OK...I'm stuck again...

I'm working on playing power chords in standard tuning cleanly and working on the song I Wanna Be Sedated to work on palm muting as well as changing between power chords.

What one of my friends pointed out is that I need a music mentor, someone that I can model myself after, someone to show me what attitude to approach music and the guitar. Maybe that's what you need too. Just a thought, hope it helps.

I know several people might say this, but I've got to get it in as well. Consider getting some one-on-one lessons. I was in a similar rut that you are. I was always doing the same stuff. Now, that stuff did make me more technical of course, just did not do much at all for what I could play, if that makes sense.

In the few weeks since I start lessons (my first one was the Monday before Halloween), I have learned so much that really makes me sound a lot better. And I'm not just learning notes and where to put my fingers. I am actually getting the theory behind it.

Take tonight, since I just got back from a lesson. We talked a lot about walking baselines, changing the base note of chords, and other "tricks" that take playing up a notch from just strumming some chords. And by learning the theory behind it, I can apply it in any key that I want!

I'm trying to keep a little running blog of what I've done at my lessons. It is started over here at http://dezpot.blogspot.com . I'll be posting tonight's lesson either tonight or tomorrow morning. Maybe something there will tweak something for ya.

This is a tough question to answer but believe me, you are in a place where I have been and I'm sure we're not alone.

You used two specific words in your post. Practicing and Noodling. And while noodling is important it is not really practicing. You start practicing and then you get bored and start noodling. My problem was I got bored (still do) with things I wasn't doing well. That is human nature, avoiding pain. The human animal will go to great lengths to avoid pain, physical as well as emotional. It wasn't physically painful, but it hurt to know that I couldn't do something you wanted to.

When I got like this the first thing I did was run out and buy a book thinking it would give me an idea to get out of my funk. I got lots of books, few ideas. So don't go there.

You're practice menu seems very varied. I would stick to one or two things a night, keep them to small 10 or 15 minute segments at a time. Then change the next night. Add some new warmup exercises too, instead of 1234 4321 try 1235 5432, it will help to stretch and strenghten the pinky muscles, which in turn will help with certain blues shuffles. The Web is full of these.

You mentioned a scale but I don't know if you mean pentonic scales. Practice the pentonics. There are enough lessons out there in Web Land about them. If you're bored with one position, learn the next position over. See how they connect. It will expand your command of the fretboard. Practice your hammers and pulls and slides over the pentonic. Smoking Dog usually has a backing track available out there, check him out on the Online Jams and Collaberation Forum. You don' t have to submit your work, just play over the tracks (I know you had asked if it was worth it to buy backing tracks the other day. so many out there for free.) Loop the track and get into the groove. He'll tell you what key it's in.

Riffs are fun but the only go so far. Better to know one simple song than to know 10,000 riffs. Peruse the easy song data base. (Funny I find that my mistakes are hidden on the electric and show more on the acoustic, all a matter of perception I guess.) Listen to the radio, grab a catchy tune, search out the tab for it. Play, you get better with practice but you'll practice only if you enjoy playing, and I know you enjoy playing.

Here is an excellent site http://www.RiffInteractive.Com On line LIVE lessons in a "classroom" enviornment with sound files, backing tracks, video and tab, and the abilitity to ask questions of the instructor live. (cable modem recommended) One hour lessons, Monday and Thursday. I think the Monday lessons are more geared to beginners. The lesson is available all week long. Check it out, I think they are very well done. The Monday class is currently doing a country guitar series. You might not be interested in country but the variable tempo backing tracks make it worth it. It's free, check it out, did I mention it was FREE !! :)

I guess I could go on and on about things you could do but you need to decide on what things pique your interest. When I started my interests changed with the wind. I wanted to learn it all, absorb it all, do it all. When I heard a jazz guitarist I ran out and bought Fretboard Roadmap for Jazz. I started trying out Jazzy hollowbodies. Started studying 9th 11th and 13th chords. Then I realized I DON'T LIKE JAZZ!!!!! I've learned that you can't be and do everything, eventually with time I would like to be well versed but you need to please yourself with your playing. So for all I said, what it all boils down to is this... the road is open and you are at the wheel.

Anyway, as I said in the beginning. In a rut is where lots of us get into time and time again. You're not alone and you'll get out of it.

