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Ryan Vega · 2021-09-25T12:35:39-0700

I've seen recently a lot of people talking about how they feel like they aren't making progress and are becoming unmovtivated to play. I've been there and I know it sucks, but personally whenever I see that I am making progress whether during practice or even another day and have those "wow I couldn't do that before!" moments, it makes me really happy and I show all my friends even if they don't know wth i'm talking about it just makes it worth it to me haha. It wasn't always like this for me though I did a lot of research and learned to "practice, with the intent to get better", having that in my mind made all the difference for me so please save yourself years of frustration and think about that next time you get your guitar and start to practice and see how much faster you improve.

It's good to just have fun and improvise but if you're really trying to get better you need to dedicate time to that specifically, ideally every day, and not make the mistake of just noodling around and not pushing your limits, or you will just be noodling at that same level for ever, which is why I decided to make this 1 hour practice schedule and pass this knowledge that helped me on to all of you who read this and hopefully can help you to become a better player and make better use of this amazing resource we have here.

Try to do this or even your own variation of this everyday with the intent to get better

PART 1 - WARM UPS (Ideally warm ups that get you better as well as you're doing them)
5 minutes - Left hand warm up (legato phrases are great for this as they help you get better as well as warm up your left hand)
5 minutes - Right hand warm up (alternate picking phrases/scales/chord shapes for the same reason as above or even just chromatic runs ie. 1-2-3-4 up and down)

PART 2 - VOCABULARY BUILDING (To learn neck and epic shred licks)
15 minutes - Go learn and memorize a lesson/phrase from the course
15 minutes - Practice scales and arpeggios you already know, even if what you just learned is the all you know, start at BPM you're comfortable with, make sure you can play it clean 5 times at least, then increase metronome anywhere from 1-5 BPM and if you can't play it clean within a couple tries it would be smart to lower BPM a few to get it cleaner and start from there

PART 3 - IMPROVISATION/TECHNIQUE
20 minutes - The fun part! Apply what you've learned and jam over the backing tracks to really lock in what you learn. If you select recordings on the lessons there are backing tracks to play over, or you can even use that to figure out the key of what you're looking for and look up backing tracks on youtube, there are so many cool ones in different styles, bpm, etc. This will eventually allow you to shred and bust out these techiques you are learning on the fly.

PART 4 - REWARD YOURSELF, YOU'RE DONE!
Train your brain to WANT to practice more

PART 5 - RINSE AND REPEAT NEXT DAY
Usually after I do this routine I end up jamming/writing for a while or maybe if i'm really into it that day i'll keep practicing for even longer, maybe the same thing again or change it up a bit, and sometimes it's all I do that day, but it's okay because I know that I spent that hour improving mah skills.

Hope this helps someone that needs it, good luck as me anything.
I have some warm ups that helped me a lot i do pretty much every day that personally I think are worth gold that i'll try to get around to uploading for you guys too.

Dan Shipway · 2021-09-25T10:54:13-0700

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apologies in advanced for all the random blank moments, im not the most confident when it comes to talking

Chris Johnston · 2021-09-25T06:33:10-0700

Hey man! I'm sorry to hear you're feeling this way, but I can empathise for sure.

In times like this you have to remember that there's no deadline to have 'perfect' technique.

If it's any consolation, I feel like I've only figured out an alternate picking style that really works for me this year, and I've been trying to find it for 16 years. It's been a process of continual trial and error.

Reading what's happening without seeing a video of you playing, It sounds like you could be gripping the pick slightly tighter than you need to, and also possibly using too much pick, while pushing from your elbow. All of these things will result in the strings essentially feeling like a brick wall, which in turn will tire out whichever part of your arm or wrist you rely on to pick. The forearm is a big heavy limb, and the strings are very thin. So mostly the wrist is the ticket to what you want

Keeping your fingers tucked or not is personal preference, but as long as you're playing without loads of pick sticking out you'll be fine.

