A message from Syn Gates

[Brian Haner Sr.]

Papa Gates here.
Syn and I created this community to be a place where players of all levels could feel welcome, secure and free from negative judgement. We ALL have the same wish – and that is to be better players. This includes Syn and me. There are a ton of pages and group chats where you can go to ridicule players that are not as good as you and call each other names over which brand of strings you use. This is not that place.
Syn posted this on one of the lessons and said it far better than me:
“I’ve said it before but I should repeat it for those just jumping in- If you write mean spirited unsupportive comments, you will be removed from our community. I have a no tolerance policy for mean people. This does not mean that you can’t critique someone’s playing, it just means that your criticisms need to be constructive and kind hearted. We all want to get better and the only way to do so is to have everyone help and guide each other along the way. It’s not easy for everyone to pour their heart and soul out for all to see especially when there’s the possibility that someone will say hurtful things to them. Sharing needs to be encouraged and rewarded because we will all benefit greatly from it!”
Syn Gates

 

[soren a]

Ya i mean this is a place of learning not judging others because they are not to your liking

 

[Joe Giumarello]

Thanks Papa Gates! It’s great how involved you and Syn are! It really brings a welcoming family feeling to the community!

 

[Sound_bender]

I agree! I will say this, this place has only been up for a day and I’ve seen nothing but support and supportive people! It’s so nice to be part of a community where you can feel comfortable to post whatever you want and not have to worry about being judge harshly. This school is such a great thing. You two are both inspirations! Can’t wait to post vids as well as learn from you both!

 

[Aightball]

I agree! When I get to the point I might be able to play something, I’m already terrified to upload a video…but I’m glad there’s no room for being mean to other players!

 

[Daniel Sobota]

“Look at that Syn Gates guy, he thinks HE’s better than ME!? I bet he can’t even play Freebird.”
Lol jokes aside, I also agree. There are people who lack self-esteem and criticizing every little bit they play won’t help them at all. I already know myself that I suck, haha. But yes, this place should encourage people to play guitar, not discourage them.

 

[Dennis Irvin]

This is awesome! Im not good, but i upload vids to track my status and be open to a few pointers from other more advanced guitar players. Thanks for creating this!!

 

[Jeremy David]

This is what makes me so happy about this whole site. I try to get involved with several forums/ Facebook groups, every single one I’ve seen immediately makes me not want to post me playing or ideas on there. You never see positive comments or helpful tips, it’s all hate. This is the start of a positive loving family. Very excited it’s finally here!

 

[Jonathan Wilcox]

Syn and Papa Gates, thank you so much for creating something like this. I have owned a guitar for quite some time now, but I am still a beginner. Seven years ago I was on my fifth lesson with my guitar teacher at the local guitar shop that was down the street from where I lived. That was the last day I saw my guitar teacher alive. He informed me that day that he had to have a normal outpatient procedure done, so I would see him in a few weeks for our normal lesson. Well, during surgery something went terribly wrong and he lost his life. Later that same year that shop closed because of the loss in clientele. That store was operated and managed by my instructor and it never was the same without him there. I tried to find another instructor that i clicked with the same way as him, but it didn’t happen. So I really haven’t picked up a guitar since. I have been a fan of Syn’s for a long time and have been to countless Avenged concerts. When I saw this was going to be a thing I thought it was awesome that I could learn from my favorite guitarist. So I am excited and ready to learn and be a part of this community that you guys have put together. That guitar shop was called Musician’s Dream in Colonial Heights, VA and my instructor’s name was Danny Crowder, I know he would be proud that I am picking up the guitar again. Thank you Syn and Papa Gates for all of this, this is truly amazing and thank you for encouraging me to pick up the guitar again. You guys are awesome!

 

[Josh Miller]

We are the OG’s of the platform, let’s set the tone accordingly and live in to Syn and Papa Gates’ vision.
learn, apply, shred, repeat….
Pickup a fallen soldier along the way

 

[Billie M]

This is great! I’m glad both Papa Gates and Syn point this out. A worry I had when I first hear of this project was that mean people who just want bring people down are everywhere and therefore this website wouldn’t be any exception and that Papa Gates and Syn or the tech team wouldn’t be able to track this down. It’s clearly not the case.
Thank you for doing this

 

[idssdi]

Yeah mean people are exactly the reason I never put anything openly on YouTube.
So it is great That you have this policy!

 

[Ashlyn Payne]

Glad that this will be somewhere where we can all be ourselves and learn from each other

 

[Tommy Regits]

Just want to say I couldn’t agree more with Papa and Syn Gates, and everyone here in the community about the vibe and content of this site being so positive and inspiring. Everyone on here is so excited about the site and all of the awesome FREE material! There really is an enormous amount of information for all of us, and I personally would like to say thank you so much Papa and Syn Gates for launching this site, offering your time, and sharing your wealth of knowledge!! It is also so nice and cool to be able to interact with others in the community! Amazing all the way around!! Thanks to all!!

 

[Luis Daniel Guadarrama Barcelata]

what a nice place
the truth is that it is a very good thing on your part to create sites like this, thank you

 

[Master 888]

I agree with you Papa Gates. We must support for each other, so we will become guitar masters someday.
I myself feel really grateful for this website. Your tutorials are different, it’s better than the others. Thanks!

 

[Twiggy Nameless]

A very great message indeed. I hope we can all enjoy each other here and come together!
I am very excited about being a part of this.
Maybe even make more friends.
Thank you so much Papa Gates and Syn for creating this. Love from Sweden

 

[Peter Mrozik]

I’m really glad that this community is already so supportive. I’ve been thinking of recording some videos and putting them up but was hesitant because of what I’ve seen on many YouTube videos. This place makes it feel safe to post things and hopefully we’ll all get some constructive criticism and useful tips that will help us all.

 

[kristy bowman]

I am very glad that this site is here and caters to beginners as well as people who can really play. I am self taught and haven’t ever taken a lesson in my life. My husband has played since he was a kid and is a lot better than me. I can play a little but I have watched a lot of the uploaded videos on here and there is no way I can keep up with y’all!! I want to get there though. I have been looking through everything and everybody on here is extremely nice and very supportive. Music is a big part of my life and has gotten me through some of the darkest times imaginable. If it were not for you Syn, the rest of the guys of Avenged and all the other amazing artists who put out music for us to enjoy, I wouldn’t be here right now. Thank you so much for making this site so we can grow as a family of music lovers. I can’t wait to see what I learn and who I meet!!

 

[Kris Bailey]

Big thanks to Papa G & Syn G for making this happen.!! This is everything I could ever ask for in a guitar lesson site. Looking forward to learning & seeing what everyone else is bringing to the table. Let’s do this..!!