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  #16  
Old 07-26-2017, 09:19 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is online now
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Through blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

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  #17  
Old 07-26-2017, 05:57 PM
Nailpicker Nailpicker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby Walker View Post
For every one thing I learned, every measure of improvement, I must have had at least a few dozen failures, and I've learned a lot.

..... thoughts from my camper on I 90, near Madison, WI.
I've improved by quitting smoking and drinking many years ago....oh....you meant in context of guitar playing?? Well, fairly much like you, Improvements and setbacks and plateaus. Successes and failures. Yin and Yang. Perseverance.

....thoughts from my house in the backwoods of WI, thankfully not near Madison.
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Last edited by Nailpicker; 07-26-2017 at 05:59 PM. Reason: Better punctuation for a better world of understanding:-)
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  #18  
Old 07-27-2017, 07:41 AM
acoustigoat acoustigoat is offline
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Talking

I've improved in my confidence that if I practice I can get better. I keep a guitar journal where I track the songs and skills I'm working on so when I'm feeling stuck or discouraged I can look back and say, "Wow, 3 weeks ago I could only play Whiskey Before Breakfast at 40 bpm and now I'm at 90."

What's also helped is taking risks -- like trying to sing -- and playing with my brother-in-law.
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  #19  
Old 07-27-2017, 09:53 AM
beninma beninma is offline
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I've only been playing 2 years, maybe a month or two more than that. Up till the beginning of this year I was self taught. Because I started taking lessons I've made big strides this year, probably to the point I would not have believed I could have improved so much.

- Started playing by ear a lot more
- Because I'm not staring at the sheet music all the time I can now memorize songs, couldn't before
- Learned a lot about setup partly cause I was going to lessons and had someone to let me know what to expect. I've now done my own setups on both my guitars and they are hugely easier for me to play.
- Know quite a few of the open chords, major, minor, some 7th chords ands us chords and am making good progress on playing/switching between them, learning new strum patterns much faster. I'm beginning to keep time when switching even if my left hand lags behind. Much better than what I was doing before which was stopping my right hand.
- On the verge of getting to barre chords. I'm almost to the point I can include the F barre in a sequence without getting hosed. (At a slow tempo)
- Learned tons about palm muting, didn't even know this was a thing till I started lessons
- Started playing electric too, got a bunch of good aids for learning like a looper, etc..
- Play with the metronome regularly now

My wife is even liking my playing now!

Still can't sing at all while I play though. My teacher has little focus on that, and I'm not a good singer, but I'll start that at some point.

I also still get some stage fright, particularly at lessons I perform a little worse.. gotta get past that.

Last edited by beninma; 07-27-2017 at 09:58 AM.
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  #20  
Old 07-27-2017, 10:35 AM
Stratcat77 Stratcat77 is offline
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I've been playing guitar for about 40 years. I think my big time of learning was in the first 5 years, then not a whole lot (sadly) of significant growth for a lot of years. I reached a point where I felt comfortable playing in a band and then spent more time just learning songs and not truly advancing my knowledge and understanding a lot. I wish I could say my technique has improved significantly over the years, but I'm not really sure it has. I consider myself a solid player, but know I have a lot to learn.

I do feel like I've discovered a lot of new things (those a-ha moments) over the last 5 years because of my switching to acoustic. I spend a lot more time on the couch just playing than I used to. And I occasionally stumble across something that to me is a real a-ha moment. Those moments are really bittersweet for me.. It's rewarding that I figured out something new (sometimes it's just a lightbulb going off because I figured out "why" something is what it is - "oh, THAT'S why that works! duh), but at the same time know that I should have learned that 30 years ago!?!?
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  #21  
Old 07-28-2017, 12:29 PM
Ladyehawk Ladyehawk is offline
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Default Improving every day

I've been working on faster chord changes, and I see improvements in my speed and in how much smoother the song I'm working on sounds.

I also see improvements in my whole attitude about playing. It's starting to feel natural to pick it up and play a song.

I guess when I pick it up now I see it as "playing a song" as opposed to "Practicing a song."

