need a little sugestion..

Im not making out that im some exelent guitar player who cant pogress any more because im too good or anything. I've been playing for only 3 years but ive got to quite a good level. in my spare time i might get off a song on do a online lesson or somthing. But, for some reason, i dont feel im progressing a heck of alot. And maybe i could fit in more practice... but can you sugest anything to realy bring on my playing???

cheers!!

im not a vrey good player anymore(simple answer is i dont practice enough) but have you ever thought about trying a nice style. if youre really into metal or blues why not try some country or classical. just my two cents.

I mentioned this in other threads, but I think it deserves to be mentioned again. To keep your interest and nurture your talents, you need to play (jam) with others. You need to play with someone who is more talented than you to spark your interest and push you to learn and do more. You also must play with somebody who is not as good as you to increase you confidence and communiation skills.

You will be surprised how many people in your school, were you work, your church, or whatever, plays guitar and there is always someone better and someone not as good as you. I started out playing just bluegrass and the old mountain folk music. Now I love the old & new country, jazz, blues, folk, old rock 'n roll, bluegrass, and americana. I love going to the festivals and just hanging out in the parking lot playing with people I don't know. I learned a lot and really enjoy it!

I went from the Carter Family to Tracy Chapman because of what I learned.

Your interest in playing with grow with the more you learn and can accomplish and vise versa. BrokenJera is right. You need to try different styles. You will be amazed at what they have to offer. But you need to jam as well.

Good luck!

How much have you gotten into music theory?.. I played in a creative rut for a long time till I spent the last 3 months teaching myself music theory and coming to grips with what makes music work. I've been playing for 16+ years.. When I first started, music theory was just more textbooks to read and consequently boring.. but I really enjoyed learning all this stuff and I still have heaps more to learn. I'm able to make many more connections than I had previously.. before, the scales were limiting me.. now that I understand them, they are helping to actually extend what I can play.

Also.. have you checked out the GT Solo Assignment that is run through the forums?.. It is open to everyone and it has really pushed me to come up with something fresh each time I've done something.. I listen to my first submission, which was only back in August, and I laugh.. because it is so bad.. lol.. I sound SOOO much better now.. but I feel as if I am only at about 2% of my capabilities now.. whereas about 6 months ago I felt I had reached the limit of my guitar abilities.. I was in that rut for years.. :( So much wasted time.. but now I can start again and climb closer and closer to that level of playing that I can only dream about now..

Guitar is a journey..

Thanks guys! some realy good advice. Im not too smart on music theory so this could help. Also what you said about jammin' with other people, i have thought of it before but i normaly stick to backing tracks... doesn't realy have the same 'vibe' as people.

i started getting into blues and rock and stuff - Hendrix and all that. But i recently got into some latin styles like bossa nova. Its a nice little change with odd timings and werid chords. And other styles... that gave me a longer range.

nah jammin with others is totally differen't you can follow there lead and they can follow your lead. if you get behind just a smidge a good rythem player will make up for it by goin with you. it allows you to do so much more. a good crachendo they will go with you too. as you get louder so will they till you pop out the face melting end of your solo. jamming with others is the only reason i am still playing. back tracking is still fun but playing with others lets you know really how god you are and where to go next.

thanks! anyway... if want some backing tracks, look at my thred in 'places to go, sites to see' forum. tell me what you think

Originally Posted by: looneytunes...you need to play (jam) with others.

What he said... x 1000

Originally Posted by: looneytunesI mentioned this in other threads, but I think it deserves to be mentioned again. To keep your interest and nurture your talents, you need to play (jam) with others. You need to play with someone who is more talented than you to spark your interest and push you to learn and do more. You also must play with somebody who is not as good as you to increase you confidence and communiation skills.

While that is good advice, it is not necessary to keep your interest going. I have played guitar for 11 years, and I have not ONCE played with anyone else (other than my guitar teachers the first 4 years of playing). I just love guitar and can't see myself stopping, so lack of interest is not a problem for me at all.

What kind of music are you playing right now? Maybe you need to try something more challenging. You may think your good, but you may just be playing easy songs, thinking that they are hard.

Originally Posted by: la'guitIm not making out that im some exelent guitar player who cant pogress any more because im too good or anything. I've been playing for only 3 years but ive got to quite a good level. in my spare time i might get off a song on do a online lesson or somthing. But, for some reason, i dont feel im progressing a heck of alot. And maybe i could fit in more practice... but can you sugest anything to realy bring on my playing???

cheers!!

