I came to the conclusion that I suck on guitar!

[bombtek]

I've been playing since 1983 now and I really don't play any songs correctly...I just get it close by ear shrug my shoulders and say to myself ehhh close enough.

I have zero discipline when trying to learn anything new. I get bored with it and then just go off into a (badly played) noodling tangent that includes as many pinch harmonics that I can get in while playing basically the same licks that I've been playing for the past 20 years.

I'd like to get better, my fingers are more than capable. I have been told by others ..hey you're pretty damn good... even other guitar players...but in reality, I KNOW I suck and that my playing is a joke.

Oh well. I'll just keep doing what I do cause it's all I know how to do LOL.

OK pity party rant over LOL.

[Spivonious]

I sometimes feel the same way. Try learning some new songs instead of playing your old standbys. Learn a new scale and noodle around in that for a while. It forces you to come up with new licks.

[horns666]

That sounds like me, but add 10 more years. Unfortunately, my playing hand is paralyzed from an injury, ..but still I play somehow with my lifeless mitt. My pinky and ring finger doesn't work.

I accept it because I have no choice..but I refused to quit.

Welcome to the club man..

[Hellbat]

I am in a similar boat. What I do for motivation is when I pick up my guitar is I really work on finding melodies that I enjoy "noodling" and then try to play them expressing different feelings/emotions.

I'll never be a sweep picking metronomer but I can make my guitar cry/scream/growl good enough to get an emotional release from my playing. If I never play for other people in my life I don't care, I'm happy enough just expressing myself through my instrument.

[Slik_Karl]

I am in a similar boat. What I do for motivation is when I pick up my guitar is I really work on finding melodies that I enjoy "noodling" and then try to play them expressing different feelings/emotions.

I'll never be a sweep picking metronomer but I can make my guitar cry/scream/growl good enough to get an emotional release from my playing. If I never play for other people in my life I don't care, I'm happy enough just expressing myself through my instrument.

+1 I play because it makes me happy!

[tooslowhand]

Whenever I feel down in the dumps I usually just blame my equipment, sell the guitar I am currently sucking on and buy a new one. It's all psychological.

[scotty]

I think we all feel this way and that is what keeps us motivated to keep improving. I know some times I tell myself I am so limited at what I know. So some times I just keep playing the same things and just to move horizontally across the fretboard. Yes I am a pentatonic guy.

[Endrik]

blaming the equipment is great, I remember there was this bass event where all the players got on the stage and jammed, most of the dudes were funk and fusion cats and there was also Billy Sheehan. They started to play some tune which had those tricky jazz chord progressions, Billy tried to play something on top of it but it sounded like crap, then he made a face like there's something wrong with the amp... he proceeded to his amp, started to tweak it but with his left hand he hit different notes on the fretboard trying to figure out what fucking key the tune is in

[rjohnstone]

I've been playing for nearly 20 years now and I really don't play any songs correctly...I just get it close by ear shrug my shoulders and say to myself ehhh close enough.

I have zero discipline when trying to learn anything new. I get bored with it and then just go off into a (badly played) noodling tangent that includes as many pinch harmonics that I can get in while playing basically the same licks that I've been playing for the past 20 years.

I'd like to get better, my fingers are more than capable. I have been told by others ..hey you're pretty damn good... even other guitar players...but in reality, I KNOW I suck and that my playing is a joke.

Oh well. I'll just keep doing what I do cause it's all I know how to do LOL.

OK pity party rant over LOL.

You too huh?!?!
Welcome to the club.

Sounds EXACTLY what I do.

[Matt_B]

There are lots of way to stimulate your playing:
- Play along with a drum machine. New grooves that you might never play with can be a lot of fun.
- Get a copy of "Band in the Box". It's basically an accompaniment program complete with drums, bass, chords progressions, melodies, etc. The songs that come with it are more on the pop/jazz angle but that's a great way to try something new. You can easily change the key signature too if you really want to.
- If you're in a rut on an electric, play an acoustic or vice versa. I play both of them a little differently so that switch helps keep things fresh for me.
- Throw away a pick and just use your fingers.
- Take a string off your guitar. Yes, that sounds crazy but it's a good way to force you to string skip and learn different ways of phrasing things.
- Play along with the TV. Try to learn all the little bits of music you hear during TV shows, movies, and commercials. That's how I learn to play the themes from "Hogan's Heroes" and "Gilligan's Island".
- Get a copy of "Guitar Pro. Write some exercises yourself. You can learn whatever you want at your own pace. I use this tool extensively. I go so far as to print out exercises so I can practice them when I'm not at my PC.
- Learn how to play vocal melodies on guitar. This is a great way to work on your phrasing. My faves for this are the Beatles, Queen and Billy Joel's "Honesty.

Hope that helps.

[Outlander]

- Learn how to play vocal melodies on guitar. This is a great way to work on your phrasing. My faves for this are the Beatles, Queen and Billy Joel's "Honesty.

Try somewhere over the rainbow it's great for this, it's especially fun when you get to the staccato part! I'll play it using as few strings as possible and then go the other way spreading across as many strings as I can. It sounds the best combining the two variations. Some great string slides in there that can really make it sing.

[VitaminG]

blaming the equipment is great, I remember there was this bass event where all the players got on the stage and jammed, most of the dudes were funk and fusion cats and there was also Billy Sheehan. They started to play some tune which had those tricky jazz chord progressions, Billy tried to play something on top of it but it sounded like crap, then he made a face like there's something wrong with the amp... he proceeded to his amp, started to tweak it but with his left hand he hit different notes on the fretboard trying to figure out what fucking key the tune is in

that's just what my bass player does when he forgets what key we're playing a song in!!


bombtek, you've just described an average day in my guitar life too. And when I'm at a gig and clamming my way through some pop/rock solo that I had learned but have kinda since forgot, I wonder why I'm not a lot better player considering the amount of time I spend with a guitar in my lap.

Maybe I need to take the beer & nuts off the guitar, turn the thing over and actually start playing it.....

[QuantumRider]

Maybe I need to take the beer & nuts off the guitar, turn the thing over and actually start playing it.....

But then where would you put your beer?

[Vass]

I'm in the same boat, bro- That's why I started with lessons again and I'm loving it. I have no fuckin idea what the guy's talking about half the time ("NO! The TONIC not the 7th! Play the tonic and then the....") but some of it is sinking in and it's pretty great.

Buy some books, just learn some small thing. I am in no position to lecture, only to tell you what's worked for me- I learn something and there's this "AHA!" moment and a whole new area to work on just opens up.

[tonemonster]

havent you guys heard? its always the equipment's fault. always. its just that we all picked the wrong gear. thats why we suck.