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Difficulty playing guitars

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(@necrodeath)
New Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Hey there. I am in fact new here, and have a question... Well, to be honest, the only reason I even found this site is because of the question itself.

I am direly concerned by my guitar playing as of late. I'm going on 16 years of age, and have been playing guitars for roughly eight years. I am decent, to say the least; capable of essentially whatever I try to learn. However, lately, I've been having difficulty building speed when playing, coordinating my picking, and moving my fingers to general patterns... I've not had this problem before with my hands... Is this a phase that most guitar players face? Perhaps due to my age? I am completely uncertain as to why this could be, and would appreciate anything that could serve as (at least partially) an explanation.


   
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(@bruceye)
Active Member
Joined: 10 years ago
Posts: 5
 

16 huh? I think we can dismiss rheumatoid arthritis as a likelihood. What's more likely however is that you've hit a plateau. Avail yourself to a metronome or drum machine. Adjust the tempo to a speed that you can play the lick/chop/scale,,,, comfortably and flawlessly. Advance the tempo very slightly paying close attention to precisely what part of the part stumbles you and direct yourself to playing those few notes repeatedly at the tempo of your comfort zone. Advance the metronome in as little as one bps. If you flub it, your going too fast. back up and start over. It may take hours, or days, or weeks but you will break through the wall at some point and sprint to the next plateau and this grueling process will continue until rheumatoid arthritis actually does set in but by then you will have long since realized that the most impressive compositions are defined largely by..... The spaces in between the notes......... Rock on!


   
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(@riffs4days)
New Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 1
 

I was in a very similar boat a few months ago. I was using improper technique and it was drastically holding me back. I found a new guitar instructor and he showed me how to correct my technique.

Can you post a video of you playing guitar? I might be able to offer some advice if I can see you play.


   
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(@jerrycasemusic)
Active Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 8
 

I would recommend going to a teacher and having a face to face person help you for a bit. From what you have said it is hard to tell. You need to rule out medical considerations (again, I doubt it is this but from your wording it is hard to say)

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(@hobson)
Noble Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 794
 

Do last year's clothes still fit? Just a thought. Maybe your hands have grown a lot recently and your brain is still catching up.

Can't say that I remember having this problem, but 16 was a very long time ago and I didn't start playing until 13.

Renee


   
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(@necrodeath)
New Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

I was in a very similar boat a few months ago. I was using improper technique and it was drastically holding me back. I found a new guitar instructor and he showed me how to correct my technique.

Can you post a video of you playing guitar? I might be able to offer some advice if I can see you play.

I think that this might have been/might be the problem. I looked at my picking technique, and realized it wasn't what one might consider normal. I more or less held my pick in a completely unnatural position. I looked up more proper ways to hold a pick, and since then have been working on gaining speed. As for my left hand, I have taken up metronomes to help coordination. I am still working out minor difficulties, but my problems have lessened.

As for an instructor, I never had one to begin with. I've been self taught.

If you would still like to see a video of me playing to look for any more flaws in my technique, I will try to get a recording of something more or less basic.


   
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(@notes_norton)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1497
 

Practice good technique and the speed will come all by itself.

Practice as fast as you can without making mistakes, you don't want to learn mistakes.

Here is something I do when learning something difficult.

I break it down into small parts, perhaps a few measures of music, the music itself can give you logical chunks to learn by the what it's phrasing is structured.

Then I learn one part at a time doing this:

1) Play it as fast as I can without making a mistake for 2 minutes.

2) Take my hands off the guitar and do something else for two minutes

repeat steps 1 and 2.

For some reason, I learn things faster this way. A music teacher showed me this a long time ago, he said it doesn't work for everyone, but it works for most.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<


   
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(@lorna-robinson)
New Member
Joined: 9 years ago
Posts: 1
 

Actually an inappropriate method is the core of your difficulty. You should take help of a teacher or follow any helpful course like Jamorama provide by the Great guitarist Mark McKenzie……..Hope his outstanding lesson will help you and relief you from the hitch.


   
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(@alangreen)
Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

Reviews of Jamorama are mixed - the first one I looked at on lessonsreview.com said that, although it explained the basics well, it had little content compared to other sites and navigating the chord book was difficult.

You really do need to get yourself in front of a live tutor. That way your playing position and left/ right hand techniques can be looked at and fixed so you can carry on learning.

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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(@notes_norton)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1497
 

A good, live teacher can't be beat.

A bad, live teacher is questionable.

If you can find a good one (and there are plenty out there - it just might take a try or two) it's the absolute quickest way to proficiency.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<


   
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