Members danmarino Posted March 27, 2005 Members Share Posted March 27, 2005 hi, I would like some tips on making guitar more fun when learning, I have been learning for around 10months but now find it really boring and tedious, I need anything to make it more fun and something to look forward to , I want to be a good guitarist but lately, mainly the last month or so, I just dont want to play, any help would be greatly received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terje Posted March 27, 2005 Members Share Posted March 27, 2005 These things are not just fun, they're damn necessary if you want to become a good guitarist. * Play with other people. Especially those that are better than you. Jam sessions, friends, teachers... anyone! * Learn lots of songs. Learn the chords, the melody, learn to sing it and play at the same time, learn the songs in as many keys as possible. Just keep learning songs. * Never, ever underestimate the power of the dark sid... I mean, the power of great rhythm playing! Work on your rhythm chops more than your soloing chops. You'll find more people to play wiht this way, among other things. * Listen to great guitar music as often as you can. Try to sing or play what they're doing and most of all, enjoy listening to it. * Play the things that you love. People will hear and feel the love in your music. * Learn to play some slide, try some open tunings, things that open up your mind and ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soc_monki Posted March 28, 2005 Members Share Posted March 28, 2005 we ALL fall into this rut. i remember back in the day when i started, i was a good student but really didnt practice the stuff i was shown all that much. i wanted to be good, like Randy Rhoads good, and so after my teacher got a record deal (and after 4 years and two teachers) i quit taking lessons, which was probably the WORST thing i could have done. i decided to go out on my own...i did great for a while, i learned Ozzy tunes (Crazy Train, Diary of a Madman, the whole No More Tears album, solos and everything) and was doing really good. then i moved off to college and just almost quit playing...then i started a band, and after that my co-guitarist whipped me into shape (without him knowing LOL) because he knew more and could play better than me. so i decided to improve...but still got in a rut cuz learning scales and runs and how to apply them to music is boring...most of the time. you have to MAKE it fun, and find ways to get inspired. for example...i always do warm ups (play chromatic exercises and other simple stuff my fingers/hands are used to) for about half an hour. then i start on my sweep picking and scale runs for a while, decently slow, and speed up little by little. ill make up new sweep patterns and new scale runs (which also help you learn your scales easier!) and try to come up with little melodies or free-form solos to make it interesting...some good ideas come out of this approach.also, terje came up with good points...learn music you love to listen to. not only will this be "pracitice" but youll be increasing your repetoire! play with other people...you learn the MOST in this situation, from the other people, how to mesh with them, and how to apply stuff you practice. not to mention it helps inspire you to be better!KEEP YOUR RHYTHM CHOPS UP! if you cant play rhythm, youre no good to a band situation. if you want to play solos, youll have to work double if you want to be really good...youll not only have to work on your right hand rhythm, youll have to work on speed, accuracy, and left/right hand coordination that much more. play lots of different styles...you may learna few things and be able to apply lots of different styles in different areas...you just never know...this includes slide and always leave a little time for just aimless noodling. after all the work of learning and practicing, just getting down and riffing, soloing, or just messing around can really make stuff worthwhile, and show you how much youre progressing. for instance, a couple years ago i only knew the pentatonic scale (yes, the generic one!) and couldnt really make up leads. now, i know the minor scales (and can move them around a bit on the fretboard) and all positions of the pentatonics, and some sweep patterns, tapping etc. so now i can improvise decently, and come up with some killer leads. still not where i want to be, but that will take some time...anyways, just remember...keep it fun! figure out fun things to do with it, and find someone that inspires you to be better...my guy is Alexi from Children of Bodom...hes only about a year older than me, but 10x better guitarist...just hearing him makes me want to play better, period. if you find someone to do that with you, you wont have any problem finding a reason to practice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danmarino Posted March 29, 2005 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2005 well the stuff i am inspired by the most are the likes of muse, radiohead and metallica, and theyre stuff is really hard to play and never sounds like the real songs. I rarely practice with my friends due to them not playing as much these days, and coursework is getting me down and taking much of my time away from guitar. Do you reccomend starting it up again if i get into university, should have alot more time on my hands, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobthemerciful Posted April 1, 2005 Members Share Posted April 1, 2005 Basically everything the other guys said. . Particularly making time to just have fun; very important if you dont feel you have to play every day. I miss playing if I go more than a couple of days without touching a guitar. All the stuff you're trying to learn IS possible with practice trust me. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpyderBlak Posted April 10, 2005 Members Share Posted April 10, 2005 check out the books recommended on my web sitehttp://www.geocities.com/kyu248 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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