u/bassoonawhat

Recently I've been trying to play with a group of amateur musicians who can't read music and don't have a theory background. It's been tricky! It got me thinking on some questions for the musicians​ from that type of background, recognizing that clearly this can work (e.g. Beatles):

When you compose, how do you determine chord progressions? Do you simply say "I like the sound of this chord followed by this other chord"?

How do you notate your composition, specifically the timing of chord changes? How do you notate the different lines for different instruments (like the melody versus the second guitar playing a counterpoint)?

How do you communicate what the other performers need to play at each measure?

How do you ensure you get a consistent performance each time you play your piece? Particularly when there are complex harmonic structures

When in rehearsal, how do you get everyone to start at the same place within a piece, without being able to ​​say "pickup to bar 24, second time through"?

Hi folks,

Not a guitarist. I notice guitar players look like they're having fun while playing. On my instrument, bassoon, the pro players I know can never just "let the music flow through them" - there is too much to attend to, even on a piece practiced for months. (amateurs sometimes do this​ and it invariably sounds out of tune and out of time.) Can the pros do this on guitar, or is it an illusion? ​​