Stuck In A Rut?...I am Too!!

[Cheezeweggie]

Daza,
You aren't the only one in a rut. I sometimes start learning a song and get sick of playing it before I even master it. Sometimes I get back to it and over time it seems easier to play. As my list grows, I find myself less bored because I'm less repetitive. My biggest problem is that I cant remember a tune well enough to not have the chord sheet in front of me. I long for the day I can play a song by a combination of memory and music theory. Only then will I consider myself a true guitarist.

[budsy]

Originally Posted by AtlJohn

Great advice, 815C, along with many others in the thread. To touch on the above note, after playing 100% exclusively with a pick for well over 20 years, last summer i decided to take up fingerstyle, and i haven't looked back. It would have been unthinkable a year ago that this old dog would not only have learned a new trick, but now plays 99% of the time without one, but there it is!

Also daza.....do you have a video cam or recording software? There are lots of fine folks over on the Show and Tell page, of every skill level, who regularly share their recorded works, both covers and original. It's a friendly and supportive environment, but of course you wouldn't post an unfinished cover, for instance, would you? I am a notorious song-abandoner like others here, and it's been good motivation for me to keep working until i have something that, if not perfect, is at least complete and ready to share.

It does all come down to motivation, and to what you really want from the guitar playing experience. I hope you get dug out soon and start getting where you want!

Cheers,
-js

Well sais John ^^

[Kh1967]

I don't know if this will help, but I once read that there is a big difference between playing and practicing. Playing might be what you are doing - playing the same parts of songs you know over and over. Practicing might be learning to play the parts you don't know, or don't feel comfortable with.

For me, I have to consciously make an effort not to fall in the play rut. When I practice as described above, I find the rut begins to dissipate.

Hope that is helpful.

[daza152]

Originally Posted by budsy

Dazza,

All good advice m8 from people more experienced than me with Guitar

Personally ive been with playing guitar approx 2 yrs and after learning basic chords
and then the F chord by barring as couldnt get it down any other way the F chord

I then began slowly changing chords then quickening the change over
from chord to chord and then i got chords of song namely
Caledonia by Dougie McLean and began learning this song part by part

id have it down on paper and play through a few lines and then memorize
then after i began trying to play the lines without paper and get it into memory
and began doing such every now n then if a mistake then look quickly at book and then
try again and do such part by part with the lines and start again
and do this say until u can play one verse and then chorus and then move on to nxt verse of the song
until u manage the whole song and then Bingo you can play through a whole song

Best to learn songs you like as that way you know how the song goes
A little at a time say a line or 2 lines at a time then try without looking at chords and words on paper
once u get that part down then move on to next part of the song

Ps It does get monotonous trying to get a whole song down with the going over the same part etc
but its the only way to learn and if u get frustrated then put the guitar down and do something else
as the guitar is there for when u are in the mood to learn again.
You shall get the songs down just Enjoy

Thanks for those tips and ideas will definitely try it that way. I think its the not singing that makes pplaying a 'whole' song sound monotonous, so I am trying to sing as well. can on some songs but not others, I'll keep plugging away, can you sing songs right through while playing?

[daza152]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

I don't know if this will help, but I once read that there is a big difference between playing and practicing. Playing might be what you are doing - playing the same parts of songs you know over and over. Practicing might be learning to play the parts you don't know, or don't feel comfortable with.

For me, I have to consciously make an effort not to fall in the play rut. When I practice as described above, I find the rut begins to dissipate.

Hope that is helpful.

Thanks I have been told on here the less you practice the more you play...But I do see where your coming from, The thing is I can play the chords and the progression isn't always differcult, I guess picking songs to practice that you can do before you try isn't going help matters but even the simplist song can be played beautifully if practiced enough??

[Rhythm]

Well the name says it all. lol. yea i pretty much stick to rhythm. I play in church backing up other instruments and singers, so over the years I have just not been able to climb out of the rut of "rhythm accompaniment". Me and my mandolin player jam alot and I usually just play rhythm while he tears it up. Every now and then while we are playing ill take a break but not frequently. Whats kinda funny is that my playing continues to get better, just not in the way of improv lead work. I do manage to enjoy myself quite a bit though.

I will say this though. Gettin a good pickin buddy has helped my playing alot.

