How advanced is your playing?

[RalphH]

I'm quite happy to admit that I'm a meat and potatoes kind of rhythm guitar player. Sure I can knock out some Metallica riffs when the mood takes me, but mostly I can be found strumming open chords and basic bar chords and singing. Might even arpeggiate some chords if I'm feeling fancy . I'm finally starting to build up a decent grasp of music theory and understand how and why chord progressions work etc. I suck at reading proper music. I mean I can do it, but it's not a fast process.

I am terrible, no wait, TERRIBLE at fingerpicking. I can play 'fast car' (and sing at the same time if that counts for anything!) but that's about my limit. I tend not to play any lead. I have never bothered to memorize or practice any scales on the guitar so improvising lead is out of the question - I could work out the scale as I went I guess, but it'd be a pretty slow solo

Sorry if the options don't line up well with your skill level.

Also, there's probably a level between 2 & 3 but I couldn't think want it was - probably learning to play other people's riffs and licks but without any real music theory understanding of them.

[Rockysdad]

Better than when I started in ‘72.

[mr. beaumont]

There's things I'm good at, things I'm not. The stuff I'm not good at is stuff I've never really practiced I guess. Like I don't think I could "Travis Pick" a tune if my life depended on it.

I'd rather specialize really. Do what I do and do it well, as opposed to "dabbling."

[HodgdonExtreme]

I voted #3, but I've been really focusing on finger style (Travis, pluck and chuck, Paul Simon, TVZ, etc) for a couple years now, and I'd say I'm now solidly in the intermediate zone with it.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

There's things I'm good at, things I'm not. The stuff I'm not good at is stuff I've never really practiced I guess. Like I don't think I could "Travis Pick" a tune if my life depended on it.

I'd rather specialize really. Do what I do and do it well, as opposed to "dabbling."

Yeah, thats why I didn't want to put fingerpicking higher than flatpicking lead or visa versa - people often specialize in something and a learning one technique over another doesn't demote your level of playing to my mind.

[seannx]

I'm a lot better than I think I am, and not where I'd like to be to feel like a more accomplished player. I've really upped my practice time over the past six months, and it's helping me close the gap.

About two years ago I visited Goodall Guitars in Fort Bragg. Got to meet the family (what wonderful people!), see the workshop, and demo some exceptional guitars. Friends who came along sincerely commented on how much they really liked my playing, and weren't just being polite.

It's important to realize that someone able to strum even a few chords well, especially on a nice guitar, can impress the average non-guitarist.

[Mandobart]

I know they're called barre chords.....

As a multi-instrumentalist my fretboard knowledge on guitar is not as solid as on mandolin or fiddle fingerboard.

I'm able to sit in with almost anyone and play along and add to the mix on songs I've never heard before.

[Joe Beamish]

I like the question, but don't find the categories in the poll sufficient to characterize all the different ways of being advanced, or good, or whatever.

I like my ability to play finger style, mainly as solo accompaniment to voice for original music. That's been the focus for years. I'm less happy with other areas I've dabbled in -- lead playing, jazz basics -- because I've only dabbled in them. But I've applied a lot to my style of playing.

I also like my ability to communicate groove and tempo. My focus on time has been very important, hugely important. It's essential. If you can't communicate a strong feeling of time, but you can play miles and miles of scales...I don't consider you an advanced player.

I feel the guitar is infinite, and there are infinite ways to play it well.

[swampyankee]

We should have a another level for "Don't know much theory but I can play like hell"

I've been playing since '67 and although I may not be quick to explain alot of music theory, I can understand it if you're talking, strum, fingerpick and hybrid pick, and I pick things up pretty easily.

[roylor4]

I picked the 4th option because I can and do play leads (including diads & triads) all over the neck. My weakness is option three - strong knowledge of theory. I know and understand as much theory as I need to to facilitate certain songs, leads and licks.

It is a glaring weakness in my playing and one that I will eventually have to address.

My electric leads are average+, but my theory knowledge is average--.

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by Rockysdad

Better than when I started in ‘72.

I think I hit my peak in early 80's when I had memorized dozens of songs, played leads/improvised in various keys, and knew how to fingerpick a bunch of tunes really fast, and developed some of my own stuff. After taking a few decades break the basics remained, but many skills never returned. So now I'm just comfortable dumbing down cover songs and focusing on vocals. And yeah I also branched out to uke with a goal of learning Hawaiian music, so I'm not totally stagnant.

[Ozzy the dog]

The greatest thing about participating in a forum like this is that I can claim to be the best guitarist in the world safe in the knowledge that no-one here will ever see me play. If they did, they might realise it's just not true.

I will say I am happy with the way I play and that's enough.

[jaymarsch]

I voted right in the middle there. I am a singer songwriter who plays guitar so I do not do a lot of single note leads but I do understand a scale or two in a key or two. I do venture above the 5th fret upon occasion but not with complete confidence. As an intermediate player, I still focus on playing simple stuff well rather than more complicated stuff badly.

Best,
Jayne

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

I like the question, but don't find the categories in the poll sufficient to characterize all the different ways of being advanced, or good, or whatever.

I like my ability to play finger style, mainly as solo accompaniment to voice for original music. That's been the focus for years. I'm less happy with other areas I've dabbled in -- lead playing, jazz basics -- because I've only dabbled in them. But I've applied a lot to my style of playing.

I also like my ability to communicate groove and tempo. My focus on time has been very important, hugely important. It's essential. If you can't communicate a strong feeling of time, but you can play miles and miles of scales...I don't consider you an advanced player.

I feel the guitar is infinite, and there are infinite ways to play it well.

Very true. It makes it hard to has a discreet poll though with all the levels people might want.

I was sort of aiming for beginner, intermediate (with and without some music theory), advanced.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I know they're called barre chords.....

Don't try to be too clever

From wikipedia: "In music, a barre chord (also known as bar chord or rarely barr chord) is a type of chord on a guitar or other stringed instrument, that the musician plays by using one or more fingers to press down multiple strings across a single fret of the fingerboard (like a bar pressing down the strings)."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barre_chord

From the dictionary: barré chord or barre chord, bar chord

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/barre-chord