I think that I'm at about the same point that you are, and I have come to this assumption... After the first three years, you have mastered the basics and such, and you are then able to basically play about any song, with a bit of trouble dealing only with only speed or rhythms, technique no longer holds you back too much. So... I think this is where the dedicated ones step it up and take it to the next level. You can play songs by the big timers, but they have at least 10 more years experience on you. So... play a lot, and with some organized methods of practice I think you (we) should progress steadily, although it seems delayed because the first year and most of the second year were filled with rapid progression of learning the basics. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by: hunter1801I have not ONCE played with anyone else (other than my guitar teachers the first 4 years of playing).

Unless you are playing a lot with your teachers, I just don't understand this statement. I grant you that your interest may not have diminished (everyone is different), but how can you play so long without wanting to play with others? I gather from your statement that after the first 4 years of playing you did start playing with others, but still, how could you go 4 years without wanting to play with anyone?

I have been playing guitar since I was 13 and now I am, well lets just say I'm a lot older than that now. I play guitar a lot, but I do not consider myself a musician, because, frankly, I don't think I am that good. I might play at family gatherings or in festival parking lots, etc. Others think I can sing and play, but I consider myself far from a professional musician. However, I do play with others and frankly, I didn't start learning to really play until I did. You learn a lot from playing with others. Things that instructors cannot teach you.

When you play by yourself, as I see it, you will never make a mistake. Of course this really isn't true, but the mistakes you do make go unchallanged. You don't have to play in a band or even a group of people, but everyone should play with at least one other person and they don't even have to play guitar. They could play almost any instrument as long as you play and sing along in the same key and in time.

Back tracking is fine to learn a piece, but you need human intervention to play well. Playing live with someone will heighten your sense of communication & skills, not only with techinical and slang terms, but more important in musicial communication. Knowing how, what, and where the human factor (errors & talents) enters, such as mentioned earlier, correcting your playing when missing a beat, etc.

I guess if it works for you, that is all that matters, but until do start playing with others, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by: "looneytunes"I have been playing guitar since I was 13 and now I am, well lets just say I'm a lot older than that now. I play guitar a lot, but I do not consider myself a musician, because, frankly, I don't think I am that good. I might play at family gatherings or in festival parking lots, etc. Others think I can sing and play, but I consider myself far from a professional musician. However, I do play with others and frankly, I didn't start learning to really play until I did. You learn a lot from playing with others. Things that instructors cannot teach you.

You're going to kick me but you sound exactly like my dad.. and I'm 31.. My dad also started young with music, since his dad was an piano/organ/pipe-organ instructor. He also feels that he's not that good of a musician but has always enjoyed playing in the company of others. My very earliest memories of him were him singing at my primary school with my mum.. hey!.. it was the 70's! :) Then also the song I liked him to play the most, "Puff The Magic Dragon".. haha!

I have been teaching him some music theory lately but since he doesn't really play at all any more, he doesn't really understand it that much. However, his interest has peaked again because he was talking about playing at his church but being out of practise etc.. So I'm going to buy him a guitar for Christmas, nothing over the top.. but in the classical guitar style that I know he likes, with a spruce top and nice natural wood finish.. yah.. :)

So yeah.. getting back to the real topic at hand..


I remember my first "proper" experiences playing with guitar were around age 15 and I was out of school, out of work, out of home.. and I was basically bored out of my mind.. so I picked up dad's old classical and just started playing "stuff".. I knew a few basic chord shapes and a fair amount of basic music theory, at least enough to learn songs from those "101 Easy Guitar Songs" songbooks. Much later I ended up playing in my local church's band..

I have to admit that I find it much easier to be creative and "in the groove" when I am playing with other people and I have learnt a lot of "stuff" from playing in the bands I have. Then again.. I have learnt a massive amount in the last few months without altering my current lifestyle.. It's a different type of learning that you learn by yourself. It's almost like a meditation for me a lot of the time when I am alone.. but when I am playing in the band at church, I need to make sure I am playing in time, in key and I'm keeping tracking of where I am up to on the sheet music... It's just different.. *shrugs*

You're going to kick me but you sound exactly like my dad..

I get that a lot from all you young whipper snappers! I'm going to take that as a compliment, even if you didn't mean it as one.

Then also the song I liked him to play the most, "Puff The Magic Dragon".. haha!

Now here's a clue to how old I am. I remember playing "Puff" when I was in Viet Nam.

Now back to the subject at hand. I was not saying that you shouldn't play by yourself. I'm just saying you cannot get the full satisfaction of playing unless you do play with others. Plus, you cannot get the education needed to be musician unless you do play with others. So, stop playing with yourself and .... wait a minute, this isn't coming out right. Awe, just start playing guitar with someone.

And Light whatever the number is, I bet your father is proud of you. If he isn't, then make him proud!

no realy i am good. but i think my problem is that im only focusing on lead. and not being constructive. i think i need to look at more finger picking e.c.t
and around cristmas im going to get some recording gear and ill show you what im made of

Originally Posted by: looneytunesUnless you are playing a lot with your teachers, I just don't understand this statement. I grant you that your interest may not have diminished (everyone is different), but how can you play so long without wanting to play with others? I gather from your statement that after the first 4 years of playing you did start playing with others, but still, how could you go 4 years without wanting to play with anyone?.......

