[Bob2]

So I switched from drums to guitar because arthritis in my hip wouldn't allow me to sit very long. Played for years and loved it but life moves on. I accept that.
Been working on guitar for the last 4 years and practice, now that I'm retired, for 2 to 4 hours a day. I take lessons each week but I find that practice goes well some days and not so good other days. Has anyone found this to be what they experience?
 
Tonight was great but chord transitions are something that I have worked hard to develop. Yesterday was a real test but today was easy and very accurate. Not sure what tomorrow will bring.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

[drummermitchell]

Might not be what your looking for.
Blues Guitar Unleashed(Griff Hamlin)
simple,slow if you like,he does it all,
from chord progressions with lead intros and more.
Main thing he goes thru  real baby steps f that to walkin n talkin the blues,heck any music for that matter
Griff has dvd courses, and you can see what I mean by checking him out on youtube
the rest is up to you...Enjoy............lots of free videos for whatever your having troubles with.
Jus cuz,I still have my 79 Gretsch (walnut)haven't  for yrs,still in their Anvil case beds.
Use  the Roland TD-30 and 20 for my messsin around at home.............

[drphoto]

I put this in another post too.

I've been trying to learn guitar for years. I have a lot of friends who are pro musicians so always felt very frustrated.

I always thought I should pick up up quickly, but I learned I just sucked. I was never gonna be able to cover David Gilmour leads, or even simple rhythm parts.

So I gave up.

And decided to start writing my own songs. I figure, why not just play what I can?0

Now the odd part, is my playing overall has gotten way better and I'm finally having a ton of fun.

Seriously, since I decided to 'let go' and not care, my intonation is better and my speed is way up. I could maybe do those covers now if I wanted.

Plus, I've learned a ton about music theory.

I played my first bit for one of my musician buddies and he was like "is that really you?"

I can do this when alone. The cats don't care. I still couldn't play in front of anyone. I'd get so nervous, I'd just fall apart.

I've also realized learning to play is not a linear process. You can go along not making any progress, then BAM it just get's better.

So try to chill and have fun. Hey no one's paying us to play right? Don't beat yourself up.

Just noodle around and see what happens!!..

all the best,

joe (the doc)

[Guy 13]

What the dr stand for ? ? ?
So Joe,
almost 50 years ago I bought a guitar and amplifier (Fender)
and tried to learn to play.
My sister's boyfriend is a professional musician,
but unfortunately for him, I was a bad student.
After two or three lessons,
I gave up and my teacher, did not insist to continue teaching.
Maybe when I am 100% retired, I might try again...

Guy 13

[drphoto]

guy.....it'a sorta of a joke.

When I went to work as assistant for a photographer back in the 80's I was a PhD student in chemistry. So he called me Doc.

plus I 'doctor' photos with Pshop.! So double joke.


BTW: I left grad school to work for said photog before I wrote my dissertation. So I have no real claim to the title!

[Guy 13]

guy.....it'a sorta of a joke.

When I went to work as assistant for a photographer back in the 80's I was a PhD student in chemistry. So he called me Doc.

plus I 'doctor' photos with Pshop.! So double joke.


BTW: I left grad school to work for said photog before I wrote my dissertation. So I have no real claim to the title!

That's good, because you might have noticed, I have a good (Special) sense of humour.
Maybe it's because I am a (French) Canadian
but I think it's more because I am Guy 13.

[drphoto]

I went to Toronto for a conference when I was in grad school. Beautiful city.

[Guy 13]

I went to Toronto for a conference when I was in grad school. Beautiful city.

dr Montreal is 10X nicer than Toronto...
We don't have the CN Tower, but we do have the Olympic tower.
We don't have the Niagara Falls, but we do have the Old Montreal Port.
Sooo... Next trip destination will be Montreal ?
Too bad I am not there, I am an excellent guide.

Guy 13

[drphoto]

yeah, like to go there too. Even though I have a college degree, I only speak English, so feel very uneducated. I can read a little French.

Might have to move to Canada if Trump wins. Whoops probably broke a forum rule with that comment! But come on, the guy is nuts.

[Guy 13]

yeah, like to go there too. Even though I have a college degree, I only speak English, so feel very uneducated. I can read a little French.

Might have to move to Canada if Trump wins. Whoops probably broke a forum rule with that comment! But come on, the guy is nuts.

Montreal is bilingual, well, lots of people can speak English.
Lots of American tourist go to Montreal and have no problem getting around and getting understood.
(I did nt write the following: Trump would have made a good dictator ! OUPS  ...)

Guy 13

[doorman]

Not sure how the op's thread got derailed so quickly ----
Sounds like your approach to learning is good, are you able to jam with someone else ?
- it can be very motivating.
Having played for years, I'm pretty familiar with the peaks & valleys of the process, but sometimes something
as simple as a set-up by a competent tech can work wonders with things like chord transitions.
Good Luck, keep at it, have fun along the way !

[Larkston Zinaspic]

...I find that practice goes well some days and not so good other days. Has anyone found this to be what they experience?

Being a drummer puts you ahead of a lot of guitarists--many of which have been at it longer than you-- just because many guitarists don't bring to the table the intuitive sense of rhythm you already have. Eddie Van Halen was a drummer, Frank Zappa was a drummer, Paul Gilbert is a drummer, Gilmour, etc...and it shows in their phrasing and timing.

I started playing guitar over 30 years ago, but I often feel like an eternal beginner to this day. Some people have a natural aptitude for their chosen instrument. I certainly don't. Not everyone learns the same way either. But if you've got the discipline to practice 2 to 4 hours a day you're only going to progressively improve what is admittedly a perishable skill.

