Originally Posted by: tonypashigianI've been playing around with guitars for awhile. I can play chords and scales. I know the cool parts to songs that I like. I took some lessons awhile back, but it all seemed very random. Now, I've been through a bunch of Guitar Tricks lessons. All of that, and something is missing.
Is there a Guitar Tricks course that can show how to stitch all of this together so that when I sit down with a guitar I can do something that sounds like music instead of fragments? I've never had the feeling like I was on a path and progressing toward an objective.
I'm POSITIVE I used to overthink it. When I "let it go" I improved. But, if I took a guitar to a camp fire, I have no earthly idea how I'd play for 30 minutes and make it sound interesting. Same for electric guitar playing.
Any suggestions?
Tony,
Just seeing your post. In terms of "where" you are headed, you pick the destination. From your campfire point, what would you like to play at the campfire? If you want to play existing songs, you just need to learn them. If you want to make up songs, once you get done with Guitar Fundamentals 1 and 2, pick a style (i.e. Rock, Country, Blues) and complete the 1 and 2 experienced courses. By the time you finish one of those, you will be able to play many different rhythms in that style and you will also be able to improvise leads with lots of different licks, you can practice mixing rhythms and lead licks to play on an acoustic by the campfire, but it's not going to sound all that "full" jumping back and forth.
I've been playing for about 8 mos. and can strum and sing about 40 popular songs. I can play lead for about 5 or 6 songs and I can improvise Blues over any blues backing track (up to the end of chapter 1 in Blues 2 course).
I've taken my acoustic out to the campfire a few times this summer and people that like to sing have hung out and sung songs with me for a while, but nobody really knows that many songs unless they are really into singing or playing, so people lose interest unless you have cell service and can bring the words up on your phone. If you DO have cell service and can bring up the words and chords (and if everyone has had a few cocktails) on something like Ultimate Guitar Tab, you can play and sing for hours.
I asked my wife after one campfire outing where nobody really seemed to be "in" to my playing and just wandered off when I started playing "freestyle" country licks, blues licks and strumming some rhythms - "am I terrible, should I stop playing, do I sound bad" - she said "NO, you sound great, but you just need to understand that most often, if people aren't actively singing along and focusing on your "show", everyone loves to have the music in the background while they do other stuff. Nobody wants to just sit there and stare at you, but everyone really appreciated your blues licks while they were staring at the stars or making smores or whatever."
SO - Dude, just enjoy yourself. If you want to learn a particular style, throw yourself into that style. All the organized courses are phenomenal and will get you to a place where you can just improvise and muddle around with whatever is in your head. Don't worry if noone seems to be paying attention. If they aren't asking you to stop, they are probably enjoying your noise. Think about the radio, do you just sit there and stare at it? probably not, you like having it on or you would turn it off, right?
If you want to learn to compose music, you probably have a long way to go (I'm not sure how long you've been playing and studying), but Chris Schlegel is a true music-nerd (I mean that as a huge compliment) and if you took in all of his coursework on this site with respect to music theory and composing (and he will respond to every message you post for him), you will absolutely be able to write your own songs.
For now, maybe this will help, I know it has made my music hobby much more enjoyable - go to the Toolbox and OPEN Jam Station, plug in the style and key that you want to play and then pick one of the backing tracks. Let that play and then just start playing some licks in tempo over the backing track. I just discovered it this weekend and I can sit for hours and hours just playing Blues licks over backing tracks, it's so awesome, it is "making music" and it feels so incredible.