Discouraged

[Paul Purlpe]

I know it ain't easy if it was everyone be doin it. I can't count but I can play with others . playing on your own its tough to keep the beat and change chords try and get someone better at playing than yourself to play along with ,they can keep time and you can copy. Once you get into a groove you'll start to feel the time.
Keep Going

 

[JeffreyS]

I am working on it, see my recent post in BGU2.0 Lesson 1-5, lesson 4 recording and let me know what you think please.

 

[Telypaul]

You Thik you discouraged.

I have just started into BGU as an experienced player of over 50 years.

Lesson 1:1 I can play it, but count it as I play and its all over the place, I get the feeling it will never come. After a couple of hour long sessions with it, I am starting to think I should give up.

Over the years I have developed this style of emulating a finger style using a pick and tend to keep time with it as I play, hence I tend to hit stings lightly on the 3 & 4 &, Its a pain how bad habits take so much shifting.

Paul

 

[JazzboxBlues]

I've been discouraged and will try not get discouraged again and accept the process. I played saxophone from 4th grade to 7th or 8th. I had two problems no make that three. They are poor sense of time, lack of focus and what I consider to be the biggest problem, playing music didn't come easy to me. Since it didn't come easy I didn't think it was for me. I never realized that dedication and hard work is how you excel at things that don't come easy at first. Work over time produces results. I wish I tried like I should have. It would have made a great learning experience about dedication. I might have become a fine musician. Maybe I still can.

This is the same thing that has happened with guitar over the years. About four or five years ago I decided I'd give it a go again. I'd thought I'd be further but I'm not. It's hard and so is being focused. What has happened though is many chords I play are very clean and they sound better than they ever have.Along with other things I play. I've made some progress and I get more and more dedicated. I just don't want to give up. I think my best years are ahead of me. So my advice is just keep at it.

 

[HotLks]

I struggle along for days, weeks and then I find myself playing at another level slightly better than before. I don't see it coming and it's always a surprise. Maybe if I played more often, these improvements would be more frequent. One thing for sure, they don't come without the guitar in hand.

See you down the road!

 

[patb]

Paul, you're right . If this was easy everyone would do it. Not only is it not easy, it's damned hard to do it RIGHT. Had I known I would have bought a kazoo. And saved a pile of time, money and frustration.
The only thing that keeps me remotely in time is counting out loud. Out loud!!! I still get lost but it's usually because I simply can't play a new lick fast enough. The SRM course has helped a lot. Playing with other people helps a lot too. Unfortunately better players don't want to spend time with a rookie.

 

[Momantai]

Maybe you could try using a metronome instead of counting, or (more sophisticated and expensive) a drum simulator pedal ?

 

[Bob630]

As you can see you are not alone. One thing that I found to help with timing is the Strumming & Rhythn Mastery course. Maybe it's because of the difference between picking and strumming. But it did and does help. Maybe it's worth a try. In any case don't give up, there are many folks here to help.

 

[lola]

There are downs and ups to everything that you learn in life. When you think you got it, you don't quite have it.

Let's face it. Guitar is a damned hard instrument to learn. It takes time and patience. I don't even think about discouragement anymore. It's all apart of the journey.

Learning Stairway to heaven set my mindset free. If I can learn that then I can learn anything. It's a matter of time, practice and patience with yourself.

 

[patb]

There are downs and ups to everything that you learn in life. When you think you got it, you don't quite have it.

Let's face it. Guitar is a damned hard instrument to learn. It takes time and patience. I don't even think about discouragement anymore. It's all apart of the journey.

Learning Stairway to heaven set my mindset free. If I can learn that then I can learn anything. It's a matter of time, practice and patience with yourself.

lola, you're right. And when I think I have it I try it with a jam track and for sure I don't.
Discouragement is a temporary state.
Congratulations on learning Stairway.

 

[lola]

I think the key to learning for me personally is to break things down into really small parts. It's took me the better part of 6 weeks, 2 hours or more daily practice just to learn the finger picking on Stairway to heaven. I broke everything that I couldn't play down into little individual exercises. I really, really wanted to learn this song so badly. I was willing to do whatever it took just to learn this song. Carl Brown is an amazing on line guitar teacher and I used his lessons on this. He broke it down into 5 videos. It seemed overwhelming at first but I just took a bit of it or even a couple of notes day by day. I practiced this every minute I could. My boys asked me to play something else, anything else. I said no. I had to fulfill my dream and that was to play this song. I know I have what it takes to learn anything I choose to learn.

P.S. I don't count anything! I feel the beat within and just go with that. It really never has failed me. I use a metronome all the time to practice but I don't count at all. I thought I should and I tried but I just go with the flow of the music and it works for me. I don't tap my foot but when I do practice with the band at rehearsal I have a drummer I can depend on and the singer as well. Listen to the drummer or the vocalist. They give the best clues for timing of any particular song.

 

[kestrou]

Lola,

Great story on focus and dedication.

Buddy of mine decided he was going to learn Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover". He's no better of a guitarist than I am, so I thought he was nuts!

Well, he put his head down and it took him months - but he did it. That was a couple years ago now and he's really smooth at it now.

While there's still many areas he's still "just average" at (such as theory) it really did elevate his playing overall by improving his technique and timing.

Kevin

 

[TerryH]

Going right back to BBG days I discovered that I often go through a series of stages with a lesson starting from the near physically impossible, through being able to play it badly and slowly and eventually being able to play it. Now when something seems impossible I don’t stress about it because I know I will get there in the end. I completely agree with Lola about breaking everything down into small sections. Playing fast has been a real hurdle for me. I have even gone to the lengths of playing really slowly and experimenting with the most efficient way to pick a particular lick. I am more or less there with Solo 3 now, but to get there I had to completely revise the way I was holding the pick. But it’s all part of learning.

Counting seems to divide people here. I have to say it has helped me a lot when learning licks and foot tapping is an essential for me. I can imagine, though that having a good drummer and a band behind you where can really feel the beat would make a big difference.

 

[PapaBear]

I can play pretty well by feel, never learned to count, now when I try to count something it screws me up I seem to focus more on trying to keep up with the count rather than just feeling the groove and playing to it.

 

[lola]

I can play pretty well by feel, never learned to count, now when I try to count something it screws me up I seem to focus more on trying to keep up with the count rather than just feeling the groove and playing to it.

I really did try to count but got frustrated with it. The inner rhythms that I feel within are always on the money. I just don't count anymore, ever!

Don't get me wrong. Some people need to count but I am not one of them. When I play with the band you just get into that inner groove thing, at least with me.

 

[BoogieMan]

I agree with both the above posts. Counting out loud just seems to confuse me. Playing by feeling is more natural for me and works better in a gigging situation.

 

[lola]

Now this song is one I learned along time ago but not all of it, bits and pieces. This time I am learning the whole song including the solo. The chord progression is as challenging as you want to make it with little trills, arpeggios added in the mix etc. What gave me confidence to tackle this song was completing Stairway to Heaven. That has made a difference in my confidence. It's a daunting task but I am up for the challenge!

If you really want something bad enough, you will figure it out and get it right or as right as possible.

I want to be able to master this song so badly. This is the exact mindset I had when I wanted to learn the Led Zep song.

 

[JeffreyS]

haven't checked back here for a bit, thanks everyone for all the encouragement. I don't plan on giving up!

 

[lola]

Don't ever wave the white flag! I never will!

 

[Bob630]

Griff's email today had great advice on practicing stuff you find difficult. If you are not getting his emails, I would suggest you sign up for them. he has some great stuff in them.