How Do You Challenge Yourself?

[jeanray1113]

I look at YouTube lessons that are hard enough to challenge me, work on them some e dry day. I’m always learning new songs, new runs, things that are unfamiliar to me.

[donlyn]

How Do You Challenge Yourself?

By continuing to add to my repertoire and constructing new arrangements that suit my fingerpicking style to accompany my vocals. This includes not only learning the song, but may involve key changes and adding intro-es, outro-es, bridges, and fills. Sometime this may mimic the original source and melody, and other times requires original material. An outro may be an instrumental version of the melody backed with harmonies from the chords or whatever passing notes I feel like adding. Some pieces are solo versions of instrumentals, some are turned into instrumentals, but most are for accompaniment. Many instrumental versions of songs often end up as vocals and use my instrumental version as a median solo or outro.

Then I figure out whether to play it on six or twelve string guitar. Not surprisingly, I usually do it on either one, depending on which guitar I have in my hands.

All of this can be a long process and I usually work on more than one piece at a time, sometimes resurrecting old arrangements when I think of something new to add. Sometimes some attempts lie fallow until the spirit moves me, maybe even years later. I've been playing since the mid-60s, which is about 60 years ago.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Denandannie

I create opportunities that challenge me.

This one is fun…
My wife and I host a monthly pot-luck at our church (a fairly modern and young congregation) where we pass out hymnals after lunch, and the people choose hymns and we sing them for about 30-45 minutes.

This is all with solo acoustic (my Olson Dreadnought), and without amps or mics.

It is conducted spontaneously on the fly, with a group of 60-80 year olds, who don't have the singing range to sing the hymns in original keys, and no charts are available. We do 10-15 hymns at each event. They do KNOW and love hymns. The group is 25-35 people.

So I'm transposing and leading them on the fly with my wife at my side and we are singing as we lead.

Having grown up in musical churches and having been a musician since age 8, we both know the music, melodies, tempos, and harmony parts.

Having a degree in music I know how to translate it on the fly and include all the tricky chord anomalies associated with playing hymns properly. It's really fun for me…

It's a challenge (which I embrace).

When they pick a song we haven't sung in 20-30 years, or that comes from a different musical path than the one we grew up in, we occasionally insert an a-capella version.

It's one of the highlights of my month…

Hi Larry,
That's pretty cool beans. On many levels.
They say that, as you grow older, social contact becomes even more important for health purposes.
From your description, I can understand how this activity would be challenging, but you and your wife are also bringing groups of people together and engaging them in social interaction beneficial to all, which I think is also very commendable.
Good on you for that. Great stuff!

As to the OP's question:
The guitar, as an instrument of musical expression, is so versatile. Personally, it doesn't take much for me to get challenged. I just step out of my comfort zone and, voilà, there I am!

[rllink]

Playing with people who are better than me and playing with people who play other instruments. I live for the country/bluegrass jam. I'm not saying this to be judgemental, but if I just played for myself and my basement walls I wouldn't stay with it.

[Charlie Bernstein]

The guitar itself is what motivates me. They're just fun to pick up. Addictive, really.