last 2 days I have no will power to learn.

Yea, what Vic said. :D Gimme Shelter is in open E, but I don't like tuning up, so I tune to Open D and capo it.

What about rumbling and tumbling?

I kind of want to stay bluesy if I can.

you must mean 'Rollin' and Tumblin".

Derek

First, you really don't need others to tell you what songs to play. Play songs that turn you on. This is how it has always been for me, I hear a great song on the radio and say, "I want to learn that!" . How can others know what you enjoy?

And you can play any song in open tuning if you wish, even it it was written in standard tuning. You may have to figure out inventive ways to play some chords, but it can be done. Myself, I will learn how to play songs in a open tuning in standard tuning.

As far as losing the will to learn, I have never really had this problem. My problem is just the opposite, I have always felt there is so much to learn and so little time to learn it. But it is easy to get burned out once in awhile, especially if you practice many hours a day. When I get burned out, I usually practice scales and techniques, because my practice has always mostly been learning songs. So I might be opposite of most players there too.

Or try different styles. Try learning some Jazz. Man, you will learn some amazing chords. Learn some Bluegrass or Ragtime, just something different to shake things up. Steak is awesome, but if you eat it everyday you get sick of it. Try changing the menu once in awhile. Tune your guitar up to standard tuning.

Derek, simply change your activity these days. Guitar and music are important for all of us but our brains also need some rest.

What wes said. :D

And I think that you sould reduce your practice from what did you say it was I think you said it was 3 hours to 45 minites.

Remember that when it comes to practice that "quality is beter then quanity".

Time to go out and get a new guitar, matey! Or get something weird...like a mandolin...a double neck...a 12 string. Just get into a new place.

Cat

Oh Derekslide... sometimes you remind me of a scene from "Life of Brian"

Brian attempts to persuade an enormous crowd of his followers to think for themselves:

Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't need to follow me, you don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves! You're all individuals!
The Crowd (in unison): Yes! We're all individuals!
Brian: You're all different!
The Crowd (in unison): Yes, we are all different!
Man in Crowd: I'm not...
The Crowd: Shhh!

Even though he may be right, don't take Wes's word for it. Don't learn what others suggest. Don't copy other's work and styles. Innovate, improvise, take chances, don't be afraid to risk, experiment, don't be afraid to try and fail, do something scary, try something new, learn from your past experience and build on it. Trust your intuition. Have faith in your own judgment. No one will ever judge you harshly for trying.

hah. thanks, but I'm far from a great guitar player....I'm a perpetual beginner, always learning.

i sort of disagree with nick. feel free to learn others' songs if you want to. you can still find your own song even if you imitate others. jimi hendrix, bob dylan, srv, clapton robert johnson, were all well known "walking jukeboxes" who could play any popular song (or song of their genre) and they all ended up being very original and finding their own sound. van halen was originally a cover band.
of course, there's also bands like sonic youth, whose sound is much less rooted, but still are original.
do whatever you want. if you want to learn covers, learn them.

Jason, I'm not disagreeing with you, but that wasn't my point. What I'm really saying is Derekslide needs to make a choice, not have us make it for him. He should go ahead and learn other styles, but not just latch onto one player and try to become a clone. Heck I've learned to sound like a bunch of different players when that suits my style and I've incorporated it all into sounding like me.

I can't say this anymore, believe in yourself. Case in point...you had one person recommend that pickup. You know something? I don't like it. It sounds unnatural to me.

Tell me, which ones have you listened to and compared? Go out and try some. Listen. Pick the one that sounds good to you.

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” –Henry David Thoreau.

Don't settle for being an almost as good copy of someone else. Don't be a clone on that velvet cushion.

I don't want to keep posting the same stuff over and over because it makes me look more like a jerk than I really am. So next time you ask one of these, know what my answer is, 'cause I can't type it anymore.

I think you can be good Derekslide. Wouldn't it be nice to one day have someone want to sound like you? One beginning guitar player says to the other:

"Man that Derekslide has got a sound all his own. I wish I could play like that."

Learn from the masters, but don't be limited by them.

Well, you did make me think. How is this?

Music Theory is an observation of how music has been and is, learn theory so you can shape how it will be.
Songwriting Rules are observations of how music has come to be expected, learn them so you can do the unexpected.
The past masters are the foundations of future music, study them so you can build something new upon them.

Music constantly evolves and you are part of that evolution. Never doubt your ability to contribute to it.

you had one person recommend that pickup. You know something? I don't like it. It sounds unnatural to me.

That one person was me, I think. I did qualify that recommendation, however, by saying I can get almost exactly the same tones with my Fender Telecaster on the acoustic setting on the Cube 30X amp. It is a very bright pick-up - you won't need much treble, that's for sure! And I'm no expert on p/u's, either - I only bought it because I knew the name Seymour Duncan, and a lot of people on these forums swear by SD p/u's.

It may be just what you need - but try it out, preferably on your own guitar, before you buy one!

:D :D :D

Vic

I know Vic. And of course you know I do value your opinion highly.

Now that pickup maybe perfect for you, with your guitars, your cables, your amps, your ear and your preferences. And I might even agree with you if I could hear it. But with my guitars, cables, amps, ear and preferences it isn't the right choice.

We are both right. We both made a choice. When either of us says yea or nay or I use this or I don't like that, I think you'll agree it should be considered a starting place, not the final word.

So Derekslide, Vic is a highly respected member of the guitarnoise community from way back when dirt was still rocks, and you can trust his opinion, but check it with your own ears.

I got no idea what is local to you or not, but I have a local little shop that does only repairs & parts. He's got a policy that SD does where he/they let you switch out the pickups within X amount of days if you're not happy. Takes a lot of anxiety out of pick-up purchasing. I wonder if you've got something similar nearby?

Yeah, it's ok to copy others to a degree. If you hear a really cool lick by another guitarist, learn it. But you don't need to sound just like him or her. You would just be labeled a copycat anyway. And the same thing with gear. If you hear a distortion or effect that really turns you on, try to find out how the artist got that sound. But buying someone else's gear does not mean you will sound like them. I have an old guitar magazine with a good Eddie Van Halen article in it. When he first started getting known, other guitarists would literally laugh at his gear. He used all sorts of junk from different guitars to make his own and made his own pedalboard. But once they heard him play they were blown away and wanted the same sound. But Eddie said they never sounded like him. So just because you have the same gear does not mean you can get the same sound, much of it is the player themselves.

So, as Nick said, be yourself. Play music you like, don't worry what others think. Find your own sound and style. Then everybody will want to copy you. :D