Iāll start by saying itās perfectly rational as far as I am concerned.
Itās maybe more akin to running than you think because while running has targets like a half marathon best, itās also got itās share of plateaus where you get stuck unable to get under a certain time for a given distance for ages (been there, done that ). In guitar playing maybe itās when you crack a new song that itās like a PB and yeah there are some flat spots along the way.
I think we all go through phases of doubting weāre going to make that breakthrough, that weāll be the person who was specially cursed to never be able to play a barre chord (or other skill). Keep showing up and youāll get there
Yes indeed! I try to keep this on a loop in my ārationalā brain. It always carries more weight when someone else says it.
Yes indeed again! In running, Iāve already accomplished those goals, and made peace with the ones I missed. Of course I conveniently forget all the frustrations along the way.
This was my mantra with runningā¦and I think Iāll make it my guitar mantra as well. Thank you!
I hardly dare to say that, but Iām still working on the F barre chord . Meanwhile, itās more than a year that I started working on it. Iām making progress, but veeeery sloooowly. The only changes, I can play fast enough to use them in a song are from C to F. All other changes are way too slowly. Quite frustrating after sooo many hours of working on them.
But I know, Iāll get there in the end .
This idea of having a rational and irrational brain is the entire premise of the book āThe Chimp Paradoxā by Prof Steve Peters. The whole book is based on the notion of us having a rational brain (the computer) and an irrational brain (the chimp) and we have to learn to deal with the chimp being stronger than we are which is why our first reaction to any given situation is nearly always an emotional one thatās often not supported by facts. Itās maybe why sometimes advice does land better from someone else if itās got facts to back it up.
For info, the book as a whole is probably too long. I think what it says makes a lot of sense and there is some good advice in it, but could be distilled down to about half as long as it actually is
That little thing is a C shaped barre chord, but with the high E muted. Iāve been practising them for months and finally can use them in songs. Youāll get there.
So many good things in this thread. Everyone has something theyāre working on and is finding hard. We so often see the finished products of others rather than the hours invested in building skill and learning a song.
Iāve noticed there are people with very specific things theyāre working on that they want to get better at, and others that are struggling with everything (or a close approximation of it). I wonder if there is something to focusing on only a handful of new skills at a time until theyāre good enough to move on - or temporarily set aside.
I run as well - just recreationally, but have done a few events over the years. The times are arbitrary if youāre not an elite runner competing for a win. Is there really much difference between a 49:55 10k or a 50:15 10k, other than 20 seconds, when it comes down to it? The feeling of success when hitting a target time is fleeting, the journey of running multiple times a week and feeling alive is the real win IMHO. I think guitar is the same, you can accomplish a challenging song, or hit some kind of goal, but if thatās the aim, success will feel hollow. Enjoy the playing every day, enjoy the journey.
I started playing about 4.5 years ago so I may not be a newbie anymore, but I started to consciously try playing without looking (closing my eyes, taking my glasses off, turning the lights off, etc.) only a few months ago. Iāve been able to play pattern 1 of the major scale and the minor pentatonic scale and a few chord changes without looking already, but Iād like to step my playing up a little bit so I try to do the exercises from this lesson:
Iāve also recently returned to the Practical Music Theory course, so while I keep on advancing with the topics, Iāll try to apply the āwithout lookingā exercises to the triad shapes and arpeggio patterns as well as to single chords and chord changes.
Another thing which is more of a happy discovery is that I found myself getting quicker at finding the notes when playing along with a recording for the first time, and steadily getting better at finding particular fingerings for chords in songs. For example, the first chord of this song played with the same grip but 6 frets lower doesnāt sound unlike some passages in this song. But Iām far from having perfect pitch so there could be subtle differences I cannot yet hear just like that.
Although I know my simple chord shapes and Major/minor scales, I think the whole CAGED concept and the Pentatonic scales are still Foreigner to meā¦I want to know what love is, and of course soloing and jazz comping are still looking at cuneiform like if it was chicken scratch on a wallš
-Edited to include tabs. Iād probably try to read pentagram with better speed than tablature.
Ooh, thatās a tough one. I still struggle with it a lot.
