How did your guitar playing improve in 2007?

[Robert****]

Learned anything new? Got some new chops?

Let's see, what did I learn.... hmm.... thinking.... thinking harder.... hmm, nothing is happening....

I did transcribe some signature licks from some famous players. Do I still remember them? Probably not.

Well, at least I had a lot of FUN playing guitar !

[Big_Rob]

I think my playing got better this year, learned lots of new songs, change my pickups to make my MIM Strat sound better while keeping its Strat sound.

finally getting to record my music to my computer was major.

all in all, 2007 was good to me musically.

[Algonquin]

Well, having not played for ages, and buying a new guitar back in March... I'd have to say I've improved quite a bit. I usually have a guitar with me while I surf the net, and I will usually be mucking around while watching the Leafs.

I'm probably back to the level I was 20 years ago... not great, but can occasionally impress myself.
My 'now' teenage daughter is tougher to impress than my 'soon to be' 3 year old son is!

I've had such a good time this year playing the guitar, that I went out yesterday and picked up a new toy!

All in all, it's been a good year.

[R_of_G]

This past year I started recording my playing which has been a tremendous step towards my overall progress. I also have become more comfortable playing in improv settings with others with whom I was previously intimidated trading solos with.

[oldguy]

Learned anything new? Got some new chops?

Let's see, what did I learn.... hmm.... thinking.... thinking harder.... hmm, nothing is happening....

I did transcribe some signature licks from some famous players. Do I still remember them? Probably not.

Well, at least I had a lot of FUN playing guitar !

And THAT is the most important part.
I learned some new chops over at Dolphinstreet, and that helped get me around the fretboard a bit more. The audio clips and videos I made let me see/hear some of my shortcomings, but also kept me inspired, know some things I need to work on now...:

[Justaguyin_nc]

Hmmm.. I am still way behind from what "I Thought" it would take to play.. way behind!!

But, I can play normal open chords without looking at the darn fretboard anymore almost like second nature... Barr chords are getting easier...
Although timing is still lacking.. I can fall into some simple songs and "hear" what key "they" are playing in sometimes..
I still got the eagerness to play.. and more often than not...

[Kazz]

I really only learned one song this year....lips of an angel acoustic....but my strumming patterns have picked up alot....in 2008 I am going to take this more seriously and possibly take some lessons.

I wrote out the first lesson for my step daughter this morning after letting her just strum away since Christmas morning. I started her off with a diagram to learn the string names, explained open notes and frets, then tabbed out "Mary Had A Little Lamb" for her to practice....I learned that tune this morning as well as found some chords that I can play to accompany her as she learns the picking section.

I have a very muchly renewed interest in learning to play since I found the fret.....at the other place I was at....there was just too damn much politics and drama....as a matter of fact I stopped by there this morning and see that the drama has amped up yet again.

2008 will be my year musically starting with a new guitar purchase in the next few weeks.

[just strum]

I'm about on the same level with Justaguyin.

Someone pushed me to learn to play without constantly looking at the fretboard and I thought that it wasn't going to make that much of a difference - I was wrong. It makes a BIG difference.

I just started learning some barre chords after several misques it's starting to come together.

I learned "hey, I can do this" and damn I am enjoying the trip.

[Plank_Spanker]

Starting a new band and sliding into the first banana spot really forced me to improve my game - and I did by leaps and bounds. 2007 has been the best year for growth as a player that I've had in a long time.

