What level were you at after 6 years?

[BenoA]

Tequila seems to be the best technique aid so far.

For me it's Jack Daniels

[Disturbing Manor]

Learn SONGS. Nobody wants to hear you shred and go "wheedlewheedlewheedle" anyway if you don't know some songs to do it in. Unless you're Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, 85% of your playing (if you're lucky) is going to be rythm. When you think about it that way, filling up 15% of your time with Guitar-God Awesomeness doesn't seem like such a tall order.

[tonemonster]

AND THE DRAGON COMES IN THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ginsambo]

Playing guitar is like building something. If you can draw it, it can be built. If you can sing it or work out the notes and phrasing in your head, it can be played. Without that concept you are only going to be treading water or stuck in a rut....like sometimes your whole life. Technique evolves naturally, but the guitar is just a tool at the end of the day, an instrument like any other. The rhythm, sense of timing and tonality and ear are all in your head. Nothing particularly special about it. If you miss the fundamentals you are doomed to a life of crappy riffs and badly executed show off shreds. Once you have the music in your head, learn where the notes are on the guitar and how they sound in different positions and with different pick attack. Simple as that.

You have to dig it, be self critical and open minded. It is ALL in your mind.

Sometimes a good session singing in the toilet is worth a months practice on the guitar, mindlessly repeated something you are trying to emulate. Bending notes and just getting sounds or developing your right hand rhythm can be more stimulating and uselful than playing parts, shredding runs or scales etc.

For technique practice blues riffs by Jimi, Joe Perry or Slash or Stevie or Buddy Guy etc, you'll get way way way more out of that than practicing shredding. Shredding comes quick quickly once you get co ordination but on its own it is nothing, it may as well be synthesized and can be done on any instrument. The special thing about the guitar is its ability to scream. To have the strength to play OTT blues riffs and little runs over bends that scream and whale and blow your mind takes a lot of strength and competance. Once you got that, learn to shred, then people will want to hear and watch you. All the best guitar player IMO have the blues and the different sounds before they even think of shredding and that is what sets them apart. No one wants to watch a perfectly executed flight of the bumble bee at 3 million notes per second without that bit of extra sauce

I found that the ability to shred and reight hand co-ordination actually took away some of the magic that was my sound as I began concentrating and relying on that with all four fingers to feel stuff, rather than expressing a voice. Like it neutered me somehow and I forgot what I was trying to say.

Haven't said all that, best thing I like about the blues is being able to turn your mind off when your playing. I don't know how you get to that stage, one day it just clicks I guess.

[ginsambo]

Learn SONGS. Nobody wants to hear you shred and go "wheedlewheedlewheedle" anyway if you don't know some songs to do it in. Unless you're Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, 85% of your playing (if you're lucky) is going to be rythm. When you think about it that way, filling up 15% of your time with Guitar-God Awesomeness doesn't seem like such a tall order.

What he said really. Say you turn up to a band audition. There is a bass player, a drummer and a singer. You lay down a blazing lead line and they just stare at you blankly afterwards like 'So what can you actually play then?' .... So you end up playing 'Smoke on Water'

You have to assume you are the only guitarist in the band and the bass player can barely play three notes and the singer is good but only has a five tone range, so you have to produce the driving rhythms, the melody, the fills, spills and interludes and hooks and the climatic blazing lead lines. The bassist and drummer are out of sync and the whole band depends on you to keep it together and carry or drive the audience to another place, keep that in your head and you'll do well and learn fast, be adaptable, be in demand and be appreciated. You cannot turn up and expect the rhythm section to lay down 12 bar blues exclusively for your masturbation and honestly it ain't that new and there are millions of guys down the bar that can do it better.

Remember you will always be second fiddle to a good looking singer anyway. Its team work, the more you give the more you can get.

Don't be afraid to ask..anyone about stuff, the worse that can happen is they can spit at you, punch you in the face and pour beer over you, completely humilate you in front of all the women and ruin your career, but if they are like that, then fuck 'em. Also if you are completely crap after 6 years, or more to the point, it bothers you that you are not forfilling your potential after 6 years, then don't be afraid to go and seek out some lessons, it will help you overcome your stumbling blocks.

[horns666]

I could play Eruption note for note ..while juggling 3 marshmallow Peeps.