One tip I'd reccomend is to make sure your right hand is relaxed - Like really relaxed! One thing I've been doing is letting my shoulder relax and totally decompress, then just moving my wrist as if my forearm doesn't even exist, then listening to the results and adjusting based on what sounds and feels like I could do it for an extended period of time. The minute I feel any burn or tension, I stop, relax and retry. Doing this will stop the temptation to get the whole forearm involved and start building the quick, controlled muscle groups within the wrist.

Probably the most important tip I'd give is a mental one: the perception of what you feel like you should be able to do right now is what's frustrating you. If you can't do it yet, it's completely normal. If you see it in a negative light it will always be something you're competing against rather than working with. So whenever you start to feel that frustration, just remember that the more relaxed your mindset is, the more you're going to take in and learn regarding your technique, the more relaxed your whole body will be and the further you'll progress towards what you want to do.

Hope this helps!

Dominik Gräber · 2021-09-25T00:57:59-0700

Hell yeah, welcome back and what a monster of a guitar this is!

Arsia Rose · 2021-09-24T21:33:05-0700

Dan Shipway said:
Sure thing! I will be able to share one tomorrow as I have a pretty busy evening. On the topic of teachers I guess I didn't word it as well as I could've as I get lots of valuable information from being taught by them but it can be tough not having something to go to day in and day out for reference as I am taught weekly. Perhaps I will try to see about doing 2 a week to see if it helps with more consistent progress as I feel I make progress in lessons but struggle out of them

Have you brought these exact complaints to your teacher? If so what did they recommend? I look forward to your video

Calvin Phillips · 2021-09-24T16:23:37-0700

Dan Shipway said:
Over the years I have been playing guitar I have become very aware of the problems I have when playing guitar but no matter how hard I try or how many hours I put into watching YouTube videos on the issues nothing seems to get better. It's getting to the point where I dont want to play because its just a constant loop of "wake up, try to play something, fumble around because my technique is horse sh*t and then go to sleep feeling like im making no progress and wasting my time"

I do have a personal guitar teacher which has helped a lot but outside of lessons it can be difficult to maintain progress

The issues I find are:

When I get to the E and A strings when trying to pick lead lines my wrist is practically at a 90 degree angle to my arm and there is a lot of tension in my shoulder as there is no support for my arm as the strings are so close to my body. I have had some success with moving my arm instead of relying on my wrist for all the movement as the natural curvature of the wrist motion is what creates the awkward angles on higher strings.

When I am picking, the strings seem to be immovable, with every stroke it feels as though the pick is having to work unnecessarily hard to push through as apposed to a gliding motion that I see people like syn possess.

Following on from the gliding motion, I find with my picking that the motion of picking in general (because of the reason above) is very jerky. Going across strings foes not feel like a smooth movement, instead every string feels like its disconnected from each other and there are large jumps required to get to each string.

I constantly change picking positions and styles based on what strings I am playing due to discomfort and its difficult to find one that works across all strings

Lastly, I find that my fingers tend to uncurl themselves or move about when playing which is less than Ideal

Does anyone have any tips because it feels as though Im wasting my time trying to learn as I have made as I haven't made any more progress in the 10 years I have been playing than the first 3.

This may be easier to understand with a video.

Gabby Heafy · 2021-09-24T13:52:23-0700

Welcome Back!!

ari.mac · 2021-09-24T13:12:47-0700

devil'slittlesister · 2021-09-24T12:07:05-0700

Hi Dan! I'm sorry you're so frustrated. Although Ed covered pretty much everything (hail Ed), just gonna share my thoughts too. I definitely agree with it sounding like your strap being lower and changing how you hold your pick hopefully will help a lot. Also, I like to start off practicing by playing some scales and riffs etc. that I have already mastered- so I don't go into playing and immediately be like "oh shit I suckkk". Lastly and kind of a weird tip but I used to have a hard time with steel strings and it frustrated me a lot- so I started practicing on a nylon string guitar i had for a while- so I could learn without being focused on my problem with the strings. Then I would switch back over and practice the new things I learned while being able to put the majority of my attention on tackling my string related hindrances. I'm glad you're here, and im glad you said something.

