Author Topic: hitting a plateau (Read 3283 times)

futuregun · « **on:** August 22, 2007, 10:08:56 PM »

has anyone out there hit a plateau in playing guitar, i mean technique wise or just in writing aswell as of late ive been having trouble accomplishing what i want in both departments,ive been playin on.off for three years so consider myself very much a beginner still.
is this common enough as its sorta disheartening....as is watchin petrucci's rock discipline.... :roll:
but gotta keep pluggin along,tryin to learn heartwork by carcass atm...tough going its fast.
anyone recommend any good challengin acoustic stuff?i.e harder than bob dylan...

blue · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2007, 02:31:47 AM »

absolutely! when i was first learning it seemed i reached a new peak in what i could do pretty regularly. as you get better, it gets harder and harder to reach a new peak, it takes a lot more work. the key seems to be to do something totally different. like, if you're a metal player (which i'm guessing you are) lay into a couple of jazz tunes or a classical piece, even some pop, soul or funk! as well as broadening your horizons it puts your fingers and your mind in places they aren't used to, which will start to appear in your usual playing.

it's a different thing from "i need to practice 8 hours a day to make my arpeggios/tapped licks/mad riffs 10% faster", but i reckon the results are much more interesting.

Nadz1lla · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2007, 02:38:55 AM »

I can't seem to get any better tbh, I am completely self taught since I was 16, that's almost 10 years now and my solo's still only consist of a dabbling of tapping and pentatonic scales, lol.

I think I have reached a point now where I really should get my wallet out and cough up for lessons, otherwise I'm not going to pick up anything new. I was thinking actually getting Jazz guitar lessons. There seems to be a higher all-round level of skill involved, so it could really perk up my metal playing.

I will not, however, be resorting to Yngwie videos. "Welcome to...Arpeggio's from Heall". I refuse to get caught in the "recycling arpeggio's" rut, lol. :roll:

blue · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2007, 02:46:29 AM »

Alex Skolnick ( spelt right?) from Testament was a mad metal shredder who was all into jazz and world guitar. reckoned it gave him different perspectives to come at his playing from. and, of course, Marty Friedman ex of Megadeth had/has a similar attitude.

it isn't necessarily about improving technique, changing your viewpoint, your approach, can make huge differences to your playing.

CJ · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2007, 03:32:33 AM »

Quote from: futuregun

has anyone out there hit a plateau in playing guitar, i mean technique wise or just in writing aswell as of late ive been having trouble accomplishing what i want in both departments,ive been playin on.off for three years so consider myself very much a beginner still.
is this common enough as its sorta disheartening....as is watchin petrucci's rock discipline.... :roll:
but gotta keep pluggin along,tryin to learn heartwork by carcass atm...tough going its fast.
anyone recommend any good challengin acoustic stuff?i.e harder than bob dylan...

sounds almost too close to me! mainly its that i find it hard to sit down and play for all too long. it seems like an hour is like a maximum for me. i know that i have to find something more challenging to get myself going, but its hard for me. I'm at the point where i can play some tough stuff, but i'm no shredder. I can't find any good songs to learn that are right in the range i'm looking for- difficult, but with no sweeping and completely rediculous solos. I may ask my teacher if he can teach me Mr. Crowley.
actually, while we're at it, does anyone know of any good acoustic/classical fingerpicking songs to learn? i've recently dug my dads classical acoustic back out...

Elliot · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2007, 07:58:49 AM »

To master acoustic finger picking I reckon you got to start with Davey Graham's Angi - its like the Stairway to Heaven for fingerstylists: essential but banned in most guitar shops.

Learn it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntdGoKj2gE&mode=related&search=

Nadz1lla · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2007, 09:22:59 AM »

Quote from: blue

Alex Skolnick ( spelt right?) from Testament was a mad metal shredder who was all into jazz and world guitar. reckoned it gave him different perspectives to come at his playing from. and, of course, Marty Friedman ex of Megadeth had/has a similar attitude.

it isn't necessarily about improving technique, changing your viewpoint, your approach, can make huge differences to your playing.

Yeah, and aren't the guys from Meshugga jazz-trained too? There's quite a few bands out there who have had more than a few lessons from Jazz teachers, and I agree, it's more about broadening your horizons. I'd like to learn how to read music despite failing miserably to learn it from many teachers through my life.

I don't know if there is such a thing as musical dyslexia but if there is I think I have it, as I really cannot grasp the reading of music. It's just so alien to me. Tab on the other hand is fairly easy, but even that requires a lot of effort for me.

_tom_ · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2007, 12:22:54 PM »

Quote from: Elliot

To master acoustic finger picking I reckon you got to start with Davey Graham's Angi - its like the Stairway to Heaven for fingerstylists: essential but banned in most guitar shops.

Learn it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntdGoKj2gE&mode=related&search=

bloody hell thats so hard :x My fingerpicking really needs work, I cant even play theme a very well

Elliot · « **Reply #8 on:** August 23, 2007, 01:26:37 PM »

Its more a knack than difficult- at first you're used to a pick, so you don't have the co-ordination - you have to get the thumb to play one part and the fingers to play the other part - With acoustic fingerstyle it helps to play the bass line separately for a bit, then the melody part separately and eventually put them together.

futuregun · « **Reply #9 on:** August 23, 2007, 04:09:27 PM »

wahey!! i just sat down to try something different an came up with a nice wee classical sounding piece...abeit only about 5bars long but hey its a start....now i gotta refrain from tryin to kick it into some deathmetal lol.

CJ · « **Reply #10 on:** August 26, 2007, 04:40:42 AM »

hey thanks a lot for that song elliot! i haven't even noticed i've been working on it for an hour already! i thought it was ten minutes. anyway, i've got A, and B down. i haven't looked at C yet. this wasn't what i was talking about by keeping a bassline down though, this is actually rather easy. if you can't play the bass notes, don't even look at them as separate bass notes. just pinch them together with the high notes, just think of it like some type of chord. when i was learning A and B, i started slow. i didn't realize there was a bass line thingy until i played it fast.

Ted · « **Reply #11 on:** August 26, 2007, 06:55:08 PM »

Quote from: Nadz1lla

I can't seem to get any better tbh, I am completely self taught since I was 16, that's almost 10 years now and my solo's still only consist of a dabbling of tapping and pentatonic scales, lol.

I think I have reached a point now where I really should get my wallet out and cough up for lessons, otherwise I'm not going to pick up anything new. I was thinking actually getting Jazz guitar lessons. There seems to be a higher all-round level of skill involved, so it could really perk up my metal playing.

I will not, however, be resorting to Yngwie videos. "Welcome to...Arpeggio's from Heall". I refuse to get caught in the "recycling arpeggio's" rut, lol. :roll:

You sound like me! I have however finally coughed up and got a teacher and it makes me much much more "at peace with the instrument"...

CJ · « **Reply #12 on:** August 27, 2007, 03:57:27 AM »

learned the whole of anji/angi (whichever) except for that very last little lick that he doesn't show in the video. thanks for posting that elliot, that got me back into classical guitar for the time. i'm now trying to perfect Dee and Classical Gas.