In a slump

[Rakuku]

Hey guys,
In kinda a slump here. My style, technique, speed, everything is basically lacking. I feel so discouraged and I feel like I'm horrible. I can play songs fine I guess, but when it comes to writing my own stuff or improvising it's just horrible. I wanna play and write like Satriani, Vai, and all my hero's, but I can't even come close. Any advice? Thanks all.

[rmuscat]

i know your feeling man i have to face it each day.

Be patient, play as much as you can ... and most important learn how to listen. Take the songs you like by the guys, break them apart, tear them up until you unravel the inner secrets. :o

sounds spooky :D

All the rest takes time, time and a little bit more time of persistance in music.

[curiousgeorge]

See that little tab on the upper left that says "articles"? Use it and all will be revealed....

[Tiger Lily]

everyone has sucked at one point or another. u just need to be patient. when im frustrated i eat cold pizza or somehting random to get my mind off, or just run my hand over the frets in annoyance that nothing is happening. even if u have all the techi stuff down, u gotta be in da mood.

[shinkyo00]

well it took satch and vai and all of your guitar heroes how long? and not to mention their obsession with the guitar

YJM puts it best when he says if good intentions were all it took we'd all be guitar heroes but the truth is you just gotta be obsessed

[EricV]

I think that you should start out step by step. Don´t expect to write a tune like "Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing" or something like that on your first attempt. It took guys like Satch and Vai years to develop their technique AND their song writing. Don´t get frustrated or bitter, and don´t try too hard.
How about this:
- Make sure to read some of our articles so you know how chords go together, how to play within a certain key, check out a pattern of, say, the major scale.
- Then, try to find only 2 or 3 chords that go together. Doesn´t have to be intricate stuff, maybe just a few major chords. Make sure you like what you hear when you play those... just keep it simple at first. Maybe stick with something slow or midtempo so far
- Now, record those or put the progression into Powertab so you´ll have something to jam over.
- Now, sit down and listen to the chords a couple of times. Imagine what kind of melody should go over those. What kind of melody would you like to hear over those chords ? ( Again, keep it simple at first ) Or think of something that happened to you, like... I dunno, about a girl you like, or what your day was like. Try to sing that, and try to find a simple melody to sing.
- Now, take that major scale, and try to play that melody over thsoe chords. FIgure out just a few notes that sound nice together. Always try to play something you do like, instead of thinking "What would Vai play here ?"
Even if it´s just a slow four note melody, it´s ok, as long as you like it.
Then, play that a few times. Maybe change little details when you repeat it... like, play it an octave higher or lower. Or add some trills, or a bend. EMbellish it, make it a bit more intricate even though it still consists of only a few notes.
- Then, once you feel comfortable, try to put more changes in, or add a fe more chords etc.

This is just a basic approach, but it´s a good starting point. Build it step from step.
And the same goes for technique... don´t get frustrated, and don´t constantly go "Well, I can play that scale at a spee of 70 bpm for 16th notes, but Satch and Vai can play it at 160 ! ARGH !"
Just like them, you will have to start out slowly, and take it step by step. Keep some goals in mind, but divide the way to get there into smaller steps instead of expecting to be at those guys level within a couple of months
Keep it fun
Hope this helps
Eric

[forgottenking2]

I also made the same mistake of "aiming too high" and that's bad when you're as impatient as I am (which is weird since one needs a lot of patience to teach...) so I got discouraged 'cause I couldn't play like my heros (too many to mention here) but at one point I realized it's not "a competition in an olimpic sport" (like Tommy Emanuel said) as long as you make music that pleases the ear then you're fine, it can be simple stuff. Your music will grow with you but you won't be agonizing, waiting for the day until your music is perfect 'cause you know what? That day will never come. As you improve (if you're anything like me) your standards will go up and you'll keep on raising the bar but that's good, that'll give you the drive to improve, sure people will compliment you but you'll never be as good as YOU want to be, Satch, Vai, Gilbert and everyone else aren't as good as they want to be. I heard an interview with Eric Johnson saying that his technique wasn't up to notch yet (!!!!) Most musicians I know are too harsh on themselves and it takes other people to recognize their improvement... well, I think you get my point. Keep practicing and try to compare yourself today with yourself yesterday, and that will keep you from beating yourself up too much.

Remember being overconfident is not good (there's nothing worse than a cocky musician) but too much self criticism (sp?) can kill your drive. Try and find a balance.

Regards,