Dan Shipway · 2021-09-24T11:53:49-0700

Sure thing! I will be able to share one tomorrow as I have a pretty busy evening. On the topic of teachers I guess I didn't word it as well as I could've as I get lots of valuable information from being taught by them but it can be tough not having something to go to day in and day out for reference as I am taught weekly. Perhaps I will try to see about doing 2 a week to see if it helps with more consistent progress as I feel I make progress in lessons but struggle out of them

Arsia Rose · 2021-09-24T11:08:18-0700

I'd like to say it would be best if you uploaded a video so we can truly hear you describe your frustrations with a guitar in your hand and demonstrate it. Ultimately, it sounds like changing what type of pick you use and your technique will be really great for you. Also you need a new teacher if your current teacher can't help you figure out your problems. If you upload a video I'd love to take a look at it.

Ed Seith · 2021-09-24T10:59:51-0700

Approaching it with stress WILL restrict you and slow you down - not even a question. Try a 5 or 10 minute meditation (the Calm app on your phone can help) before practice to help quell your failure anxiety.

Dan Shipway · 2021-09-24T10:57:16-0700

Thanks for everything Ed, there is so much useful advice here! I will admit I am harsh on myself and probably more than I need to be. Guitar for me has always been more about getting good than having fun because it was something that always gave me a sense of achievement and that kept me going so it can be very stressful at times when it feels like nothing is being achieved but all these tips are sure to help!

Ed Seith · 2021-09-24T10:04:52-0700

Can't go wrong with Randy leading the way. Except most of us guys can't pull off polka dots.

Ed Seith · 2021-09-24T10:02:08-0700

Dan Shipway said:
Over the years I have been playing guitar I have become very aware of the problems I have when playing guitar but no matter how hard I try or how many hours I put into watching YouTube videos on the issues nothing seems to get better. It's getting to the point where I dont want to play because its just a constant loop of "wake up, try to play something, fumble around because my technique is horse sh*t and then go to sleep feeling like im making no progress and wasting my time"

I understand, and you're not alone. Sometimes when you can't overcome an obstacle, you have to look for new or different solutions/approaches. A different teacher may help, or looking into some courses about pick mechanics. Troy Grady gets into so much detail that is can be overwhelming, but I find Ben Higgins to be excellent in this area. He also says a lot of things to try to inspire you.

Home

Online guitar lessons that cut through the nonsense. Get more picking speed, faster legato, better vibrato and build a solid, unshakeable guitar technique that you can rely on for any genre such as rock, metal, shred, blues, jazz or country.

www.benhigginsofficial.com

If you pay for some of the gym courses, you get the real exercises and detailed explanations and gotchas. Look into him.

Dan Shipway said:
I do have a personal guitar teacher but I haven't been able to resolve my issues through going to the lessons so here I am asking for advice.

The issues I find are:

When I get to the E and A strings when trying to pick lead lines my wrist is practically at a 90 degree angle to my arm and there is a lot of tension in my shoulder as there is no support for my arm as the strings are so close to my body. I have had some success with moving my arm instead of relying on my wrist for all the movement as the natural curvature of the wrist motion is what creates the awkward angles on higher strings.

My first thought here is that you may need to lower your strap? Not Hetfield low, but a little lower might help you with location and pivot. Worth an experiment.

Dan Shipway said:
When I am picking, the strings seem to be immovable, with every stroke it feels as though the pick is having to work unnecessarily hard to push through as apposed to a gliding motion that I see people like syn possess.

There used to be a pick that was made for this. It was called the stylus, and it forced you to ONLY used the very tip of the pick, or it would completely fuck everything up. If you can't "move through the string," then you're either putting too much pick below the string, or gripping the pick a little to hard.

Dan Shipway said:
Following on from the gliding motion, I find with my picking that the motion of picking in general (because of the reason above) is very jerky. Going across strings foes not feel like a smooth movement, instead every string feels like its disconnected from each other and there are large jumps required to get to each string.

