I don't think it's all about the learning formula, MDV. I don't associate "lack of some thing new to play" with being in a rut. That process you mention is a big part of the rut for most of us like Jonny stated. We can work on scales and sweeps and other's songs and whatnot, but it doesn't do much for the mental excitement you get when you write material that really gets your rocks off and sounds like "you" or "you at this time period." It feels good to play someone else's feelings as they do(or just learn the robot finger dance with some of the Metal and Jazz), but getting yourself into the guitar is the problem I'm trying to present. I don't mean like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC-49GnjdTE
Which is where the 'new things that you like' comes in, followed by the 'integrate into your own playing'. Why you would read me suggesting you find something different that you'd like to play and integrate it into your own playing and reply with 'but I dont want to play things I dont like, or bore me' I dont know.
We're all, as guitarists, the sum of our influences and what we've learned filtered and adapted by our own tastes and sensibilities, what gets our rocks off. That starts, has to start, with the dry music and technical form of it, even if its very simple music. I'm not talking about tech death metal or jazz here. You learn what it is, musically and mechanically and when you have that grip of the foundation of it, you can start to play with the basic new ideas you've just learned with the vibe and feel that you want them to have, or find they can have, within your own musical idiom.
I'm finding it very difficult here to see agreement between eschewing learning new techniques, fingerings, musical ideas and being a creative guitarist. It, to my mind, is like saying "I not know how express myself on words from mouth" and then refusing to learn grammar and develop your vocabulary.
my 2p. If you still dont see what I'm trying to say here theres nothing more I can say to try to help you.
