Hello, This subject come up all the time. Easy answer is - No, it is not just you. In fact it is almost everyone. People who learn musical instruments in a classical way always learn how to count time. It seems guitarists think themselves immune. This is a shame because music is all about what notes and
when to play them.
I also used to think that I'll learn the notes and then get the timing right later. As
@Griff always says, this is not the right way to go. It may seem strange but it is easier to learn a piece of music with the correct timing. The correct timing makes it more memorable. Having said that; if you are not used to learning complete solos (for example) the first few will be very slow. Like most things practice makes things easier (or "Practice makes permanent" as Justin says -
www.justinguitar.com).
I used to find all of this quite confusing until I took the advice to heart. I have attached a pdf file of a solo of Griff's from BGU which I have added some annotations. The rests are in red the notes are in green. The count here is a straight feel so it is basically a 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + count for each bar. Some of the bends are a bit quicker - 16th notes. Here the count would be 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a, but since these are only occasionally used I just use the 'e' and 'a' where appropriate.
If the rhythm was a shuffle feel using triplets I would use 1 + u 2 + u 3 + u 4+ u. If it was shuffle feel 8th notes then 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +.The scribblings take a little time the first time out but you soon get used to the different time values of the notes. When practicing you do not need to count in time; just make sure when you say the count-number you are playing the right thing. Gaps in the time-line are not important when you are starting out on a piece or starting to learn it. Once the notes and count are known you can practice to play it all in the correct time with a metronome or jam track.
This is all stuff that
@MikeS,
@Paleo and
@Griff (and others) keep saying. And it's true.
Keep at it - it does get easier the more you do it. Remember how long it took to get your first few chords under your fingers and the age it took to change between them.
Good luck.
Miles.