Hey guys!

This Tuesday, I'm starting up my guitar lessons again with my good ol' Berklee graduate instructor. I've been slacking with my guitar playing for a while now, due to school, but I still manage to play every day. I just want to get back in the groove of REALLY playing, and I know Craig(my instructor) is going to push me hard like he's always have, and I just want to keep up with him.

SO, I just want to know if there's anything anyone here would recommend me doing to help me get back in the swing of things. I've been taking theory classes at my high school all year, and they've helped me get a WHOLE new understanding of things I thought I already knew, which is AWESOME , and I've started to practice my scales and arpeggios again. So if anyone can suggest anything more I could do, I'd be VERY grateful. Thank you!!

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

Sounds like you're on the right track for success, play on Khashoggi!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Haha, thank you, SBLS!!

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

HI, A few things i did when i got back into guitar with a teacher. Get some kind of recorder. I have a Boss Dr 07. Because later in the week you will try to think of what he is teaching. And if you have it on disk, and why not your paying for that time. Next Get a metronome. Man that thing tells the truth about how your hitting the note. Also get a music stand. So you can look at the stuff you need to learn. My teacher said you have to make a place that's easy to learn. That way your more likely to get down to it.. A few things i did when i had a hard arpeggio to learn was get that blue painters tape and put little pieces of tape om the fret board so I didn't have to keep trying to find where I was on the tab. Sounds lame,but hay, I want to be better. And because I cant find the devil to sell my soul I have to do it the most easiest and fastest way. Just how I do things, not for everybody. Aloha ,Mark P.S. my teacher is Tom Conway. Check out his web site (Google him) he plays Gypsy Jazz. Well he can play anything.....

Always try to keep it in mind what rewards you'll reap, for doing it the more challenging way, with lessons. Focus on the positives, never allow the old stinkin' thinkin' to happen, where doubt creeps in, and you get frustrated when the going gets tough in those difficult to play parts, thinking that your'e failing. It's supposed to be tough, and it's rough for everyone. Don't ever buy into the "i ought to be doing better" idea caused by that doubt. Doubt can be crippling to your faith, in your normally obvious to yourself, ability to succeed. Hang in there, perserverance is what makes every great player great. The willingness to stay the course will see you through to great satisfaction later. Your ability to commit to the lessons that you already know will be hard, shows that you already have the right stuff. Always remember that you will never stop learning more, as long as you are a musician. It's never a ending learning process that will keep you both challenged and rewarded. Always be open to new ideas, avoid learning bad habits that are hard to break later. Learn as much as you can about common pitfalls that musicians before you have learned the hard way from. Just as you've done here, never stop asking questions, or you may miss something too important to pass by, by being shy about asking. There are no stupid questions. How else can we learn? Going it alone doing trial and error is slow, often painfull work, and this is where a lot of those bad habits are formed. Always, always, always, Keep it positive, and make it fun somehow! And finally remember to pass your blessings on, to the ones who come after you. What is freely received, should be freely given, in the spirit of goodwill towards those who will benefit greatly from your experience! That's my humble opinon, for what it's worth. I hope my input is of some small help to you. Finally, i would be remiss, if i failed to acknowledge the Fender company as a whole, and a special thanks to Brad Traweek for making this venue possible. And all the honorable folks that frequent these forums, who are the backbone of it all, that regularly give of themselves to help those who are in need of their sage advice!

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I believe in Christianity as i believe that the sun has risen. not only because i see it, but because by it, i see everything else. C.S. Lewis

I have a suggestion for you. First of all keep on doing what you doing right now, but do also something totally different.

I mean this, if you are now playing and learning rock music, playing an electric guitar, get an acoustic one as well, and learn some country, or classical music, etc.

Even try to learn music styles you do not like at all, you still will benefit from it.

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The Guitar Classroom provides online guitar lessons for anyone who wants to learn to play guitar

That's all awesome advice!! Thank you, markdavid!! The one thing I've been sorely lacking is a music stand....all I have now is my knee or bed when I'm playing from sheet music.

Thanks again!!

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

HOLY.
CRAP.
Was that a word(or words ) from the wise or what?!?!?!?

Wow, I can't thank you enough for that, davemercier!! GOD. SO much fantastic advice there....I sincerely THANK YOU for posting that--not just for me, but for everyone here who might be lucky enough to read that post, as well.

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

Haha, yes, this is exactly what I AM doing!! I love playing songs from all kinds of different genres, and I'm currently in love with my acoustic!! I always say that I learn something different from every genre, and it's SO true--I always seem to manage to incorporate whatever I've learned into a new song I write, whether that influence be big or small. I think it's an awesome way to branch out and discover new things you yourself would never think would be possible to think of or play.

I thank you for your wonderful advice, as it's so awesome to hear from someone who thinks the same way as I do.

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

I think davemercier was right. You have to keep pushing at the point where you may feel like quitting, and putting that guitar in the corner for a conversation piece.

For me it was like- I had to lock myself in my room for hours and WORK away, and as I kept on doing that, I'd gain more confidence every day.

I read something that Steve Howe said about practice: "Practice with precision". To me that's what will separate you from other musicians.

I don't believe for a minute that even classically trained guitarists have a lock on talent. What most of them had was a parent who stuck an instrument in their hands at the age of 6 and forced them to practice.

I don't know what level your playing at but I think this is the approach
that even the most accomplished musicians take.

Hard work pays off.

Haha, I agree 100% with you!!

I, too, lock myself up in my room and WORK at "nourishing" my budding skills at one particular challenging thing, and once I eventually master what was once tough for me, the feeling of sheer joy is simply fantastic. I LOVE that feeling, as I'm sure everyone here does.

Thank you for your post. It makes me want to practice even MORE now.

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

last summer i took a break from lessons... now while i didnt really improve technically, i got WAAAAAY more into it... i stayed up till 6-7 am just playing, learning new songs and noodling around with power chords... then when school got back i started up lessons again and the teaching+ my renewed interest = some serious improvement in the first few weeks... i went from barely being able to pull of an alt rock solo to rippin through blues improv in a matter of weeks. always pay attention to the teacher (unlike school) and practice as much as you can

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies