Warlock044x Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 Hey, I have been playing gutiar for 3-4 years now, and i am decent, but like, I jsut can't seem to get erally good at songs, soloing mostly, other people who have been playing as long as I am are way better, do I just have to keep practicing for like 5 hours a day? I really daydream about being in a band and stuff so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 when you say "decent" do you mean you have clothes on? seriously , practice the things you find difficult. everyone will progress at their own pace. don't sweat it we all have days when we think we can't get better. just make your practicing productive. start slow and practice doing it right, if you rush and make mistakes you will be learning how to play sloppy. welcome to the forum , there is a wealth of knowledge here. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanfc Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 welcome Warlock I found that the better I got, the more areas I discovered I needed to get better. Y'know what I mean. "the more you know, you realize how little you know" (or something like that) I found that soloing got alot better once I started playing with the radio, improvising over everything and anything I heard. Every genre, over instrumental, vocal, everything. It sounded terrible for a while. But since your hands are getting good/decent, (as it sounds like it is with you now), your musical sense will need exercising too. Where to start, what to hold, where to land etc. I started doing this when I got frustrated with my lessons. Face it, there are a gillion players out there that can play really fast. (I'm not assuming thats your goal) Forget speed and lustre for now, in my opinion. I think what you need now is Comfort with being exposed as a soloist. Try playing with the radio, pretend your guitar is the lead vocalist. Or pretend your doing a duet with the lead vocalist- call and answer type of thing. I think you'll like it in a couple weeks. Just my wacky opinion from here good luck -Alan Rivera + Fender Strat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanG Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 You need to get yourself organized my friend. When I as at university you could see the ones that were had it together and the ones that didnt you dont need to practice as much as you think, you just need to practice intensely when you do practice. Try for example Monday technique nothing but scales and arpeggios to a slow click for 30mins, followed by transcribing or lifting solos rhythms of a CD 1hr. if you do things like this from Monday to Friday and really concentrate, youll find staggering results within a few weeks. Switch the TV off, dont talk to anyone, no calls for just an hour or two a day. Also try clapping to a metronome and bury the click so you cannot hear the click anymore. Also practice things so SLOWLY, otherwise its the next train to sloppsville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Do you own a warlock by any chance? Because if you do, BE CAREFUL WITH THE HEADSTOCK! my friend broke another friends guitar when the strap fell off and it hit the ground (and it was probably only 5'' from the ground) Just thought I'd mention this... Oh yea! Practice Practice Practice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Lots of good advice here, I'll add that direction can make a lot of difference. If you find a good teacher, take some lessons; discuss what your wants and goals are, and let the instructor figure out what your needs and ways to get them are. Then follow their directions, practice and learn what they ask you to for each next lesson. That'll get you along in a progressive manner. Don't pay any attention to all that crap about lessons and theory taking away from your style, creativity, and individuality. You can only benefit from knowledge of how to do what you want, working in the dark is only hoping that you'll luck out and land where you want to. A good teacher, even for a limited time, can point you in directions you might never have thought of. Oh, yeah, watch and pay attention to those that you felt are improving faster than yourself. What do they do, how do they do it, where did they get it from? What works for them, can work for you, and when you bend it to your liking, you're building up a style of your own! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendercaster Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 We all get in ruts, and stepping back and clearly defining your goals can be a good start. When I first started playing seriously, I floundered around trying to play along with tapes, and decided to take lessons. I talked to my teacher about my goals, and he pointed me in the right direction. I don't remember a single lick he showed me (this was 27 years ago), but I give him all the credit in the world for getting me started. Just last night at a New Years Eve dance, I was talking to the bands' guitarist about practise. I love his style of playing, and told him that after playing in my own style for so many years, I don't even know what to practise to learn a new "style". So, after all these years, I may end up taking lessons again, and be pointed in the right direction once more. If you get stuck trying to learn on your own, never be too proud to seek advice or take lessons from someone who can help! My gear: http://fendercaster.freeservers.com/guit3.html If you own two Lexus cars, do you have Lexi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Being in a band helped me the most. You had to know the song or the whole band sucked. For me, if I wasn't accountable to anyone, I just farted around alot. Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Welcome, Warlock... Yeah, about Warlock headstocks...I live near the Musician's Friend warehouse, and they have a "scratch and dent" retail outlet there. Rich made some guitars out of translucent green plastic. There used to be a bunch of 'em in the damaged goods section there, all with snapped off headstocks. As to the other thing...yeah, just peruse these threads. A lot of neato stuff here! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Originally posted by Mike Gug: Being in a band helped me the most. You had to know the song or the whole band sucked. For me, if I wasn't accountable to anyone, I just farted around alot. Ditto - One thing about playing in a band is that you don't end up trying to cover all of the parts yourself. It will help you learn how the arrangements of the songs you play all come together. Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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