Some frustrating introspection on an anniversary

Elio

Student Of The Blues
This month it's been 7 years since I started with BGU and it's been an amazingly fun experience with a great group of people I am proud to call my friends. The amount of progress I've made during that time (and after having not played since I was a kid) has been huge and I wouldn't trade the live experiences for anything. WIth that said, last year I started attending the local Blues Society jams in my area as a spectator, and came to a realization just how really, really good they all are. The goal I set for myself was not to be that good, but to just be able to go up and play something, anything, where I wouldn't embarrass myself.

The last few months, I have been substantially ratcheting up my practice time and stretching to learn much more challenging material until late every night and early every morning. The realization that I have come to is that regardless of how well I can play by myself at home, when I get into any live situation, whatever licks, ideas, and concepts I have learned are completely gone, and I end up stumbling around usually playing the same 2 or 3 licks I am able to remember. This really struck home last night when my wife was listening in on a jam video and pointed out that I played essentially the same thing for virtually every solo.

The fact is that in a group setting, No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to hear in my head what I want to play and then associate it with anything I know, so I revert to mindless picking. Since the time I have really stepped up the practice schedule, I have actually been sliding backwards and becoming increasingly more disappointed in my playing at jams. It's frustrating to work much harder at something but to feel as though I am getting worse at it.

At this point, I'm feeling that the time, cost and frustration is really out-weighing the enjoyment, and my self-confidence is taking a large hit. Part of me feels that I need to take a break and move onto some other areas in my life for a few months where I know my efforts can produce more positive results, while the perfectionist in me wants to find the elusive missing link. Sorry for going on so long but I thought it might be helpful to write some of this out and see if there are any better suggestions that what I'm doing.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Elio, we started this journey at about the same time. I dabbled in Blues (acoustic) back in the 1960's, when I was in the Air Force, stationed in Florida, and Mississippi. I met some really great players there. My music interest is a bit wide, but electric guitar and the blues, can have several directions. Bass, rhythm, or solo. Griff's material is for the most part for solo. Now it is up to us, as guitarists to decide upon what direction we want to take.

I have just about everything Griff has offered, and have actually completed the courses. While teaching music, one thing I learned is that each student is a bit different. I try to understand where the student is coming from, and where they want to go. As I have said so many times, I feel that about 85% of doctors and 85% of music teachers have this in common: They are incompetent! :(:cry:

Now, when it comes to teaching via the Internet or DVD's, you have an added degree of complexity. Where is the feedback? There are methods to obtain that, but it is not easy.

It might be helpful if you evaluate where you want to be and where you are. For me, learning endless, unconnected licks, is not my cup of tea. I like my Blues music to sound like a conversation. Give it continuity, question/answer, call and response, and not a lot of 1/16 notes with fire emanating from the strings! ;)

One thing I enjoy is using software to put together a Blues piece. I work on one 4 bar phrase at a time. The fun is to tie bars 4-5, 8-9, and 12-1 (for additional bars). I like to work a piece out while playing the guitar. Using the BB King Box is my favorite tool. Just know what key you want to play in, and know the root notes with their various positions of the I. IV. and V. Start simple and build. After you get a 12 bar piece written, record it! You want to know what it sounds like.

There are so many arguments about "creating music on the fly". I have known some of the best flamenco guitarists and they have this in common: They practice elements of music - in this case called falsetas, which will go on for many bars. They have variations of each one, and use what they want, when they want it. They do not make things up. They own what they play, and do one heck of a job. The audience inspires you as does the moment.

Take BB Kings "The Thrill is Gone", as an example. BB King had several twists and turns to this piece, which he played for many years. Making up things on the fly is questionable.

Getting together with another guitarists from time to time can be very rewarding. So again my advice is to chart where you want to be and where you are.

By the way, in my book there is nothing wrong with playing a piece of music from A-Z, and playing it for yourself and others.

Frustration: The inability to attain a goal. Perhaps your goal needs some type of refinement.


Take it easy! :):Beer: :cool:

Tom
 
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sloslunas

NM Blues
This month it's been 7 years since I started with BGU and it's been an amazingly fun experience with a great group of people I am proud to call my friends. The amount of progress I've made during that time (and after having not played since I was a kid) has been huge and I wouldn't trade the live experiences for anything. WIth that said, last year I started attending the local Blues Society jams in my area as a spectator, and came to a realization just how really, really good they all are. The goal I set for myself was not to be that good, but to just be able to go up and play something, anything, where I wouldn't embarrass myself.

The last few months, I have been substantially ratcheting up my practice time and stretching to learn much more challenging material until late every night and early every morning. The realization that I have come to is that regardless of how well I can play by myself at home, when I get into any live situation, whatever licks, ideas, and concepts I have learned are completely gone, and I end up stumbling around usually playing the same 2 or 3 licks I am able to remember. This really struck home last night when my wife was listening in on a jam video and pointed out that I played essentially the same thing for virtually every solo.

The fact is that in a group setting, No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to hear in my head what I want to play and then associate it with anything I know, so I revert to mindless picking. Since the time I have really stepped up the practice schedule, I have actually been sliding backwards and becoming increasingly more disappointed in my playing at jams. It's frustrating to work much harder at something but to feel as though I am getting worse at it.

At this point, I'm feeling that the time, cost and frustration is really out-weighing the enjoyment, and my self-confidence is taking a large hit. Part of me feels that I need to take a break and move onto some other areas in my life for a few months where I know my efforts can produce more positive results, while the perfectionist in me wants to find the elusive missing link. Sorry for going on so long but I thought it might be helpful to write some of this out and see if there are any better suggestions that what I'm doing.
Elio- You are being waaaay too hard on yourself! You have come leaps and bounds since you began this journey. And, I will say that watching and listening to you play has been PURE joy. I truly understand your frustrations. But please...do us all a huge favor and never put down your guitar and deprive the rest of us of your passion.

Steve
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
Elio, I agree 100% with @artyman. You should come down to the VJR and take 24 or 36 bars on a random track as they come up. Even if you lurk for a while, you'll hear how others put together their solos and maybe find some things that relate well to you. It also never hurts to record yourself and listen back. Red light-itis that most people feel when recording will go away if you do it often enough and even if you end up doing 20 takes before you get through it, you'll slowly realize that attempting to repeat a couple of phrases will lead to a couple more and you'll get much more comfortable doing it.

Whether than can translate over to standing up at a blues jam or not is up to you. I'm certainly not a poster boy for confidence at jams and I know in the back of my head if I did it more often, I would get more comfortable playing in front of people. That also will translate into a clarity of thought while playing because you reduce the amount of brain CPU power you're using preparing yourself for the dreaded mistake you most certainly know you will. (At least that's my story).

If you're truly not enjoying playing, then perhaps a break or taking it in a different direction is in order. But we all tend to be our own worst critic. You're a lot better than you think you are. I've heard you play. Even if I hadn't, I know the statement is still true.

Chin up. Relax. Have a beer. Play the Blues!
 

Dr. Ron

Nuthin’ But The Blues!
VJR really is a good idea Elio. The guys are right...in fact I should get my butt back down there.
The time I spent down really prepared me for dealing with all kinds of music being thrown at me.
I found the jam yesterday a bit tough with all the fast, straight-time songs being played. When
I've been playing moderate shuffles, slow blues, having songs like "I've Got My Mojo Working" and
"High Heeled Sneakers" get a little difficult for a smooth confident solo. The VJR could help
out. I thought you held your own on those by the way. I felt like I kept getting my fingers caught in the strings!
 

tommytubetone

Great Lakes
No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to hear in my head what I want to play and then associate it with anything I know,

I feel your pain. I used to go to jams with a game plan. My problem was not being able to play something, but "thinking" of playing it in real time. You get onstage, set up your amp, tune your guitar, get the key of the song, and off you go. Now you're totally distracted from what you planned to do.
Maybe try to play the melody of the song and don't worry so much about playing licks for now. Griff did a lesson on this awhile back. Maybe somebody can locate that. A close approximation makes for a good solo. Our band does Unchain My Heart by Ray Charles. That's the approach I take with that song, and it turns out pretty good. Maybe give that a try and see if that gets you out of your funk. (oh wait, we like funk) :whistle:
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Elio is it possible to record ( I almost said tape. lol) the jam session. Most house bands play many of the same songs every week. Then you could practice using the recording. It could get you over the hurdle. For what its worth your playing has really come along so I am guessing the lapse is mental not technical.
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
Elio is it possible to record ( I almost said tape. lol) the jam session. Most house bands play many of the same songs every week. Then you could practice using the recording. It could get you over the hurdle. For what its worth your playing has really come along so I am guessing the lapse is mental not technical.

I actually do record all of them (usually about one per month). Given a minute to think about it, I can almost always come up with something I feel ok about, and with all the extra work I've been doing, my speed and technical ability really has improved. The issue is that in the heat of the moment I just draw a blank as to what to play. Any hopes of playing a complete memorized solo is pretty much out of the question. At one point I actually went to an adjacent room by myself and played through a couple of solos that would have worked fine. Then back onstage and nothing. Yeah, it's entirely mental.
 

