Are you as good as you are gonna get?

mike_l · July 2014

viz said:

mike_l said:

viz said:

Would dearly like to get better, especially more varied, but I'm probably not.

You sure, you're already a monster player....

u are a kind man to say so but I guess one always sees one's flaws, stagnation and laziness. As well as being exposed to thousands of others who play better/faster/with more feel/less derivative style than oneself - I do anyway! But I spose that's a good thing, albeit annoying.

I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it to be true. I know from seeing/hearing you play that you have some serious chops that a *lot* of professional guitarists don't (at least don't show).

I guess Lix is right when he says the audience only knows what you can play.

Adji · July 2014

I'm probably technically a worse guitar player than maybe a few years ago, but 10x the musician. I can live with that.

I think there is always room for improvement and we can always push ourselves physically and mentally.

thomasross20 · July 2014

My first two years of playing (whilst still at high school) I was putting in 9-10 hour days. The subsequent 13 years it fell off a lot lol...!!

I'd say I'm still getting better and always will as long as I keep playing. I'm trying to absolutely master the basics, the fundamentals - totally nail legato, picking is still my weak point, that sort of thing. I've completely memorised the major scale modes over the entire fretboard (e.g. I could play E lydian at 12th fret using E lydian shape or starting on fret 7 of the A string over B major shape, referencing the 7th fret of low E string). Phrasing is coming on, I'm writing more tunes again, and I'm playing more acoustic, plus singing along. If I can get the basics down, retain the musical feel and know the fretboard inside and out then that's good enough for me. I'd say I'm aiming to be a Slash/Nuno Bettencourt type of player. Just need to get gigging, but finding band members is proving impossible.

Danny1969 · July 2014

Hey Thomas

I think you might be focusing on the technical side too much. Being able to slot straight in to a gigging band needs a different kind of skill set than mastering the Lydian mode all over the fretboard. I'm not a technical player but I've been in gigging bands since I was 15 and am currently in 4 different (earning) bands. You tend to get asked to join bands if people believe you can play the material to a decent standard without much in the way of help from anyone else. So the most important thing to develop is your ear, if you can second guess the chords coming, the voicing of the riffs and the solo's etc then you should be able to slot into a gigging band who need a guitarist without the hassle of setting up your own band from scratch

koneguitarist · July 2014

Very well put Danny. Could not agree more.

digitalscream · July 2014

thomasross20 said:

My first two years of playing (whilst still at high school) I was putting in 9-10 hour days. The subsequent 13 years it fell off a lot lol...!!
I'd say I'm still getting better and always will as long as I keep playing. I'm trying to absolutely master the basics, the fundamentals - totally nail legato, picking is still my weak point, that sort of thing. I've completely memorised the major scale modes over the entire fretboard (e.g. I could play E lydian at 12th fret using E lydian shape or starting on fret 7 of the A string over B major shape, referencing the 7th fret of low E string). Phrasing is coming on, I'm writing more tunes again, and I'm playing more acoustic, plus singing along. If I can get the basics down, retain the musical feel and know the fretboard inside and out then that's good enough for me. I'd say I'm aiming to be a Slash/Nuno Bettencourt type of player. Just need to get gigging, but finding band members is proving impossible.

If you're aiming to play like Nuno, you've been concentrating on all the wrong thing - the genius in his playing is all about rhythm and phrasing, not note choice (as I recall, he tends to play mostly in mixolydian). It's in the bounce of his playing, how he mutes while he's doing legato etc.

Rabea Masaad has done a good series with JamTrackCentral recently - of all the players around, I reckon he's one of the closest to that kind of playing. Could be worth a look.

Roland · July 2014

not_the_dj said:

I plateaued ages ago, but I'm at a level where I can learn covers pretty quickly and I seem to be able to impress middle aged guys and drunks in pubs, so that's fine with me for now. I gig on average every fortnight and we generally always get repeat bookings so we're doing something right....

