Stuck In a Rut

[Patzag]

Best advice I ever got was from a Pianist: Chick Corea: Play only the notes you decide to play, only the notes you hear. Breaks the patterns and ruts like nothing else. Sing a solo and then play it like you sang it. A lot harder than one might think and definitely death on grooved in patterns.

 

[boolean]

Play something you wouldn't normally play. If you are a metal guy, try and learn some country licks. If you are a blues guy, try and play a Rick Wakeman keyboard solo on guitar. If Jazz is your thing, learn a Whitesnake song........

THIS ^

 

[Sidivan]

How do you even reach this point? I read these interviews with amazing players like Tosin Abasi, they talk about six hour a day practice sessions, and so on. I've practiced no more than two hours a day since I was 16 or so, and it's given me awful carpal tunnel syndrome. Doesn't this stuff take a toll on these guys, physically? Or am I a wuss?

I have a book by steve Vai where he talks about his 10 hour sessions. He said he's just lucky that he didn't develop any serious issues. These days he really pays attention to ergonomics so he doesn't develop issues.

I used to play 6-8 hours/day for the first few years I played. Now I average about 14-16 hours/wk including gigs. After 15 years, I don't have any issues, but I am not a shred master either. I tried for years doing the mindless speed exercises, but I just reached my limit speed wise. I watched a Satriani lesson about 2 years ago and he said "the motor skills come quickly. After a couple of years of playing, you'll be as fast as you ever will be. However, you can always expand your knowledge." Don't focus on running scales constantly, focus on actually applying and utilizing them. I no longer chase the shred dragon and I am a much better guitarist because of that.

 

[Scotlandyabass]

I no longer chase the shred dragon and I am a much better guitarist because of that.

:lol

 

[henryrobinett]

I think the secret is to continually be creative. Acknowledge when you've achieved your goals and move on to something knew.

I practice 2-3 hours on average every day. But that's EVERY DAY. I've been feeling great about my playing. I haven't been in a rut in over 20 years. It just doesn't happen. I systematize what i practice but I vary it too. I listen to a wide variety and play a wide variety. Kind of. But it never feels old. Also I NEVER try to sound like anyone else. I have that freedom. I've given myself that as a professional and it works.

 

[Anthony David]

I have a book by steve Vai where he talks about his 10 hour sessions. He said he's just lucky that he didn't develop any serious issues. These days he really pays attention to ergonomics so he doesn't develop issues.

I used to play 6-8 hours/day for the first few years I played. Now I average about 14-16 hours/wk including gigs. After 15 years, I don't have any issues, but I am not a shred master either. I tried for years doing the mindless speed exercises, but I just reached my limit speed wise. I watched a Satriani lesson about 2 years ago and he said "the motor skills come quickly. After a couple of years of playing, you'll be as fast as you ever will be. However, you can always expand your knowledge." Don't focus on running scales constantly, focus on actually applying and utilizing them. I no longer chase the shred dragon and I am a much better guitarist because of that.

I've never been a particularly fast player and used to always feel kind of lame due to it, until I read a Meshuggah interview a few years ago. One of the guys, can't remember which, said, 'It's not how difficult it is to play that matters, it's how it makes you feel.' That's stuck with me since, helped my approach a fair amount. I haven't really cared about speed at all after that, it is, as you said, very liberating. My practice mainly consist of scale runs and arpeggios over chord progressions that I write to suit the particular scale I'm learning. I try to focus on the musicality far more than speed, so I hoped that this would be a good way to learn utilization of scales. Any advice would be much appreciated though.

My astoundment regarding Guthrie is how clean his playing is. I can keep it pretty tight when regularly picking, but that articulately? As you said, I just need to practice. But still, when you hear playing that clean, every little mistake I make is just jarring. Patience is a virtue .

My big question here is about the ergonomics you mentioned. I had never heard the word before, had to look it up. It is defined as, 'the science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.'
So, how does one go about playing the guitar as efficiently and safely as possible?

It's incredibly frustrating because it seems like such a straightforward, common sense thing. I don't pick any differently from any other guitarist I've ever met. After about an hour of playing at comfortable speed, half my right hand will go completely numb and then my wrist starts to follow. This makes many things difficult, if not impossible. After the numbness kicks in, I can hold the pick and mute strings, and that's about it. My doctor gave me a wrist brace, that helps quite a lot, but I can't play in it. I just want to know what to do or what not to do, so maybe it won't get worse. And hopefully there might be something I can change that might make the numbness less pronounced. Seriously, any advice would mean the world to me. And thank you all for your replies!

 

[Anthony David]

Best advice I ever got was from a Pianist: Chick Corea: Play only the notes you decide to play, only the notes you hear. Breaks the patterns and ruts like nothing else. Sing a solo and then play it like you sang it. A lot harder than one might think and definitely death on grooved in patterns.

I had similar advice from an old timer at a guitar store a while back. His suggestion was to listen to jazz and learn sax solos by ear, then progress to other instruments after some degree of comfort. It sure can be hard to play what you hear in your head. And Chick Corea is amazing! I grew up listening to Return To Forever, and only recently discovered Miles Davis. This is an excellent suggestion man.

 

[Dramelot]

Give this a watch...

Yeah needed that tonite thanks Sixsring!

 

[henryrobinett]

Also when I play with people or do a gig, mainly jazz gigs, I take mental notes on those things I fell down on. It might be not knowing a song someone calls, or messing up a melody, or not being able to sightread something, or the changes or taking a really suck solo. I add whatever fix I come up for that problem to my practice routine. I'm my own teacher, so I'm always devising ways of practicing to improve whatever needs improving. It's as if every problem I run into is a lesson to be learned; a problem to be overcome. It helps keep me on top of my game.