Michael

Bored? With so much to learn and so much to see out there it seems difficult to really get bored. I mean, there is always another song to learn, another technique to get better on. I'm excited when the new guitar magazines hit the store shelves since there is always another guitar to look at and another song or three to look at and put in my 'I'll play that someday' pile. Even some songs I can try now. Heck, even in terms of working the 1234 exercises which by the way I do every day, 24 variations of and I'm constantly working on making the fingers flash a bit faster or to make the sounds clearer. Hard to get bored when you are trying to get better on every little thing and you challenge yourself with each exercise, song, finger stretch, chords, barre chords, picking, fingerstyle, and everything else there is to do. And besides, you can only get better one strum, one chord at a time so at least for me I work on the small things and the big things will take care of themselves. If you make it fun, make it challenging to yourself and work to keep you interested in what you are doing then that's the battle. I mean if you aren't doing it because it's fun for you then you need to ask yourself why you are doing it. I know I've been constantly warned by guitar guys about not getting frustrated if it seems to me that I'm not making enough progress or progressing as fast as I may think I should. I'm told that it may seem like I'm not making progress then all of a sudden something clicks and I'm surprised at what I've internalized and learned. When I hear that I assume that they run into a lot of guys who get frustrated. I just smile and tell them not to worry, I'm enjoying the journey and not too worried about getting to the 'destination' anytime soon.

On a side note I see that Onewingedangel has changed her picture again. I feel compelled to change my picture again to try to keep up.

If I'm getting this correct mikespe, you are stuck in a rut due to lack of progress but because you're bored of the same stuff. You could explore different tunings, finding chords in them, play scales in them, whatever scales are for. And if you can't be bothered learning a song, why not write one?
On a side note I see that Onewingedangel has changed her picture again. I feel compelled to change my picture again to try to keep up.

You'll never catch up to me! *runs* *car door slams* *tires screech* *flies by the window in an airplane*

You'll never catch up to me! *runs* *car door slams* *tires screech* *flies by the window in an airplane*

I have that effect on women. Yes, but I have a website, a camera and photo editing software and I'm not afraid to use any of it.

I'll add to OWA's post by saying 'cause you're noodling it would be fun to start writing a song. Probably how a lot of great songs came about anyway.

I've been learning 3 songs the whole way through. 2 chorded and 1 favorite. The two chorded are from a book called "The Compact Rock Guitar Chord Reference" compiled by Len Vogler. The songs are "Glad All Over," in the key of E, and "Stagger Lee," in the key of A. I really needed to learn some chorded songs, changing, and clean picking practice. Also some good rhythm practice.

The third song is Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare." I made it 3 minutes into the song before making a mistake. It's a six minute song. I guess that would also be endurance building.

I'm learning the solo for Iron Maiden's "Running Free." Having trouble, buts thats okay. Once I learn the solo I'll have learned all of the song.

And when I feel like it I practice some major, minor, symmertical, modes, and blues scales. I'm also learning to read music out of that guitar book.

Hope that helped a little.
:)

Strumming on the electric sounds kind of "wierd" to me

A classical trained friend of mine explained to me that open chords sound good on an acoustic but often tend to sound bad on an electric.

Unfortunately, I can't remember the technical reason for it, but I think it was something to doing with the overtones and/or harmonies you get from open chords on many electric guitars??? :? Anybody know any more about that?

Anyway, he reckoned that barred chords and solos sound better on electrics than open chords do. So maybe that's a factor.

You might also try buying a book that teaches a different style?

Inspired by insane jealousy of Kingpatzer's jazz abilities I bought a book last week called "Jazz Lead Guitar Method" and I'm really enjoying it.

Heaps of useful stuff about basic scales and how to take the notes and play them in a myriad of different arrangements.

Sample quote:

"The scale is only a starting point. If you just run up and down a scale, it gets boring very quickly"...

My kind of attitude! :D The suggestions and exercises they give require a mixture of discipline and skill coupled with freedom, which really appeals to me.

Freedom of expression is great, but without skills you're severely limited in what you can say. It's like wanting to be a poet but only knowing four words. :wink:

I agree with the "write your own song" idea too. You can write to fit your current skills (no matter how basic they are. Plenty of 3 or even 2 chord songs around.) And you can have fun bashing out some words too! :wink:

Cheers, Chris.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions...I do want to adresssome of them but I don't remember who said what so I apologize...I am writing this at work at 7:41am with my LP and microcube at work!