I'm very happy with my progress....
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  #22  
Old 07-29-2017, 08:22 AM
DaveKell DaveKell is offline
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My improvements seem to come in big leaps all at once. The first was after I got Toby Walker's dvd "Take a Solo". I plugged my iPod into my acoustic amp and began playing along with a ton of backing tracks I downloaded. Some of the most satisfied playing I've done in 45 years. The second was after I began attending a regular Friday night jam with a bunch of ancient cowboys several months ago. It's all acoustic except for the guy with a Tele who does lead breaks on all the songs. He's a legendary old Texas musician who played with Bob Wills in the beer joints along the infamous Jacksboro Highway in Fort Worth. It had been decades since I played with others and I floundered a lot at first but have (reluctantly) become one of the favorites at the jams. Everybody has to sing the song they play so my singing has been rediscovered as well. We play ancient country music mainly. I'll be forever indebted to two sisters from Tennessee named Eve and Nadine. They ran a truck stop along a highway in the rural northern Indiana area where I grew up. It wasn't country music territory by any means, but the sisters jukebox had all the songs we play at the jams on it. I spent hours as a kid hanging out there listening. These Texas boys have wondered a few times how a Yankee knows all these tunes!
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  #23  
Old 07-29-2017, 12:03 PM
Wyllys Wyllys is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby Walker View Post
For every one thing I learned, every measure of improvement, I must have had at least a few dozen failures, and I've learned a lot.

..... thoughts from my camper on I 90, near Madison, WI.
I mark my development by the ability to get more using less.
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  #24  
Old 07-30-2017, 08:01 PM
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Fabulous stories folks! I enjoy reading all of them!
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  #25  
Old 07-30-2017, 09:37 PM
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That "trying harder" is never the answer for me. Might be for someone else. But not for me.

Understanding more is how I improve. Seeing similarities, patterns, etc.
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  #26  
Old 07-31-2017, 10:59 AM
Llewlyn Llewlyn is offline
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I've been playing for several years and have plateaued various times. Sometimes, I've made choices which led me to massive steps up from previous plateaus. The most significant were:

- After having been self-taught for a couple of years I went to a teacher. He changed my posture and started all over from the beginning. I improved massively in a month.

- After having learned songs, I decided to learn the basics of theory, in this case, pentatonics, major/minor scales and basic chord patterns. I improved almost instantly in playing the tunes which I have been playing for years. Knowing what I was doing made me much more confident in getting the fingerings right and help me remember/metabolize the songs.

- I always focussed on my fretting hand. One day, I decided to "let the fretting hand go" and focus on my right hand, to get a consistent tone out of my finger tips. The results were great, I am really happy of my tone now.

Currently, I am doing a lot of ear training of intervals and chords and I hope that would lead me to the next plateau!

Ll.
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  #27  
Old 07-31-2017, 11:08 AM
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The biggest improvement I made came from the book Zen Guitar.

I've played for most of my life. Although playing just for myself and love of music, I've was told (back then) that I was quite adept at playing. However, I plateaued early and stayed there for decades.

So, I was self-taught, my abilities climbed for the first 5 years, then I hit a ceiling. And there I sat for 30 more years.

With the Internet info available and my conversion to acoustic playing, the seeds were sown to finally break out of a life-long rut .....well....a lifelong plateau, rather.

The book Zen Guitar was the water on those sown seeds.

And the three points he made that affected me were these:
  • Be a personal/spiritual belief-connection to your music
  • Focus on what you are doing
  • Don't just "noodle around"

With that, I took up the challenge of learning a, formerly, unattainable piece - my favorite guitar piece. With a very methodical, tenacious approach, I learned this song in 3-4 weeks.

So, I went on and picked another......then another.

Right now I am non-stop polishing my playing of the three hardest pieces I've ever touched - which happen to be my favorite acoustic guitar instrumentals.

I haven't seen this self-improvement for decades.
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Last edited by fazool; 07-31-2017 at 04:17 PM. Reason: I plead temporary spelling insanity
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  #28  
Old 07-31-2017, 02:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fazool View Post
The book Zen Guitar was the water on those sewn seeds.

And the three points he made that affected me were these:
  • Be a personal/spiritual belief-connection to your music
  • Focus on what you are doing
  • Don't just "noodle around"
I have a signed copy

I always rebelled against the idea that you play music first and foremost for others... This book spoke to me in many ways.
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  #29  
Old 07-31-2017, 02:25 PM
Wyllys Wyllys is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fazool View Post
The biggest improvement I made came from the book Zen Guitar.
The book of Zen is a blank page reflecting all Wisdom.

Quote:
The book Zen Guitar was the water on those sewn seeds.
I tried sewing seeds, but couldn't hold the little buggers, so I sowed them instead.

Sorry...

Seriously, though, I stopped playing guitar in 1977 when I got hired to play upright bass. I moved to piano for a while in a ceilidh band, then fiddle and various accordions, returning to guitar about 6 years ago. I had improved immensely in the intervening years.

Ba-zen-ga!
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Last edited by Wyllys; 07-31-2017 at 02:47 PM.
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  #30  
Old 07-31-2017, 02:45 PM
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Toby Walker Toby Walker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fazool View Post
The biggest improvement I made came from the book Zen Guitar.
An INCREDIBLE book!!!!!
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