Members stork1122 Posted July 4, 2012 Members Posted July 4, 2012 So for the past year and a half I feel like I haven't been as excited to play guitar as I used to. My band recorded an EP, which was great and everything, but nothing really came of it. My guitar playing is just stagnating right now. I dont know what to do to improve. Ill pick up my guitar for about 5 mins, play a few riffs, and then put it down. Honestly, I feel like im stuck. Im sure some of yall have felt like this. What did you do to get yourself out of the funk. I dont know what to do to get myself excited about playing and learning music.
Members Virgman Posted July 4, 2012 Members Posted July 4, 2012 You lost your goal and therefore also your motivation. Set new goals.
Members JonR Posted July 4, 2012 Members Posted July 4, 2012 Listen to more stuff. Look for things you've never heard before. Try composing. As a new goal, aim to write your own 4-track EP. Doesn't have to be by next week, but just have that as a future target. Whenever you play, think about whether any riff or phrase you come up with might go towards that project. Make it like a mental box you throw stuff in now and then - or even a real one, with notes or chord changes on pieces of paper. Lyrics too, anything that occurs to you, even just a few words at a time. Every week, or every month (depending on your productivity ), look through the boxx and see if any of the fragments could go together in one song. If your band isn't gigging, look for local jam sessions, even just to hang out.
Members the_SLOP_king Posted July 4, 2012 Members Posted July 4, 2012 Learn harmonic minor and its modes. Then focus on learning both harmonic minor and phyrigian dominant. When I say learn the modes, learn the diatonic chords too. It'll help open some doors for ya. If that doesn't do it for you, try listening to something you don't normally listen to. Last rut I was in, I listened to a bunch of Revered Horton Heat and Brian Setzer. It helped out a lot.
Members mosiddiqi Posted July 4, 2012 Members Posted July 4, 2012 Generally, two approaches: Keep at it, dig in, try new things, new music, work your way through the rut. Or, walk away, do other things..live life. The guitar will still be there when you feel like picking it up.
Poparad Posted July 4, 2012 Posted July 4, 2012 I'm usually creatively kick-started by listening to some new music that's considerably different from what I'm used to, and then trying to learn how to play it by ear. Lots of new ideas tend to spring from that.
Members jeremy_green Posted July 5, 2012 Members Posted July 5, 2012 For me now I go to other genres when I am dry... Usually country because the players are killin and to me it is mars. I don't really like it naturally, so for me it is a great all around vacation from what I normally do. Sometimes I make a project for myself. Like - learn an entire album note for note. All with my ears. So I pick one and off I go. Here is a blog post I did a while back about when I lost it so to speak and went back to school. It details how I got it back so it may be a good read for ya. http://sixstringobsession.blogspot.ca/2010/11/getting-it-back-after-long-break.html Good luck
Members jonfinn Posted July 5, 2012 Members Posted July 5, 2012 If you're band recorded a CD and it didn't go anywhere, it's normal to feel discouraged. Having said that, if you knew how many other bands on the planet did the same thing and got exactly the same result, you might feel differently (for better or worse). The statistics are discouraging to say the least. Most bands have to release several CD's before they grown any momentum at all. My point is that you've been given a gift: The opportunity to find out whether you and your band have the fortitude to continue in the face of adversity. Whether you do or not, you'll learn a lot about yourself. Play guitar because you love it. Or not! If you listen, your guitar always tells the truth!
Members chuzwozza Posted July 5, 2012 Members Posted July 5, 2012 Simple! Learn some new stuff...try a genre you've never played before...if you're a blues man, try a bit of country for example. Or, learn something stupid...somewhat shamefully, I learned how to play a fingerstyle version of the theme tune to 'Postman Pat' a few years ago. Silly but fun!
Members GreenAsJade Posted July 6, 2012 Members Posted July 6, 2012 Usually country because the players are killin and to me it is mars. That is so true! Country is like Opera to me: massive initial gut reaction of "no thanks", yet when I listen, I hear that there's really great stuff there. GaJ
Members GreenAsJade Posted July 6, 2012 Members Posted July 6, 2012 BTW, FWIW, I am in the same position as you, stork. Almost exactly. Recorded a demo, even signs of stuff happening, small and slowly. But can't be arsed playing... any excuse to do something else results in me doing something else. Damn. Just have to wait till it passes, I think, keeping trying things in the mean time. GaJ
Members speechless Posted July 6, 2012 Members Posted July 6, 2012 It's the pleasure principle mate. So lay off the weed and the porn. All seriousness aside, I loved that blog post Mister Green. That part about postering yer walls and feeling like a teenager... I am always striving to regain that mindset - the feeling we had when we were just beginning, when the wondrous mystery of the instrument and the very thought of just making it turn out sounds was exciting, when we could sit around poorly playing power chords for hours and not care who was listening, when the mere touch of a guitar sparked such innocent joy that we never even stopped to wonder or worry if we were 'good' or not... before we grew up and started thinking in terms of note names, scales, keys, modes, transcriptions, technique, of stacks of gear and the endless pursuit of tone, of art and what it means to us and to all, of proper goals and the slow march towards them... I try to remember how it felt when the guitar was all new to us and when we (quite rightly) believed - and never for a moment forgot - that we could, in time, come to do with it anything we dreamed of.
