Are some just not cut out to play Guitar

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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    The most important trait is self belief.
    If you believe you can't do it then you won't.
    If you believe you can do it then you will, if you do the work.

    It is really that simple.
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  • King85King85 Frets: 631
    edited January 2020
    Thanks for the comments. I practice without fail for at least 30-40 mins per day. Alas the same failings reoccur.

    I'd look at how you practice rather than what you practice then. Repeating the same action over and over might feel like practice but if you're not seeing the changes and development you want then something needs to be adjusted.
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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    Everybody has minor stuff like that.

    I suggest ignore the minor problems and keep playing.  Play what you enjoy.  Over time your fingers will strengthen which will allow you to play the trickier chords.

    Play an electric guitar, much easier on the hands. 
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    edited January 2020
    Every activity / sport has it's difficulties and challenges.  Snooker: it looks easy on TV but potting is anything but easy.  Darts: the treble twenty box looks very small from the throwing position.  Golf: when you do finally get the ball onto the green, it is by no means easy to hit it into the hole.  All these challenges, while never mastered 100%, can be minimised by practice and working on the problem.

    It is the same with guitar.  The progress graph is not always a straight line upwards.  It might seem like one step forward and another step backwards or sideways.  Stick with it and you will attain some level of proficiency.  You (OP) already know how to read music.  What you may not know is how to listen to music.  What I mean is listening to music you want to learn how to play.  Make playing as easy as possible for yourself - use a capo.  There are many online videos on how to use a capo and how to understand what you are getting from a capo.  With a capo, you can play music in any key, while knowing only a few chords.  

    Guitar is is never meant to be easy.  Neither is snooker, darts or golf.  But there is satisfaction to be had from being able to pass yourself playing your game.  Everyone suffers at the beginning, stick with it my friend, and everything will finally slot into place.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • Thanks for all your comments . I have decided to “ bite the bullet” so to speak and get an instructor. 

    I am not keen on the idea as I don’t really like playing in front of someone. But if he can help me gain some confidence then it will well worth it. 

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  • greejngreejn Frets: 127
    You could try something different...playing in open tunings and maybe slide guitar. That would get around the chord problems for the time being...! Ry Cooder rules.
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  • Alex_MAlex_M Frets: 3
    Stick with it, at least that’s what I keep telling myself! I often find that if I’m really struggling with something I will go onto something else and practice that for a bit, to the extent that I have a few things to practice between. That way seems to reduce the frustration of continually not managing the same thing. 

    At the end of the day, don’t forget what made you start in the first place and enjoy it. 

    Cheers, A
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  • CeeJayCeeJay Frets: 455
    Looking back helps. Focus on your improvements. I have lots I struggle with, but a lot less than twelve months ago. I know if I stick with it, I'll look back again in another 12 months and see the improvements. I have actually amazed myself with my progress, and you will too eventually. 
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited January 2020
    I reckon guitar is a relatively straightforward instrument to get medium/good at; for example a professional concert clarinetist would probably get quite good, quite quickly. 

    I think the main, and most fulfilling, area to focus on is musicianship; if you can train your musical ear, brain and heart, the fingers follow easily. Up to a point! Not saying you don’t have a valid point about muscle building to strengthen your finger on that chord, that definitely comes through exercise and technique.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • Take age out of it. I'm 21 and I've been playing for 2 years. You'll find that one day something will just click and all you thought was difficult is now doable.

    I hated changing from open to barre chords. So I practiced. Now they're still a bit tough, but doable.

    The solo to Back on the Chain Gang I thought was difficult. Then I semi religiously practiced the intro on repeat. Still not super easy, but doable.

    It all just takes practice, patience and willpower.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • The T your are looking for is not Talent it is Tenacity!

    We all faced the same issues and as @octatonic said if you 'think' you can, you can! 

    There are a couple of things in the thread that I would highlight;

    1. Make the guitar as easy a thing to play as is possible. It's hard enough without making it harder. Light strings, lowish action etc. all make the early development stuff so much easier and inspire you to just keep going.
    2. Tension is the killer in both beginners and much more developed players - it becomes an almost invisible barrier the longer you play without knowing about it. I know it feels almost impossible to finger chords without straining yourself to death but the more you are aware of this (and the earlier you are with your development) the easier it actually is to minimise and the less tension you play with the easier/lighter everything feels; you can then do things more quickly and more accurately. A good teacher who actually knows/cares about this is worthwhile seeking out.. A key exercise here is to finger a chord as lightly as you can (with your arm/hand in a good un-cramped position) and then release pressure lightly so that your fingers still touch the strings but without pressure and apply again lightly to make the chord. Do this without worrying about rhythm timing i.e. no tempo practice. Then do this slowly changing between two chords. Everyone develops the pressure bit (sometimes too much!) but far fewer learn to release the tension and that is often the root cause of a lot of technique problems down the road.

    Stick at it and enjoy the journey.

    Si

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  • Well a month on - this is with the help of a Tutor I am making progress. Although as some mention I seem to be taking a step back at times especially with chords that I used to nail. 

    From my point of view I don’t have an objective as such. What I mean is I don’t want to learn because I want to play a certain genre of Music or Band. This means that I suppose I lack a target or motivation, except that I would “like” to be able to play

    I would say that I have racked up @ 150hrs+ in practice so far ( although I would agree that some of this would not be constructive and structured)

    I am under no illusions that there are perhaps 1000s hrs ahead. If you compare it to Brass\ Woodwind instruments at that level of practice you would be pretty competent- I know because I have played both to pretty good level. 

    I am not saying that you can realistically compare. But the reason I posted in the first place is that I have seen people who have started to play with the best intentions at heart but just don’t “ get it “ no matter what 
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    edited January 2020
    In my 12 years teaching guitar I've only ever had to tell 1 person they're just not going to be able to play no matter what I do. It was a young kid with ADHD and perhaps being inexperienced back then with children I didn't deal with it the best way.

    Apart from that one person I've never failed in succeeding learner's goals to start playing totally from scratch. Some will progress slower than others, some quicker and some I have to use different methods but everyone plays really well now. Mind you, the majority of new learners who come to me can already play a bit to be fair, just need guidance in where to go next.

    Just cos it takes longer or you have to repeat things a bit more it doesn't mean you ain't cut out for it as I do believe if you're committed and dedicated to working hard in learning eventually the penny will drop and you'll get it. You can have bad timing or ear to start off with, I've helped many gradually train their ear so they are playing in conjunction with what the music (i.e the drums in particular) are doing so all strums lock in with the kick and snare drum for example.

    Routine is very important too, more than motivation in fact, motivation can wane all the time but if you have a regular routine then you will progress well.

    Having the right person to show you how to understand the more complex stuff you don't know is also useful. There's learners who wish they found me earlier after a string of previous tutors who they never really got on with. In 5 minutes I have been known show them how to play an easy lick/riff or something they can play pretty much straight away. All my breaking it down and explaining it in a simple way.
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