so what happens

[darksun]

to all the songs you start learning but cant seem to finish? you know, those songs you begin to learn because you love them, but spend so much time fighting with difficult chords or complicated rhythms (the reason you liked the song in the first place) that you begin to hate it, do you put it aside and come back when you become a better guitarist or stick with it through thick or thin, do you work on more than one song at a time and switch between them as the going gets tough on one?

[lauren]

Last troubling was Jeff Buckley Last Goodbye. Generally, i just keep going for about and hour, then go on to something i can play well, then try something i'm rusty on then go back to the thorn in my side at the moment. Usually get it in the end. My favourite trick is to play along with the song and see what chords work and do that over and over. I seem to have a good ear but the frustrating thing is when I can sing it, but not find it!!!

 

to all the songs you start learning but cant seem to finish? you know, those songs you begin to learn because you love them, but spend so much time fighting with difficult chords or complicated rhythms (the reason you liked the song in the first place) that you begin to hate it, do you put it aside and come back when you become a better guitarist or stick with it through thick or thin, do you work on more than one song at a time and switch between them as the going gets tough on one?

[darksun]

thanks for the reply lauren, as a newbie im having problems with rhythm, to help improve this im trying to find songs with difficult rhythms and force myself to stick with it until i get it right, also i cant sing so im trying to learn songs most people know at least some words of, for this reason i'v began to focus on OASIS recently, lots of rhythm changes there, and complicated (to me) as an example about 2 weeks ago i began wonderwall, about 1 hour a day and still can't play the first four bars repeatedly without drifting out of time somewhere along the line, p.s. if that"s you in the avatar all i can say is WOW:love:

[lauren]

Blimey good for you going for oasis, their rhythms are tricky coz they use a lot of off beats. Try tapping out the rhythm on your knees with your hands...or I reckon put on the song and dance with your guitar whilst playing to let the brain go and the body take over. if you already know the chords it's getting into the syncopation of the thing and you need to feel the groove. Otherwise it's as they say the way to Carnegie Hall is... Yes it is me, not really an avatar kinda girl coz i change my ideas so much anyway. Thanks for the compliment, they are always nice to have.

 

thanks for the reply lauren, as a newbie im having problems with rhythm, to help improve this im trying to find songs with difficult rhythms and force myself to stick with it until i get it right, also i cant sing so im trying to learn songs most people know at least some words of, for this reason i'v began to focus on OASIS recently, lots of rhythm changes there, and complicated (to me) as an example about 2 weeks ago i began wonderwall, about 1 hour a day and still can't play the first four bars repeatedly without drifting out of time somewhere along the line, p.s. if that"s you in the avatar all i can say is WOW:love:

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Well...I tend to just keep learning easy ass tunes and because I am too simple minded to do anything else:freak:

 

However...as you become more proficient with timing things will become easier. Timing is the most important thing in music...so...basically it's your picking/strumming hand that you need to focus on. A song like "Wonderwall" seems complicated because of the vocal line that the guy is singing over the chord changes....but really it's not. It's hard to explain but what I do is I tend to seperate things and focus on just the guitar part without worrying about what the singer is doing. (I played in cover rock bands for 25yrs...I know how to ignore a lead singer...) Keep following the rhythm guitar...it's really about listening to the changes...again...it's hard for me to explain it. Trust me...it will come to you naturally after awhile if you keep at it

 

I mean...play bottle/neck slide guitar sometimes and all that is to me is tuning to an open chord and flailing away until I get it right.

 

Keep pluckin'

 

OGP

[darksun]

thanks for the tips and encouragement guys:thu:

[SOUND PROOF]

What happens to me is if I keep trying something that i am not getting... sometimes i simpley make a new song out of what i do have... or except the way i have recrafted someone elses tune until further information prevails...

[Cripes]

to all the songs you start learning but cant seem to finish? you know, those songs you begin to learn because you love them, but spend so much time fighting with difficult chords or complicated rhythms (the reason you liked the song in the first place) that you begin to hate it, do you put it aside and come back when you become a better guitarist or stick with it through thick or thin, do you work on more than one song at a time and switch between them as the going gets tough on one?