I have never played with anyone, except for my guitar teacher. I understand that playing with people can teach you a lot, but thats not the point of the thread. He is talking about losing interest in guitar. Someone mentioned that you need to play with others to keep your interest, and I simply said that wasn't true (myself being a perfect example).

I WANT to play with others, but I can't because I don't know a single person who plays any type of instrument at all. I play guitar because I love it, not to show other people my skills. I am perfectly happy playing by myself and trying to get better and better. Sure, playing with others would be cool, but I thats not an option for me right now, and my interest is growing more and more every day.

ooops, miss posted this one...

Some people are allergic to theory, there are plenty of amazing players out there that don't think about music they just play it so don't worry if it baffles you. My advice to fast tracking your playing while staying interested and motivated is to do what I did. I used to play for hours every day when I started, scales and runs up and down over and over - at the end of this all I could do was play a scale very quickly but I was a terrible guitarist. What kept me playing and what made me improve was a fundamental change in how I looked at music.
The gospel according to me is as follows:
1) Listen to great players and think about how they structure their compositions and runs, then really listen to the runs and licks they play and understand how they are done (even f you can't play them). I basically learnt how to play guitar by listening to Jason Becker, Marty Friedman and Vinnie Moore - I have never tried to work out anything they ever played but I spent a lot of time scrutinising their techniques.
2) Don't get hooked into playing scales up and down over and over - if you do then that is all you will ever play. Getting out of this habit is the most difficult thing to do...
3) Imagine what you want to play before you play it. If you are recording a solo, record the rhythm track then put it into your walkman for a day or two - imagine the perfect solo over the backing track. Hum sing or whistle the individual sections until you know by ear exactly what you want to play. THEN, sit down and work it out. Doing this gave me a full understanding of the fretboard that I could never get my learning theory (I'm one of those people who can't think that way - not everyone has this problem). It's all the same at the end of the day, the only difference is in how you perceive the tones on the fretboard. By musical notes, by tab or by the actual tone itself - depends on how your brain is wired. I do it my seeing a fret and knowing what the tone will be before I play it - this requires developing your ear.
4) Learn to play a part on one string, then the same part on multiple strings, then learn to play it at different locations on the fretboard - this will help you to no end when to comes to playing over the whole fretboard.
5) Don't try playing everything fast - play it as cleanly as possible with as much feeling as possible at a very slow pace. This will help you to get away from the widdly widdly type solos that have no tempo and bum notes everywhere. When you can play a shred passage with feeling at 50 bpm's then you can work on increasing the speed until you can play it at 200 bpm. It will sound so much better when you inject it with feeling and develop your own playing style.
6) Develop your own playing style. Forget trying to emulate others like Satch or Vai or Malmsteen - those guys have their own style, turn on one their cd's and you immediately know who is is by their vibrato alone. Having your own sound is so much more satisfying and will make you more proud when you create something unique. You get your own style by focusing on the mechanics of style, vibrato, varying degrees of pinch harmonics, slides to and from notes etc. Alternate picking, sweeping, tapping and legato won't create a style, they just generate the notes - you do need to learn them too though!
7) Playing with others helps to generate spontaneity, this becomes much easier the better you get at the above. When you know the fretboard backwards and can play without thinking about what notes to choose then you can play at the speed of thought - when you can do this you can play anything in a jam situation. This takes a long time and is best achieved as a combination of all of the above.
8) When you are happy with your gear and hardware you will find that you improve faster because you will be more motivated. Every time I upgrade my guitar I get a bit better because I sound better. Better pickups makes your mistakes more audible and force you to improve your technique. This doesnt mean buying new guitars every few months though - common sense will dictate when you need an upgrade (although I have bought some unnecessary 'luxury' items along the way :p )

Hope all of that helps - have too much free time on my hands in work today!

Superman has a lot of good advise there, however, not everyone is that talented.

The more you learn the more interesting it becomes. Playing with others will keep you interest, for you we always have a feeling of accomplishment. You will be bringing new things to table as others and you will learn from one another. And it's fun!

I personally believe in a lot of theory, a lot of practice, and a lot of fun. If you do not have any one of these (not necessary in that order), the average person will lose interest and never become a good musician.

I have progressed alot in the past few months, because I have found a really good in-person guitar teacher. Try out a few local teachers and find someone who plays your style. Having someone who knows alot about guitar playng right next to you to sit there and teach you something can help alot. Plus they will help you with any other possible errors you may have in your technique.

Just my suggestion.