time.
i lack not desire, aspirations, work ethic, drive.
i lack time.
it kills me. i go to my lesson, and a ten year old in front of me knows what an f#major7diminished going into the ____
if i had but started then.
Just curious, what do you feel is your biggest hurdle when it comes to improving? Understanding modes, scales, picking technique, theory, improvising, etc?
For me, well I think my biggest hurdle for improving to where I would like to be is my technique. I don't feel I have good enough picking technique for playing the kind of lines I'd like when I improvise.
Secondly, I sometimes wish I had a better musical vocabulary, but then again, that's something I work on - If I ever find the time to practice more!
The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.
time.
i lack not desire, aspirations, work ethic, drive.
i lack time.
it kills me. i go to my lesson, and a ten year old in front of me knows what an f#major7diminished going into the ____
if i had but started then.
2006 Washburn WD55SW Augusta, 2006 Washburn J28S12DL, Washburn EA20SDL,
2008 American Standard Fender Telecaster
2008 Rondo Limited Edition SST, G&L ASAT Semi-Hollow, Gibson LP Ultra
That's a great question Robert.
I have hurdles but I couldn't tell you exactly what they are. I just know that I can't do a lot of stuff that I'd like to do. I guess I don't know what it takes to do some of those things so I can't even say what they are or how to describe what the hurdles even are. If I could sit down with a more advanced player while they played lines then I could go "wait! that line you just played - what was that? How did you do that?" That would get me over some hurdles.
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.
Also time, specifically focused time with productive energy. Too often my practice time comes during my typical "veg" time. That can be fine, but I need practice time at other periods of the day where I an get my chops down better, then use that "veg" time for creative exploration and expression.
The knowledge is coming along fine, it is the chops (skills and muscle memory) that take me more time to build.
I just want the good, basic fundamentals of a good journeyman player. I bet I can add a bunch of expression from there. Getting to that point just takes old fashioned wood shed practice I guess. At least to get to the point I aspire to reach. Once I get there, I am sure I will have a new journey I would like to take.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
Top place: My own short attention span.
Second: Trying to unlearn or at least modify long standing bad habits that block progress. Specifically I developed a way of playing power chords using two fingers and using the first finger segment to barre the two strings below the first string. I can rip out power chords very fast this way and can change from E string versions to A string versions well, but moving your fingers from this shape to play single note licks is cumbersome (Guess who grew up playing punk rock guitar). It's also very tiring. (and my pinky kinda sticks out useless in mid air) I never really learn't how to play barre chords and I now realise I probably should have, as switching from an E power chord to an A one (like in Blitzkrieg Bop for example) seems to be much simpler using a barre chord shape than my method. Don't get me wrong. I know how to finger barre chords, but my fingers don't know how too. I need to kinda mentally will them into position.
Third: Lack of people to jam with who are either patient, or at the same level. Example. Had a great jam with a much more experienced mate on Saturday. If he hadn't been a mate though I'd suggest he might have got a little bored playing endless blues/rock chord progressions so I could solo over them. My rhythm playing is poor and I came away from the session knowing that I should get my rhythm chops and theory sorted as a priority. It's one thing to be able to rip out blues licks up and down the fretboard, but it's quite another to provide the backing for someone else to do it.
all of the above....throw in lack of time and a slow brain....and....Originally Posted by Robert
Guitars: Gibson 1998 Les Paul Special : Peavey Predator (Early 90's Fat Strat Copy) : Ibanez GAX30TROriginally Posted by just strum
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Definitely time.
I can learn new things and improve existing techniques when I have the time, but I no longer have the time. I still have time to play a little bit here and there, but I lack the time to do any serious and focused practice. Parenthood has caused me to rearrange my priorities, and I wouldn't trade my free time with Ella for anything in the world, but I used to have a lot more time to focus on guitar.
"I happen to have perfect situational awareness, Lana. Which cannot be taught, by the way. Like a poet's ... mind for ... to make the perfect words." - Sterling Archer
1. Decades of finely developed bad habits. Over the years I've played in fits and starts with long periods of never touching the guitar. Largely self taught, so that tends to reinforce the bad habit thing.
2. A somewhat less than disciplined practice approach. I tend to find something that grabs my attention, work on it a bit, but then get distracted with something else.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic
hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.
There's also a negative side."
--Hunter S. Thompson
Guitars: Dean Sweet Wood 00R, Martin D2R, Guild D60, Guild D35NT, Morgan Monroe M30, OS baritone Uke
For me, it's time.
I usually only get a few minutes at a time to play. So, it's snatch up the guitar and warm up, then play a few lines and put it back down.
Kinda sucks for improving anything technique wise.
Guitars:
Fender 2006 MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS in 3TS
Ibanez RG 570 with a bridge Invader
ESP M II Deluxe with a Tune-o-Matic bridge
Eleanor, the magical, mystical Road Worn wonder Tele
Blackstar HT Club 40
+1Originally Posted by Ch0jin
You really hit the nail on the head (for me at least). I really envy those who can spend hours and hours doing nothing but practicing. I just don't have the attention span to sit and practice something that I really need to practice. I get bored and then start goofing around, playing the same old cliched licks I know, etc.