 

Yes, and all of the above. Working out my own stuff is becoming the same way. There are many ways to approach learning but I will work on difficult phrases until I become fluent. I used to start something over and over from the beginning but now I just work on the difficult parts. And, I will slow them down as needed and develop up to the proper tempo.

[riffmeister]

to all the songs you start learning but cant seem to finish? you know, those songs you begin to learn because you love them, but spend so much time fighting with difficult chords or complicated rhythms (the reason you liked the song in the first place) that you begin to hate it, do you put it aside and come back when you become a better guitarist or stick with it through thick or thin, do you work on more than one song at a time and switch between them as the going gets tough on one?

 

It's good to always be working on something which is just out of your reach. That's how you get better.

 

Of course, in the beginning, when you are first learning the guitar, almost everything is out of reach and it can be frustrating. If music is really in your bones, keep at it and you will reach your goals.

 

Sometimes with a tough classical piece, I'll make some slight modifications which simplify things so I can get through the whole song. Then, as I become more fluent with the piece, I'll begin to re-insert the original notes. And sometimes, I'll like my modifications better than the original, so I'll leave it be.

[DEP]

to all the songs you start learning but cant seem to finish? you know, those songs you begin to learn because you love them, but spend so much time fighting with difficult chords or complicated rhythms (the reason you liked the song in the first place) that you begin to hate it, do you put it aside and come back when you become a better guitarist or stick with it through thick or thin, do you work on more than one song at a time and switch between them as the going gets tough on one?

 

Practice, practice, practice. That said, for me, if I find that I'm "fighting" or struggling, no matter how much I ant to learn a particular piece, I put it aside. No sense in beating your head against a wall, and you sure don't want to end up hating a tune that you started out wanting to learn because you loved it. Learning guitar is a long, hard process, and it should be fun as well as work.

 

For me, there's an interesting thing that happens if I put something aside for a while and move on to something else. When I come back to work on that tune, whether it's a day, a week, a month or more later, suddenly that difficult part may fall into place (no guarantees, but it often happens). Sometimes it's just that you were so tense about the hard part that getting away from it is what's needed, sometimes it's that in the process of learning something else, you also learned (or your fingers did anyway) what ever it was that you need to make that hard part not so hard, and sometimes it's that in the interval you've gained a different perspective on the piece. And some things your just not ready for yet, but it will come.

 

If your having a hard time with a particular part, try slowing it down as much as you can, even to the point it doesn't sound like music anymore, and put all of your focus on what it is that's hanging you up. If that doesn't get you anywhere, move on to something else that's maybe a little simpler, and try again later. Often, what gets in the way is a desire to make it sound like music right away without spending the time to focus on the hard parts. That means slow practice.

 

Imo it's good to have a number of things to work on rather than to beat one tune to death. You might also think about how your practice routine is structured. I start off with some finger exercises or a simple piece that I already know as a warm up, then move on to focusing on the difficult passages on the tune that's my primary interest at the moment, maybe working slowly (as slowly as necessary) on the fingerings or chord changes or rhythm, whatever it is that I'm having difficulty with, until I can get it right, even if it's at a snails pace, then slowly increasing the speed over the course of days or weeks until I can play the entire tune at tempo. I do use a metronome at times, especially if I'm working on new rhythms.

 

And, I won't spend my entire practice working on just that one hard part. I usually have at least two different things I'm working on at any one time, sometimes more (though I usually spend at least 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day practicing). There are other things to work on too, such as ear training, that will contribute to your skills overall. If your working with a teacher, try discussing this with him/her and see what has to say.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you feel like your getting nowhere, maybe it's time to change your approach. More than anything, don't get discouraged. It takes time.

[kwakatak]

After 20 years of learning the first half of songs I just gave up trying to nail songs perfectly and decided to just fudge my way through the whole song. To do this I concentrated on just learning the basic structure of the song (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro, etc.) I don't concern myself with big variations between similar sections. For example, if two verses have major differences I just learn the simpler variation and experiment with it whenever I woodshed on the song. That way I come up with my own variations and make the song my own instead of just trying to recite it. I may not get the song perfect but I'm happy just to be able to get through the whole thing.