Not a "beginner" but beginner problems

Been there.

I'd been playing for about 4 years and had just changed teachers. I was kind of frustrated with my progress, and I asked him what I was doing wrong... and he told me "basically, everything". Some of the motions I was using between chords were really inefficient, I was lifting my fingers too high, my pick control was poor, etc. Most of those things had become ingrained habits, and they not only took me about two years to fix - but every once in a while I'll still catch them creeping back in!

As far as holding the pick goes, there's quite a bit of variation among pros. In general, at least 90% of the pros hold a pick the same way - curling the fingers, holding the thumb parallel to the first finger joint, and having the pick in between. This puts a lot more friction on the pick than gripping it between the tip of your thumb and finger, which gives you better control. It's not about how hard you squeeze - it's about how resistant the pick is to rotating away from where you want it to be.

There are outliers in pick grip (Pat Metheney springs to mind) who do things completely different from most other pros, and there's a lot of variation in the angle of attack, etc. But if you're even close to the 'standard' grip, you can use that as your default, and play with other grips as needed. I use several grips now, because one size won't fit all - if you're doing tapping the standard grip isn't so hot; the same is true for artificial harmonics, etc.

Hitting the strings hard enough is only a concern if you're playing unamplified acoustic with others. Many pros use a very light touch on the strings and compensate electronically with the volume controls and/or compression.

But it's really hard to diagnose problems in text - and we've also got little to go on as far as how it came to your attention that you've got all these flaws in technique. My advice would be to find the best teacher you can in your area and get his or her input.

Hitting the strings hard enough is only a concern if you're playing unamplified acoustic with others. Many pros use a very light touch on the strings and compensate electronically with the volume controls and/or compression.
I am, and thats all I do playing wise.

But it's really hard to diagnose problems in text - and we've also got little to go on as far as how it came to your attention that you've got all these flaws in technique. My advice would be to find the best teacher you can in your area and get his or her input.
well I've always known Ive had problems, pepole cant hear me any wher near to th levels of others, even if we play the same guitar.

Did not know what all is wrong but figured most of it out

As for the teacer, I only have two or three around here, and I've been to two alredy and neither mettion any problems, they just taught songs nothing to do with technique or how right i was at doing something

Ok...

One simple way to generate more volume is to increase the strength of your grip on the pick. This can be frustrating at first - your hand will tire, you'll drop the pick more - it takes some getting used to.

Another quick fix is to increase your string gauge. Heavier strings are under higher tension, so there's more vibrational energy available for transfer to the body.

Speaking of the body, make sure you're resting your picking arm on the binding - at the edge of the body. Draping it across the top will deaden vibrations and cost you volume.

You might also want to consider the instrument itself: if someone else plays your guitar, is it louder? Can you be heard more easily when you swap guitars with someone else? Quality instruments tend to generate more volume, as vibrations are transferred through the instrument by "coupling" - the tighter fitting the joints, the louder the sound. That's why instruments like Martins or Taylors ring out so much more than a budget Yamaha (as a general rule - there are always outliers, since wood has a lot of variation). There's a chance that it's not you, but your gear.

It's always a drag to hear about "teachers" who think the job is teaching songs. If you're not building skills and/or understanding, you're essentially just taking the student's money in exchange for jamming with them. While that's all some students want from a lesson, it's a lot more common to have students who don't KNOW what they want from a lesson - and it's the teacher's job to figure it out, and deliver it in a way that's interesting. It's that whole "give a man a fish" thing. You might want to think outside the box to find someone who can diagnose your technique problems...

Is there a college that offers a guitar major within reasonable distance? You might be able to approach a professor for a lesson or two. NASM (the accrediting body for music schools) has a searchable directory of schools, and pretty much all of them have websites: NASM Directory

Get out and hear local performers. Ask them who they'd recommend. Some folks teach informally from their homes, especially if they have busy performance/recording schedules.

If you're going on vacation to a big city, see if you can arrange for a lesson or two with an experienced teacher while you're there.

As for playing too soft... Well every player is diferent. Wile some may play more agressively, some play softer. Thats not a problem... just part of your style. If you are playing with others you just might need to adjust the vol on your amp a little higher then the others, or if your playing acoustic, might need to look into picking up a mic, and a PA to increase the sound level a bit.

Now the other problems... Did someone tell you this, or did you notice it yourself?? Eather way... you know what you belive your doing wrong/lacking... Eaven without a teacher you can work on the things you KNOW you need help with. I tell you the guys here are some of the most helpfull bunch of people Ive found on the net. Make a post about a issue you have, and ask for input. try to get some way to record your playing if you dont allready, and let the brain trust here help you.

