help with progress

[screwloose]

Hi everyone,

i am new here :eek:

Anway i have been playing guitar for around 18 months, i use the word playing quite lightly :rolleyes:


I would like to get away from this brick wall that i am facing, i tend to strum mostly ,,,generally what most people who play would regard as easy, like Dylan, The verve, Oasis type stuff, easy economical strumming,
only problem is i dont seem to be progressing, and feel i am on a plateau..

i really would like to do some picking, and would like direction on this if possible, as at the moment i tend to do the picking in a sweep 1 after the other then back up, i have been practising with chords like am, c, f , g etc,
but it just lacks umpth ( is that a word :p )

Anyway, if there are any suggestions to get me past my plateau ie, songs to learn that may help, or any help with getting into picking more,

all help much appreciated, ...then maybe one day the wife will actually stay in the room when i play :mad:

[chrismatson]

I think Kirk Hammett said it the best. He said something along the lines of "The only medicine to avoid burning out is actively learning"

Or something like that.... Expand your musical horizons, aim to play tough songs, fully, and learn the techniques involved in playing them. Check out tons and tons of instructional videos, retain as much information as possible, and then practice them to no means!

[Red Shoes]

Check out the articles here, there are so many at different levels. It's a great resource and the forums are great for specific questions aswell :D

[UKRuss]

Hi everyone,

i am new here :eek:

Anway i have been playing guitar for around 18 months, i use the word playing quite lightly :rolleyes:


I would like to get away from this brick wall that i am facing, i tend to strum mostly ,,,generally what most people who play would regard as easy, like Dylan, The verve, Oasis type stuff, easy economical strumming,
only problem is i dont seem to be progressing, and feel i am on a plateau..

i really would like to do some picking, and would like direction on this if possible, as at the moment i tend to do the picking in a sweep 1 after the other then back up, i have been practising with chords like am, c, f , g etc,
but it just lacks umpth ( is that a word :p )

Anyway, if there are any suggestions to get me past my plateau ie, songs to learn that may help, or any help with getting into picking more,

all help much appreciated, ...then maybe one day the wife will actually stay in the room when i play :mad:

Time to move to the pleasures of what is known as "alternate picking" or more commonly "AP" for short.

In any decent mag or here in our articles you'll find loads of info on AP.

It is essentially the technique of ensuring that you play one note with a down stroke, the next with an upstroke, then enxt with a downstroke, then upstroke and so on.

The best way to begin practicing AP is to apply it to scales. You'll also find plenty of articles on scales here, although your approach of applying it to chords is also valid, we call them arpeggios.

Search for AP, Scales and Arpeggios and you'll be picking away like no-ones business in no time at all.

[Joe Pass Jr]

Look in your local music store for Modern Guitar Method, there are a few volumes. Its by William Levitt. I learn't alot of reading skills with those books. Theres nothing really complicated in the books but they are very logically designed to improve several areas of playing at a time. Its pretty much a book of short eludes and duets with accompanying exercises. Highly recommended this for anyone who wants to continue learning the guitar but aren't quite sure how to get there, or where they want to go.

[screwloose]

cheers Guys

I think direction is what i need, more of a where do i go now, as i am currently up against the wall ( i'm sure 90% will know what i mean )

i will look into all the info, and hopefully i will see the light, as sometimes it seems a little dark, especially when i keep going over sanme old , same old day after day,
don't get me wrong i see improvement in what i am doing, especially strumming patterns, but i always end up playing the same material.

i think AP is the way to go for me, i do spend 95% of my time on the acoustic and this is where i would like to progress at this moment in time,,i just personally find the electric too ringy ( maybe a word ) for me , but then again that could just be me,
i will also look into the book series " Modern Guitar Method" as i have heard good things about it before, i believe some also come with cd/dvd's

i will find some AP writeups, and try and get my fingers dancing :D

Thanks again for your help & comments

[UKRuss]

Great! Ifnyou are sticking with acoustic, don't forget there are many finger picking techniques too.

Less info about that kind of thing on this site but again a quick blast on the "roogle doogle" should bring up a host of info on finger picking exercises and techniques.

[screwloose]

i would like to do both, to be honest,


but my current technique, ie; more strumming than anything,,,just doesn't suit the electric,
i tend to pick up the electric to play a few simple riffs,,and when i practise scales sometimes, but i find normal chord progressions, just simply too ringy, and i usually just end up with a mass of unwanted sound along with whatever chord i am trying to play,,,
not sure how to describe any other way, :confused: