Been playing for about two years now and I have to say that when I started, I thought I would be better than I am after two years. Don't get me wrong, there's been a definite improvement...just not as much as I would have liked. Anyone else experience this?
I bought my first electric guitar just under a year ago and have been playing various tabs, just learning songs and such on my own. recently i decided to learn my chords and that totally excellerated my learning. I cant say that Im surprised its taken me a year to start actually getting better because i wasn't playing for hours a day, but now that i have grasped the main concept of things, its all easier. Im always looking for some new things to help improve my skills. What kinds of things did you use?
jmromulation -how old were you when you started playing? It is a lot harder to learn things once you get over the age of 18. I'm 36 and have been playing guitar since I was 14. I found that the biggest improvements to my playing -technique wise happend from about 15.5 to 19 years old. But I am still constantly learning new things and your 'ear' gets better the older you are. One of the most valuable things I was told was when you put the guitar down for the night always finish on a high. If you are being frustrated-don't pick that moment to put the guitar away for the day. Instead, play a song that you know or just improvise over a song that you always enjoy jamming on. Make sure you're on a high when you put the guitar down for the day. That way- you will always be keen for your next practise session. Another good idea is to split your time evenly between practising and jamming. Playing guitar should always be fun and if you put the work in (ie, practising scales, or trying new techniques-tapping, pinch harmonics or just new ways to play standard cords) you should reward yourself by doing something on the guitar you like. Above all stick with it and remember- IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN.
I could recommend a lot of jamming as practice if that's a available to you. Along with memorizing what notes are played and where. Learning hammer-ons and pull-offs is also a good idea if you haven't learned that already, it opens up a lot. I don't know if you should start from that but jamming is probably the best practice a musician can get. I've been playing the guitar since Grade 9, lets see, that's.. 7 years, I guessing. I'm alright, I guess. To OP, learning an instrument and getting good at it takes a long, long time. Most people don't notice improvement, I sure as hell don't notice if I improve. It's a slow, slow learning process, you'll get better over time, and you probably won't notice. Think of it as molasses flowing down a surface, that's most people's improvement. And yes, as timb said, FUN.
It's difficult, you have to be able to keep track of doing two things at once. The only way to get better at this is practice, and practice. It's not as easy as rubbing your belly and tapping your head.
I hope you enjoy just playing the guitar down the line. Playing guitar just for the girls won't make the guitar a hobby for you.
girls like bassists (strong fingers ) back to topic it takes time, lots of time and lots of practice. if you don't practice you don't get better. i stopped playing for years and it has taken some time to get back in to it. i have friends that have played for about the same amount of time most are average one is a god that can play tech metal, guess which one picks his guitar up ever day and devotes allot of his day off to play guitar. one tip along the idea of making it fun as said. make a band, nothing serious just a bunch of people having a laugh. i found it helped me loads with learning as it gives you something to work for, it's fun and it helps with things like timing.
@equitypetey it is true that you need to practice everyday whilst learning. But eventually you reach the stage where you can practise once a week or even only a couple of times a month. If I only practise (as opposed to playing) guitar once a fortnight I do lose a bit of speed. But to be honest, I was shred crazy for a while but now I find shredding doesn't really do it for me anymore. If I'm not practicing scales/modes or picking out triads I spend a lot of time messing about with my pedals or amp tones. I've got a THD Univalve amp and I spend a lot of time experimenting with different tubes to get different tones. I also spend a lot of time messing about with my Line 6 M13 Stompbox modeller . I love to jam with friends but even just playing over the top of my record collection does it for me.
don't know if it's because i'm on the bass but i need real people and a real drum kit next to me to be happy.
It's not just because you're on bass. I only have fun playing guitar when I'm jamming, I don't find satisfaction in practicing everyday.
@equitypetey , all my bass/drum playing friends say the same thing as you. I guess it's that whole locking into the groove thing. With guitar it is great to jam with another guitarist but I think it is definitely more important for a bass player to get the chance to play with a live drummer. A tight rhythm section is probably the most important component in a band situation.
My dominant hand is left but i play a right-hand guitar, i am just curious, does it matter whether or not i should play it on the left or right? although i am having trouble with harder songs which needs finger picking with my right hand.
i used to know someone that argued that the guitar was a left handed instrument to begin with and that they only designed lefty ones for the arrogant. i also know someone that is left handed and plays a "normal" guitar perfectly fine. it truly should make no difference what you play it's what you learn on and i'd say picking is less complicated then finger placement anyway so if anything you'd have tha advantage with it being your good hand.
playing the guitar is definitely one of my hobbies...been playing for i dunno how many years now, but that doesn't mean I'm an expert...=) i also play piano whenever i'm bored...
