What has had the biggest positive impact on your playing?

mike_l

@Blueingreen for years I struggled on my own, then got some lessons, which pointed me in the right direction. A few lesson with a good teacher will put you well ahead of where you'd be on your own.

I can't say for definite whether all the sight-reading stuff, now, and even when I was taking lessons, was that simple, but it certainly seemed to be with what I saw. All around 120BPM, and low end of the fretboard.

It'd be worth trying something brand-new, which you hadn't seen before (well 2 minutes to get an idea), then record as you play. Listen back and see how you got on. Again I should take my own advice here.... I mean literally look at the music through, then play it, don't be looking to learn the piece, you're looking to up your sight-reading first.

Then, if you like the piece, sit down and learn it right through. 

Bellycaster

Not listening to the same music all of the time and discovering players I didn't know existed until I started joining Musician Communities. When you here a new (great) Guitarist for the first time, it inspires you all over again.

Clarky

I reckon the biggest eye opener for me was nailing [to a reasonable degree at the time] Eruption

it just opened up a whole new world of possibilities

the most musical quantum leap was figuring out how melodic substitution worked [although I had no idea that's what it was called at the time]... my whole approach to note selection changed over night..

Jaycee

ChristophEar said:

Jaycee said:

For me it was a book.  "The Principles of Correct Practice for guitar"  by Jamie Andreas http://www.guitarprinciples.com/

Any particular insights you took away from it?

The 2 main points that stood out for me were:
1,  the amount of tension we hold in our muscles when playing, which has a domino effect to the other parts of our body i.e.  why are my toes pointing up to the sky or why is my tongue hanging out of my mouth. And how to deal with it.

2,  Jamie has a technique which she calls "no tempo practice"  where you come to a part of the music that things start to break down, like a finger crash ( as opposed to a car crash) , just before that point you hold the chord or the note and mentally work out the next finger (s)  movement  before doing it. 

Most method books will tell you to "play a ?chord"  Jamie tells you how to play the ? chord, and the muscles that are involved in so doing.

Clarky

another lil' thought...

A couple of things that made me stand apart from my peers when I was making the transition from noob to something a little more accomplished were:

Timing / Phrasing – being able to play nice and tight with time and also be able to place nice rhythmic content into my licks.. it seriously helped that I was a drummer before I was a guitarist

Vibrato / Bending [given that these are essentially variants of the same technique] – bending notes nicely to the target pitch in a positive and smooth way and having a strong, even and positive vibrato

You don’t need to play a millions notes per sec, or have a massive arsenal of tricks up your sleeve, but if your timing / phrasing is good and solid, and your bending / vib is smooth and strong, your playing will gain a massive and huguely valuable coat of polish…

Roland

Would you believe buying a better guitar?  Most of the time I play with my fingers, and having a wide thin neck, with more left and right hand finger space between strings, helped considerably. 

If we're into little things that don't require money then keeping my nails short and tidy.

Barney

listening to the music and playing what fits instead of whats flash and fancy.....

dafuzz

It was that Paul Gilbert DVD for me - Intense Rock 1&2.

Being a lefty who plays righty I'd neglected my picking for over a decade. To finally put some work in (and re-learn how to hold a pick) really opened up a load of stuff I'd previously thought impossible.

koneguitarist

Going to see Will Kimbrough in Bristol. Guitarist for Rodney Crowell, I'd never heard of him. Played a tele all night into a AC30, all his FX were hidden behind monitor.he had an awesome tone, tele sounds, LP,Gretsch, whatever he had it. Key was where he actually picked the guitar and an on what pick up setting. Real epiphany moment, as when they finished I went to see what FX he was using, a danelectro OD and a Line 6 delay. I said is that all you use ? His answer was did I need anything else ? Huge huge wake up call for me regarding playing and gear.

jaygtr

buying my 1st decent guitar (a les paul) also helped me hugely.

firstly the inspiration factor, and also i didn't feel i was worthy of it, which encouraged me

to knuckle down and work hard, (although im not sure im worthy of it now though)

Catthan

Transcribing licks and playing with others imho helps the most.

I always progressed much faster doing those 2 whereas when I dove into practicing scales, arps, picking patterns etc, though useful, I always ended up thinking to abandon the gtr.. 

It's also very interested how much practicing rhythm patterns/ comping/ strumming helps with the rhythmical development of the lead playing but I can't bring myself to do that,,

Another thing that helps me but I've also been too tired to do it lately is "composing" solos over progressions by arranging several licks-ideas into a single piece. I found that by doing this a few times actual improvisation came out more natural and fluid on the bandstand.

Finally, visualization or "air-practice", when I manage not to fall asleep in 2'.. Many pros praise this and I had read in some science text that musicians' brains do not always need the person to play the instrument in order to develop "musically" (build the synapses and things like that). In a simplified manner, musicians can have effective practice sessions when they practice in their heads.

Requires a great amount of concentration and some actual playing beforehand so the ears and fingers know what's happening though, but I've found this very effective. 

Now i need to shut down the pc and do some of those things before bedtime.

Brgrds,

UnclePsychosis

Two things:

1. Joining a band

2. The realisation that playing the guitar is not the same as practising the guitar. 

nickp

@bertie - that's annoying, I can't LOL and facepalm you for the same post.  so take a facepalm on me and have a smiley for free  )

nickp

monquixote said:

Playing with other people. 

Having to go to rehearsal or a gig really focuses the mind that you better know it or you are going to look silly and you learn so much from other people. 

what he said! - made me learn a song from start to finish, enjoy just playing and getting into the groove, and really really focus on properly knowing a song.

brings meaning to it all

digitalkettle

monquixote said:

Playing with other people. 

Having to go to rehearsal or a gig really focuses the mind that you better know it or you are going to look silly and you learn so much from other people. 

Going into the studio is this x10 :-O

nickp

Clarky said:

another lil' thought...

Vibrato / Bending [given that these are essentially variants of the same technique] – bending notes nicely to the target pitch in a positive and smooth way and having a strong, even and positive vibrato

You don’t need to play a millions notes per sec, or have a massive arsenal of tricks up your sleeve, but if your timing / phrasing is good and solid, and your bending / vib is smooth and strong, your playing will gain a massive and huguely valuable coat of polish…

interesting @clarky - that is exactly where my guitar lessons started at a couple of months ago - bending practice and vibrato practise.  I have a way to go - especially if you listen to the mess that I put down on the forum blues improv challenge, so I'm off to try to lay down another recording much slower with good vibrato

blindlemonade

A bloke at a gig shouting "You guys are f*cking shit!"

A wonderful motivator...

Clarky

Nick - try to make your vibrato slow, strong, wide and very deliberate

viz

Being a chorister!

Si_

Being in a band and playing live. 

I'm never going to be a technical player, never going to be a shredder, never going to write an album, however I can have great fun and entertain an audience.

I've learnt so much over the years playing live, 100000% more than I ever learnt sitting in a room and playing on my own. I've learnt where my limitations are, accepted them and now love playing in a band.