Stuck in a guitar rut..

[Thiez]

I have had this feeling a couple of times now.. I play guitar for about 10 years now, and when i hear other people that are playing that long they are faaar better.. I wanna play better, and i know that needs practice ofcourse. But i don''t know where to start or something. I don''t know what it is.

When i play guitar, i jam a bit, play some usual stuff, maybe jam a backingtrack and write some stuff for my band an thats it. I don't really study anymore. And when i start studying, i pick up my guitar, study for half an hour with metronoom or something, some scales stuff etc and then i got bored and go jam again.

What do you people do about this? I want to become more skilled and a bit faster maybe, but i practice and don't think i get any better so i quiet the practicing and go jam.

 

[Marshall=Awesome]

Maybe try just practising scales (Major, blues-minor pentatonic etc.) while your watching tv or something and use them as a practice/warm up thing. And maybe as your doing that and stretching your fingers etc you can play them at different speeds and just slowly speeding up naturally, not worrying about a metronome or worrying about it as "serious practice". Or maybe just learn a song with some really difficult/fast licks, I started learning "Cliffs of Dover" maybe about 10 months or so ago and it really helped my picking style and I can do alot more speed wise.

Cheers, Alex.

 

[SuperBeaver]

I have had this feeling a couple of times now.. I play guitar for about 10 years now, and when i hear other people that are playing that long they are faaar better.. I wanna play better, and i know that needs practice ofcourse. But i don''t know where to start or something. I don''t know what it is.

When i play guitar, i jam a bit, play some usual stuff, maybe jam a backingtrack and write some stuff for my band an thats it. I don't really study anymore. And when i start studying, i pick up my guitar, study for half an hour with metronoom or something, some scales stuff etc and then i got bored and go jam again.

What do you people do about this? I want to become more skilled and a bit faster maybe, but i practice and don't think i get any better so i quiet the practicing and go jam.

I teach guitar for a living and come up against this all the time. You're likely a little uninspired at the moment.

I would first off recommend getting into a new band or player. Maby even a new style of music. For about a year solid I listened to tons of jazz. Not the new fusion stuff but old Skool swing, Benny Goodman with Charlie Christian, Duke Robillard, Wes. Totally changed my style and gave me a new approach to licks. Don't get me wrong I'm not a jazzer but there is now a bit more of a swing to my playing which I think keeps it interesting for me as a player and hopefully for those that listen.

As regards practicing the best way to get 'fluid' and have continuous ideas flowing when improvising (like Stevie Ray) is basicly just to play and play as much as possible over straight 12 bar I, IV, V progressions. Start with working a few stock licks in there then just let yourself go. Sounds weird but players improvise and play best when they're not thinking, to get to that level you've just gotta put as much time in jamming as you can. It's like learning a language, at first you are always thinking what to say. Then after a while you become fluent and speak without thinking.

 

[poeman33]

I think you have to make it fun. It's hard to be inspired if you are bored and not liking it. Find something fun you want to learn...or write something fun. For me, if I am enjoying it, I get WAY more creative and learn different things. Even now after playing for decades.

 

[trenchcoat]

Maybe u should try coming up with something while you jam.. Then focus on it. Add some words..

Next thing ya know you have a song.

 

[SonVolt]

New gear always helps

I'm in the exact same boat as you. It's hard to judge yourself as a player since there are so many levels of talent. To a non-player you most likely sound like Hendrix himself. My problem is I never learned music theory, I just learned songs...or worse, intros to songs. I don't know how to just pick up a guitar and noodle around as well as a lot of other player, especially when someones watching. I need to learn a scale today. In fact, I am going to learn a scale today.

Every Good Boy Does Fine.........

 

[poeman33]

New gear always helps

I'm in the exact same boat as you. It's hard to judge yourself as a player since there are so many levels of talent. To a non-player you most likely sound like Hendrix himself. My problem is I never learned music theory, I just learned songs...or worse, intros to songs. I don't know how to just pick up a guitar and noodle around as well as a lot of other player, especially when someones watching. I need to learn a scale today. In fact, I am going to learn a scale today.

Every Good Boy Does Fine.........

I never learned theory, but that's exactly what I do. Pick up the guitar and noodle around. Playing the bar circuit meant I had to learn alot of different kinds of songs. So after awhile, you kinda just get good at noodling around...and figuring what goes good with what, and what naturally comes next. Until you listen and learn another Jimi song...then wonder how the hell he thought of going there and it sounds so freakin natural when he does it.

 

[Far Rider]

Be thankful you have the choice.

 

[Wycked Lester]

1 take some lessons.
2 challenge yourself to learn one of your fav solos 'note for note' and DO IT!! - this can be VERY rewarding.....
3 Find some new people to jam with
4 take some more lessons

 

[Nudge68]

Mate, I completely understand. Been there, still there!

Break away from the routine, the monotony, the "same old".

I do that by getting manuscript and writing what I hear in my head. Sing melodies, scat sing riffs, whatever ...

The mechanics of playing to my muscle memory limits my musicality. The best of my creativity comes from being AWAY from my instrument.

cheers,

Matt.

 

[Marshallmaniac]

What I did was buy my favourite hot guitar players tution videos and take what I liked from them. I wrote it all out in tab and went over them until I had those licks down. Playing in a cover band will force you to play good also because you have to play many different great players stuff. Today, we live in a world where you don't even have to leave your armchair to get these lessons. AND they're free

Thats what I did anyway and came along leaps n bounds throughout that particular period, been playing since 5 years old, 32 now.

