So....I am sh*t at guitar

[Jamie]

Title says it all really.

Up till I was about 17, I played classical guitar, got Grade 8 and some teaching diplomas, was playing concert guitar to a pretty high standard.

At 17 I started with a metal band, and worked with them for about 2-3 years gigging and recording. I would say at 19 I was near-virtuosic and able to shred etc.

As my musical tastes matured, I started listening to more indie, was always a big Doors fan and got into more psychedelic music, and then got distracted DJing drum & bass for about 3 years.

Started seriously playing guitar again at 24-25 got back into Vai stuff was practicing pretty hard, then I restarted my band (playing more indie-rock this time), opened a studio, and had to concentrate on songwriting and recording for a while.

At 27 this started to go wrong with my marketing business that I have been running since I was 18, and I had to make a lot of people redundant and virtually start over. I am 30 now and I haven't touched anything musical in 3 years.

I still have my studio, a few guitars, some tuition books (Stetina, Petrucci, Vai/Satch tabs, Grimoires, etc), a bit of love for slide guitar (John Butler) and basically I find myself in the position, that I have the world at my feet in terms of resources, and little to no idea of where to start.

I guess I am looking for some direction, perhaps somebody who has been in a similar situation. I still have heavy GAS, but having done most things musical, and now being faced with an uphill struggle to get my chops back, I find I am lacking in enthusiasm.

I am often quite tired from long working hours and I am going to try and get quite fit to try and boost my energy levels, I guess I am looking for a spiritual approach to my life & music which has been lacking for some time.

I don't really want to rely on other musicians any more although I have access to a good drummer & singer if I need, both are quite lazy people. So I wondered if starting to write instrumental guitar music might be an approach. If songs needed vocals, well, fine.

I do NOT have a good singing voice so that is unfortunately out, even with Autotune and so forth.

I had thought about breaking it down to a kind of regime:

Month 1: exercises only, build up from 10-20 mins a day to 2-3 hours a day, just listen to a lot of guitar music in the car & at home.

Month 2: start learning the old Vai pieces again. Work on refining techniques like vibrato, whammy, sweep picking.

Month 3: start writing

I don't know if I can even hope to get it back in 2-3 months. Or whether I can face the monotony of exercising back into shape.

I figured this would be the forum to get advice.

[screamndemon69]

JJEMMER always has some good uplifing "spiritualesque" stuff for these situations

I think you are looking at it as a chore to play again. I personally think of playing as therapy for my soul.

Practice is good but learn to play something new to enjoy and help resurrect your obvious passion for playing.

[CosmicDebris]

As Obi-Wan would say, "The Force is what gives a guitarist his chops, become one with the guitar grasshopper."

Don't make it a job. If it is made a job then it will start to feel like one. Play because you like too and in time it will come to what you want it to be.

[Jamie]

Thats the trouble. It does seem to be a chore. To even get to a level where I am not disgusted with how appalling my playing is will take 2 months if I am lucky, and 6 months if I am not.

Just like starting running or something. Hurts the lungs the first few times and getting the energy up to do it is a leap. But I just have to throw myself at it and hopefully in a couple of months the pleasure will come back.

I don't really take pleasure from strumming away, and if I wanted to concentrate on songwriting, I would be recording my efforts, and even badly played bass & rhythm playing will get my goat.

I am just going to have to grit my teeth for a bit and look forward to the goal ahead.

I will search for a few of JJEMMER's posts.

[Analog_Kid]

Sounds like you're making it out to be too much of a regimen to be much fun at all. From your life/career situation, it doesn't sound like you're looking to score a record deal or anything like that. Hey! Pressure's off right there! Have fun with it!

With all those years of hardcore study, you already have the technical know-how burned into your brain. You just need to do some guitar-aerobics to get your fingers moving well again. You've got half the battle in that they already know how to move, they just need to get back into athletic form.

I had to go through the same thing a few years ago when I picked the electric back up after playing solo acoustic,(Michael Hedges kind of stuff... Good for the fingers but not in league with shreddy stuff) for many, many years. The trick is to make the "exercises" not feel like work. Here's what I did,(and still do):

1. Play around with no backing tracks or click or anything. See what comes out naturally. Doesn't matter if it's chord patterns, melody lines, or solo kind of things. Capture your moods in your playing each day and kind of go from there. Free your mind and your hands will follow.

2. When you play to backing tracks, line up several very different things in a row to play along with. Something like starting off with a Satriani tune, then a Pink Floyd song, then some Rush, then maybe some Molly Hatchet, then Slayer. Just an example of a basic Rock/Blues/Metal/Prog/All-around-fun-guitar-stuff kind of mix. Out of those kind of mixes, see what really hits your gut and work on that. You might surprise yourself at what path you're being drawn to at the moment.

