nsherman2006 Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 First off, i want to say props to Curtis for having the cojones to post his stuff online next to some real experienced stuff. I think I am at the same level he is, and I need some help. I am starting to get decent after about 2 years, but it seems that i get bored of playing. I can't sit down and really practice for more than 30 mins. max. Also, I end up playing the same stuff over and over again, and only pick up a new song or two every month. I want to practice, but i just can't end up playing what i want, then i get frustrated when i try and fail. Anyone get what i'm trying to say? I love the guitar and will always play it, but i just can't seem to get better. Any suggestions? Thanks. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 How do you spend that 30 mins. practicing? Do you just play songs? Practice time should be a balance of physically challenging finger exercises and scales to build technique and melodic playing to improve your musicianship. Musicianship is not athleticism but for an athelete to make greater gains s/he'd supplement playtime with time in the weight room... and you really need to put in more than 30 mins/day , at least an hour... preferably 2 hours/day. When I first started, I'd put in 10-15 hrs/day because I really sucked and I really wanted to play guitar well . If you only have an hour, for example, try 15 mins. hardcore finger exercises, 15 mins. scales, 15 mins. songs you like to play and 15 mins. improvising melodically (important so you don't sound like a machine playing mindless scales .) Have a metronome and some sort of timer device. Other's might disagree but this type of regimented training is quite efficacious IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsherman2006 Posted April 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I know what you're saying, the problem is, i just don't do it. I want to spend more time playing the guitar, but i just don't pick up the guitar and play. I will try regimented training, maybe it will work, but my main problem is the time i spend practicing. I want to spend at least an hour a day, but when i play, it seemas that i bore myself after an hour. Hopefully your tips will help, and maybe ill start noticing some improvements. Thanks. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I know what you're saying, the problem is, i just don't do it. I want to spend more time playing the guitar, but i just don't pick up the guitar and play. it's a form of a rut and either you will work through it or you will be one of the thousands who give up because it is "too hard" or because they lack talent. if you don't have the will to pull yourself out of a rut,then there is no point in continuing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsherman2006 Posted April 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 ok, thanks. I am determined to get myself out of this, so i'll try anything you guys can throw at me, and i'll stick with whatever works. Keep the tips coming, they're helpful. For now, i'm gonna nail 'voodoo chile', as it's my favorite song and i finally found decent tabs, anyone know where to get a tab that has the intro riffs, this one is missing the minisolo at the beginning? Thanks. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 Keep looking, you need something to get excited about. I've been thru so many ruts and plateaus, too many to count. The outcome of all those stagnation periods have resulted in a broader experience with the guitar. That includes trying various playing styles like open/alternate tunings, fingerstyle w/ fingerpicks, slide playing, on and on, all to keep my interest alive. I was a big Led Zep fan for many years and I stumbled on tons of acoustic Led Zep tabs at OLGA. I found myself relearning so many songs, but I really nailed them down, one after another. Thats what it takes, clear your mind, get your priorities straight, and try to enjoy. One important point, sometimes you can't put the guitar down, other times, not so much. If you don't feel like playing then don't play, simple. Wait for a better feeling. Another option is put yourself on a training regimen. That means shelling out for lessons and making sure your instructor gives you a set of goals. Thats what keeps you going, you don't want to let your instructor down and you learn SO much of the right stuff rather than sorting thru all the BS by yourself and only really needing a small portion. Just keep on keepin' on. Progress on the guitar is difficult to measure. It takes longer for some than others, everyone is different. Even the best have good and bad days. But the more you invest the more you get out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STAHLER Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I can e-mail you a copy of Steve Vai's 10 hour work out if you like. You could try that or use it to build up your own regiment. I have the new 30 hour one as well lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 pick songs you like and work at them like crazy thats all ive ever done, however as i got better i looked more and more into the theory side of things then again.. maybe the way i did things isnt good becuase, although it doesnt bother me at all, most people ive heard playing were/are much better than me after the same amount of time. Ive never spent more than around 6 hours a day on guitar... i just play whenever i feel like it, which usually equates to 2-4 hours a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. If your already getting bored, maybe setting a strict routine of excersies wont help (it sure wouldnt for me!), so like i said at hte beginning, my suggestion to pick songs you like and learn them. its fun and your learning - especially if you pick a challenging song. - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 If your already getting bored, maybe setting a strict routine of excersies wont help What Jivin states above rings true. If you really want to get better you have to put in the time and effort... there's NO way around it. "I want money but I don't want to work." "I want to lose weight but I don't want to diet and exercise." All the tips we're offering here won't do a bit of good unless YOU make the effort. Listen to all the great advise here but you ultimately have to find your own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 Goto Ultimateguitarpage.com and learn EVERYTHING on that site, even music theory. If you dont want to save your money. Playing guitar shouldnt be viewed as a chore you should have a desire to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithb Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 30 min per day is not enough to build your skills. Also, look into taking lessons a good guitar teacher, I find I practice a lot more when I have someone giving me assignments, etc. Just to give you an idea, here's how I practice every day: (all times are approximate, of course) 10-15 min warmups 30 min exercises focusing on wherever I feel I need help (right now, pull-offs and 4th finger independance) 30 min scale/mode practice 30 min chord practice 60 min practicing songs and practicing improv So 2.5 - 3 hours of "strict practice" per day, and definately longer on weekends, plus random jamming, etc (I can't seem to put my guitar down ) And yes, I