I been paying for 40 years and still feel like I'm behind!

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One thing is for certain, my music palate has evolved tremendously since I started to play guitar. Before I picked up a guitar I was all about metal and prog, didn't even know who SRV was. Now I listen to lots of blues and enjoy jazz and have this bigger appreciation for good music. Hell, I used to hate country but now I can listen to it and appreciate it.

As for the things I want to play, well I must be mad but I can't help it but to try to play Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree haha! PT is more doable, but I'm years if not decades away from play a Petrucci solo note to note.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

You know...

In a Nutshell, you're either being...

Too Hard on yourself

or...

Not Hard enough on yourself...

ONLY you can decide which...

Don't measure yourself against other people... it's NOT a contest...

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

Focus on the barre chords and get them right. It's important to get the fundamentals right first before worrying about scales and solos. If you work on your open chord progressions and then moving onto barre chords, triads etc..., you can then experiment with hammer-ons and pull-offs. By getting these right you won't believe some of the things you can do.

I tried to run before I could walk when I took up Guitar, desperately learning tabs without understanding where they came from and I could barely string chords together.

Keep practicing new things over and over until you get them right. I know it will be boring but it will pay off big time down the road.

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2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
2013 Fender Pure Vintage 65 Stratocaster
2003 Gibson ES-355
2015 Gibson Les Paul Traditional
2002 Gretsch Duo Jet
1980 Rickenbacker 360/12 Fireglo
2014 Martin 000X1AE
2014 Fender Blues Junior III

Whose behind are you feeling?

I have been playing for over 23 years, and there's still a lot of stuff I can't do...my lack of theory training shows through when I play with "real" (read: "educated") musicians.

However, I've noticed that a lot of those guys can't readily play the songs I write; my style of writing/composition initially baffles them, because they overthink everything.

What's the old saying about the bliss of an uncluttered mind?

Keep practicing and keep playing/jamming with other people--those are the two best things anybody can do to improve musically.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Oh yes, uncluttered mind and bliss...
No but really, I was really discouraged when I was learning and
trying to smoothly transition between G,C,D or from D to G
Then I noticed something when I picked the guitar the next day.
I could do it better than the previous day. Every day you'll be a little
bit better.
Look up caged method, learn one scale in one key, a little at
a time then the whole fretboard in that key scale.
You'll noticed that the scale can be transposed to another key,
Just by moving 2 frets down.
Practice everyday...
You'll get there.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

I've been lurking here for the past eight months or so and have, like the OP, been playing for almost one year to the day. Great comments and inspiring words to keep playing through the challenges. Thanks to all!

Thanks a lot guys! Feels good that although I'm no guitar prodigy, at least I'm not off the normal. I'm going back to my learn and master course which I abandoned a few months ago because I wanted to learn songs I like and not deal with music theory. So i'll go back to the earlier sessions and refresh my brain.

Maybe I'll post a video in the near future!

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"Music is what feelings sound like"