Techniques that dont interest you, do you still try them

I would think that after 25 years you'd want to try out some alternate tunings for some unique sounds. To me...I don't have to be overly interested in a technique so much as I have to believe that it will make me a better guitarist over all...because that interests me :D

I base what I want to learn on the songs I want to ply. If a song has a technique I need to be able to play the song then I will learn it. Hammer-On's and Pull-Offs come to mind first. Yes I know this is generally a "must know" technique but it took a song I was interested in to push me to learn it.

To me...I don't have to be overly interested in a technique so much as I have to believe that it will make me a better guitarist over all...because that interests me :D

I totally agree with that and that's why I'm curious about others. Don't get me wrong, theres loads of things I'm not much interested in but have still spent some time playing around with and learnt a lot in doing so. I havent really made my post very clear (I'm good at that) :) , for example open tunings can sound great and are not at all uninteresting for me to listen to but Iv'e just never been motivated or inspired enough to play around with them.

Lee

Lee N

Wow, what a great question that doesn't get asked often.

I have been playing many years like you (33). I have gone through lots of phases. When I started out I was into the guitar heros like Hendrix, Clapton, and Page. I spent lots of time on lead guitar.

Through Jimmy Page I became very interested in alternate tunings, especially on acoustic. I spent a couple of years experimenting with open tunings, used to write a lot of my own tunes. And through open tunings I also got interested in slide and spent some time on it. I got pretty good on slide. Now, I would have to start over and practice the techniques again, but it would come back quickly because you don't forget the basic knowledge.

I spent some time studying jazz. I would like to do that again someday.

Then I got interested in Ragtime and spent maybe 2 years exclusively on that. I also got pretty good at this style. I can still fingerpick pretty well, but haven't played Ragtime in years.

I was never into the Classical Metal thing. I dunno, Rock is not supposed to sound classical to me. To me, Rock is played by a bunch of kids in their garage. It is supposed to be primitive. Rock is supposed to move you with emotion, not sound like an orchestra.

Sorry Metal Heads. 8)

But... I must admit, I admire some of the Metal techniques. So, I have practiced tapping, and incorporate a bit in my playing. But only a little. Too much tapping sounds like a gimmick to me.

And open tunings can be very gimmicky as well. I know this will insult some, but it often sounds a lot more complicated than it is. It is mostly playing over a drone.

I know, I know, there are tremendous players who play exclusively open tunings who I could only hope to play with the skill they have. Even still, much of it is very gimmicky.

Every serious guitarist wants to know and do it all, but in the end I think you have to go with your strengths.

So, I pretty much play like I started out, Classic Rock I guess you'd call it. And I am a Blues type lead guitarist just like Hendrix, Clapton, and Page.

I guess I've come full circle. :D

Thanks for the great question.

Every serious guitarist wants to know and do it all, but in the end I think you have to go with your strengths.

Exactly, I mean I've always thought it would be great to be able to do right hand tapping like Eddie Van Halen and sweep as fast as some of the shredders out there, but the reality of it is this: I'm not really into that type of music enough to spend 12 hours each day practicing it: I really focus more on bending and vibrato when it comes to leads, and i'm usaully coming up with fun riffs and drum beats everyday so rhythm is very important to me as well.

I'll try anything once or twice - but in the end, I tend to fall back on my own style - I'm pretty much a rhythm guitarist anyway, but if I am playing lead, I use a lot of bends and a lot of vibrato - it's the style I've worked out works best for me....

Nothing wrong with improving your weak points, but like someone else said, you have to highlight your strong points....

:D :D :D

Vic

I tend to be the kind who'll try anything once, but if there's one technique I don't think I'll ever bother with, it must be hybrid picking!

Yes -- I even make up techniques just to see if the sounds are useful and interesting. This is probably one reason David sometimes refers to me as a player of ambient guitar.

i think all technique interest me i have very diverse musical tastes i wanna get around to learning as many style as possible

I just play the traditional rock guitar, nothing fancy such as shredding and whatnot, but Ive recently become fascinated with tapping, and I'm learning eruption jsut for the heck of playing it.

Thanks for the replys everyone.

Lee

I tend to be the kind who'll try anything once, but if there's one technique I don't think I'll ever bother with, it must be hybrid picking!
I find that pretty surprising. I've always thought of it as pretty necessary.

re: hybrid picking... it seems superfluous to my needs. In my world, fingerpicked songs are picked with the fingers, and pick-picked songs are picked with a pick (alternate picking for me). I pick and choose (sorry, couldn't resist) depending on the song. These two techniqes cover as wide a range of picking options as I can ever see myself needing in the next 10 years (the inside of my nose excluded).

Hybrid picking to me is like butter. Some people swear by it, but I'm sitting here with a loaf of bread and a pot of jam, 100% satisfied with my breakfast experience!

Though alomost nothing is absolutely essential, I'd equate hybrid picking more with salsa or flavored infused olive oil than butter. There are a lot of exotic possibilities going hybrid.