I constantly change picking positions and styles based on what strings I am playing due to discomfort and its difficult to find one that works across all strings

Lastly, I find that my fingers tend to uncurl themselves or move about when playing which is less than Ideal

Meh. I can't play with my fingers curled AT ALL. They are always fanned out and usually muting the higher strings. "Less than ideal" is from some peoples' point of view. In the holding the pick lesson, PG shows us how Syn holds the pick, and then goes on to say he can't even pretend that feels right for him (IIRC). Me too. If I try to hold the pick like Syn, I can't even find the damn strings with my pick. It's a total non-starter. There are as many workable ways to hold the pick as there are players. Being comfortable and not hurting yourself are #1.

Dan Shipway said:
Does anyone have any tips because it feels as though Im wasting my time trying to learn as I have made as I haven't made any more progress in the 10 years I have been playing than the first 3.

Progress is not a linear thing, especially with ANYTHING related to learning. I'm 51 years old. I learned more in my first 10 years on this earth than in the 41 that followed, and it just keeps slowing down. Partly because I'm old and falling apart, but mostly because in the beginning, EVERYTHING is new and learning. The more you learn, the harder it is to learn more.

Hang in there, bud. We like having you here, and even if you never get any better than you are now, you're still a guitar player, which is a fuck of a lot better than most people can claim in their pathetic useless lives.

alexj · 2021-09-24T09:59:18-0700

Hey good to have you back and that guitar looks amazing!!

Ekrem Taha Ünlü · 2021-09-24T09:55:57-0700

Jamie London · 2021-09-24T09:40:07-0700

Welcome back brother! Stoked to see that you swooped on such a beast of a guitar and excited to see all you’re going to do with it!

Dan Shipway · 2021-09-24T08:02:34-0700

Over the years I have been playing guitar I have become very aware of the problems I have when playing guitar but no matter how hard I try or how many hours I put into watching YouTube videos on the issues nothing seems to get better. It's getting to the point where I dont want to play because its just a constant loop of "wake up, try to play something, fumble around because my technique is horse sh*t and then go to sleep feeling like im making no progress and wasting my time"

I do have a personal guitar teacher which has helped a lot but outside of lessons it can be difficult to maintain progress

The issues I find are:

When I get to the E and A strings when trying to pick lead lines my wrist is practically at a 90 degree angle to my arm and there is a lot of tension in my shoulder as there is no support for my arm as the strings are so close to my body. I have had some success with moving my arm instead of relying on my wrist for all the movement as the natural curvature of the wrist motion is what creates the awkward angles on higher strings.

When I am picking, the strings seem to be immovable, with every stroke it feels as though the pick is having to work unnecessarily hard to push through as apposed to a gliding motion that I see people like syn possess.

Following on from the gliding motion, I find with my picking that the motion of picking in general (because of the reason above) is very jerky. Going across strings foes not feel like a smooth movement, instead every string feels like its disconnected from each other and there are large jumps required to get to each string.

I constantly change picking positions and styles based on what strings I am playing due to discomfort and its difficult to find one that works across all strings

Lastly, I find that my fingers tend to uncurl themselves or move about when playing which is less than Ideal

Does anyone have any tips because it feels as though Im wasting my time trying to learn as I have made as I haven't made any more progress in the 10 years I have been playing than the first 3.

Chris Johnston · 2021-09-24T05:23:31-0700

Aw yes! Love Brushy One String

Rg49 · 2021-09-24T03:05:40-0700

Kevin Kwasneski said:
Mark Tremonti is my guitar idol!!! Have you read the book that goes along with his Dying Machine album?

Who's your favourite out of Syn and Mark honestly?

Jeremy Healey · Thursday at 6:52 PM

Login to view embedded media Continuing the Billy Talent kick, they released a new song a couple weeks ago! And I attended their first concert in 2 years and they played this song before it was released

Jeremy Healey · Thursday at 6:48 PM

Gabby Heafy said:
New
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Absolutely love their new song! Super heavy

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Question Guitar is just nothing but frustration 24/7

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Guitar is just nothing but frustration 24/7