jakatak Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Okay....I have about 3 million online bookmarks...The House of Blues Guitar Course....Jamorama....a ton of tab sheets scattered all over the floor...The Rock Riff Dictionary....Electric Guitar..The Ultimate Electric Guitar Course....I'm drowning.....oh...I forgot...and Emore's Guitar Tips Course.....that one really has my head swimming....Playing the E Major scale in the Key of C....what the hey!!!!! I need a life preservor.....bad....this Les Paul Bad Boy needs a man with direction. I have strong fingers....I can play scales fairly well....I know most of the major chords and I can barre with the best of them....but I, like most amateur players cannot get over the hump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Sounds like your pressing. If I stop for a few days things really seem to come to life and I play my own stuff, and enjoy playing more Take a few days off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Yeah really, yer stressing yer self out so take some time off, snap a few more pictures of that beauty (and then post 'em). The rest will come in time. It seems overwhelming so pick one at a time, get through it, pick another, then another... It will all make sense eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Dig out an old CCR album and play along. It will clear your head and you will realize how much fun three chords can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingarmadillo Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Or go pick up an acoustic and play around with that. You need to relax a little bit!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slogold Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Okay....I have about 3 million online bookmarks...The House of Blues Guitar Course....Jamorama....a ton of tab sheets scattered all over the floor...The Rock Riff Dictionary....Electric Guitar..The Ultimate Electric Guitar Course....I'm drowning.....oh...I forgot...and Emore's Guitar Tips Course.....that one really has my head swimming....Playing the E Major scale in the Key of C....what the hey!!!!! I need a life preservor.....bad....this Les Paul Bad Boy needs a man with direction. I have strong fingers....I can play scales fairly well....I know most of the major chords and I can barre with the best of them....but I' date=' like most amateur players cannot get over the hump. [/quote'] Sounds like or looks like a Mid Life but hoping not a End of Life Crisis.... PEACE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlekenny Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I say go get the best personal one-on-one teacher around you and go with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeydego Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 grab a beer (or whatever relaxing libation your into) turn down the lights, and slow blues, man. Put on somethin no faster than 60-80 BPM and just feel it. Let the guitar play you back a little bit. Dont just talk to it, let it talk back too. man, its like magic. The tone, the feel. Kill the distortion, get the natural tone from the guitar. Grab a note, a little virbrato, grab it some more. no shame in playing one or 2 note but dammit make it work. Im big on theory, but your suffering from "teched out" and need a lesson in feel, which is a one man operation, only you can teach yourself that. report back the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakatak Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 That's some nice advice....I need to bend a couple strings and clear my head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud N Proud Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I feel your pain too. Whenever I get into a slump I try to find a good tutorial book, video or something in one of the magazines. I want something that will push me over the hump, but then I either get bummed out because I can not play it right away or I get so focused on all the new stuff, I do not know where to start???? That is when I sit back in front of the TV and just play whatever comes to mind. Sometimes I even put on a good album and play along to it. Just noodle around a little, not really playing the song. I end up having a lot of fun and it really clears my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverbursted Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I think that the vast majority of us on this site are recreational players who play for the relaxation. Unless you are playing to put food on the table, relax, take a break, and walk away for a couple of days. It should clear your head enough to get you back on track. Good luck. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakatak Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 Thanks for the moral support. I can play the scales, but I'm not able to play any fun licks. I just want to learn a hook that I can play over and over. Nothing fancy, but I am just not original enough to take a pentatonic scale and turn it into my own creation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Check this out. Maybe it will help keep you keep interested http://www.chrisrupp.com/servlet/the-Riff-DVDs/Categories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
This one goes to 11 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Breathe in, breathe out, take motorcycle for a ride, come home smiling, pick up guitar and have fun. Why would you do it otherwise? You're not in competition with anybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrktwn Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 That's some nice advice....I need to bend a couple strings and clear my head!No what you need to do is get out of the basement, off the typing TV, and PLAY MUSIC WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Hopefully you do this already. Swear to God this is the only way you will get better, and have anything you are trying to teach yourself have context and/or meaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingarmadillo Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I can play the scales, but I'm not able to play any fun licks. Can you play them or do you just know them? By play I mean take your guitar in a dark room, close your eyes and rip off a perfect set of scales? Everytime? Until the motions are almost instinctive it's harder to really play an impromptu lead. You might learn a few riffs from memory, but the ad-libbed stuff takes that level of knowlege of the fretboard. And I agree with the others, get out and play with other people, or even a CD or DVD to get used to having to adapt to different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil47uk Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 That's exactly why I have just written a book with a difference on playing guitar. If you liken learning guitar to constructing a jigsaw puzzle, most people have chunks here and there but can't seem to put things together. That I'm afraid is the nature of the instrument and how it is often taught and learned as opposed to the stricter disipline of most other instruments. What I have set out to do in the book is give people all the straight edges, so they can then work from there themselves. Most books try and cram forty years experience in 200 pages and this just can't be done. Therefore that's why many people simply come up against a brick wall. The way modes are explained for example confuses most people, when in actual fact it's simplicity in itself. For every mode there is a chord and for every chord there is a mode. I am trying to keep theory down to a minimum as I know from experience that most people just drift off. The problem is that you get a lot of people who tell novices not to bother with any theory as it cramps your style.. Absolute bollocks! Notice that the guitar is one of the very few instruments you'd ever get that type of advice on. Of course knowing basic theory to build up a solid foundation from which to work from doesn't make one a better musician, but it can only be of benefit for those times we all have when things come to a grinding halt. If you know how it works, you often know how to fix it. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakatak Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Where's the book? Oh....and as far as playing with other people.....that is easier said than done. As a 58 year old, who hasn't seriously played his guitar since his band days as a kid....it is very difficult to even find people to play with. I would love to jam with someone.....just that the someone isn't around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud N Proud Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 I agree with jakatak. It seems a lot harder to find people to play with. I moved about a year ago and stillhave not found anyone to jam with. I grew up in Minnesota and had a band in college and that seemed to open a lot of doors for me. Sort of once you were in you were set with people to play with. Then I moved the first time and it took me years to find someone to play with. I would bring it up when meeting people and would go to different shops and open mic nights trying to find anyone to jam with. Then I moved again last year and it starts all over. I am not sure if it is because I am not looking hard enough or people just do not seem to want to jam as much now that we are older. Funny story, I was at a shop and started talking to a guy who was playing and he started telling me that he wished he had someone to play with. He seemed like a nice enough guy so I told him I am always looking for someone to jam with too. He was like yeah it is real hard now a days. So I told him if he wants, I would be willing to. He was all wierd then and said he really isn't that good and would be intimidated playing with someone???? I always feel I can learn so much from other people. You really start to get the feel for things and you pisk things up that you don't sitting in a basement. I definitely learned the most when i was playing live with people, and now I seem to plateau a lot when playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakatak Posted May 10, 2008 Author Share Posted May 10, 2008 Come home and we'll play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud N Proud Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 I actually am back in Minneapolis quite a bit. I may need to take you up on the offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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