Curious

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Hello,
Been learning to play now for little less than a year, I have a teacher, of course joined this site so I think I am on the right path. But I was curious if you "guitar vets" ever get frustrated? I know it's part of the learning anything; but I was curious if it ever gets easier? I am still having a blast, but wow there are days when I wish I could just jam (ie: like Prince) :)

Love the site!
Thanks
Iggy[/FONT]

Hi Iggy,
The first few years are often emotional in an individual's progress and each attain different results through their journey. No Matter what level of result one has compared to another, the Key is that you enjoy yourself and persist to become better, day by day. Over time the discoveries begin to connect and you enter onto a higher plateau. A more relaxed style begins to develop compared to the heavier concentration in developing the motor skills that was once inevitable. Becoming more satisfied with individual results feeds in the enjoyment for most because you begin to realize that guitar and music in general is a never ending exploration in learning something new. It never ends if you persist to push further in opening doors with more understanding of how to get there. Clearing the way or getting around certain "Road Blocks" will always be a task you're challenged with in Creativity, especially with Seasoned Vets.........Trying to add another Flavor to a certain style is imperative for Originality to exist through playing.
I always remind myself of this from an example I heard years ago.
A band named "Boston" released their Debut and it was just incredible......The Progressions, Riffs, Licks, phrasing and Lyrics were Genius. They couldn't have done better IMO.............
Then they released their 2nd album......It sounded exactly the same as what was already heard before. Still sounded good and had great songs, but they should have just released a Double Debut album (the Debut album is only 37 minutes long with 8 songs total).
Such talented musicians, who I'm sure became extremely Frustrated......
The Debut album sold over 17 Million copies, The 2nd album didn't even come near those sales....
On the bright side, it was a lesson that taught many other musicians what to watch out for in pursuit to continue with Originality.

Originally Posted by: Iggylove[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Hello,
Been learning to play now for little less than a year, I have a teacher, of course joined this site so I think I am on the right path. But I was curious if you "guitar vets" ever get frustrated? I know it's part of the learning anything; but I was curious if it ever gets easier? I am still having a blast, but wow there are days when I wish I could just jam (ie: like Prince) :)

Love the site!
Thanks
Iggy[/FONT]

Think in terms of years instead of months.
Seriously, it took me almost 2 years just to learn a D chord.
And it wasn't until about 5 years until I started learning stuff like Gm, Dm etc.
I'm embarassed to say that the the only reason I leaned actual songs was by picking up Partridge Family books at Kmart and writing down the chord charts cause they were they were the only songs I knew.

However, I learned how to play them them and that's the basis of how I learned chords.

I really need to start learning theory and more chords. It sucks not being able to connect scales and such together.

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Thanks for the response guys, just nice to know or even hear that everyone goes through some hurdles and the frustration does turn into satisfaction after a while. Like it has been said, most important is if I am enjoying myself and I for sure am.
I sure do respect you cats that play like yall do, I just hope one day I can be one of them :)

Back to practicing
Thx for your time,

Iggy[/FONT]

I think it goes in cycles.. at least it does for me.. I'll be cruising along happily for a month.. or a year.. or whatever.. and then I'll realise how uncreative I have become and that I have found myself going round and round in circles over the same material again and again.. Then I begin the battle against the tide again and learn some more stuff. This time around I needed some musical theory pumped into my head before I was able to break out of my cage. Now I have just gotten over the symptoms of theory overload.. and I can start being creative again... but there will be a time, not too far away where everything will be dull again and I will have to reinvent myself again...

Also.. yes.. if you want to learn new things, things that you couldn't do before.. you will need to practise, learn, and practise some more.. lots of hard work really.. I'd say it's like 90% hard work and the rest is the actual playing.. but whether the work is boring or exciting is really what matters.. to me, the practise and working on the music is not a chore.. well some days it does feel like that but for the most part it is not only enjoyable but also satisfying.

as a novice player, i find the hardest thing is to discipline myself not to jump ahead before I get a piece down cold. As soon as it starts to sound like something i get all excited and start to think im better than i really am. Typically if im learning from a book I'll do the first two lessons, get bored and jump to number 15. The only good part about that is when i get frustrated with that lesson, the first few seem like a piece of cake in comparison so I get through them pretty quick. Im now focused on the pentatonic scale and have vowed to master all the positions before i even go out and buy a guitar. (Electric i mean, i already have an acoustic). Ive been renting as I learn so i can buy the right one based on something other than its looks .....right now i have no real benchmark for comparison.

My advice start recodring yourself. Nothing like the cold hard reality that a recording can slap ya with.

There will always be frustration. If someone never got frustrated, then that would mean that they can easily do ANYTHING on the guitar at ANY moment. Thats pretty much impossible. Even the best guitar players have to practice solos/riffs before they get it perfect.

Originally Posted by: Iggylove[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Hello,
Been learning to play now for little less than a year, I have a teacher, of course joined this site so I think I am on the right path. But I was curious if you "guitar vets" ever get frustrated? I know it's part of the learning anything; but I was curious if it ever gets easier? I am still having a blast, but wow there are days when I wish I could just jam (ie: like Prince) :)

Love the site!
Thanks
Iggy[/FONT]

ahh first time i saw a prince fan around here ;) have you checked out the jam he released a couple days ago on the net? great guitar work.

EVERYONE gets frustrated once in awhile. The key is to always focus on your goals and the reasons for wanting to achieve those goals. If you always approach practicing as working towards a SPECIFIC goal, you'll be able to overcome those periods of frustration.

Keep on working hard, and progress will come. Good luck.

I've played off and on for over 40 years...self taught...didn't have the internet and all these great teaches you have here when I was learning.

If I can pass along one thing I have learned...when you first learn to play, learn especially the basics ...the right way. I've learned the hard way, its easy to learn to do things the right way in the beginning ...rather than to try and UNLEARN bad habits later.
A perfect example .... I could play just well enough to get by playing for myself or family...but I could never get any speed when trying to do like runs and riffs.
One day I found the internet and found out why. I never knew that when you wrap your fingering hand around the neck of the guitar to play...you don't try to grip the neck like you are holding a baseball bat.
I didn't know that your thumb and fingers are to just float on the neck and barely touch it. So once I found that out ...now I am working on breaking the bad habit that I learned wrong ..by putting a death squeeze on the neck.
WOW...now I have opened a whole new world of playing...and my speed has increased greatly ...
So....best to learn things the right way...right from the start from those who know.

Bill