How do i get over it?

How can i get over my monster frustration with evolving as a player on the guitar. To my mind right now i just seem to be playing the same licks, the same riffs, the same scales. And it's starting to sound boring. And i seem to get more and more sloppy,

Is there a cure for this thing?

I've been there. The cure for that, is to essentially not play anything that you already know. When you practice, make sure that you only work on stuff that you don't know.

Take a week off. Don't touch your guitar at all. If thats not enough, take two weeks off.

Think what you want to achieve. Think what you want to play. Listen to the sound inside you and play it with your guitar.

Carmine

Thanks guys

You might also think about taking up another instrument or variation. I started playing classical, got bored and went to jazz.... got bored and went to full on shred. You might not spot it but there's some classical technique in my electric playing.

I also play bass, cello and piano - not as well as guitar but again they help me think differently. No musician repeats himself more than a guitar player - remember as well that in finding your 'voice' there will be a certain similarity to your playing. I also wouldn't spend any time considering your evolution as a player or being frustrated by it... play when it's fun and stop when it isn't, there's no point if it isn't fun.

As long as other people aren't bored of what you're playing you're ok, and if they are - buy some headphones :)

By the way, how much do you play each day and what do you play? Back when I was doing music exams I used to sit for hours and hours practicising endless scales in endless positions in every key, same with chords and arpeggios etc. Doing so added a somewhat robotic quality to my playing which took some time to 'correct'.

Pretty much what ren and rickblacker said is what I do when I get stuck in those ruts. Taking some time off helps in essentially "resetting" my mind. Ill pick up the guitar a week or two later and I just start feeling a good flow, It feels as if my imagination is refueled. Than after awhile I realize Im just repeating myself and get bored. Than I take a break again, etc etc.

Within those breaks from guitar I typically will concentrate on my singing. Once I get bored of the singing ill pick up the guitar again.

Also as ren said, once I see myself getting bored I try pointing myself in a different direction, such as instead of doing metal/shredding stuff ill try doing some classical guitar. Than I start doing the singer/solo guitar type stuff on acoustic.

In the beginning i played 4 hours every day, now i play like 2 hours (sometimes more, sometimes less)
I play pretty much what i feel like doing for practice. Mostly just learning new songs from my favorite band and stuff. sometimes i practice my techniques. sometimes i go through some lessons here on the site which adds a nice variation to my routine (i should do more of that)
Im not really in to the whole scale ''up and down'' thing. I think it gets pretty mindnumbing quick. And since my playing style is basically 80% based on Slash's playing i don't feel the need to learn full on shred guitar, and if i wanted i would not know where to begin...

Yea, I'm going through the same thing.

Lots of good replies to this. I learned some new ideas from reading this post.

I guess the gist of it is, to mix it up a bit and keep life interesting.

Write some lyrics, sing, (even if you suck)

Have fun and pretend like it doesn't matter.

Smile while you play and pretend your as good as Eddie Van Halen.

I'm just jabbering, but I'm sure you get my meaning.

No thats nice McLarry :) thank you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnW0nyYKbaY

Hey Caponi..
Great job.. Sounds like your getting there..
Gordon..

The ideas i have read are all good ideas, keep stretching yourself and find new things and new ways to express what is inside you.