Originally Posted by: bschuhmaHi all - first post here... maybe someone can get me moving again...

I'm a beginner. I've been a beginner for about 20 years. I've been a member of guitar tricks for just over a year and while I've improved a bit, I still can't play a complete song. I have little bits and pieces of many songs I can play, but I'm discouraged that every song seems to have 2-3 rhythm guitars and a lead - it's simply impossible to play a full song with one person!

My question is about where to go from here... Practicing mechanics like scales and chords is not appealing AT ALL, so I don't do it. Neither is just working on bits and pieces of songs, knowing you'll never be able to out it all together and ACTUALLY make it sound like a song people would recognize.

I love the blues and rock... I love Stevie Ray and John Fogerty/CCR stuff, especially that overdriven tubey sound in solos like in Heard it Through the Grapevine, etc. Have I just chosen the wrong songs? Simple songs are tooooo boring... who cares if I can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?

I'd be happy in the short term (2-5 years) just being able to play songs and not fear the moment at a party where someone says, "hey, you play the guitar - play something for us!" Right now I have to tell everyone I suck, which doesn't feel very good, of course.

I understand that to play proper lead I'll have to know every nuance of every chord and scale so I can improvise - I get that.

I've worked through the core stuff (1 & 2) on guitar tricks. It's just not coming together. Can anyone suggest a path? If someone can assure me that if I follow a particular path I'll arrive at my destination I'll do it, but I can't see it right now. Should I focus on songs or mechanics? I'd say songs, given my goals, but what songs?

Thanks!

Bret

Greetings Bret,
I am glad to read your inquiry here. Do not feel alone if you hit those snags as you are trying to learn. I am a newbee also in it's own right. I put down the guitar about 25years ago, not too good then either, and I am trying it again. What I knew before was habits that really has hindered me in many ways. I am still struggling in areas, but look at it this way, at one point you had no idea about a guitar other than to pick it up, but you have learnt some chords and ect. and this is more than you knew when you picked it up. So you are teachable, it just takes time.
A couple days ago, I was doing really good with the spider legs exercise, and today my fingers have no direction at all, this is frustrating but I am going to keep moving forward. One thing I do is go back to a lesson before the one I battle with and get reacquainted with previous lessons in case I am missing something again.
Some go through some real ups and downs trying to learn. You get some good runs and then hit some real dry periods and you think you have plateaued to your top end.
Have fun with it, and don't beat yourself up for not doing things 100% all the time, even professionals make mistakes and have rough times. I am a professional at making mistakes and doing like others do.
You will make it.