I think Robert Fripp once said "Expectation is a prison". People are always telling you to "set goals" as a musician, which is fine, until you hit a plateau you can't seem to get past, which is inevitable. Then you strive to get it right THIS time, which sometimes makes it worse. Even with the experience you already have, don't forget to give yourself a break when you need it.

 

[SteveFord]

Yep, some days you're good and some days you suck.
It's a difficult instrument as your hands don't normally go the way they need to for the guitar.
I don't believe you said if you're playing acoustic or electric but getting good on an acoustic guitar will make playing electric so much easier.
It will actually feel kind of ridiculous with the light strings and thinner body.

[drphoto]

Steve is right about the acoustic vs electric thing. When I started I used electric, as I figured this was hard enough. Why fight sore fingers etc. So unlike most people who start by learning open chords and let's say folky type songs, I started with power chords. I could play Green Day before I could play Greensleeves. In fact Blvd of Broken Dreams was probably first song I learned.

I can play acoustic now too however. Having a decent instrument that is setup correctly helps a lot. I have a Washburn which is not super expensive, but it is easy to play.

And again, as above. The key to getting better for me, was too just let go of expectations. When I started playing my own stuff, my technique got exponentially better, I started having more fun, and my knowledge of music theory grew by leaps, as I had to make myself learn about chord theory, timing, phrasing, etc.

I think one of the most important things to work on for newbie's is rhythm. Nothing says 'suck' more than someone just plodding along with no sense of time.

Hell, most people won't even notice a dud note or two if song has a nice groove.

my 2 cents.

And sorry for the thread derail. My fault!!

Oh & I do own that 57 reissue strat in the pic. Rarely play it. Too afraid I'll damage that nitro finish. My everyday guitar is a super cheap but sweet Squire 51. Really nice guitar to play. Great feeling chunky matte finish neck (did take an hour with file to knock sharp edges off fret ends, no biggie on cheap instrument)
Sounds great. Hot splittable hummer at bridge and singe coil on neck. Plus you can combine. Can do Strat or Tele sort of sounds. definitely a Fender sounding guitar. Can't quite get that fat hummer sound of a Gibson. I may have to get a Les Paul down the road.

[Bob2]

Thanks for all of your thoughts everyone.
Practice last night was not good. I'm finding that when I'm tired, practice is not productive.

I have some nice, quality instruments. I always buy decent stuff wether guitars, camera gear and Hi-Fi gear.
My guitars are setup pretty well. Action is good, intonation is good. The only thing they need is a better pair of hands.
As everyone who has tried guitar realizes it takes a lot of work to play well. So much to learn..

Drums were much easier for me. I knew at a young age that playing drums was for me. Seems that I found learning new patterns, rudiments came to me much easier.

Fortunately my guitar instructor is an awesome blue grass player and a really good teacher. 
He has been of great help to me.

Thanks again!

[SteveFord]

Bob2,
You didn't say which guitars you had but find something that you just can't stand to walk past without picking it up.
It might be looks or comfort or sound quality (or all three) but you'll know it when you find it.

[steve in jersey]

Bob2,

The other "Steve" make a good point about using an instrument that you really just enjoy picking up & holding.. It will get you through those days when your "chops" aren't quite up to what it is you're trying to accomplish that you just don't seem to be getting that week.

Sometimes all that's needed is a fresh perspective on what it is that giving you a hard time. Take a break from that particular practice session & come back to it .The important thing is that you do go back to it when you've had sometime to recharge . The worst case scenario is that if you can't get past whatever is tripping you up with the chord transitions this week there's always next week.

Enjoy playing your Guitar, your "playing chops" will come to you at somepoint if you're patient enough . What's that song line?  "You gotta suffer, if you want to play the blues" ( I honestly don't care for blues playing & to myself it sounds like most blues players are just playing what their "chops" are allowing them to play; but you get the idea !)

[martinr]

I went to G.I.T. at age 21, played in clubs ect when I was 19.  Couldnt practice enough to become the studio musician I wanted to be when the time came to get a "real job" so I gave it up...I can tell you the best way to improve dexterity on the guitar is to force yourself to take the time to read music..not Tablature - musical notes with time signatures.  Taking the time to read music forces you to slow down, this strengthens your fingers substantially.  The best guitar players are good readers.  At G.I.T they recommended we spend at least one hour a day reading music.  The other critical practice technique is to always practice using a metronome....there are free cell phone apps that work pretty well.  Just my 2 cents.  If your instructor is not teaching you to read music, do it on your own or find another teacher.

 

[Bob2]

"You didn't say which guitars you had"
I have a Fender American Standard Stratocaster, Fender American Standard Telecaster and a Gibson Memphis ES-335.

I'm very pleased with all of them. They are very playable and I like how they look for what that is worth..

All are well setup and play very well. The Gibson neck is taking some getting used too compared to the Strat and Tele but it is coming around.
Practice tonight went very well after taking the weekend off. For me learning is really what it's all about.

I want to see real progress but my real goal is to keep the ole grey matter working. I'm working to stave off alzheimer's and dementia.

Not looking to be the next guitar hero.. Really just want to learn and play songs that I enjoy. Too old to be on stage making the girls scream!!!

Couldn't do that if I was laying on a pile of hundred dollar bills on my best day!

Lot's of very good advice and suggestions here, I thank you all for that.

I am working on a song now, played on only one string at a time. The version I am working on was recorded in the early 60's but the sheet music was copyrighted in 1941.  It's is about an Eygptian girl with lips of honey. An early Greek tune played at weddings.  Does anyone know or possibly quess what that might be?

Perhaps I could forward a trinket to whomever gives the correct answer..

Thanks for all the advice and have a great day!

[Rocket]

Hi Guys,

Haha you want to try playing the trumpet.  200 muscles (or thereabouts) just to play a note...

Cheers Rod