chris77 I reckon if you've simply become bored, then you need a change. But it will have to be a something that puts the grin back on your face and not just a new challenge or two. Playing should be fun imo. That's probably the 2nd reason I will always be a mediocre player. To get good you need to practice practice practice - and I don't enjoy that repetition at all. But give me an acoustic to bang out a few open chords on or a backtrack I can jam along with and I will play for as long as possible. Because it's fun and I love doing it. So my bit of advice is to go back to playing what you enjoy. Forget about what you feel you have to do or what you need to do to to feel you've accomplished something. Don't force it. Just try and remember what it is that makes you happy when you play and just do that for a bit. I hear the okes rooting for you to push through it and all that, but if you don't enjoy doing so then what's the point? If you enjoy playing, you will want to do it more. And the more you do it, the better you'll get. And the better you get the more reasons you will find to enjoy it. Anyhow, enough rambling. Happy pickins' dude.
NorioDS Norman86 wrote Well Norio, I do hope things work out for you! May you still break many more strings! Or at least need to set intonation on your FR bridge many more times in your life ? Thanks but I hope for neither ? Playing a fixed bridge is much easier and I've only had 2 strings breaking on me - I prefer to avoid surprises ?
Sean Norio wrote .... and I've only had 2 strings breaking on me - I prefer to avoid surprises ? You've only ever had two strings break on you? ??? You really do need to play more ? Good luck
DonovanB Warren wrote Stratisfear wrote Which is why I actually find your requirement that the band is looking for a "lead guitarist" bothersome. I mean you no disrespect at all, but I think you should broaden what you're looking for - the results may just surprise you and force you to take on some new skills you didn't have before. The pinnacle of guitar-playing is not necessarily to float over the other stuff going on. (Besides, the notion of "lead guitar" isn't narrow for me. When it is, it's boring, IMO.) +1; Keith Richards said "You can't go into a guitar shop and ask for a 'Lead Guitar.' You're a guitar player, and you play a guitar." http://durban.gumtree.co.za/c-Stuff-for-Sale-musical-instruments-LOOKING-FOR-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-W0QQAdIdZ264054013 you can do it on gumtree....
Norman86 Donovan Banks wrote Warren wrote Stratisfear wrote Which is why I actually find your requirement that the band is looking for a "lead guitarist" bothersome. I mean you no disrespect at all, but I think you should broaden what you're looking for - the results may just surprise you and force you to take on some new skills you didn't have before. The pinnacle of guitar-playing is not necessarily to float over the other stuff going on. (Besides, the notion of "lead guitar" isn't narrow for me. When it is, it's boring, IMO.) +1; Keith Richards said "You can't go into a guitar shop and ask for a 'Lead Guitar.' You're a guitar player, and you play a guitar." http://durban.gumtree.co.za/c-Stuff-for-Sale-musical-instruments-LOOKING-FOR-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-W0QQAdIdZ264054013 you can do it on gumtree.... I didnt know you could get a guitar made from lead for only R1500!!! ? Sean wrote Norio wrote .... and I've only had 2 strings breaking on me - I prefer to avoid surprises ? You've only ever had two strings break on you? ??? You really do need to play more ? Good luck I havent had ANY string breaks... yet! lol!! :-[ Maybe i just have a light touch?!
Bob-Dubery Well I got a sudden burst of inspiration/motivation. I have (gasp) TWO gigs coming up. What a busy year. OK... one I will be on standby in case of a late cancellation or an unexpected surplus of time. The other I will be playing with Hugh Cumming's band. I also have to make the repertoire calls for both occasions. I don't get to play live very often, and even less with other musicians, and I make the most of such occasions by doing songs I haven't done before. Even though I will be playing with a band I have to teach them the songs first, so I have to have my stuff down. EDIT: One of the songs I'm working on is an old English song "Nottamun Town". I suppose that any guitar arrangement of this song is really a bit of a shot in the dark and a bit of a liberty as it was originally sung without accompaniament. I know the tune (everybody knows the tune - Dylan borrowed it for "Masters Of War") but I'm not that concerned with reproducing it exactly - assuming there is a definitive arrangement, and there doesn't seem to be. Working out your own arrangements is a little bit of fun and creativity. It can also be a way to play within your own limitations. I've worked out an arrangement with a little introductory passage. It has a chord change that, for me, is difficult. Stratisfear would probably get it right first time in his sleep, playing with his toes and probably without a guitar, but I have to work a little harder. I have to push myself a little so that I can play something close to what I hear in my head. Which is good. Moral of the story (or a moral): Have something to work towards.
singemonkey Bob, the last arrangement I did - of "Don't Fence Me In" (the old commercial tune from the '40s) - I had a bit which is still too difficult for me to pull off ? Sometimes making up your own stuff can be worse when you put stuff in that you know is possible, but actually requires a level of manual dexterity that you don't possess. I had a very Chet Atkinsy type solo in the song with this very fast hybrid travis picking in it that I fluff 4 times in 5.
Bob-Dubery Squonk wrote Must supply dates Bob ? All in good time, Squonkums, all in good time. But not this week, nor the next. I will be sure to give GFSA good warning.