[M29]

Hello,

I learned quite a bit this year. Some cool double stop techniques. Learned to work over the upper pentatonic area from Roberts vids along with other techniques from Roberts videos, I am still working on phrasing though.
I think the thing that boosted me the most this year is spending more time on those first two or three strings with the old rock and roll standard licks. This led me into arpeggios and raking which I am still working on. Over all a good year for learning guitar.
One thing I am trying to do now is... I don't know about you but when I pick up the guitar I always start the same thing every time. I always stum an open A and mess around from there. Right now I am trying to do some raking in different keys when I first pic up the guitar. When I do this I find I move in different directions more often and keep from getting stagnant. It is kind of like setting in a different seat at church every week

Other than Roberts lessons, I have found Greg Koch's DVD's to be some of the best lessons around and there are quite a few of Robert's lessons covered on these as well so Robert really fortified this before I even tried Greg's DVD's. Greg is very thorough and his humor and style is very enjoyable, I got a lot out of his Lynard Skynard and Blues DVD's. I have no affiliation with Greg Koch.

M29

[Kazz]

Where might we find these lessons from Robert that you speak of?

[just strum]

dolphinstreet.com

[sunvalleylaw]

Since I started about halfway through 2006, I learned a lot in '07. More open chords, some barre chords, several songs and a bunch of parts of others, played out with a band a coupla times, learned some licks and some pentatonic soloing/noodling techniques. Started to learn a little about theory. Learned a lot, but have a lot to learn, about my new gear. A lot of new gear in '07. . . . And I had a lot of fun!

[muskratguitarer]

My post is fairly identical to sunvalleylaw's post. Actually it sounds like we had almost exactly the same kind of musical year. Only that I also play the saxophone I couldnt just learn that on my own so I had to have lessons. But w/ the guitar I learned that pert much all on my own. I know I couldnt have done that without fantastic websites. Like cyberfret.com I pert much learned all the basics from there.

[marnold***]

Ummm, I've got a whammy bar now?

Unfortunately 2007 wasn't a good year for progress for me.

[pie_man_25]

I got some moderately good tunes this year, including sweet child o' mine, number of the beast, and sunshine of your love. all by ear, which shows I've greatly improved my ear tabbing abilities, I'm also making a couple songs with my band, but I still can't write a good solo to save my life, so I still have ways to go before I start working odd time signatures into my suff.

on bass I've also improved speed greatly, and learned slap, all by myself!!

[t_ross33]

We've been playing live quite a bit but practicing less. Even so, we have evolved from a 4 pc to a 3 pc group so as the sole melodic/lead instrument I've had to step up. By just letting it all hang out, having fun and not worrying about what I'm doing I have "discovered" a few new tricks (quite by accident). Playing live so much, my timing and the nuance of my playing has improved.

I took my first lessson EVER a few weeks back and that was a lot of fun. Problem is my guitar teacher's band (WYATT) is working on a new album and heading to Nashville to do some showcases there. I probably won't get many lessons in 08

Noodled out some cool new chords on the acoustic (sus4, sus9 type stuff in new and various positions on the neck) that have greatly expanded my understanding of a song and added to the sonic complexity and feel.

I'm continuing to learn what type of sound I'm chasing and how to build that. Modelling processors have been a large part of that equation since I don't have a ton of amps, guitars or effects.

Still lots to learn, but that's all the fun. Well, almost as much fun as playing live

Trev

[ted s]

and learned slap, all by myself!!

We need a smilie of Pie slapping himself... Or not.

I managed to have a couple theory type revelations kind of bonk me on the head, basic stuff but it had never really clicked before.
My playing has improved, I am more relaxed while playing.
My improvising has improved, where I could not a year and a half ago, now at least I can rip myself off :
I had not touched guitar for 25 years or so, took lessons for 6 years into my teens. Last year was spent re-familiarizing myself, this year was catch up and pass where I left off.
I find I enjoy it much more now after realizing that there is no rush to learn it all, that I never will learn it all, and that's ok.
If I can play the music I like and it sounds good to me, then I'm probably heading in the right direction.

Sorry for the length..

[sunvalleylaw]

My post is fairly identical to sunvalleylaw's post. Actually it sounds like we had almost exactly the same kind of musical year. Only that I also play the saxophone I couldnt just learn that on my own so I had to have lessons.

I had lessons also, along with all the great help here.