Again, spot on.Originally Posted by Ch0jin
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
Impatience - lack of focus - being erratic about styles - don't have a cure for my sometimes sloppy playing (depends on daily form).
"A lot of people in the industry want to blame downloading for the state of the business. But I think if most music wasn't shit to begin with people wouldn't be downloading it for free," - Corey Taylor (Slipknot)
one bad habit is flying finger(s) , not all the time just on certain runs/riffs...it's very hard to break,and mainly the pinky.
It wasn't much of a problem untill I started trying to develope more left hand speed.
annother thing I'm working on is keeping my thumb behind the neck more often, again ,wasn't an issue untill I started working on increasing speed.
After all these years of playing a certain way it's like trying to change a bad golf swing that I've made to work, I can hit the ball well and strait but to really improve further, I feel like I have to start over from square one. It's very frustrating breaking lifelong habits and taxes my patience sometimes.
(actually alot).
I'm trying to play new riffs/solos the textbook way and get fustrated because I can do it my way,easier. I predict It will take a good solid year for me to get back to where I'm at now, if that makes any sense.
I hope it's worth it , the wife says she can hear improvement so I'm working hard at it (so far)
guitars-esp m1,esp vintage plus strat,85 gibson LP std,Hamer std,hagstrom xl-5,takamine 330r
amps-egnater tweaker,epi vj w/brat mod
efx-byoc/dvm comp, j cantrell wah,ocd,catalinbread dls,wampler plextortion,ibanez chorus,tech21 boost dla
Originally Posted by Childbride
Took the very first thing I thought of ...TIME!!!:
"I love being alive and I will be the best man I possibly can. I will take love wherever I find it and offer it to whoever will take it... seek knowledge from those wiser and teach those who wish to learn from me."
"Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."
Duane Skydog Allman
You come to a point in your life when you really don't care what people think about you, you just care what you think about yourself." - Evel Knievel
Time would be one but the reality is not knowing what I want to do. I've got more instructional material than I could possibly use, but sticking with something is difficult. I'm at that point where I can pick up easy songs relatively quickly, but I don't have the dexterity and patience to learn more complicated things.
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
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"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
+1 (Substitute Ella for Grace)Originally Posted by R_of_G
- Lev
Main Guitars: Fender US Deluxe HSS Strat, PRS SE C24, Fender Baja Tele
Bass Guitar: Squier VM Jaguar Special
Main Amp: Vox AC15
Main Effects: Digitech EXP-7, Line6 M5, Soul Food, Sub n UP, Flashback, Polara Verb
Vids: www.youtube.com/levguitar
For me there are 2 areas where I see hurdles.
If I want to learn something complicated, the biggest hurdle is time. I just don't have hours to sit and figure something out by ear and learning how to play it back on my guitar.
The second is memory. I have been playing with a hobby band and we have around 20 songs that we play through. We divided the list into 2 and each week we play through songs on one of the lists. My problem is that I can't seem to get all the songs committed to memory so I require a chart in order to be able to do many of the songs. I realize I have this problem even outside of our practice: if I learn a song, I can have a hard time remember how to play it after a while of not playing it. I don't know whether it is that my memory is bad or if I just have not practiced them enough so my muscle memory will guide me in playing these songs. As a band we have talked about trying to play out, I see this as a big hurdle for me.
* Short attention span
* time
* patience - wanting to be good, no make that great, NOW!!!
I'm sorry, what was the question?
Mark
* Loud is good, good is better!
+1 again, substitute Derek, Dane and Anneka for Ella and Grace.Originally Posted by Lev
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
Not enough time, not having a clear plan of attack knowing what I'd like to learn/practice when I have time, and falling into playing stuff I already know when I have free time.
As far as technique, I've never been able to pick fast, so I should practice that more, but in the past when I did practice it I didn't seem to gain much speed-wise. I kind of lost interest when I figured out I needed to work on making notes count as opposed to making them fast..........:
Guitars
Wilburn Versatare, '52 FrankenTele(Fender licensed parts), Fender USA Roadhouse Strat, Fender USA Standard B-bender Telecaster, Agile AL 3000 w/ WCR pickups, Ibanez MIJ V300 Acoustic, Squier Precision Bass,
Amps
Ceriatone Overtone Special, Musicman 212 Sixty-Five, Fender Blues Jr., Peavey Classic 30, Fender Super Reverb, Traynor YCV-40 WR Anniversary w/ matching 1x12 ext. cab, Epiphone SoCal 50w head w/ matching 4x12 cab (Lady Luck speakers), Avatar 2x12 semi-open back cab w/ Celestion speakers
Pedals
Digitech Bad Monkey, Digitech Jamman, DVM's ZYS, Goodrich volume pedal