Getting Better, Faster

[ayers_elijah]

Hi I want to learn a song above my playing level to obtain more skill sets.

Preferably a fingerstyle song with percussive, I eventually want to rap and do percussive fingerstyle simultaneously. Not gangsta rap,more like poetry.

I have been playing two year, I practice daily.


My playing level is novice, I can learn John Mayer's songs, But I would like something more fun and advanced.

[Dru Edwards]

Ayers, welcome to the AGF! It is difficult to play songs above your capability. When I started I used to do it by simplifying the song so I could play it and then as I got better, I'd include more of the challenging parts of the song.

So, break it into the basic chords. Do what you can but continue to challenge yourself.

Does this make sense? Good luck!

[Scorgie]

If you want a challenging fingerstyle song that isn't too hard with some slap strumming then YouTube Further away tutorial by Ben Howard. One of the first fingerstyle songs I learned and it's much easier than it seems.

[Mr Fixit eh]

Hi Ayers_Elijah and welcome to the AGF.

There are no magic potions for instant success.

Playing too much beyond your current skill level will frustrate you quickly.

I think a better road to improvement is to pick pieces that are in your range of ability and master them really well. Then go out and perform in public - go to an open mic, or busk on the street, or perform at a nursing home. Find a bandmate or practice partner and jam together - doesn't matter who is better. Record your finished songs and play them back - you'll soon realize just how much work you still have to do. Better yet, post YouTube videos on the Show n Tell sub-forum - and you'll get lots of helpful advice. Oh, and keep on practicing - at least 1 hour a day. But 3 hours every day will give you faster improvement.

Slow and steady wins the race here.

And don't forget to enjoy the journey.

Steve

[Gerbilkit]

I think that the real key to getting better quickly is not how much time you spend practicing per day but how much you push yourself during that time. Not that more practice time isn't important, I would definitely rather practice 3 hours than 30 mins. But if I spend 3 hours mostly having fun playing stuff I already am super comfortable with and only 5 mins sweating over some difficult stuff I know I won't really be progressing as fast.

For instance yesterday I mostly just fooled around, played lots of simple chords and beats, had fun, sang songs I liked, made up a rock version for mary had a little lamb.

Today I worked through my guitar theory course and found out that I am currently unable to make the full G-form barre chord because my index finger is too weak. Not a comfortable feeling. Then I worked on a song that was fairly difficult for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs-2...eature=related with some fingerpicking I had to work on a good tab of it for probably 30 mins before I could play the whole thing through very slowly without mistakes.

Then I learned some new songs I felt were easier (I seriously think stairway to heaven was like 5x easier for me). They certainly helped me as well particularly since they reinforced theory I am learning. But those 30 mins I really focused were the best. It wasn't easy, at first nothing I played sounded even close and I couldn't figure out which finger should go where and I kept messing up. It took a lot of focus and concentration for me to play through the tab slowly and not give up or just try to sound out a simpler version by ear. I have a 15 min screensaver on my computer and when it came on after I had been reading the tab and slowly playing through the intro over and over I knew that I was really in the zone.

[guitarlifter]

Originally Posted by Scorgie

If you want a challenging fingerstyle song that isn't too hard with some slap strumming then YouTube Further away tutorial by Ben Howard. One of the first fingerstyle songs I learned and it's much easier than it seems.

Speaking of which, do you know where to find tabs/tutorial/tuning for that? I like his music. I just found out about him a night or two ago, and he seems pretty cool.

[Scorgie]

Originally Posted by guitarlifter

Speaking of which, do you know where to find tabs/tutorial/tuning for that? I like his music. I just found out about him a night or two ago, and he seems pretty cool.

Yeah I do. Over at Ultimate Guitar in their tab section they have a bunch of tabs. The majority of his songs are in CGCGGC tuning or variations of that. Youtube also has quite a few tutorials for his songs.

[daza152]

Originally Posted by Mr Fixit eh

Hi Ayers_Elijah and welcome to the AGF.

There are no magic potions for instant success.

Playing too much beyond your current skill level will frustrate you quickly.

I think a better road to improvement is to pick pieces that are in your range of ability and master them really well. Then go out and perform in public - go to an open mic, or busk on the street, or perform at a nursing home. Find a bandmate or practice partner and jam together - doesn't matter who is better. Record your finished songs and play them back - you'll soon realize just how much work you still have to do. Better yet, post YouTube videos on the Show n Tell sub-forum - and you'll get lots of helpful advice. Oh, and keep on practicing - at least 1 hour a day. But 3 hours every day will give you faster improvement.

Slow and steady wins the race here.

And don't forget to enjoy the journey.

Steve

Yeah what he said...