Members Krank'N Posted July 6, 2012 Members Posted July 6, 2012 "Ive hit a WALL and dont know what to do" Learn some David Gilmour solos!
Members jeremy_green Posted July 6, 2012 Members Posted July 6, 2012 It's the pleasure principle mate. So lay off the weed and the porn.All seriousness aside, I loved that blog post Mister Green. That part about postering yer walls and feeling like a teenager... I am always striving to regain that mindset - the feeling we had when we were just beginning, when the wondrous mystery of the instrument and the very thought of just making it turn out sounds was exciting, when we could sit around poorly playing power chords for hours and not care who was listening, when the mere touch of a guitar sparked such innocent joy that we never even stopped to wonder or worry if we were 'good' or not... before we grew up and started thinking in terms of note names, scales, keys, modes, transcriptions, technique, of stacks of gear and the endless pursuit of tone, of art and what it means to us and to all, of proper goals and the slow march towards them... I try to remember how it felt when the guitar was all new to us and when we (quite rightly) believed - and never for a moment forgot - that we could, in time, come to do with it anything we dreamed of. Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah that actually REALLY helped me get back the mojo believe it or not. I tried to remember the time when I was the happiest with just playing - not knowledge or theory - just playing. It was definitely that time of my life (as you also laid out so nicely as well). I was surprised to find it was still there once i got back to it. I have never strayed from that since and in retrospect think that was one of the main signposts on my journey with the instrument. I think... scratch that.. I KNOW that I am a better player today because of what I learned in my bleakest times. There really is a gift in struggle if you are strong enough in your convictions to get through it.
Members AXEL276 Posted July 10, 2012 Members Posted July 10, 2012 I KNOW that I am a better player today because of what I learned in my bleakest times.There really is a gift in struggle if you are strong enough in your convictions to get through it. This is so true! I
Members 3shiftgtr Posted July 13, 2012 Members Posted July 13, 2012 How bout just going to a show or two of genre's you'd never approach? The real deal, too, no posers. If you have never been to a blues show, go see Bernard Allison; not to a 'white guys with strats' dad band, knowhatimsain'? And try to stray as far as you can....if you are into metal, go see a real deal, top notch bluegrass/Americana thing. If you are into punk and alternative, try a fusion show. IF you are into singer/songwriter stuff go see a prog metal band..... And go with an open mind. Realize that while it may not be your cup of tea, it is human beings giving their all to something they love, just like you; they are just attracted to different 'somethings'. Open up and try to 'get it'. If you get something out of it, cool. If you hate it, it will reinforce what you are already doing. Good luck!!!!
Members girevik Posted July 13, 2012 Members Posted July 13, 2012 Getting into playing complete songs fingerstyle revived my interest in the guitar.
Members cjog210 Posted July 14, 2012 Members Posted July 14, 2012 Listening to a really awesome guitar solo might help motivate you to want to practice.
Members Pitar Posted July 15, 2012 Members Posted July 15, 2012 So for the past year and a half I feel like I haven't been as excited to play guitar as I used to. My band recorded an EP, which was great and everything, but nothing really came of it. My guitar playing is just stagnating right now. I dont know what to do to improve. Ill pick up my guitar for about 5 mins, play a few riffs, and then put it down. Honestly, I feel like im stuck. Im sure some of yall have felt like this. What did you do to get yourself out of the funk. I dont know what to do to get myself excited about playing and learning music. You have some expectations of music that we all have. Sometimes they get put higher than they should and can't deliver. I stay low to the ground, so to speak. I play around the fretboard not so much looking to find melodies as I am looking for them to develop themselves. That might sound like one in the same thing but it isn't. The fretboard is a playground of discovery. It's like a little kid looking for washed-up treasures along a seashore. Once you've developed a melody the next thing is to do it again. Just keep it going. Make up stuff. Play at playing and let that be your only goal.
Members ScaleTrainer Posted July 17, 2012 Members Posted July 17, 2012 I've been there to like everybody else. Looking at my guitar like, "What am I doing with this chunk of wood with strings?" Like everybody else said you need new learning materials to spark your interest again. There is a book call Guitar Aerobics that is pretty cool for new ideas. It has one new exercise per day. Also try to take a look at the scales you already know, but in a different way. Try improvising on the pentatonics only on one string, or break them into three note scales and play them like that. Just a thought, best of luck.
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