This is the boat I'm in too. It's a question of where you choose to put your time. For most of us our work and family life take most of what's available. I know that I can improve technically, subject to physical ageing. However I would much rather improve as a performer and band member. So, technically I am as good as I choose to get. There is always room for improvement with everything else. I aim to continue improving until my finger seize up, at which point I'll consider changing to slide.

thomasross20 · July 2014

Thanks, guys!
Just to be clear, I don't only play the lydian mode - it was just an example. I can play all major modes over the entire fretboard, though I need to think more like arpeggios as I do struggle to play to "changes". Regarding Nuno & rhythm etc, yes... totally agree and lead isn't everything I focus on

I've been loving playing acoustic recently, playing through whole songs and singing along. Danny, you're right! Which is why I've been learning Billy Idol, Elvis, Fleetwood Mac and other songs. I used to be a strongly technical player, and I still keep that aspect going, but I realise it's more about getting the songs down.. I am waaaay past any sort of shred phase - that bores me now. I find I'm more analysing song structure etc - I should probably put even more emphasis on rhythm as per ds's post. In summary, I agree with everything you guys are saying! I believe I'm doing the right things.. it's just not happening on the band front.. You got any vids from your gigs?

thomasross20 · July 2014

OT here, but current songs I'm doing (acoustic / electric):
Wanted Dead or Alive
Jailhouse Rock
White Wedding
Big Love
A couple of my own (started "writing" again)
A whole raft of G N R tunes
Hole Hearted, Play With Me, Get the Funk Out, More than Words
Fortunate Son
Are You Gonna Go My Way
Beat It, Beautiful Girls, Little Guitars
Ride the Wind
I Love Rock & Roll
Crazy
Dust in the Wind
The Trooper
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
etc....

A definite 80s theme going on..

FYI if I'm still missing a trick, let me know - always take on good advice!

PolarityMan · July 2014

Lixarto said:

viz said:

u are a kind man to say so but I guess one always sees one's flaws, stagnation and laziness.
The audience only hears what you can play - not what you can't

depends how much you've practiced

Phil_aka_Pip · July 2014

nowhere near as good as I once was and if the current situation persists will only get a lot worse

Elx · August 2014

The way I approach this is to be a better player today than I was yesterday. Every night when I go to bed I ask myself this question, are you better today than you were yesterday? For the last 2 years the answer has been yes. Sometimes you learn a lick or two and adopt them to your style of playing, sometimes you practice a new rhythm pattern, etc No matter how minor the improvement is, what's important is the continuity, the constant work you're putting in, and there's absolutely no way you won't see results after a while. I practice more than I used to in my twenties, I've learned to appreciate every hour of free time I get now. 10 years ago it was all about the booze and girls

ICBM · August 2014

koneguitarist said:

I think after a period of years we all get relatively comfortable with what we can do, and not worry so much about what we cannot do. Speed wise we will all slow down as we get older but hopefully that will be tempered with taste and knowledge!

Exactly. That's a good description of me too. There are things I played in my 20s that I can't play now, speed-wise… but there are ideas and control I have now that I couldn't have imagined twenty years ago. I prefer the me now to the me then.

Drew_TNBD · August 2014

I'm fucking amazing.

Lixarto · August 2014

PolarityMan said:

Lixarto said:

viz said:

u are a kind man to say so but I guess one always sees one's flaws, stagnation and laziness.
The audience only hears what you can play - not what you can't

depends how much you've practiced

How?

sweepy · August 2014

I noticed I am a lot slower and sloppier than I was 25 yrs or so ago, but I play now in a week what i used to play in a day these days

Ianb62 · August 2014

Sadly yes- love music, surround myself with it - love guitars , and used to surround myself with them - but zero talent - and I have tried, practised but no aptitude- so CAGED and "100 songs with 4 chords" for me for life

guitarfishbay · August 2014

Lixarto said:

PolarityMan said:

Lixarto said:

viz said:

u are a kind man to say so but I guess one always sees one's flaws, stagnation and laziness.
The audience only hears what you can play - not what you can't

depends how much you've practiced

How?

I think it was sarcasm?

guitarfishbay · August 2014

Ianb62 said:

Sadly yes- love music, surround myself with it - love guitars , and used to surround myself with them - but zero talent - and I have tried, practised but no aptitude- so CAGED and "100 songs with 4 chords" for me for life

CAGED is 5 chords so technically you're already improving!

Philly_Q · August 2014

I reckon I peaked when I was about 18.

Sadly that was 32 years ago.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Are you as good as you are gonna get?

Comments