Ten Years On.......
...... and several tutors later, I have decided to pack in with lessons, I am so hacked off with my sloppy and talentless efforts.
It's just money down the pan..... anyway I am f*****d off wothit all, I think I'll take up DIY and get some of them little jobs done I keep putting off.
Sorry about the whingy rant but I feel somehow cleansed now.
Cheers
bluemonst
That's a shame - anything specific that's pissed you off about your playing? Not enough time to practise?
It depends on your learning style, but in the past I've found having continuous, regular lessons can be quite counterproductive - my playing got worse. But I think this was because I never fully internalised what I was being taught before going on to the next lesson.
After stopping lessons, I gradually improved, as over time I gradually absorbed all the stuff I'd been taught years before by practising it and learning it in my own way.
So in a roundabout way, I'm suggesting that perhaps your time and money having lessons was probably not wasted.
Try learning another instrument like bass/keys/drums.
I've found when I get stuck on guitar focussing on music of another kind unlocks my playing.
Play with others. Even if you end up bashing out open chords, doing it with someone else will be inspiring and uplifting.
I had about 12 months of lessons a while ago, and I've had a break for the last few months. I'm finding now, that I'm starting to use what I was learning, and work out how to make it work for me. When I was going every other week, I was trying to practice, and not really playing all that much. Spent a while recently just playing, now I'm starting to do a bit of both.
Don't get disheartened, just enjoy what you do.
Where are you based? My teacher in Manchester is awesome....really really good
I find when I get stuck, putting the guitar to one side and doing something else, and totally putting out of my mind the problem part(s), when I come back to them they're (at least seem) easier.
I also find when I start and finish my playing session, playing something I know well puts my mind in the right place (Ie I can do this)
like Kirk Hammett, but more talent and less guitars
+1 Take a week or two off from playing. Then play songs you feel comfortable with and you like.
Perhaps 10 years of lessons hasn't given you the time to play what you want, when you want. Now sounds like that time to go with the flow.
Bluemonst,
why not have a stab at recording? It need cost you next to nothing to start. If you have a pedal that is NOT true bypass that can be used to buffer the guitar into the computer and there is shedloads of free and demo software you can download.
If you find building tracks good fun then splash out on an AI and a mic to add some vocals?
But then you WILL get brownie points if you get those DIY jobs done!
Dave.
Maybe you just haven't found the right type of playing yet.
It took me many years - although admittedly I didn't have lessons - to realise that I'm not really a "guitarist". I do play the guitar, and it's my main instrument, but I'm actually a songwriter who can't sing. After that I started forgetting about learning the "technique" bits of guitar playing and learned how to fit simple parts to lyrics in a way that works and communicates what I'm feeling. I hope I'm not totally talentless
, but I'm certainly sloppy, and it no longer bothers me at all - in fact it's a big part of how I approach playing now. I rarely if ever play the same thing exactly the same way twice, and when I play live I'm almost constantly changing the precise detail even in learned songs.
Luckily, I've found a singer, who is really a lead guitarist who can't play, to work with.
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand" - Homer Simpson
http://www.theangelconversations.com
I felt like this a few months back. Here's what helped me. I hope it helps you.
Take a breather. Let your head reorganise itself. If you're not feeling good about it, then you'll only end up approaching your guitar with a bad attitude and feel worse for it.
Find some inspiration. Go to a gig, listen to your favourite cds, try some nice guitar in a shop. Anything you can do to re-energize what you enjoy.
Put things into perspective. I bet you're a far better player now than you were ten years ago.
Give yourself some credit. You've invested alot of a time and effort as well as money. You've even explored several tutors. Guitar clearly means something to you otherwise you wouldn't have done all of the above.
Set realistic goals for your self. Break things down. And try not to bog yourself down with it all. Just enjoy and go with it.
I totally understand how you feel, I'm sure most people on here do. But stick with it. You can turn it round. Give it a short while and you'll wonder what you've been thinking.
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