Getting stuck in skill level ... what to do?

well i taught myself on a heady diet of NWOBHM and 70's classics. Led Zep, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Dio, Saxon, Gary Moore, Scorpions, AC/DC, Marillion, Deep Purple etc etc etc. great songs and not overly technical guitar solos. don't know if that's your cup of tea or not, but it worked for me... :)
 
Zwiebelchen said:
It's just that all this creativity is suddenly gone as soon as I want to write a guitar solo. I don't know, I always end up copying something from musicians I like or play my preferred patterns.
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To me it's sounds like you need a teacher, not a "lick" teacher, but an "applied theory" teacher. A jazz or fusion teacher will give you a lot of useful stuff, even if you play Death Metal.
 
GiRa said:
To me it's sounds like you need a teacher, not a "lick" teacher, but an "applied theory" teacher. A jazz or fusion teacher will give you a lot of useful stuff, even if you play Death Metal.
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I couldn't agree more. Guitar teachers can be on a number of different levels, and unfortunately, people tend to judge a guitar teacher on how good a player he is. Nothing could be further from the truth.
 
Record yourself and Listen back to it.
Put your iTunes on shuffle and try to jam along with it
Record yourself
Learn Some Paul Gilbert
Record yourself.
Surf Youtube and get inspired by all the "unknown" amazing guitarists out there
Record yourself.
Have a look at some of the free videos on Jamtrackcentral
Record yourself and Listen back to it.


Oh and did I Mention *Record yourself* and Listen back to it, the single best way to improve. This way you're hearing what you *really* sound like and not what you sound like in your head when you're playing, which is ALWAYS different (not necessarily Worse or Better, just different) . Maybe you might decide that you're playing is "fast enough" or maybe too fast and your phrasing or rhythm is what needs working on?

Oh, and try to Record yourself and Listen back to it too...
 
s0c9 said:
Some interesting comments on the "rut" thing in this thread. I'm no expert, will never be a Vai (or clarky) and am too old to ever get picked up for touring, or making my living from music. I make a VERY comfortable living as an IT architect.. I play 'cus I like to. I HATE scales.. and at my stage in life, view them like stretching before playing soccer.. something you gotta do if you want to keep playing.

That said, I'm in the same rut as the OP, but been playing longer. I play bass and guitar - completely different approaches/techniques.
I have found than being in a band and having to learn material so that you can perform publicly is great motivation. I have also found that speed is kind of "meh". It comes with practice, but some of the best solo's out there are not fast at all.

Right now I'm separated from my last band (long story) that had been playing EVERY weekend since July but am looking for a new one - but it's that time of year. So there's no motivation to get anything played/learnt.. sure I noodle but nothing focused, nothing serious, no REAL objectives. A new band would help, but I'm already tired of sitting in with mediocre garage bands who want to play out "once a month" and do so for beer/food, or the type that thinks they're "hot stuff" and have no concept of how the bar/club world works and wants to ONLY play music they like.
.
/depressing :cry.
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if I manage to get over to Dallas this year I'll shout...
if you want to do a rut bust when I'm there let me know...

sounds to me like the time you spend with a guitar [that is outside of the band] is lacking purpose and direction
you have no objectives beyond "getting better would be nice"
it's time to turn it around and try something different..

pick a song you currently cannot play but you reckon is do-able [even if it'll push you some
learn / find the following and make notes [like in a project folder]:
- the form [structure - riff, verse, chorus etc]
- the key [and any key changes that occur within the song]
- the chord progression [remember, even a riff will pass through chord changes even if no chords are played - they'll be implied]
- the rhythm / riffing parts
- the lead parts / solos
--- if the solo is too difficult, create a solo of your own that at least follows that same contours. You play all the licks that you can manage, and those that are beyond you you create something similar sounding that at least starts and ends in the same place [and in doing so you will be flexing a little creative muscle to solve the problem]
- learn the vocal parts so you can play along with them
- create a part as if you'd play this live [where you riff, pick up the solos etc]
- replace the solo you've learned with one of your own
- treat the whole song as a backing track and solo all over it for fun

take a look at everything you've learn from this song and start goofing with it.. changing chords or phrasing.. taking stuff out.. adding to it.. maybe even try taking it in a new and different direction..
you are experimenting and creating...
let this trigger you into 'song writting mode' and create a new song, new riff / progression / solo

next song....

learn... create.... learn.... create... wax on... wax off....
 
Zwiebelchen said:
Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts in this thread. You may not believe me, but it really helped to know that this is something perfectly normal.
I'll try to pick some of the ideas up and use them and see if it helps, then try some others if not.
I think I will stop doing technique and scale practicing for a while and move over to learning songs for now.

I also take some private guitar lessons over the next months until I move to a different town and see if it can help me come out of the routine.

Can you possibly recommend some "mid level" songs to learn with not neccesarily fast, but interesting leads/solos? Something in the rock/blues/progressive genre would be awesome. I always was a huge Pink Floyd fan, but never tried to play one of the songs or leads out of respect... Maybe I'll look into it now, just to get out of the comfort zone.

Thanks everyone!
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This is excellent news. Now Pink Floyd, there is a passion. So with that in mind and imitation being the sincerest form of flattery etc. Applying what the good forum people and what Steve Vai, mentions in a video link in an earlier post in this thread I would say learn some Floyd songs and leads.

David Gilmour, is a great starting point because a lot of his stuff is very memorable has great feel, but is accessible. Here are some links for you.

LickLibrary.com - Guitar Tuition, Backing Tracks, TAB, MP3 Downloads, Transcriptions

And as a starting point possibly this package, which has a video overview of it.