As for "relearning". Well I was pretty much in the same boat as you. I restarted about 5 years ago also, and I muddled around and learned a lot... but just couldnt get the pieces together. Im still pretty low on the hill of learning... and I did have to go back and relearn some things... but frankly... if you go back now, and revisit the basics... 1) you will find its a lot less work.. just becouse your fingers know how to work this thing better then they did then.. 2) you will now know WHY you needed to work on a lot of the basic stuff you probably breezed over back then.

My advice.. from a guy that struggled for years to get it [and still do at times!!] Go back... redo the basics... and do it SLOW. Realy slow it down till you get it right..and go ahead and Post threads here asking for help. A lot of knowledge here, and helpfull people!!

i never focused on technique, but i was lucky to be raised in a musical household, so i learned a lot just watching and copying. my only philosophy has been to do what's comfortable and easy. coordination and fretboard knowledge takes work and time, but you should never have pain or discomfort, or even much conscious thought about what you're doing when you play. it should just be ears, ideally. i don't care where my thumb's supposed to be, or how high to wear my guitar, or whether to start a run picking from the inside out or alternatively or what. i just do what feels right for me and gets the notes played, and i've always found form follows function. if you're having problems that you think is based on technique, play something that challenges that technique and find out what changes you make. most importantly, you have to play a lot, and play a lot of different styles until you can do so without having to think about it or work at it. because when you watch a great player play, whether jimi hendrix or shawn lane or whoever, most of the time, it looks effortless. that goes for most instruments, you'd think. there's no way to play those lush piano runs if you have to put effort into each note played. you have to be able to relax and play from the ears, not from the fingers.
also, you think you have to relearn stuff, but it's never like that. it's just adding to your already-learned store of knowledge. you say you want to relearn how to pick, but you already know how to pick. you're just changing it up a little, learning another style, which will use mostly the same set of muscles and neurons. it's not like you learned how to scuba dive and now you have to cook pancakes. it probably won't take as much effort as you're afraid it will. and as for knowing whether you did it right, does it feel right? does it make the right sound? that's really the most important thing. you can also watch youtube videos or watch people playing live, and try to emulate them, but everyone's body is a little different, so you'll have to internalize whatever you see and find what works and feels right for your hands.
but in the end it's just push down the string here and pick over there. the only thing that changes is which note and when you play it. there really isn't a whole lot to think about or mess up.

So here is the example of me playing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MRmENZBP8&feature=youtu.be

And talking, you will notice my normal vose beats it or MAYBE match it

Not good, whats more is even miced I'm still not able to be heard.

sounds fine to me. that's usually about how loud i play. you should be able to sing over your playing and be heard. some guitars are a little louder than others, but that's about the volume of a typical acoustic guitar in a typical player's hands. the only way to get more volume out of an acoustic is strumming harder, and that's really not that necessary for most songs or situations. if you really want volume that bad, get an electric and an amp and turn it up until the neighbors complain.

Hi there, I would add that many of the worlds finest Musicians, Sportsmen, artists don't always comply with what is seen as the norm. Having said that, if you yourself are not happy with whats going on then I know only to well how difficult it can be to find the right solution.

A good tutor should be able to help you, but sadly because it is a largely unregulated profession these days its all a bit hit and miss. Online tutoring can work well, because you can often choose a style and get the relative advice from real experts. If you want more advice on this don't hesitate to message me.

Rick

That doesnt sound to bad. As was said some guitars put out more sound then others. If your playing for just a few people you can sing at a normal level, and be heard... if you play at a bigger place, or want to record, just work with mic placement. Im at about the same time level as you are, and Im just starting to get a handle on having some control over how loud I play. Im thinking just work on the skills... and the vol control will come with time.

I find that if I hit the strings hard playing chords they are just to chinky clanky. I like playing them with the big end of my pick as opposed to the smaller end. When I play solos i use the very tip tappered in, close as I can get it without covering it with my fingers and them being in the way of the strings.

Theres a video on youtube discussing this very topic. Guys uses SRV as an example of how to pick with power and be accurate in doing so. Only advice he gave was to use the point end of the pick.

I'm just going to stick wtih self learning myself. I think its like playing golf, everyone that teaches you has their own way and egos to go along with it. They are right and the others are wrong. Then you get mixed advice and you are breaking out someones window off the side of the fairway!

I've taken lessons but to me it was just to much trouble for to little time. Besides I just play for myself anyway but folks have complimented me on my playing and ask if I was in a band. Must be doing something right LOL

GOOD LUCK