Subject: Are You Frustrated With Your Guitar Playing?
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey Friend, Have you ever been frustrated with your guitar playing? When you are learning to play guitar (or any instrument - heck, when you're learning to do anything!), it's really common to get disappointed with your progress.You can often feel like you're not getting anywhere - you don't seem to be learning fast enough, or you've hit a plateau where everything you play sounds boring. You play the same riffs or chord progressions, you can't seem to get any faster, chord changes or riffs are sloppy... the list goes on. It isn't just beginner guitar players with this gripe. Intermediate and advanced players fall into the same irritating pattern sometimes. There are several reasons for this dilemma: • Maybe you've developed some bad habits • you haven't trained your fingers or you're forcing things • you don't know the right techniques to get past the block • You've limited yourself to learning minimal techniques • You're being lazy (sorry, this could be the main problem) I've suffered from this affliction from time-to-time. In fact, I'm working through a challenge in my playing right now. I know what the problem is, and I know how to fix it. My 'excuse' is that I have too many things going on, but the truth is, I just haven't put a high enough priority on fixing my problem (yup, being a little lazy). Part of the reason for that is I'm having fun working on some other things right now. I'm learning how to use my DAW (digital audio workstation) better as well as studying mixing and producing techniques. I know that once I set my mind to fixing this particular guitar problem, I'll put the time towards it that is necessary. If this is you, too, what do you do to get out of the rut? The first thing you need to do is try and identify the exact problem. It's no good to be frustrated but not know why you're frustrated. Yeah, you can have a general idea, but until you figure out what the exact problem is that's causing the frustration, you'll just continue to be annoyed. Not a good state - it's driven some people to just quit playing guitar altogether. So how do you figure out the cause of the problem? This is where it's helpful to know someone who knows how to play guitar. They can watch you play and help identify where you're struggling. When you're trying to learn on your own without access to someone that knows how to play guitar, it can be really tough to get past this challenge. Sometimes you need someone else to share their perspective with you and maybe help you with some guidance. If you don't have someone to help you out, focus on each component of your playing. Look at your fretting hand and watch what's going on as you play something that's hanging you up. Depending on what you're practicing, are your riffs up to speed (fingers hitting the notes in proper time with the beat)? Do your chords sound clean, or are some of the strings muted that shouldn't be? Are you using the correct fingering on the fretboard? If everything's OK there, look at the next possibility. Is your picking or strumming off? What about your timing? Here's some of the possible problem areas: • fretting hand • picking hand (picking method, holding the pick, etc.) • ear - hearing what you need to hear • eyes - visuals • theory • technique (this could be many different things) • strength • the guitar itself (is it set up correctly?) • string muting • etc... This isn't an exhaustive list, but it gets you thinking of different components of guitar playing. As you can you see, there are all sorts of areas we can focus on to improve our skills. When we're bummed about not getting better, it's time to break things down and figure out why we're feeling this way. This will help bust you out of the rut you're in and give you something new to focus and work on. Next time, the solution to correcting your problem - and yes, this one answer will correct almost any problem you have with your guitar skills. It's a simple concept, but it takes discipline to implement. Until then... Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? 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