of the influence it offers you with others.

So, don't hide your talents, celebrate them. And, share them with others. It goes a long way toward building a better life for everyone involved.