this is lasting so long now that im actually getting a little depressed about it now. is it me or does playing the guitar just consist of either being in a rut or just coming out of one?

every now and then you will just get stuck and will not progress much n get frustrated, and not even get your gear to sound how it did the day before... then youll have a bit of a break through, your playing goes up a gear and the euphoria comes back and your ready to battle gary moore again.. and so on.

one thing ive learnt from playing the blues is, that you cant just switch it on when ever, you really do have to "feel the blues" its simply the most amazing genre in that respect. anyway

im in such a bad rut right now. can only hope its gonna be a dam good improvement when i come out.

can anyone one relate to this?? please say you can!!!

any tips to help? wondering how others deal with these dark days.

Listen to something different and get inspired.

Inspiration chases the ruts away real fast!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Like Mike said,give some other genres a listen and expose yourself to other types of music,even music from different countries and ethnic groups.You'd be surprised to see how much diversity in your listening habits can inspire you and affect your playing.Just look how much George Harrison's music and playing changed when he took an avid interest in Indian music.Maybe a break from playing and just listening for a few days will make a big difference.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Depression comes and goes. Maybe you can try writing a song? Sometimes you can write good stuff when depressed.

Hang in there Louis.............. Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Dude, I've been in ruts so bad they seriously made me consider switching to the trombone. lol. But seriously, I think everyone gets to that point, and if you're like most of us it seems to happen all the time.

Here's my advice...
1. Remember guitar is fun BECAUSE it's hard. If it was easy, eveyrone one would be doing it.
2. Being in a rut for guitar is like being in a slump for a baseball pitcher. At some point you have to forget about it and just go out there and pitch.
3. Learn something EASY. Even if it's a goofy pop song you like. It'll get you back in the rhythm and you'll be back to your old self before you know it.

Keep the faith brother.

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Keep rockin'

some times when you are rehearsing a song, whether original or cover, it takes time to get it to sound the way you want it to. although frustrating you know you have to keep rehearsing until you get it. Is that part of the rut? if so, maybe start a mini set of songs to get your mind off of the rut. you will probably learn them fast because sub-consciously you are glad not to be playing the songs you are in the rut with, then, you will be inspired and like Miami Mike wrote: Inspiration chases the ruts away real fast!

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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.

Chill and go with it.


http://slyoyster.com/wp-content/uploads ... bowski.jpg

i can relate to you my man, i too am in one of those states right now. I've been playing non stop all through June and July and now, songs I used to play that sounded great now sound bad. I spend more time on setting my amp tones than playing. Im just rolling with it, maybe i just need a break or something, but i always snap back, so just give it time

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...

+1

And try something new, whether it be a new lick, scale, chord, song, genre, whatever. Play something out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Overcome the challenge and most of the time that will overcome the rut.

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What i do when I'm feeling like that is just put my guitar down adn turn my amp off. Becuase When you feel like that it's hard to see any improvement or see what you've been doing well. Leave it for a few days and you will get a sudden longing to play, and hey presto you feel much better.

At least, thats usually what happens with me, so my advice is to simply give it a break for a few days.

I got into a rut and hardly picked up the guitar for about 2 or 3 years,out of all the years I've played,40+.... that's just a small time period,but still,I just didn't feel like I cared much about it.
Then one night one of my sons came over and we jammed a little till my fingers got sore,which wasn't long,and it renewed my interest...now I play every day for as long as I can find the time,I'm still not in a band,that's a chore when you're in your late 50s,but I'm going to play out again.

If you're a true musician,that spark will never go away,it's in your soul,you'll find inspiration again.

i'm going thru the exact same thing. like others have said, i find something differnt' than the norm to jam on. problem is, it doesn't help me at all with music i play in our band.
i'd love to find a really good instructional dvd that will actually work for me. the ones i have helped a bit, but not nearly enough for my satisfaction.
i'm not giving up. EVAH!

Yeah, we all go through it man it's kinda normal for musicians, we're up and down on this roller coaster pretty constantly, even more so when you play in a band.
I've been going through it lately and so..I bought half a dozen Joe Bonamassa cd's and with my Snowy White and Peter Green ( Fleetwood Mac ) I've listened to them last week and I was more than ready to jam along with them, this week. They all have great style and sound and listening to these for a while really gets me back in the mood.
Just got to have that same tone!!
It will come back man. Just hang in there.

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i do the same, right now I got my groove back after letting it sit for awhile

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...