 

[Sidivan]

I've never been a particularly fast player and used to always feel kind of lame due to it, until I read a Meshuggah interview a few years ago. One of the guys, can't remember which, said, 'It's not how difficult it is to play that matters, it's how it makes you feel.' That's stuck with me since, helped my approach a fair amount. I haven't really cared about speed at all after that, it is, as you said, very liberating. My practice mainly consist of scale runs and arpeggios over chord progressions that I write to suit the particular scale I'm learning. I try to focus on the musicality far more than speed, so I hoped that this would be a good way to learn utilization of scales. Any advice would be much appreciated though.

My astoundment regarding Guthrie is how clean his playing is. I can keep it pretty tight when regularly picking, but that articulately? As you said, I just need to practice. But still, when you hear playing that clean, every little mistake I make is just jarring. Patience is a virtue .

My big question here is about the ergonomics you mentioned. I had never heard the word before, had to look it up. It is defined as, 'the science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.'
So, how does one go about playing the guitar as efficiently and safely as possible?

It's incredibly frustrating because it seems like such a straightforward, common sense thing. I don't pick any differently from any other guitarist I've ever met. After about an hour of playing at comfortable speed, half my right hand will go completely numb and then my wrist starts to follow. This makes many things difficult, if not impossible. After the numbness kicks in, I can hold the pick and mute strings, and that's about it. My doctor gave me a wrist brace, that helps quite a lot, but I can't play in it. I just want to know what to do or what not to do, so maybe it won't get worse. And hopefully there might be something I can change that might make the numbness less pronounced. Seriously, any advice would mean the world to me. And thank you all for your replies!

Here's a good place to start: 3.4 Guitar Ergonomics | Artist- & Musikerhälsan

 

[Anthony David]

Thanks man!

 

[ct6mblue]

Wow... The responses to my original post have been amazing. I'm just getting back on here and going through them, and it looks like I have a lot to cover and a lot of great options to choose from. Thanks, everyone!

 

[Suhrfer]

I don't know man :?. I think it happens differently for each person. I have had times where I have played for hours on end for months at a time and I can tell my playing improves but like you posted it didn't progress to the point where it put me on a different level.

I have accepted the fact that my playing will never get to that level and to be honest I really don't want it to as crazy as that sounds. I guess I just don't want my hobby to become like work as it usually takes all the fun out of it :lol.

I can relate to that.

 

[REDD]

Sometimes just putting the guitar away for a few days and taking a break from it helps when you get into a rut.

 

[DNW]

I feel like I've been playing the same riffs/scales/shapes for the past 3-4 years. What do you guys do to get yourself out of a rut and start playing something new/getting out of the same old routine every time you pick up the guitar?

IMO you kinda answered it in your question. "Start playing something new". I got a bit bored of my own playing recently, and after a while of doing nothing about it, it just occurred to me, "Why don't I just learn some songs?" Normally I never really do, so that in itself is "something new" for me. So I picked a song, figured out all the riffs and the widdly bits 'n' whatnot. Then inevitably, seeing as I have a fairly short attention span, I got bored and started screwing about with it, improv'ing different lead bits, messing about with the chords, harmonising things. And then I moved on to another song.

My left hand's getting worked in ways different to the habits I normally rely on, my right hand's hitting speeds I haven't really found necessary for a while :lol and I'm doing things with hybrid picking and tapping that would be outside of my norm, my ears are being tested trying to work the parts out, etc.

If you want to learn new scales... there are plenty of sites around with huge lists of obscure scales. Play around until you find some you like and explore the crap out of them. Or as someone posted an example of, there are guitarists like Guthrie with some great videos on Youtube. Or maybe there's a song or two that you've wondered, "How the hell?!" Just start picking it apart. Something I've been working a bit at a time is Bumblefoot's Guitars Still Suck. I felt pretty confident with my hybrid picking before, at least for how I use it, but sweet mother of... and then the left hand has to keep up with it. I think I'm sitting at about 50% of the full tempo. :lol But it's fun to work on and it's something different.

Speaking of Bumblefoot and Youtube videos, you could have a bash at things like this:

 

[mogvinda]

Lessons with a good teacher. Also try writing a whole song rather than just playing riffs/licks. It shifts the focus from needing a millions licks to using a small number well.

 

[pneil2]

I feel like I've been playing the same riffs/scales/shapes for the past 3-4 years. What do you guys do to get yourself out of a rut and start playing something new/getting out of the same old routine every time you pick up the guitar?

Try double stops (as in country or David Grissom style blues rock). play all the same scales you normally us but play 2 notes per string or two notes that span 3 strings. Get comfortable with it and practice playing melodies this way. It improved my view of the fretboard and creeps into my playing in interesting ways.

Be expressive. Go find a Jazz sax player you like and try to play his lines with as much expression as he does. That's a challenge.

Take the phrases you use routinely and change the timing/time signature. Sometimes a riff that I thought sounded pretty stale can take on a new vibe just by tweaking the timing a bit.

I don't know if you hear musical lines in your head or not... I do (when I can get those damn voices to shut up!). Practice translating everything you hear in your head to the fretboard. Especially the stuff that's "out there".

Go out on Amazon and get the "fretboard aerobics" book and DVD. Start on page 1. I find that I sometimes hit exercises that seem simple, but I have problems with them. That usually means there's a hole in my practice routine and there's some note sequence, motion, or picking pattern that I'm not very good at (and have been unconsciously avoiding). Fix it.

Go find a Jazz or country teacher and take some lessons.

Hmmm, that's my list.