DO have a life outside of playing guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 First off, like has already been mentioned, if you have to make yourself play the guitar then maybe you really don't have the kind of desire you need to get to that next level. But I do also agree that learning songs are a great way to become a better musician. By learning alot of songs, you'll become a musical sponge, that will help you find your own style of playing. Check out LickLibrary.com and check out some of the Total Accuracy books with CD they have. You get Tablature and JamTrax ( one with lead guitar part, and one without so you can jam). Also if you become a member of their site you can get video instructions, mp3 backing tracks, etc. etc. I am a member of the site simply because you get so much for your money. They have alot of great JamTrax so you can step into the shoes of your favorite guitar players and really learn how to nail those parts. The great thing about it, is you will be learning whole songs, so you will be able to not only play the songs your learning, but learn the skill of not just noodling around, but actually gettings complete songs down even when they are your own. But whatever you do, don't do it because it's cool or because your friends play guitar. Do it simply because you love it. If you don't, then you'll never fully reach your potential. Good Luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I only have one advice: get in a band and have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I only have one advice: get in a band and have fun Agreed. My desire to play has gone up and down so many times but it seems everytime I watch a band or get to jam with one it TOTALLY gets me right back into wanting to improve. Playing with other musicians can spark your creativity and desire to learn more. It takes discipline to keep improving but it has to stay fun so the desire remains. Find some other musicians to hang with, listen to and jam with seems like good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsherman2006 Posted April 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 yeah, i just joined up with some friends, and in response to some things, it's not that i don't want to play or that i force myself to play, it's that i just end up playing the same things over again, and i get bored after like 30 minutes, and if i try to learn a new song, it's either real easy, or i'll probably get frustrated with it and stop trying. I want to play, and i want to practice, but i keep playing the same stuff and i don't seem to get any better. Thanks for your help. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefm Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 Actually as weird as it sounds... Try hard to play something in a practice...then take a break...a couple hours...a couple days...find a time when you're relaxed and can crank it up and play just to hear it sound good... Do a quick warmup until you feel comfortable..then find the section that was giving you trouble and give it hell If you play and keep screwing up you'll get frustrated and tense and end up getting worse and worse...when you relax music just falls out of your hands with no effort there's days when I have a lot on my mind when I can barely do warmup stuff...those days I usually don't bother with more...there's days where I'm in a groove and can play things that I couldn't even attempt normally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 Heres what I have found to be effective, inspiered by my friend Make a list of all the songs you can play, post them here, then we will be able to see what artists bands you like and what level you are at, then we can make suggestions, stuff like that Have you done lessons before? if not then maybe try them for a month and learn basic chords and scales, I went to lessons for about 6 months and only learned how to read staff music, tab (which i already knew) and basic chords, he never taught me scales, but he taught me the 5-8 5-7 5-7 5-7 5-8 5-8 petanoic scale, improvise with it and add slides bends and faster slower and it can be pretty sweet Thats just a couple of suggestions, give them a whirl, ohh and thants for givin me props man Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 ohh, another thing, pickup a couple of guitar magazines, especially Guitar World with the Steve Vai 30 hour lesson, that is amazing!!! few more tips, you said you joined up with friends, cool, are you lead guitarist? or you rythm? for me, I used to be lead, but only for the songs I knew (Crazy Train, Enter Sandman, Iron man, Were not going to take it, Smells like teen spirit, thats a short list) but now, I write some rythm stuff, I really wanted to go lead guitarist, but my friend, he does all the drop tunings and crap and he can really crank out lead guitar stuff, so I told him to go lead and I go rhythm, he objected at first and I said give 'er, hes only been playing for 7 months and is amazing, I will post his sound clip after 1 month, its better then me after 2 years!! Anyway, if you are in a rut (which I am too) just keep goin, it wont come easy, but it will come Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsherman2006 Posted April 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 thanks curtis, i think that before i fell into this rut, i was about equal to where you are, because i know i can play, it's just that i get bored of playing the same stuff. I've recently been messing around with blues, and it'w working great, and I'm also trying to tackle voodoo chile, which is real fun. I'm lead guitarist in this band, but we haven't ever all gotten together, it's always just me and my friend the bassist, sometimes the singer(or me, cuz i sing better ), and my processor's drum machine.....lol, i find it to be great playing with people, it motivates me. As to who i like, i'd say vai, satriani, definitely hendrix, anything real bluesy, and then a whole slew of other stuff....thanks a lot for your help guys, i'll try to plow ahead and really work, maybe i'll get out of this darned rut. Thanks. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the third eye Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 if you don't have the will to pull yourself out of a rut,then there is no point in continuing i could stay in a rut my whole life as long as i still enjoyed playing there's no reason to give up, until it's not fun. ruts come and go constantly for me, it's like a couple of weeks i don't feel like playing much, then a couple of weeks the opposite i tried incorporating a hard 5 hour a day workout once which lasted for a week but then i just lost interest there's a line you have to draw i think... too much 'training' and you can't be bothered picking up the guitar for more enjoyable stuff BTW, inspiration tends to override everything(like the new Steve Vai DVD ) and you find yourself mixing training with fun even more than usual! and yeah, joining a band is one of the best things a muso can get involved in it'll up your inspiration, practice, enjoyment and inevitably your skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 i could stay in a rut my whole life as long as i still enjoyed playing then it isn't a rut...nobody enjoys being in a rut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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