3. Never, ever, ever, under any circumstance play another guitarists solo note-for-note. Whether you're jamming to a song in your head or playing with a track, express what that song makes YOU feel like saying. Playing along with a melody line is one thing but the actual solo of a piece is what I'm talking about. That's the place where the player gets the most personally expressive. Let's say you're playing along with Vai's "FTLOG". Rock on the basic melody but tune out what he does on the solo sections and just do your own thing. How does the song make you feel? Let your fingers go and say it.

That's a few things you can do. All of this combined can really make practice not feel so much like a chore. You can focus on individual techniques, for sure, but you can do so in a purely musical and creative way. Once you're comfortable again, and have found a real direction you want to go in, get crackin' on your own compositions. But whether it's your song or someone else's, always make it your own. Stash those tab books under the bed and don't look back. Have as much fun as humanly possible! Because until you turn it into a piece of plastic with a UPC code that has to be marketed and sold, it should all be fun!

[dannymills]

Good advice, analog_kid! That's esactly what I do, down to the tee! I found myself playing along to the Spice Girls' 'Who Do You Think You Are?' straight after 'A Change of Seasons' by DT yesterday

100% DEFINITELY on the 'not playing anyone else's solo note-for-note point

[Hikey Mikey]

I just love playing guitar! I'm 36 and after having started and stopped several times in my life, I started playing last year and I have gone much further than ever before.

Now, the place where I am today is still thrashing about with chord progessions like A-D-E and C-F-G, but even so, becoming a guitarist has added immeasurably to my life. For me, the motivation is mostly internal-- I take great satisfaction in experiencing my slow progress and in dreaming of future skills. And everything that goes along with guitar skills, like hot groupies and world tours and recording contracts. lol.

My point is that the motivation has to come from inside you, and you have to find whatever it is in the instrument, or in music, or in creativity in general, that inspires and drives you. Good luck!

[richard1973]

treat yourself to a new guitar to get you back into it and yeah dont stick to time allocation slots of doing this this and this. There's no band pressure so just pick up and play, and play whatever you want and how you want.

I started again about this time last year after about 8yrs of barely any playing, ok i wasnt at the standard you were by the sound of it, but of course my fingers were rusty but I got back to where I was upto in a couple of months, ok sure i had forgotton a load of songs but technically I got back to where I was pretty quick, its like your fingers have a mind of their own.

Obviously set some goals and targets but its all about fun, dont be too hard on yourself. And good luck

[jim777]

Originally Posted by CosmicDebris

As Obi-Wan would say, "The Force is what gives a guitarist his chops, become one with the guitar grasshopper."

"Grasshopper" was used by Master Po from Kung-Fu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyJRXvPNRo

[Darin]

start writing and recording your own material. it'll get you focused on your weak links quick. post clips as you get them. i'll be happy to host clips for you if you need.

rock on brother, darin

[rastachild]

Originally Posted by Hikey Mikey

My point is that the motivation has to come from inside you, and you have to find whatever it is in the instrument, or in music, or in creativity in general, that inspires and drives you. Good luck!

i think this really addresses the issue the best imo. seems like the topic creator is remembering how his technique used to be back in the day and is discouraged by the amount of work it will take to get back there. i've been down this exact same road. i quit playing for about 3 years and when i returned to guitar, i was pretty rusty. although my basic style was still there, i wasn't nearly as sharp technically or creatively. i remembered my practice routine back in college, which was about 6 hours a day of exercises and drills and that discouraged me initially, because now that i have the day job and responsibilities, there was no way i'd be able to dedicate that much time to guitar anymore.

but in my case, i was highly motivated to improve because i wanted to start writing and recording guitar instrumentals. i had ideas in my head that i couldn't play and practicing was the only way i'd build my technique up so that i could play them. that was a huge push for me. i think the bottomline is that you know what it takes to achieve the level of technique that you previously had and there really isn't a shortcut to getting there. you just need to find something that is going to motivate you to put time into practicing.

[CosmicDebris]

Originally Posted by jim777

"Grasshopper" was used by Master Po from Kung-Fu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyJRXvPNRo

I know, I was make a farce of the force. I have seen show, that blind old man wasn't so blind was he =)

[courtney2018]

Jamie, the same thing happened to me. I started playing back when I was a teenager. I never could solo and never had any speed. I was completely self taught for what that was worth...I didn't know anything really other than power chords. I was really good at rhythm and that was about it. I could hold good timing, but soloing just wasn't my ability back then. I always envyed those that had the speed though.

At 17 I went to college and right away there was just no time for the guitar. So it was put away and maybe 2 or 3 times a year I'd pick up my acoustics and strum a few major chords for minute or 2. That was it.

