My playing is crap

[PeterSchroeder]

I am beginning to feel frustrated. Started BBG2.0 three weeks ago, but my Sitting Easy Blues is nowhere near to what I expect it to sound like. I am not a total newbie, started playing the guitar in April this year with another beginner course (electric guitar, learnt picking and stuff like hammer ons, pull offs, bending etc but no chords other than power chords). Is it normal that it takes weeks to sort out SEB ? My biggest challenge is switching from single notes passages to the simple chords. Started working on strumming the real sevens chords from the next two lessons after SEB, but can’t consistently change one to the other yet.

Today Is the first day I toyed around with recording (from a Fender Mustang amp directly to Audacity on a laptop) but despite multiple attempts there is no single version that doesn‘t sound awful.

Is this normal or am I just too stoopid for this hobby ?

 

[Many Moons]

You're not alone on this Peter. This is very normal. I once exploded and bounced my (thankfully cheap) electric guitar off a wall, because I couldn't get to grips with barre chords. I now play them all the time. We all have a tendency to want things to happen instantly, but in reality that only happens to the few. The rest of us mere mortals have to have patience and let things sink in a little slower. But they will sink in. Move on to something else for a while and keep going back to SEB, and you'll find out somewhere down the line that you'll nail it. Patience my friend.

 

[PapaBear]

If your not already doing some sort of spider drills as part of your practice, I would highly recommend that you do, it just takes time for it to come together, but it will. Keep the recordings you do and in a few weeks compare them, you'll surely see some progress

 

[CaptOblivious]

sounds kind of normal to me

been at it far longer (years not months) and still sound mediocre at best with an occasional "hey that sounded pretty good" from my wife.

working my way through some of the entry level courses, improvement has been slow and steady - counting is essential

at the end of the day no matter what enjoy the process and you will get the results you want

 

[Crossroads]

Enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the destination. My playing and singing will never reach my expectations, and I'm okay with that.

Just try to have fun with what you're doing and enjoy the little steps, the big progress will come over time

 

[Iheartbacon]

If the April you started in is within the last 5 years, you are still fairly new. It takes time to develop muscles, joint flexibility, nerves and mental pathways. Keep at it and someday you will suddenly realize how far you have come.

 

[Ted_Zeppelin]

Hang in there. Progress may seem like it is not happening, but trust me, it is. Just don’t let yourself get to this point...

 

[PeterSchroeder]

If your not already doing some sort of spider drills as part of your practice, I would highly recommend that you do....

Will check this and add to my warmup routine, which right now is the minor pentatonic scale all patterns and some easy single note stuff.

Enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the destination...Just try to have fun with what you're doing and enjoy the little steps, the big progress will come over time

I do, and when I get too frustrated with SEB I just switch guitars from my Strat to my SG and play some easy power chord riffs like TNT, Iron Man or similar to relax...

If the April you started in is within the last 5 years, you are still fairly new. It takes time to develop muscles, joint flexibility, nerves and mental pathways. Keep at it and someday you will suddenly realize how far you have come.

It is April THIS year. My problem is, I am not twenty or thirty any more, so time suddenly seems to be limited. I will definitely continue working on my skills, record every now and then and check progress.

And thank you al for your kind and encouraging comments, I really appreciate that and it helps a lot !

 

[Tom45]

I am beginning to feel frustrated.

Frustration is part of the guitar learning experience. Seven years ago, I decided to get serious with really learning how to play the guitar, and by that I mean practicing 4 or 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. I don't seem to be musically inclined, and I still get frustrated, but I can play a little better than I could 7 years ago, and I now know my way around the fret board a lot better. I'll never be a great guitar player, but at least I can entertain myself for a couple of hours on the guitar, and enjoy myself. It took me a few weeks to be able to play SEB to my satisfaction. The hard part for me was the timing, but now, it's easy to do. It takes lots of patience to learn the guitar, so keep at it and you will be rewarded. Taking some time off from the guitar once in a while also helps. Good Luck!

 

[Rad]

Forget beginner, I’ve been playing a long time and I have those moments and days when I get really frustrated and wonder if I’m ever going to “master” what ever it is I’m working on. After a brief melt down I remember how far I have come and get back to trying again, and again, and again.

Years ago as a beginner I remember thinking I was getting nowhere and my buddy said, “try playing left handed and you will quickly realize how far you have come” . He was right.

 

[sdbrit68]

Here is my explanation on guitar playing............sadly, generally only older guys get it.

The first time we drive a stick shit (manual transmission for you younger cats) we bounce it, stall it out
eventually we get to the point where it doesn't stall, but bounces a little, or we squeal the tires starting on a hill

One day, you get in the car, and everything works perfect, you don't even think about it, but you get a mile down the street and realize, you are doing it. It just works, you don't know how or why, it does.

Guitar is the same way, the first time I played Billy Squire "Lonely is the Night" it was horrendous. Then I would do a run through on it, and go off into practicing other things.

One day friends came over and we were screwing around, I played it without thinking, and it worked

just give it time, if you have sitting blues memorized, play it once a day and move on to other stuff, eventually the muscle memory will take over and it will blow you away

 

[Crossroads]

It is April THIS year. My problem is, I am not twenty or thirty any more, so time suddenly seems to be limited.

As with most of us. I think there are very few spring chickens around here most of the guys I know are 60 or over

Great group of guys and girls over here.

You ended up in a good place. If you get the chance come over and jam with us sometime. Some of our members fly in from England and Australia, and there's a group that gets together in the UK from time to time

 

[Rad]

One other thing that helped me, and still does, was learning to enjoy the process and where I am skill wise right now. . Try not to worry about where you want to get to; instead, enjoy where you are right now.

 

[MarkDyson]

At 58 and still not retired I’m one of the younger pups here. Been working at guitar for maybe three years and I still mostly just bang out open chords. Gots a long way to go, trying to just enjoy what I can do and not get too disheartened when adding new skills takes a long time.

 

[MarkDyson]

Oh, and I still can’t play Sitting Easy Blues; maybe the first half dozen bars but slowly. It’s been my roadblock in going through BBG. I know it’ll come in time, just gotta keep plugging.

 

[JohnHurley]

The first couple thousand hours of practice are the hardest.

It gets slowly better over time!

 

[Paleo]

“try playing left handed and you will quickly realize how far you have come”

That's a keeper.

 

[sloslunas]

All very good advice above. Bottom-line is that if you are serious about learning the guitar never give up! Tomorrow...you will suck less than you did today. Don't beat yourself up and enjoy the ride. Remember that this is supposed to be fun and not WORK...

Steve

 

[Walt H]

The first couple thousand hours of practice are the hardest.

It gets slowly better over time!

this is such a great post. It completely puts every thing right into perspective. If you practice 2 hrs/day 5 days per week 50 weeks per year. It will "only" take you 4 years to hit 2k hrs

 

[Bob630]

Don’t give up. It took me almost 2 weeks recording and re-recording to finally get a one that almost sounded acceptable. I am still not that happy with it but it keeps getting better. I have moved on to Full Out Blues but I always go back and try to get previous lessons better. Little steps one measure at a time and you will enjoy the journey.