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(@piratelove38)
Eminent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 17
Topic starter  

Ok, I am really frustrated right now. I've been playing guitar on and off for about 3 years now. I took lessons for 2 years but my teacher turned out to be a real creep and I ended up quitting. I'm hesitant to take lessons again, and since I quit I've been trying to learn on my own. But I feel so overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things that need to be learned.
I've thought a few times that maybe I should take lessons again, so that I can structure myself somehow. I'm really interested in lead guitar and learning songs, but I'm doing such a half-baked job of it because I can't concentrate enough on anything. If I focus on one thing (for example, playing actual songs) I remember that I barely know my scales, and then I freak out. But then when I focus on scales, the progress is so slow that I remember I'm not playing any actual songs, not getting any better, and then I just freak out all over again. I can't focus on anything for long.

I love rock n roll, always have. I'm not gonna lie; I'm not the most disciplined person and I dunno how dedicated I really am yet. But I do fantasize about being able to play well, and even performing one day. I want to play well but I just feel so overwhelmed by everything I have to learn and I lose focus as a result.

Can anyone help me?

~Alma


   
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(@kevin72790)
Prominent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
 

Learn to play scales and learn your chords. Then you can make your own songs AND play any song you want. ;)

It's easier said than done of course. But structure something like...half hour of scale practice...then half hour of learning a song, or whatever.


   
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(@dagwood)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1024
 

Who was it that said...

"Give me three chords and......." ?

Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)


   
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(@falcon1)
Reputable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 176
 

Relax, and have fun with it. If you work on scales and chords, songs will come, and if you work on songs, scales and chords will come. If you are in a rush to get better quicker, go for lessons. If you just want to enjoy the ride, just do what you feel like. Spend a few minutes running through some scales, then play a few songs. As long as you are playing, you will get better - whatever you put in, you will get out later. Have fun! :D


   
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(@garuda)
New Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 2
 

Ok, I am really frustrated right now. I've been playing guitar on and off for about 3 years now. I took lessons for 2 years but my teacher turned out to be a real creep and I ended up quitting. I'm hesitant to take lessons again, and since I quit I've been trying to learn on my own. But I feel so overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things that need to be learned.
I've thought a few times that maybe I should take lessons again, so that I can structure myself somehow. I'm really interested in lead guitar and learning songs, but I'm doing such a half-baked job of it because I can't concentrate enough on anything. If I focus on one thing (for example, playing actual songs) I remember that I barely know my scales, and then I freak out. But then when I focus on scales, the progress is so slow that I remember I'm not playing any actual songs, not getting any better, and then I just freak out all over again. I can't focus on anything for long.

I love rock n roll, always have. I'm not gonna lie; I'm not the most disciplined person and I dunno how dedicated I really am yet. But I do fantasize about being able to play well, and even performing one day. I want to play well but I just feel so overwhelmed by everything I have to learn and I lose focus as a result.

Can anyone help me?

~Alma
I've just posted a link in the "Indie music section" for the Jamorama Multimedia Course. It will comprehensively teach you everything you need to know to play guitar, from absolute beginner level, right through to being a professional guitarist.

Imformation at:

http://hwzonering.jamorama.hop.clickbank.net/

Thank you GuitarNoise.com


   
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(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

Are you on some sort of deadline? Where's this pressure coming from?

Overwhelmed? Make lists. If you're interested, I'll describe how to do. If not, I just saved myself a lot of typing.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@pearlthekat)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1468
 

Yup. know what you mean....


   
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(@jenny-b)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 93
 

rparker, get typing..
I'd be really interested to see your list! Specifically, what you think its important to work on, in case there's something I'm missing.. :wink:


   
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(@trguitar)
Famed Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3709
 

Relax and have fun. You can work on scales and learn songs at the same time. It's not disorganised. Work the scales a bit, when you have had your fill of that, work on learning a song. When that frustrates you to the point of quitting, go back to the scales for a bit. It takes time but if you keep at it you will learn. I've been playing for a bit but still, when I learn a new song, I learn the main rhythm part of the song just basically and then I'll fool with smoothing out the lead. Learning the lead and polishing the rhythm kind of going back and forth. This keeps me from getting bored. :D

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --


   
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(@piratelove38)
Eminent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 17
Topic starter  

rparker,

i'm definitely interested!

~Alma


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

But I feel so overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things that need to be learned.