JAM with Pink Floyd (2 DVD & CD set)

Good luck... 8)

And everything that Clarky advises in the next post applies.
 
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Zwiebelchen said:
Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts in this thread. You may not believe me, but it really helped to know that this is something perfectly normal.
I'll try to pick some of the ideas up and use them and see if it helps, then try some others if not.
I think I will stop doing technique and scale practicing for a while and move over to learning songs for now.

I also take some private guitar lessons over the next months until I move to a different town and see if it can help me come out of the routine.

Can you possibly recommend some "mid level" songs to learn with not neccesarily fast, but interesting leads/solos? Something in the rock/blues/progressive genre would be awesome. I always was a huge Pink Floyd fan, but never tried to play one of the songs or leads out of respect... Maybe I'll look into it now, just to get out of the comfort zone.

Thanks everyone!
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learn the solo from Shine on you Crazy Diamond
this is essentially a catalogue of blues rock licks that you can use anywhere in pretty much anything...
they also have enough scope to develop so you can 'tricky them up' some and take them in a jazzy, fusion, metal, or even shred direction

in fact... learn these licks and screw with them to the point where they become something completely different...
start flexing a little creative muscle..
allow your creativity to start pushing the limits of your technique

there is plenty of joy to be had from playing
but not joy is greater than the act of creativity

do not worry if your ealry attempts suck.. this is normal..
the more you do of somethnig the better you get..

there really is nothing like hearing something as saying "holy fk..... that's me"
 
Zwiebelchen said:
I always was a huge Pink Floyd fan, but never tried to play one of the songs or leads out of respect...
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I can't remember who said it, but 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. I'm sure Mr. Gilmour and Mr. Waters wouldn't mind you learning their solos and songs. :)

Comfortably Numb - for the structure of the second solo, the interplay between the chords and the lead, and the genius of the first solo, the arpeggios, scale changes, etc...

Django (by Joe Bonamassa) - a great mixolydian to minor workout, simple to play, very hard to get exactly right. Also, the chord structures are very interesting, especially the slash chords at the end of the B section.
 
something I forgot to mention...

writing / creating is a big part of learning because it is also an exercise in confirming the way you hear and understand music
this is in terms of:
- hearing tonality
- understanding of key / harmony / chords
- creating melody [and then harmonising it with chords]
- timing and phrasing
- playing technique

an Olympic swimmer will do much more than work on the details of swimming and getting faster..
there's gym, diet, rest, state of mind etc.......

guitar and music is the same...
there's more to it than just practicing scales and technique..
a musician needs repertoire [tons of it] and scope for self expression..
 
Zwiebelchen, I know what you're talking about and I'm certainly not the only one on this forum.
Why not taking a break and stop playing for a while? Being in a negative thinking pattern does help to progress.
This worked for me. It had always been a real pleasure to get back to guitar playing after a few weeks break. Pleasure helps to progress.
 
It always comes down to learning new stuff. My suggestion is to learn more about music. Study something not strictly in your comfort zone. Learn solos that aren't guitar solos, or learn some jazz. Do something that really spins your head.

Most people hit a wall in direct proportion to those areas they have weaknesses or don't know anything about. MUSIC for instance. A lot of guitar players are lacking in some musical training or, dare I say, theory. If you KNOW your musical basics and fundamentals, there isn't anything that can hold you back. You can constantly create and not have to reference other peoples solos for information or styling tips.
 
Learn some bluegrass, or Celtic jigs. Learn some blues or funk or some great old country tunes. Spend time learning how to read and work up some violin music. Work on some great jazz chord melody stuff, or learn some classic rock n roll riffs and tunes. There's SO MUCH GUITAR STUFF TO DO THAT THERE'S NO EXCUSE TO HIT A PLATEAU!! A plateau just means you're bored with what you're doing and if you're bored that basically means one of two things: 1) you're not quite done. You just have to push through a little bit more to get to the finish line, or 2) you've gone on too long in one direction.

Either push through or do something totally new. You need new data to pull from. It doesn't even matter so much whether you like it. You're trying out new stuff. Learning should never stop.
 
I've been having the same rut as of late ... not feeling very inspired etc. However, I came across this video and it has amazingly gave me that jolt of inspiration to play.

Breakdown of the video from YouTube description: "Recorded on April 26, 2005, renowned jazz pianist and writer on the process of improvisation Kenny Werner hold a master class in jazz performance and creativity for a small group of students at New York University. Werner fields questions on topics like performing effortlessly (for example, learning not to criticize your own performance as you play and not even think about the music you are making), the mental difference between practicing and playing, how to inventory and improve your weakest attributes, why making your musical ability part of your self-image can be dangerous to both, how to practice effectively and manage your mind while in a practice session, and much, much more. The session concludes with an excerpt from a performance by Werner and his trio at the Blue Note in New York City."

I'm cognizant that this is a jazz musician, but believe me, I'm a progressive metal guy and it has been breath of fresh air watching this. I could honestly watch this guy talk about the fundamentals of making a better grilled cheese sandwich and still feel that burning sensation of inspiration in my playing again. Watch it, watch it now, all of you: A Master Class in Jazz Performance and Creativity with Pianist Kenny Werner - YouTube
 
years ago, I had a video [on vhs] by Don Mock
I think it was called The Blues from Rock to Jazz

a pretty inspiring vid.. he has a great approach to explaining / describing what's happening..
and he's a monster of a player too..
had quite a profound impact on the way I view the neck
 
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