It wasn't until last summer that I picked up the guitar again. A coworker of mine told me how he hadn't played in 30 years and he jammed with a drummer friend of his. I told him I used to play and so that's what got me back into it.

At first I couldn't hold timing while doing rhythm and that lasted for a month or two. I don't have tons of time on my hands to practice, but I'd spend an hour at most practicing each night. Sometimes couldn't do it every night, but that was my goal. At least 30min.

I quickly got frustrated because my abilities were kinda slow coming back, but then again it's not like I was putting alot of time into it.

Fast forward to today, I still don't have alot of time to practice. Sometimes I'll go a few days not playing it at all. I have spent time listening to my guitar heros, watching instructional videos, understanding theory and applying it to my music. Today my speed is a thousand times better. It's been frustrating and I'm still not as fast as I'd like to be, but I guess I'm pretty happy with my legato, which I'm pretty fast at.

Still, I've got a long way to go, but I'm getting there. It's only been about a year and a half since I started playing again. I'm recording now and music has once again become a major thing in my life. Never again will I put the guitar down. I only wish I had made an effort to play thru college. I'd be blistering the fretboard by now. But, maybe 5 years from now I'll be doing that. I do know that next year this time I'll be so much better than I am now.

I know the frustration your seeing. You want it all back now, but I think that if you can set aside about 30min. a night and just go thru some aerobics on the fretboard you'll see that in a couple of months time you'll probably have about 80 to 90 percent of your ability back. I was away from the guitar for about 16 years. It hasn't been that long for you. I would imagine that your ability will come back quick.

You should get yourself a music account on myspace and upload your music when you get around to recording stuff. Just about everyone here is on myspace music. Mine is www.myspace.com/zone39 if you want to check it out.

Good luck!

[IbanezFreak777]

Yeah same story over hear, but I found a solution !!!

I decided to stop learning technique to a degree about 8 years ago. Of course its always fun to learn a new lick, but as a guitarist, I really wanted to find my own style and really learn to love the skin im in so to speak. I decided after my stint with psy trance djing etc... I would learn to use PC software in order to be intotal control of the music I make. Its been 7 years now and I finally found the way to make my music without the help of other musicians. the whole band thing only works if you devote your life to it and play in cover bands to pay the bills. This helps you stay in focus with being in a band. For me I run a pc business and don't have the time to meet with other musos and rely on them etc....

Now when I get the urge I write music via my guitar and the PC. I love the control factor as I mix and master everything myself.

Learn to write music that you would want to hear, not what others want and your expression will come out.

Don't forget learning any instrument is a tool for expression. You need to block out the rest of the world and its influences as far as being the next Vai, as tempting as that is, i think even Vai will tell you that finding your true self as a musician is more important than showing your technical prowess. Be realistic as far as what kind of guitarist you are and what type of guitarist you want to be.

GAS is really a waist of time, because its your obsession taking over instead of just getting equipment that works well for you and use it.

Infected Mushroom said something in an interview which has really helped me. In regards to using software to make music, its better to stick to what works than to constantly upgrade to the latest software and have to relearn everything. This slows things down. This can be true to GAS, you keep buying new equipment and further your obsession with new things to give you that buzz, but like any drug it starts to wear of quicker and quicker. iinstead just go for it and use more tunnel vision with your wants and needs as a musician with desires of expressing creativity. Its all about the expression of yourself, not others around you, or the equipment available that usually makes you think buying it will push your further, its more about your self worth as a musician.


Just do what makes you feel good, and don't worry about lack of ethusiasm, that is a battle that everyone goes through especially artists....

good luck and cheer up buddy

[Devo]

First up long time no see.. good to see your still about... but man you seem depressed ... probably got nothing to do with your playing... so my suggestion would be to go join a covers band playing music that you like and that people will dance to and just have some fun with the guitar... I dont woodshed it too much cause it only gets me depressed cause im sure that I could go four notches higher on the metronome 8 years ago.

we have very similar backgrounds on the guitar... I havent touched a classical guitar for four years now.... went from 5-6 hours a day + receitals and teaching ... to lots of shred and in and out of metal bands... to not playing and technique going out the window and not having enough time to get it working again. My girlfriend persuaded me to join a covers style band after me moaning about not being able to play anymore all the time. And I still feel like i cant play but it doesnt bother me so much... plus I have just started writing little etudes for the electric guitar to try and re-learn how to sweep and tap etc.

and whetever you do dont try to play classical guitar... my brother wanted me to play a couple of the bach cello suites during the drinks reception for his wedding in july... my right hand just didnt know what to do ... my left hand had become really lazy ... spent two months trying to learn the first and third suites ... and was brought to tears on several occaisions... so if you think your electirc guitar playing is rusty...

anyway im rambling... hope it works out...

Steve