[budsy]

Originally Posted by daza152

Thanks for those tips and ideas will definitely try it that way. I think its the not singing that makes pplaying a 'whole' song sound monotonous, so I am trying to sing as well. can on some songs but not others, I'll keep plugging away, can you sing songs right through while playing?

Dazza,

As for the singing ye it helps while your playing and always play the part of song slow to begin with but before this learn the changes from chord to chord
slow to begin with and maybe learn a slow song once able to change over the chords cleanly and this gives you a nice feeling to hear the tune
as you play along the chords also as a sais below go to chordie.com thats the main way i learnt at the beginning as i picked out a song from which i knew the words
and the melody and thats a help also knowing the song and how it goes, though the words are in front of you helps to begin with
i always with some songs look over them especially the songs i wasnt quite used to, but can play through them, but need the song-sheet in front
as yet for such songs ..


And ye i sing as i go over the songs now but its songs i learnt on my own without any help from anyone apart fae some on the internet which is a very handy tool
to learn from and chordie.com is a site where you can type up a song or artist and gives you the tabs for such
or the chords also with many songs in which is better possibly with the lyrics and chords above the lyrics and ye best to either hum or sing the song as you play..

The webpage is free is ---> chordie.com also there's a link which gives all chords and where the fingers go for every chord maybe worth a try if someone can give you the link to that as i had got rid of that by accident a we while back now ..Anyhow i learnt by visiting chordie.com and picking songs i liked and knew and another i found easy once i mastered the F chord by barring only although there's a couple other ways to do the F chord, the song was "The Boxer" by Simon / Garfunkel
which i can easily play through the whole song now .. theres also others like the "Streets Of London" by Ralph McTell a slow song

Anyhow all the best and your welcome to ask anything on the forum and P/mge anything to me if u want although im a basic guitarist i play for my own enjoyment but ive been playing around also and found little nice starting ways for 2 songs one song like "Hotel California" for instance i managed to get my own start of the song which i reckon is gd and heard such also fae another guitarist whom also is still learning, and only got that by playing around for the sound i wanted for the very start of the song Hotel california ..Done such also for another song i have down and can play right through but Meantime look up chordie.com i managed to learn some tunes from them ..Gd Luck and keep trying and when fed up put guitar away for when you feel like trying again

[daza152]

Originally Posted by budsy

Dazza,

As for the singing ye it helps while your playing and always play the part of song slow to begin with but before this learn the changes from chord to chord
slow to begin with and maybe learn a slow song once able to change over the chords cleanly and this gives you a nice feeling to hear the tune
as you play along the chords also as a sais below go to chordie.com thats the main way i learnt at the beginning as i picked out a song from which i knew the words
and the melody and thats a help also knowing the song and how it goes, though the words are in front of you helps to begin with
i always with some songs look over them especially the songs i wasnt quite used to, but can play through them, but need the song-sheet in front
as yet for such songs ..


And ye i sing as i go over the songs now but its songs i learnt on my own without any help from anyone apart fae some on the internet which is a very handy tool
to learn from and chordie.com is a site where you can type up a song or artist and gives you the tabs for such
or the chords also with many songs in which is better possibly with the lyrics and chords above the lyrics and ye best to either hum or sing the song as you play..

The webpage is free is ---> chordie.com also there's a link which gives all chords and where the fingers go for every chord maybe worth a try if someone can give you the link to that as i had got rid of that by accident a we while back now ..Anyhow i learnt by visiting chordie.com and picking songs i liked and knew and another i found easy once i mastered the F chord by barring only although there's a couple other ways to do the F chord, the song was "The Boxer" by Simon / Garfunkel
which i can easily play through the whole song now .. theres also others like the "Streets Of London" by Ralph McTell a slow song

Anyhow all the best and your welcome to ask anything on the forum and P/mge anything to me if u want although im a basic guitarist i play for my own enjoyment but ive been playing around also and found little nice starting ways for 2 songs one song like "Hotel California" for instance i managed to get my own start of the song which i reckon is gd and heard such also fae another guitarist whom also is still learning, and only got that by playing around for the sound i wanted for the very start of the song Hotel california ..Done such also for another song i have down and can play right through but Meantime look up chordie.com i managed to learn some tunes from them ..Gd Luck and keep trying and when fed up put guitar away for when you feel like trying again

Thanks mate , can you play the intro to Hotel California?