What is your guitar learning nemesis, how do you overcome it?

Huh.. cool idea.

Lately i've had cramping issues with barre chords. Not sure why.. Maybe because I've put more focus on them and trying to play them longer than I have before. Anyone else have cramping issues?

Not cramping, but my left hand goes kind of numb (like a 'foots asleep' kind of feeling) after about 40 minutes of jamming. That's long enough for a set, though.

Interesting... Never had that issue.

I am having some neck and arm issues and I am seeing a chiro
he informed me that a lot of problems come from repetitive motions....suggesting that my right arm pain could potentially be from the strumming....which would not be good because i dont intend on stopping ....

but maybe your positioning and the way you are sitting...maybe the way your arm is angled can be adjusted...or at least checked out
numbness isnt a good thing......can be nothing...or can be something
dont let it go too long without looking into it
just my opinion
be well

I don't take it that seriously; it's not like a left arm stroke numbness, fortunately. I've had a weirdness like that for a long time. My body has all sorts of weird things going on these days. :rolleyes:

My biggest hurdle was sweep picking double octave arpeggios, couldnt get them for a long time. Then I spent a while listening to Jason Becker playing and imagined exactly what he was doing and all of a sudden the penny dropped - didnt have to practice them much after I 'got' the concept.

To get them tighter I used midi to help: open up a midi part in your sequencer then input an arpeggio and loop it. Start it off slow at say 80bpm and play along with your guitar - up/down/up/down until you have it nailed. Then increase the speed in increments untill you hit your maximum speed threshold. This trick really helped to keep timing when I was going to sweep something odd like a solo in triplets over a rhythm in 16ths or vice versa. Try it before you knock it!

Biggest problem is theory. It's not that I can't learn or get it when I do. It's wanting to learn it. I'm learning it retroactively. I've played on and off for 25 years and the late 80's to early 90's being very serious. I was a fairly speedy and clean player and know scale shapes and had an ear for it.

I could play it but didn't actually understand what it was that I was actually doing.

So my issue is going back and learning what's behind what I already innately know but don't have the actual theory behind it. I know not having theory is an inhibitor but had gotten along quite well without it.

I'm doing it because I should do it but it's pretty much me whining because I have to do homework ;)

Originally Posted by: JeffS65Biggest problem is theory. It's not that I can't learn or get it when I do. It's wanting to learn it. I'm learning it retroactively. I've played on and off for 25 years and the late 80's to early 90's being very serious. I was a fairly speedy and clean player and know scale shapes and had an ear for it.

I could play it but didn't actually understand what it was that I was actually doing.

So my issue is going back and learning what's behind what I already innately know but don't have the actual theory behind it. I know not having theory is an inhibitor but had gotten along quite well without it.

I'm doing it because I should do it but it's pretty much me whining because I have to do homework ;)

Just curioous--being a beginner--what was it that made you think you need to understand theory?

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelThat's a big hurdle for all beginners and continues to be for more experienced players as well. It's why we did so many lessons on combining them in GF2!

What is GF2???

This was the major block for me also. I really want to combine scales with chords and vice versa. Yes I can kinda awkwardly finsih on a note of a melody and then find the chord...ie., E and then E mj or minor, etc. But doing creative things..............

Also about pics. I do not ever want one. I LOVE using my hand and am looking for lessons that show ways to do this.
I really love flamenco. they never use --or seldom do--use pics, and have some amazing right hand techniques. that is what i want to learn also

Also Blues players too, and Jazz

Originally Posted by: sereezeWhat is GF2???[/QUOTE]

Guitar Fundamentals ( 1 and 2)

[QUOTE=sereeze]Just curioous--being a beginner--what was it that made you think you need to understand theory?

Definitely a hindsight deal. Not knowing the breadth of theory, I was limited to what I heard and what sounded good. Theory is, it appears at this point, something that opens doors to playing. It also helps understand why certain things work under certain contexts (major versus minor scales etc). Not knowing is like choosing to play with blinders. I did that for a long time. It has worked very well for some pretty famous people, that is to say not knowing theory. The reality is, you may not need to know everything about theory but having some basis in it allows to open playing horizons. It helps you build structures in you playing. It helps you understand things other players did when you listen and maybe find inspiration in them.

Granted, I'm still learning theory.

An example is when I was in a band in '89. The other guitar player didn't have theory but he was blessed with some freaky perfect pitch (and a really nice legato style). Me, I was good enough in my 'ear knowledge' but every night between practices, I'd have to work twice as hard to get things down. Play them over and over. Kept messing around until I got what I wanted to hear down. While you have to spend some time 'getting it down', having a better sense of theory would have given me a road map and I wouldn't needed to spend as much time figuring out what made sense. I then could have spent more time on 'getting it down'. Focusing on style and that sense of command you have when you have it down. It inhibited me and particularly in the shred 80's. Since I was fast and clean and noodled with the best of them, I had an expectation on me a bit that made me feel a little like a fraud because I had to overcome that shortfall.

Originally Posted by: JeffS65Guitar Fundamentals ( 1 and 2)



Definitely a hindsight deal. Not knowing the breadth of theory, I was limited to what I heard and what sounded good. Theory is, it appears at this point, something that opens doors to playing. It also helps understand why certain things work under certain contexts (major versus minor scales etc). Not knowing is like choosing to play with blinders. I did that for a long time. It has worked very well for some pretty famous people, that is to say not knowing theory. The reality is, you may not need to know everything about theory but having some basis in it allows to open playing horizons. It helps you build structures in you playing. It helps you understand things other players did when you listen and maybe find inspiration in them.

Granted, I'm still learning theory.

An example is when I was in a band in '89. The other guitar player didn't have theory but he was blessed with some freaky perfect pitch (and a really nice legato style). Me, I was good enough in my 'ear knowledge' but every night between practices, I'd have to work twice as hard to get things down. Play them over and over. Kept messing around until I got what I wanted to hear down. While you have to spend some time 'getting it down', having a better sense of theory would have given me a road map and I wouldn't needed to spend as much time figuring out what made sense. I then could have spent more time on 'getting it down'. Focusing on style and that sense of command you have when you have it down. It inhibited me and particularly in the shred 80's. Since I was fast and clean and noodled with the best of them, I had an expectation on me a bit that made me feel a little like a fraud because I had to overcome that shortfall.

Please can you link me to GF 1&2?

The way you talk about the importance of theory from the perspective of someone who played by ear is very interesting for me, and encouraging!
Can you give me a summary of the theory you have learnt?

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelThat's a big hurdle for all beginners and continues to be for more experienced players as well. It's why we did so many lessons on combining them in GF2!

I have tried in search box typing 'GF2' because i would very much like the free lsson if its available (also GF 1 which is chord changing?) but am not sure which lessons they are. Can anyone help me locate them?

Click on the Lessons tab. GF1 and GF2 are the first two lessons. Kind of hard to miss them.

aka Guitar Fundamentals 1 and Guitar Fundamentals 2.

OK, so I am taking it that all the forum users here pay for lessons from the site?
I dont, and know that some lessons are free cause they at Youtube. So your saying GF1 and 2 you have to pay , and theres no freebies, yeah?

still no reply?

Hi, sereeze. In short, you are correct. :)

I am a subscriber and it is worth it. I started out getting freebies wherever I could (including here), but figured it was worth a few bucks to have everything all organized and available. This has proven to be one of my best investments ever.