Jalapeno

Student Of The Blues
regardless of how well I can play by myself at home, when I get into any live situation, whatever licks, ideas, and concepts I have learned are completely gone, and I end up stumbling around usually playing the same 2 or 3 licks I am able to remember.

This sentence sounds, to me, like your practice is broad rather than deep. You haven't internalized any but 2 or 3 licks. I'd suggest narrowing down your practice. I myself had to stop reading Griff's emails and stop going to Truefire, stop buying more courses etc. because everything I was learning was only on the surface and nothing was getting internalized. It is the internalized stuff that comes out in the heat of battle and what you use to react to the live situation. That is what Griff means when he quotes Mike Tyson saying that "everyone has a plan until you get punched in the nose". You've found this yourself by only "remembering" 2 or 3 licks when you're punched.

I stepped back and worked on about 4 or 5 licks going from the I to the IV, from the IV to the I and from the V to the I until they were always there. I rely on those licks at the chord changes. The rest of the time I try to play something melodic in the pentatonic scale. Also, always remember to leave some space for the other instruments, not trying to fill 100% of the sonic space can really free up your mind on stage.

That has been working for me, at least.

Also, maybe take a break for a week or two and come back fresh.

Eric
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Elio,
I could have written your first three paragraphs about myself.
What I have found is that the only way to "play something different in each song" is to practice the song and the solo for that song over and over. I hope that over time the different pieces of each song will just be there when I need them.

You've gone to listen many times, so I'm sure that there are a handful of songs that you hear every time you go. Learn different solos for each one (Nothing wrong with using solos from ANY of Griff's lessons), but if they call one that you don't have a solo for just make it up. That way if one or two of your three solos is similar, but the second or third solo is different, you've made a good start.

Also I've found that I have to play them several times a day for MANY days (Weeks?) before I can just pull them up in my head as needed.
 

Randy S

Blues Junior
Elio

I often share your same frustration. We have similar "time served" of about 7 years and, having played with you at BGU Live, I know we are at similar skill levels. There are times I get so frustrated that I want to quit also.

But then I come to my senses and realize that the reason that I'm doing this is because it is fun and I enjoy it. "Achievers" like yourself (and I put myself in that category) push ourselves to be the best at what we are doing. But this is something we don't have to be the best at to enjoy it- our livelihood is not dependent on it.

If your practicing hours at a time you are probably overdoing it. Step back and recapture the joy in it and lessen up a little on the "work" that you are putting in. Take a few songs that you know well and play them over and over again and step back and realize you are making music! So what if all your solos sound similar or you can't quite master some technique. If you enjoy doing it then that is sufficient. And I think when you recapture the joy you will find that progress will follow in it's path.

Randy
 

Norfolk Bill

norfolk uk, just knoodling along
I know i will prob be burned for this lol,,,but i would suggest , for a while learn nothing,,no licks and no solo's just knoodle about with the scales you know over backing tracks,,,learn to add some spice and feeling as you go along,,,the only reason i say this is because ive never learned any licks or note for note solo's but am completly comfortable playing along to anything because im not THINKING about it,,after all if we stick to basics there are onle 6 notes in the blues scale,,,
 

JestMe

Student Of The Blues
Elio

I feel your pain. I'm reminded of the following quote...

<quote>Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded.
Jimi Hendrix</quote>

Myself, I think I expect too much from myself and make things be much more complicated than need be. Every now and then I see a player I respect show by example how simple it can be... a couple choice notes, followed by some space a couple more sweet notes... that is the template that I am thinking I, and perhaps, you might consider.
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
This really struck home last night when my wife was listening in on a jam video and pointed out that I played essentially the same thing for virtually every solo.

I think I may have discovered the problem. You're listening to your wife!
DontTellAnyone.gif
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
First of Elio, I'd like to say that I can feel your pain... but I'm not even there yet. But I have noticed when I noodle around on a backing track that the stuff that easily comes to my fingers is the stuff that I have been playing forever. Those things that have become wrote (sp?). Jalepeno gave some terrific advice up top. Work the changes until you have several ingrained licks for each. Then work for melodic feel for the flatlands as it were. I might also add (though I'm nowhere near doing this myself yet), is doing the same thing with turnarounds.

I also just have to say what amazing advice all the other posters have given. I'm marking this thread to watch just so I can come back to it.

Best of luck!!
 
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