Thereās too many things I need and want to improve, but it requires a lot of time and dedication while I donāt always have it.
For now Iām practicing Nothing Else Matters, learned it completely, just needs some polish.
And trying to play some leads. I improved a lot in this area since reuniting with my SG, but thereās a long long way to go. But I can play Johnny B. Goode intro, first solo from Iron Man and solos from Nothing Else Matters and Hotel California, so itās going quite well. Still far from good and not everything in original tempo, but itās just the start.
Iām kind of stuck between a rock & a hard place! Iām at the end of the beginner 2 lessons & I keep learning stuff that I will NEVER use, but I do learn other things from the lessons. Iām 81 & on an acoustic guitar!
What Iām really waiting for is the finger picking lessons, but theyāre waaaay down the road; I could be dead by then.
Is it cheating to jump to the Intermediate 2 lessons for the finger picking? I could do both. Actually, I do both but from books Iāve ordered & I love the background music to play along with. I wonder if anyone else has done this?
There are books and online courses that teach fingerstyle guitar to beginners, you could investigate some of those, either together with JGās lessons or (gasp!) instead of.
Nancy, I think you have already answered your own questionā¦ at least a bit If fingerstyle interests you the most, please jump to Justinās according lessons. I mean, why shouldnāt you? Especially given that you are already learning fingerstyle from other booksā¦ Itās not cheating, not at all.
I donāt think, one excludes the other. If you have time, motivation and stamina, you can practice both. Or you could continue with Grade 2 on Mondays, Justinās fingerstyle lessons on Tuesdays, on Wednesdays again Grade 2ā¦ and so on.
-much lighter touch with both hands on electrical guitar
-Dynamics and flow with electrical guitar.
-Picking out strings with a pick on electrical
-Smooth upstrums with a pick on electrical
-play the minor pentatonics smooth and make them sound bluesy
And the list goes on and onā¦ but it is fun though
Ooh, interesting question. Let me see. Yeah, bends are really tough for me as well. In addition to those, Iād have to say the guitar solo from Whitesnakeās āHere I Go Again,ā as Iāve never learned a guitar solo before. I donāt expect that to be ready for many, many months.
The other really tricky things are getting the timing of how the singing and playing interweaves with each other in the verses of Rushās āDreamlineā and in Rage Against the Machineās āKilling in the Name.ā And Iāve been struggling to get the high note of the opening riff in Maroon 5ās āShe Will Be Lovedā to consistently ring out clearly instead of inadvertently muting the string and cutting it off sometimes.
Oy, I feel like this was such a boring answer to an interesting question. Sorry!
Hi Nancy. Iām like you - anxious to jump into fingerstyle and the blues. Iāve worked through grades 1-3 and many of the scales and skills courses, and have been āconsolidatingā (which is a euphemism invented by the instructors for much repetitive and tedious practice) for several months. However, for the last year Iāve poked around with fingerstyle and blues lessons (JG and other sources) because that is where I see myself focusing down the road. IMHO, stay diligent with your current level, but take time to explore and have fun with it all.
I really want to progress in transcribing this year. I am trying to regularly do the Play What You Hear exercise. It is sometimes rewarding, but more often very frustrating, so I often find it hard to start doing it.
Another hard thing is playing melody along with an alternating bass, but I want to learn it as itās a crucial technique to play acoustic blues.
Thatās my plan because Iāve learned so much from every lesson, but I am going to continue exploring finger picking along the way. I see myself playing mainly āsenior citizen music,ā not metallic or things that to me, seem to require an electric guitar.
Thanks for reaching out. Having fun is the whole point.
Iām going to finish all the lessons, maybe going thru the styles I wonāt be doing a bit faster & incorporating the finger picking Iāve already learned & going to Justines finger picking along with it all.
). In guitar playing maybe itās when you crack a new song that itās like a PB and yeah there are some flat spots along the way.
. Meanwhile, itās more than a year that I started working on it. Iām making progress, but veeeery sloooowly. The only changes, I can play fast enough to use them in a song are from C to F. All other changes are way too slowly. Quite frustrating after sooo many hours of working on them.
.
advice in this group therapy session, Iām sure Judi!
