Memoirs of a Guitar Player
I have recently been looking back and reflecting on my guitar playing improvements over the last 10 or so years. I remember sitting down for many hours a day religiously practicing feeling like my playing wasn’t going anywhere.
I think this is a feeling almost all guitarists will go through at some point in their playing and it can extremely hard to get out of, my period lasted for years feeling this way. In fact it almost stopped me playing for a year.
The great thing is I feel that now I have hit a breakthrough with my playing. No longer am I trying to play notes as quickly as possible or get the fast Satriani lick down to perfection, I am now concentrating on the most important aspect of guitaring – making music.
All of a sudden all the musical skills that I have previously practiced seems to have come together and allows me to see guitar and music composition in a whole new manner.
The bottom line here is that there are no quick ways to master the guitar; you cannot buy the experience required. I see so many adverts saying you can master the guitar in 24 hours, one month, one year etc etc – all of these are lies. Sure, with the guitar you can pick it up knowing nothing and play some chords to a song pretty well by the end of one week, but to even come anywhere near to mastering the guitar it will take many years of hard work, dedication and experience.
So what advice is there for budding guitarists stuck in this guitar rut? Well I have found the biggest help was the break away from the guitar for a year. I still listened to music as a guitarist, picking out the chords and riffs from the song, still learning from just listening with no playing. Going back to the guitar it all of a sudden sounded fresh.
Another thing is – do not concentrate on speed. Most people try to play as fast as possible on the guitar like their heroes do. But playing something fast that sounds sloppy is counter productive. Playing something slower but with perfect timing and articulation will sound much better, much more professional. This is what you should be concentrating on, the speed will then come naturally.
Finally do not fall for these scams that promise quick fixes for the guitar. They are not worth it as they will not work. If you need help get a professional tutor for a couple of lessons to get you on the right path then it is practice and dedication from then on.
Good luck – you can do it and it will be worth it!
Olly is the founder of Olly’s Guitar World – Supplier of Guitar Effects Pedals and other Guitar accessories such as Guitar Amps
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