Help I Just Realized I cant play anything

[Poontang_clan]

Help ive been playing for 2 years just playing parts of songs and riffs and i just realized i cant and dont have the patience to learn a song is there any easy songs by like metallica or iron maiden or stuff like that

(ive only been really getting in to guitar since like 5 or 6 months ago)

[Cryptic Excretions]

You're not alone. In all the years I've been involved in music there are only 3 songs I can play from start to finish... on one instrument each. I don't like to learn entire songs. I dont' have the dedication, patience, or even remote desire to learn someone else's song in its entirety. It's not my thing, I'm not a cover artist. Instead I learn the bits and pieces that I find most appealing and fun to play. Same applies to solos, I've yet to learn someone else's solo for any song. Every so often I'll check someone's solo out and check for a cool sweeping pattern or something like that, maybe a tap lick or two, but I lack that kind of dedication. I've yet to find anything really wrong with that anyway, what works for some doesn't work for all y'know. But from my experience, learning easier songs won't make you feel any better. I've always felt worse, like I wasn't challenging myself enough. At least, this is what I've always felt from such things. I collect tabs these days, but I've hardly even looked at most of them. I don't know why I have them all, they comfort me I guess. I sleep easier knowing I have a lot of tabs.

[x0o_BurnOut_o0x]

Wow, I honestly thought i was the only one who did that. I never learn whole songs, i pick out the riffs and solos that look good and just doodle around with those. The only songs I know form start to finish are the ones my old guitar teacher taught me. But you know(kinda random but still bugging me) everyone says the more solos you play by other artists the more you will be able to create your own solo. Well Ive been learning some artists solos and i cant create a solo any better than i could before going to the trouble of learning thier solos. I dont feel like I have learned anything, just feel like i have something cool to play.

[Poontang_clan]

thanks for the info i actually feel a little better now because i like making my own stuff up but other peoples stuff is just not really interesting to me but i like some songs but because there is a part that i cant play i just stop trying

[Jolly McJollyson]

i like some songs but because there is a part that i cant play i just stop trying
Don't do that. It hurts your development.

[Akira]

I hardly ever learn a song from start to finish. I went through a fase of trying to do that a few months back, it became boring, and stressful. It ended up feeling like a big cloud hanging over my head "must learn song...ugh...". So I stopped that, I just learn various licks from songs, and a take out solo section snippets and store them in a folder.

Don't give up on learning part of a song because it's hard.

[RedZep]

Rock & Roll - Led Zeppelin

Easy, rockin, good stuff. :)

[PRSplaya]

It's better to know 10 songs perfectly from start to finish, than knowing bits and pieces of 100 songs.

When you're playing for somebody, nobody want's to hear only part of a song. Thay want to hear the whole thing. I've been there and done that and got tired of people fussing at me for only playing bits and pieces of songs.

[aschleman]

I'm in the same boat as everyone else... I know maybe 5-10 songs from start to finish and they're my favorite songs. But I mostly take the riffs and licks that I like and play around with them. I think that is vital in developing your own chops. I think if you just learn a ton of other peoples songs you lose the artistic part of playing the guitar. I hate jamming with people that only play other peoples songs... When you're jamming out and some guy starts play a solo that sounds a lot like "Pride and Joy" or something like that... it bugs me. Those type of people don't make good ARTISTS... they make good guitarists... but they don't know how to come up with a good rythym riff... or play a lead with a song. So I'm the same way... I have folder after folder of songs that I've maybe learned one or two riffs to.

[Poontang_clan]

i think that once you learn a whole song it just gets boring because before the first time i heard a song from metallica it was enter sandman and i thought it was the coolest song in the world then i started learning it and other people pllayed it and it got boring because it was overplayed by so many people

[Cryptic Excretions]

i think that once you learn a whole song it just gets boring because before the first time i heard a song from metallica it was enter sandman and i thought it was the coolest song in the world then i started learning it and other people pllayed it and it got boring because it was overplayed by so many people
I've never liked enter sandman. Not Metallica's version, not the covers, nothing. I've just always found the song ho hum and kind of boring. Doesn't mean it is, just that I don't enjoy listening to it. For me, Black album starts on track 2. And yeah, it can be a bit annoying to hear so many people playing that one particular riff. Y'know, the intro.

[Poontang_clan]

but anyways yea now i listen to alot of racer X children of bodom and stuff like that so even if i want to cover a song that i like i usually cant play half as fast as i'd need to

[rockonn91]

Rock & Roll - Led Zeppelin

Easy, rockin, good stuff. :)


that was actually one of the very first songs i learned.

[isekerx]

play what you like nevermind others... !!
or pick a song and meanwhile work on it too from the start till the end.. you have all the time in the world...

[Mike51]

A lot of people who pick up a guitar without any formal training will just learn bits, intros, and riffs of songs. It is natural and not uncommon. Some people like to play their own music, create their own stuff and play to jam tracks, that's very cool to do. But PRSPlaya puts the hammer to the nail. Better to know a few songs complete than hundreds of riffs.

First it sounds as if you want to play a song complete. Then you turn around and reinforce your inability by saying that you would find it boring after a while. (Eric Clapton yawns all the way to the bank after playing Layla every night) And that you give up if you run across a part that is too difficult.

You've only been playing a short while so I'll assume that you are not yet up to the difficult solos that you see in many songs (the difficult parts). Why not try playing the rhythm part, working on the chord changes. Then break up the solos into 2 or 4 bar pieces and work them.

A piece should never become boring. There is always something you can do to make the song yours. Hammer ons pull offs bends slides, arpeggios are the paints on your canvass.

If you want a great site to visit where they have actual song lessons that will teach you entire songs I suggest. Guitarnoise.com Great community of players.

Play. Start simple. Get all the way through. Feel the accomplishment.

Michael