How they do it?

I've been playing guitar for well over thirty years and can't seem to get it.
I'll watch players, follow what they are doing, and can't seem to replicate
the tones, phrasing, feel that good players have. I'm not going to live for ever and at this rate I'll never get it. When I play out, people tell me I sound like Clapton but I know it's not my riffs, just my voice, so how can I FAST t :cool: rack to making my guitar produce the sounds in my head? I practice, practice, practice, but I'm still frustrated. Is this normal? Am I my own worst critic? Is it like golf? (Always learning and perfecting?) Any serious tips to fast track to a real command of tone, fret board visualization, mastering modes, scales, riffs, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. I'm not whinning, just love to play but I'm not rockin yet! Please help if ya can.

Tough question, but to be honest, you're probably being a bit harsh on yourself. As your playing develops (as it continually will) your expectations will get higher. Someone once told me that if you ever meet those expectations, you should give up! lol. IMHO, humility is the one thing that keeps somebody (especially musicians) working.

Thirty years is a lot, I've only played for 11-12, but I would have given it up infinite number of times if it wasn't such fun. Playing guitar, for me, is playing with the guitar, with my mind, with my soul, with God, if you will. That can never get boring. Don't just play from your brain or what your fingers like.
Always take bites of theory and chew them until you can easily digest them, you can never learn enough. Go crazy every once a while (with a guitar, that is). Also, try other instruments.

hey there i have been playin for around 3 years(less)
and i only started becoming half decent wen i just started playin whatever i wanted
just dont pay any attention to what you are playing
really get used to just playin
i dont really practice i just play the thing
like the dude who said if a thread before me
just sorta go crazy
and try to push your limits
for example last night i watched this zakk wylde interview and he said he used to practice 12-16 hours! if you dont believe i have the clip on my computer
anyways so i pciked up my guitar at 11 around i played till 4 in the morning :) and not a single song!!! just random scales, spew i made up, honestly man my hand was just playin away and at around 2 it was goin pretty fast and i was pretty warmed up and i started do sweep picks which i usually can never get right!
so try that man
k good luck. :rolleyes: AND DONT QUIT CUS THEN ITS REALLY OVER!!!!! so just keep on trying
(i was playin before 11 from 5-8 hehe)

its impossible to sound exactly like someone else. Genetics and experiances man. Also more importantly is this: the perception of sounds is subjective.

I read a Jerry Cantrell interview (in a recent guitar world) he reckons that certain signiture tones or voice come from your flesh and blood(how you hold your guitar, how tight etc.)

Anyway, my question is...why the hell would you try so hard to sound like someone else?...after 30 years, you obviously seem to have found/created your own voice...is this not the aim of every guitarist?
you lucky sod.

Originally Posted by: WillardJI've been playing guitar for well over thirty years and can't seem to get it.
I'll watch players, follow what they are doing, and can't seem to replicate
the tones, phrasing, feel that good players have. I'm not going to live for ever and at this rate I'll never get it. When I play out, people tell me I sound like Clapton but I know it's not my riffs, just my voice, so how can I FAST t :cool: rack to making my guitar produce the sounds in my head? I practice, practice, practice, but I'm still frustrated. Is this normal? Am I my own worst critic? Is it like golf? (Always learning and perfecting?) Any serious tips to fast track to a real command of tone, fret board visualization, mastering modes, scales, riffs, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. I'm not whinning, just love to play but I'm not rockin yet! Please help if ya can.

I started playing over 30 yrs. ago myself; getting back into it after a really long break. I've found replicating another's tone to be extremely difficult. Take into account the player's hardware for example, e.g. type of guitar, sound set-up, even the type of pick, or lack of one. Then the intangibles of how they attack the string(s). As to reproducing the sounds in your head- well, your own hardware has to be taken into account also; I doubt you can sound like Stevie Ray with a hollow-body fed through a Fender Champ. I say work with what ya got; after 30 yrs, I'd think you'd have some decent chops, close your eyes, DON'T THINK, and as someone said, go crazy! Play from the heart, and not your head. Find your own voice, instead of trying to sound like someone else. The biggest compliment I ever got about my playing, was I didn't sound like anyone else- it was meant in a good way ;)

Originally Posted by: WillardJI've been playing guitar for well over thirty years and can't seem to get it.
I'll watch players, follow what they are doing, and can't seem to replicate
the tones, phrasing, feel that good players have. I'm not going to live for ever and at this rate I'll never get it. When I play out, people tell me I sound like Clapton but I know it's not my riffs, just my voice, so how can I FAST t :cool: rack to making my guitar produce the sounds in my head? I practice, practice, practice, but I'm still frustrated. Is this normal? Am I my own worst critic? Is it like golf? (Always learning and perfecting?) Any serious tips to fast track to a real command of tone, fret board visualization, mastering modes, scales, riffs, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. I'm not whinning, just love to play but I'm not rockin yet! Please help if ya can.

Well it is not always easy to reproduce someones tone and style. Thats their style, and you will always have your style. As far as recreating sounds in your head this is where theory comes into play. If you dont know any learn it. Start with learning the notes on the fretboard, then to intervals, then to scales and modes. get these under you belt and will be ON YOUR WAY to being able to put these ideas on the fretboard.

hey, if we could sound just like the big boys, what would we need them for? ;)