It's said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step....or something along those lines. And it's true - and it's also true that every step you take along that journey will bring further enlightenment. (I'm having a bit of a Zen moment here!)

To put it simply, every new thing you learn will lead you into something else....you learn a new chord in one song, you'll find it crops up in other songs. Learn a certain scale, you'll be surprised how often you'll use it. Yes, there is a lot to learn - but there's a lot of people hereabouts who are willing to take the time and trouble to explain things you might be having trouble with. All you need to do is take the time and the trouble to practise, and work on that dedication!

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@chris-c)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3454
 

But I feel so overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things that need to be learned.

Hi,

That's where you're going wrong - right there. :)

There actually isn't a huge amount that must be learned. You can make great music and have a lot of fun with a handful of notes, or three simple chords. Many very well known players turn out to have quite a small bag of tricks that they perform well. It's a bit of an illusion that everybody else has this huge range of skills and knowledge, and that you've got to master it all before you can really get anywhere. :wink:

I turn that notion right around and see the huge scope and variety of music as a positive asset. It means that I'm never going to run out of interesting things to explore and discover. 8) But I don't imagine, even in my fantasies, that I'm actually going to master it all.

Somebody here pointed out all the things that BB King either couldn't or doesn't do and it was most illuminating - because it included a bunch of simple stuff that most of us here actually can do. You really don't need to be brilliant at every aspect of music in order to have fun or be an accomplished player.

There's only one thing you really must do with guitar - and that's to work out what motivates you to keep going. Because you do need to put a few hours in. But we're all different. Some find goals and lists helpful, others find that approach feels too much like a cage, or like school. Some only prosper with pre-planned structure and direction but others hate that and noodle and experiment their way through. It's all good... :wink: You don't need the whole neck, all the theory, or all the chords or scales to make a tune. Every tiny cluster of notes has a huge range of possibilities - some of which have already been made into songs, but many that haven't yet been exploited. As long as you enjoy the journey, the exact path isn't nearly such a big deal as you might think :)

Cheers,

Chris


   
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(@jimjam66)
Trusted Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 72
 

It's pretty easy to feel overwhelmed - I know 'cos I feel that way sometimes. But really, you're not gonna learn everything in one day/week/month, are you? I don't know what your dayjob is or how long you've been doing it, but if some college kid walked into my office and said 'I want to be able to do everything you do before I go home today' I'd sit them down and straighten them out! It took me twenty years to get there, so maybe some more realistic goals would be in order. :D

Same thing with guitar: Start out by deciding what's important - being able to play solo (as in one-man-band) or playing lead-licks over someone else's rhythm or playing classical/jazz/bluegrass/Hawaiian ... you see where I'm going with this, right? Pick ONE!! Then IGNORE the others until you've got that under your belt.

For the record, I like what David Hodge is doing in the Songs for Beginners Songs for Intermediates on this website. So I put everything else in the cupboard and started on 'Horse With No Name' (DEAD-boring but I needed the rhythm discipline so I stuck with it). Then I went on to the next lesson etc etc. It'll be summer 2008 before the entire series is finished (guitar is just a hobby) but that's okay, because I'm really satisfied with my progress AND by then I'll have over 50 new songs in my repertoire!

Whatever you do, don't let the frustration make you quit the guitar. Good luck!

David


   
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(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

Man, I had this great big post typed out. Too big. Erased, started over, and got too big again. I'm trying to write what I want to write, but in the 'ol "50 words or less" thing. An hour later, here I am.....

Let me try this again.

Rats, deleted another ton of text.

Look, everyone has great intentions. They are right. To get rid of the over-whelming feeling, you need to take one step at a time. The only problem is, we're old and have learned how to do it. If you don't know how to do it, then I might as well tell you to go fishing without teaching you how to fish. It's a skill, not a cliche. It's one worth learning though.

I'll figure out some way to describe it without writing a book.

In the meantime, remember the first rule of the one-step-at-a-time thing. Each step is a task. A task is not a goal, it's an action. You peform actions, not goals.

Also consider this. Not knowing what it is that you do not know causes more anxiety than knowing what you don't know. Determine what it is that you don't know. This can be done as you go along, because sometimes you gotta learn what "A" is before discover that there's a letter "B" following it.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@rahul)
Famed Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2736
 

Who was it that said...

"Give me three chords and......." ?

Couldn't find that but here is an interesting interview of Ringo Starr taking about his vocal limitations and how he relied on 3 chords combinations.

Very inspiring.


   
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