How can I advance on the guitar?

Question

I have been playing for a year, most of the stuff I play is rock anything from alternative to heavy metal, my main problem is I'm not musically inclined at all, everything I've learned I've had to work my *** off for, i practice about 2-3 hours every day, more on the weekend. RIght now my main problem is that ive hit a wall. I have two questions I need new songs to learn to play and i need some prctice tips. to give some idea of my skill level right now I can play all of master of puppets except for the really fast part and i will follw you into the dark (i can do the picking pattern if i try)

by the way im self taught and i dont know anyone else who plays guitar

Answer 1

What you've actually hit is called a plateau. You are still progressing, even though it doesn't feel like it, but you've hit a stable period in your development where everything is more or less working for you. You are most likely misinterpreting that as getting stuck, but it is more like what happens to a software title. First, they release a beta version to a few friends, and when all of the bugs are worked out (that they can think of) they release a public version. They are still working on the development of the next version (just as your mind is working on the next level of achievement) but most of the users have no idea because they are using the stable public version.


Instead of worrying about being stuck, celebrate the fact that you got this far. Then, look for a different direction to go in. Explore another style of music, sample another instrument altogether, focus on your composing and writing chops, read through a few exercises from the masters, and generally just enjoy a little stress break.

Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen both get into classical music when they are home alone. Ritchie went so far as to base his current band on it, and Yngwie constantly uses classical themes in his solos.

Take a song that you already know and learn it in a different key, or all twelve keys!

Start making digital recordings of your practice sessions and put them on a flash drive. Wait about three weeks to a month and then critique them. You have to get some distance friom a performance to hear it with fresh ears.

Get out there and perform! If you are at a plateau, the only thing that is going to break you out of it is a new challenge, and the best way to find new challenges is to play for people, and with people who challenge you.

Hope this helps.

P.S. As usual I have found myself in illustrious company. You should be honored that your question has attracted the attention of so many members that I happen to respect a great deal. I am going to print this out and share it with my students.

Answer 2

If you've only been playing for a year, your being to hard on yourself....a year is not a long time....when you started guitar did you have a teacher....did you learn while learning to read music, if not then that's your problem.....I've noticed for a long time that kids who learn guitar on their own can only go so far....they do get in a slump and only know the few chords that someone has shown them....and then become frustrated because they don't know how to proceed. Play all the new music that you can get your hands on....I find that this happens to people who haven't learned to read music....are you reading musical notation or tab....Most of my students don't get into this situation because all they have to do is get new music to study.....when you read music you can build your repertoire endlessly. As for increasing your speed, there are lots of books on the market today that have scales and exercises that can help you in that respect....go to Sam Ash and look for books that say increasing your speed.
Are you holding your fingers correctly ???? Is your thumb behind the neck, and are your fingers perpendicular to the fingerboard ??? If you want to learn new songs what's stopping you from just getting music books that contain the songs that you want to learn ??? Set up a routine for yourself...get maybe two or three songs that you want to learn, and work on those for the week...if you can't manage that in a week give yourself more time.....and before you know it you'll have a whole new collection of music that you can play..... play these songs until you have them memorized . I'm still a little confused as to what the problem is....if you practice 2 - 3 hours a week why are you in a slump ??? Just get new music and concentrate on that and add it to your repertoire !!!
Is it the fact that you only know so many chords ??? If so, work on learning new chords.....I wish that I could talk to you in person, because I'm not to sure why exactly your having the problem, I don't know all the facts, well good luck to you !!!!!!!!

Answer 3

cconsaul has given some great advice, and if I may I'd like to add my humble two cents to that.

The biggest things that have made me progress, guitar-wise, have been practicing with other people, recording myself and listening (sometimes painfully) to the results, and playing on a stage for other people.

I can identify a lot with how you feel... I didn't make a lot of progress for years with guitar, and every advance was painfully won. I'm completely self-taught, and that's part of the problem - when I discovered that I was doing something wrong I had to unlearn the bad habit and re-learn the good one!

But since I was too strapped for cash to afford something fancy like a teacher, I relied on the next best thing - I played with as many people as I could find who were better than me. That exposed me to different styles and different ways of doing things. I turned around and tried to teach other people what little I could, and that made me focus on my fundamentals - you don't want to pass on your mistakes!

I recorded myself - bought a cheap mic, a four-track (and later a laptop), and sat around jamming on that. Nothing like hearing your voice go flat like a pancake to gain motivation to do better!

Probably the best thing I've ever done was play for other people. I've done the open mic thing, and I got myself into a band. There's nothing like standing in front of between 20 and 80 people and opening your mouth, or going for that next chord.... and having nothing come out. Whew. Motivation, baby! I learned that I had to practice material so thoroughly that I could do it in my sleep, or else I'd get stage fright and freak out a bit.

I practice with my band on a regular basis, and I'm challenged by playing music that is really foreign to me... Our lead singer writes most of the music, and he's been a jazz singer since the age of 5... the chords are simple but the time signatures are hell! Now, of course, the trick is to not only play the music, but put on an entertaining show - it's tough, but it's taken me to a new place. I can play an odd-meter 16th note 160+ bpm riff while jumping off a drum riser and not kill myself... heck, last time I only took out a mic stand! =)


So.... the name of the game is challenging yourself. For me, I need to get beaten up a bit before I can get the motivation to really excel. That's meant some embarassment, but in the end its meant me being a better player.

That's my advice for you.

As far as specific songs and whatnot... I don't know if you've heard of them, but Coheed and Cambria have a lot of pretty wicked sick guitar going on... Their earlier stuff is more straightforward, vox/guitar/drum/bass then their newer stuff especially. If you can handle Claudio's voice long enough to listen to their music, you just might be blown away.

Specific songs you might want to look at ... well, off their first you could try "Time Consumer" or "Devil in Jersey City", off their second "The Crowing" or "Blood Red Summer", off their third "Welcome Home" and especially "The Final Cut" are great guitar pieces, and off their latest "The Hound (of Blood and Rank)" and "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" both have some good guitar work.... But really, I've got to be honest, just about any track off of any of these albums has excellent guitar work on it. I just saw them live recently, and they ended their set with a 15 minute improvised version of "The Final Cut" that included a call-and-answer dual, sweep picking, a talk box solo, Claudio playing a two or three minute solo behind is head.... it was fun. =)


Saul

Answer 4

If you haven't done so, start now by learning music theory as it applies to the guitar and all other instruments. Learn to not only read music, but write it as well.

Try writing Flamenco music for the guitar. That should test your patience and challenge your abilities.

Answer 5

that might very well be the case, @Joe Danger, but if you'll play Trough The Fire And Flames by Dragonforce, you're officially Chuck Norris.