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Old 09-11-2017, 02:55 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LNW View Post
My question/purpose for this post is asking for any resources, opinions, thoughts, suggestions of what direction and approach I should take to bettering my guitar playing/skills.
IMO that's the wrong angle to start with. The prime aim should be to play music you enjoy, perhaps with a goal of performing with or to others. "Bettering guitar skills" are just a means to the end.
The only good reason to want to improve your skills is if there is music you want to play but are currently unable to play it. Just improving skills for the sake of it is likely to lead to boredom, and wondering what it's all for.

(Sorry if you take all this for granted - I'm being pedantic!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by LNW View Post
Let me explain by telling a little personal background.

When I was in high school, I took guitar lessons for a few years. My guitar teacher introduced me to different musical styles of the guitar which I dabbled around with (some more than others). But I eventually stopped lessons because I didn't have a very wide music appreciation (as I do now), so working hard at some new jazz or blue skills didn't interest me too much...but largely I stopped because I "plateaued" - if there was some specific song I wanted to learn, I'd learn it. So this resulted in my usual playing time just being playing the same old songs, some chords and singing, some really basic improv solos, etc.
But that was because - as you say - your tastes were then limited. You ran out of tunes that excited you enough to want to learn them.
Or perhaps you regarded learning the songs as an end in itself. "OK I can play this tune - now what?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by LNW View Post
Now, several years later, I have a more expansive taste of music and know the types of music I really love...classic rock, blues, folk music. And I've been picking up the guitar a bit more lately like with my newly acquired 12 string. But I still find myself dealing with the same issue as years ago - playing the same old same old, not really getting better at anything, nothing clear to work toward.
Aren't you "working toward" playing that music you love?
Or are you finding that for each of those exciting songs you want to learn, by the time you've learned it, it's boring? The music you love is great, until you find you can actually play it, which spoils the magic in some way?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LNW View Post
Just aimlessly messing around which eventually makes my interest peter out because I know each play session will kinda just be a repeat of the last one, etc.
Well, the obvious answer is don't repeat the last one!
Some repetition is inevitable of course. To learn a difficult tune, you need enough patience to hammer away at the hard parts over and over until you master them. You have to really love that song (and/or really love the repetitive act of learning).
But if you find yourself going round in circles - getting bored with a song that ought to be fun - move to a different song. One that requires some different techniques, different chords, whatever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LNW View Post
I want to advance my skills and get better. I want to spend more time actually practicing on something and adding new skills, not just aimlessly messing around and playing the same old songs. I have an interest in getting better at acoustic blues (for starters)...whether rhythm guitar, improv soloing, some mix of both, new licks, etc. But I have a fuzzy idea of how to get there, what to do. I just don't know where to start. Some ideas I've had are to get a comprehensive book on acoustic blues, or to get one book I found that gives you a new guitar lick to learn each day for a year. Or maybe start taking guitar lessons again.
Seems from this your central aim is still "getting better at playing". But why? What's it all for? It's like you want a whole collection of tools, but have no idea what the job is?
Think about why you value improved guitar skills. Yes, of course it will enable you to play more difficult and interesting music. But why not make that music the focus of your goals? The guitar is a tool, nothing more.

The point of it all is to have an activity you enjoy doing - in the present moment. "Progress" should not be on your mind as you play. You have to find pleasure in every note, chord and sequence as you're playing it. That's the whole point of music, whether we're listeners or performers.
The more you play, the better you will get - inevitably - so the secret is to enjoy the process and the experience. Then it's a win-win: you're having fun, and you're getting better.
(You don't care about the improvement while you're playing, because playing is its own reward. But when you're not playing, you can congratulate yourself about that improvement, and look forward to your next session.)

IOW, it's a matter of attitude: learning to forget about the future and focus on the present. Music only exists in the present. Make this riff - this chord, this song - sound good now. That's not just a matter of the right notes in the right order; it's about expression, tone, etc. That simple song you learned ages ago can (should!) have new life breathed into it.

Of course, there could be an even simpler, shorter answer: you need other musicians to play with, someone to share your endeavour. Music is a social art - like sport, it makes little sense as a private pursuit. (It can be therapeutic, true, but that's only half the story.)
We should all want to either play for someone, or with someone, or ideally both. It doesn't have to be huge numbers of fans, it can be a few close friends or family. It's not about getting approval and applause (although that's nice!), it's about creating a good time for everyone. As a musician, you have valuable, primal social role.
That's obviously a reason to want to get better! But it starts by viewing music as a present-moment activity - that's its magic.
The words "live" and "play" are critical for music, in all their senses - make them your watchwords. (Forget words like "work", or "practice" - they're deadly.)
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