As for getting a teacher...I would love to but with work right now it would be tough...it's hard to find an instructor that works weekends...

I have the Guitar for Dummies book andI have been meaning to go through it but work got hectic the last 2 weeks...

As for styles to learn my goals are rock, blues, and country...these genres are the reason I wantedo play guitar. Eventually I might try jazz but that will be much later...no real interest now...

I'll bequite honest with you...I knowexactly what I need to do...I need to just sit down and complete some of thesesongs that I started. I just don't want to leave them hanging any longer. Iwill do that once my new laptop comes in so I can be more mobile...

As for a mentor...I wish I could find someone locally that plays. A coworker's husband does and I put a bug in her ear to see if we could get together but it kind of died...he's been playing for 25 years and has recorded MANY songs...

I have learned (from all of you in the past) that this is normal and it will soon pass. I was just hoping to get some fresh new ideas to possible spark something...

Thanks for all your help

I scanned all the suggestions above -- and maybe I missed this, but there is one obvious thing that will pull your level of playing forward rapidly: Play with others as often as possible, especially those that are somewhat better than you. You will find it interesting, challenging and informative. Even playing with those at the same level can open your eyes to new techniques and directions, as no one learns exactly the same thing at the same time. One often sees what a same-level player is doing and thinks "Man, I should be able to do that, if s/he can." and next thing one knows ...

I scanned all the suggestions above -- and maybe I missed this, but there is one obvious thing that will pull your level of playing forward rapidly: Play with others as often as possible, especially those that are somewhat better than you. You will find it interesting, challenging and informative. Even playing with those at the same level can open your eyes to new techniques and directions, as no one learns exactly the same thing at the same time. One often sees what a same-level player is doing and thinks "Man, I should be able to do that, if s/he can." and next thing one knows ...

Yea I would LOVE to but I just don't know anyone who plays...

I scanned all the suggestions above -- and maybe I missed this, but there is one obvious thing that will pull your level of playing forward rapidly: Play with others as often as possible, especially those that are somewhat better than you. You will find it interesting, challenging and informative. Even playing with those at the same level can open your eyes to new techniques and directions, as no one learns exactly the same thing at the same time. One often sees what a same-level player is doing and thinks "Man, I should be able to do that, if s/he can." and next thing one knows ...

Yea I would LOVE to but I just don't know anyone who plays...

I find that hard to believe. I'm sure there's someone you have contact with that plays. They are probably to shy to tell you they do . I played for almost a year before I found out no less than three people I knew through work, friends, and relatives played guitar, I still play with one of them. They're out there you just have to find them. Also don't dismiss some who hasn't been playing as long as you have teaching is a good way to improve your skills as well.

I scanned all the suggestions above -- and maybe I missed this, but there is one obvious thing that will pull your level of playing forward rapidly: Play with others as often as possible, especially those that are somewhat better than you. You will find it interesting, challenging and informative. Even playing with those at the same level can open your eyes to new techniques and directions, as no one learns exactly the same thing at the same time. One often sees what a same-level player is doing and thinks "Man, I should be able to do that, if s/he can." and next thing one knows ...

Yea I would LOVE to but I just don't know anyone who plays...

I find that hard to believe. I'm sure there's someone you have contact with that plays. They are probably to shy to tell you they do . I played for almost a year before I found out no less than three people I knew through work, friends, and relatives played guitar, I still play with one of them. They're out there you just have to find them. Also don't dismiss some who hasn't been playing as long as you have teaching is a good way to improve your skills as well.

Well you better believe it because I don't even have any friends here...I go home from work EVERY night and I don't talk to anyone until work the next day...same for weekends...if you don't want to believe me that's fine but I have no reason to lie about it. One woman at work told me her husband played. I asked if he'd be willing to work with me and she said she'd ask....I got no reply...

I am happy that you have so many friends around you and those that also play guitar...I don't...

Hey Mike, it's cool if you don't have many friends, I don't either. I prefer it that way. I used to have a lot but over the years I've been taken advantage of or flat out robbed by them. Go down to your local guitar store and ask some of the guys there if they know of any beginners that would like to jamb with another beginner.