Can an old dog learn a new trick?

[Dave Merrill]

Agreed, and that is how I've got to this point, but now I feel that I've hit a wall, and personally I would like to advance as a player.

I can noodle along all day long; I've been gigging for decades. But eventually I find that I'm just wandering about and not really playing with purpose.

Playing with purpose (I'd maybe use the word intent) isn't only about note choices.

I'd say it's even more about melody, an idea, what you'd sing to band members to show them what you meant. Listen to blues players for instance, they're all about the ideas, and inhabiting them fresh in real time.

 

[Domct203]

Playing with purpose (I'd maybe use the word intent) isn't only about note choices.

I'd say it's even more about melody, an idea, what you'd sing to band members to show them what you meant. Listen to blues players for instance, they're all about the ideas, and inhabiting them fresh in real time.

Yes, intent would be a better choice.

 

[Domct203]

Ive heard good things about advanced lessons in this regard. Helps get you over the hump.

Sometimes you just need to hear new chord progressions paired while noodling with modes to train your ears further with good and bad notes.

You already know the major and minor scales so now you’re just applying them slightly different using your ears which in turn trains new sound and licks to otherwise familiar shapes.

If you don’t have a looper, get one.

I have a looper pedal, and there is one in my AxeFXIII, I use it often as well as backing tracks on YouTube.

 

[paranoid]

Thank you for all the good replies and @mr_fender for the tabbed explanation( I will study that). What I am trying to achieve is a more open pallet when I learn new songs. At current I learn the chords first and the try to figure out where to use the major mode to play/ learn the lead melody. I know the original artist wasn't stuck in this box, but that's how I've been playing it. Now that I'm trying to get back in shape I am going to try and expand my horizons.