 

[StratoMarshall]

Thats what I did anyway and came along leaps n bounds throughout that particular period, been playing since 5 years old, 32 now.

I started when I was 5 as well! Ain't sayin' how old I am though.

 

[Les Moore]

I could have written that. Been there, am there.
Try this: Jazz Guitar Online: Free Online Jazz Guitar Lessons, Tabs, Chords, Guitar Chord Charts & Guitar Tuner.

 

[diesect20022000]

i forced it until it became fun. i got the guitar grimoire book of scales and made it a point to learn at least one new scale a day for about a year then i spent the following two years getting them up to 400bpm. i can't apply a lot of that practicaly though but i'm getting that as i play with a drummer. i still can't do a lot of rhythm that fast but i can clock a scale up to 400bpm now alternate picked 1 note per beat.

 

[Les Moore]

As the OP I feel I´m just repeating myself. I´m currently listening A LOT to SRV. He just blows my mind. So yesterday I tried playing along to the Texas Flood album, and I was surprised at how "well" it went. From the link I quoted above I learned one scale that I didn´t have and I discovered a lot of fun. So now I´m going to try to dig deeper in to that well. Also yesterday evening I started trying to play different chords in different positions and I discovered new sounds. Just by using different positions. I know all this, but there still seems to be some kind of invisible threshold to get passed and get truly inspired. I´m truly fighting for that inspiration now but I´m going to make an effort. Have been feeling like the OP for several years now and something has to change.
I´ve been wondering if it has anything to do with age. Turning 50 next year. Maybe it´s a passing "male menopause" where nothing is really much fun. I don´t know.
Would be interesting if someone well over 50 could tell their story.

 

[SuperBeaver]

As the OP I feel I´m just repeating myself. I´m currently listening A LOT to SRV. He just blows my mind. So yesterday I tried playing along to the Texas Flood album, and I was surprised at how "well" it went. From the link I quoted above I learned one scale that I didn´t have and I discovered a lot of fun. So now I´m going to try to dig deeper in to that well. Also yesterday evening I started trying to play different chords in different positions and I discovered new sounds. Just by using different positions. I know all this, but there still seems to be some kind of invisible threshold to get passed and get truly inspired. I´m truly fighting for that inspiration now but I´m going to make an effort. Have been feeling like the OP for several years now and something has to change.
I´ve been wondering if it has anything to do with age. Turning 50 next year. Maybe it´s a passing "male menopause" where nothing is really much fun. I don´t know.
Would be interesting if someone well over 50 could tell their story.

I'm 34 and cut my teeth playing along with Stevie when I was in my late teens. I'm convinced it's what brought me along quicker. He was the first music I listened to outside of 'Rock' ie. Van Halen, Extreme, Mr Big. After I started reading interviews with him and with Eddie Van Halen they both talked about Clapton. To me Clapton was Wonderful Tonight and crap like that....
Then I heard The Beano album and Wheels Of Fire...
Because by its very nature this was improv blues rock it didn't have to be played exactly like the cd it pushed me to play along but use 'different' licks. The idea of working a solo out note for note is anal and banal to me. I have rarely done it unless it was one of 'those' solos where people want to hear the way it was.
Stairway To Heaven
Hotel California
Comfortably Numb
Freebird
You Shook Me All Night Long
Crazy Train
Are all examples of solos that may or may not have been 'composed' but to me they are memorable enough to hum, therefore when playing them I would keep close to the recorded version.
With Stevie- fuck no. Every time he did a solo it was different

 

[Les Moore]

Yeah, I try to just learn short phrases of Stevies style and then "make them my own". But there is stuff I will never figure out, like the second solo on Riviera Paradise. What the hell is he doing there? Some incredible stuff going on there.

 

[gdh1532]

you are lacking a clear goal for learning.. You need to think "what do I want to accomplish on the guitar" then set a plan of action and goals to accomplish this. Lesson plans work well because they teach you music and guitar in increments designed to develop your playing ability, your musical knowledge, and train your ear (might be the most important part).

Do you know every note on the neck instantly, If not work on it, play scales in positions but also play them all on one string, naming the notes as you go, break your chords down note by note naming each not as you play it.. Learn every kind of chord you can, even the weird ones.. upper tetrachords... 9-11-13's etc.

oh and break your routine, it keeps your mind sharp, and causes you to think/look at things differently by having different approaches, to your playing and practice.

 

[SuperBeaver]

Yeah, I try to just learn short phrases of Stevies style and then "make them my own". But there is stuff I will never figure out, like the second solo on Riviera Paradise. What the hell is he doing there? Some incredible stuff going on there.

Haha yes. That stuff is like

I have the Lick Library DVD with 5 or 6 Stevie songs on it. They break the stuff down well, but when it comes to those off the wall improv licks they don't even try to transcribe them. Haha they just more or less say wing it...

 

[Les Moore]

GDH, I took a diploma in classical guitar, then I tought classical guitar for 6 years. I never took lessons on electric guitar. When I quit the classical to build my house I kind of fell out, I don´t know what it is. Felt good in the beginning not having to practice for 5-8 hours a day, thinking "I´ll get around to it later". But I never did. It´s been like 10 years now. Picked up the classical this spring. Was surprised at how fast (only a few weeks) I managed to get back to a decent level. But the rock/blues... I can´t find the way back in there. I´m going to make a real effort now though. Practicing scales and chords in jazz and blues, playing to SRV and crack some codes. I truly hope this will get my juices flowing again
Anyway, I think that´s what the OP is talking about, at least that´s how I felt reading his first post.