So, You're NOT Getting Better At Guitar?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- Ever feel stuck? Like you're not getting better at playing guitar? It happens to all of us, here are some tips to help you break out of those guitar playing ruts we all find our selves in from time to time.
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What do you do to break out of playing ruts?
notice me
listening to music outside my comfort zone.
Stop playing for 2-3 days
ban myself from playing blues....
Maye you wont get much better and youve peaked at all you can do.
Utilize jam tracks here on youtube! There are THOUSANDS of them of every genre! Pick a genre you think you don't like, add 5 jam tracks to a playlist, and then DO IT. This has helped me out so much and it's insane to me that this always comes off as an "oh I never thought of that" moment for so many people.
But if you dont understand jack shit about what you’re doing its not gonna sound good
@@rensb9214 That’s practice, eventually you’ll learn what sounds good.
I’ve been playing for over a couple of decades but have been doing the things below for just over a year and a half with incredible success.
* Keep your gear handy:
If your guitar it locked away in it’s case, in the basement, it makes it much tougher to play.
* Set yourself attainable goals:
This of course depends on your interests but for a common example, “I want to master the minor pentatonic”. Well, figure out what there is to learn about it. How about learning it all over the neck first? Then if you love blues adding the b5 in there.
A related goal could be “ I want to play better blues” well, find yourself a nice course with blues vocabulary in it. That will lean on and reinforce what you’ve been learning about the minor pentatonic scale anyway and even better, will open your eyes to stuff you’ll probably want to learn next. Like the Major Pentatonic, or Mixolydian arpeggios. Keep notes of all the things you are finding interest in, and then slowly as you master one topic, add them into your practice routine.
Keep interests varied, maybe learn some scales, certainly practice rhythm, work on your lead playing, learn a tune you like from top to bottom. But again keep the accomplishable. If you can fret cowboy chords, don’t make your short term goals to be Steve Vai by next week, Not gonna happen.
A critical factor is, study things you actually care about. This may sound stupid, but I know many folks trying to play things they couldn’t care less about. Maybe once you master every music genre you care about you can worry about the ne0-classical-trance-polka Ulgur Mcvadishan licks you once heard.
* Set a bare minimum of time you want to study ( I for example keep it at, at least 30 mins 5 days a week). This is critical when building a real habit.
Really make it the bare minimum, even if its just 10 minutes. The point is that you actually get down and do it on those really tough days when you don’t have the motivation to do it. More often than note you’ll find that, on those tough days, once you actually get going you’ll get excited and study for longer than your bare minimum. But if not, stick to that minimum and keep a streak alive.
* Put a study plan together. Once you’ve set your accomplishable goals build a study plan around them. I usually break mine up into:
Scales and Arpeggios 5 mins
Rhythm (whatever I’m working on) 10 minutes
Lead (whatever Im working on) 10 minutes
Song (whichever tune I’m working on) 5- 10 minutes.
To keep things organized I use a free app (I have no relation to them fyi) called Modacity . I build my study plans with timers on there. It also has a metronome when I need it. And my favorite part, it logs my study hours. There’s probably better apps out there, but I started with this one and with my hours logged in the hundreds and hundreds ever since I started using it I just don’t want to let go.
I also use another free app called Strides, where I set the 5 days a week goal, and just mark it as complete after evert study session. This keeps me in check to study 5 days a week, and tracks my streak. As I type I’m on a 75 week streak since I started using it. I really don’t want to break it.
* Keep progressing
If something is proving to be too hard (and I mean you;ve really tried meticulously but just can’t do it), or you feel like you’ve got it down, (it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect yet) move along on to other tougher or easier related things accordingly. But don’t get stuck, because then you lose motivation. With experience you’ll better understand how challenging things should feel, and how things that are just unrealistic feel.
* Gear. Don’t let it get in the way.
Choose a guitar, get a tone ready, and work with it. Don’t lollipop around with your gear as you practice.
I’m probably forgetting things as I’m writing this on the spur of the moment.
I hope this helps some of you on your musical journey.
Paul Camus Thanks man, great advice. I have played for 35 years and still find myself noodling when I need to practice. It is too easy to fall out of good habits. :)
I'm stealing "neo-classical trance polka" 😂
@@alexk3088 Which you should know is very different to ne0-classical-trance-polka Ulgur Mcvadishan. Just saying.
"lollipop around," nice.
I think seeing you still learning just goes to show that truly, no one has ever mastered guitar. Every and anything about guitar is a learning process, and it is not for the faint of heart.
What I like about it too is the fact that there's a unique sound for everyone on guitar. Practice enough and find your own.
Buckethead has, his skill level is incomprehensible.
SAME! Im mainly a blues/hard rock guy.....but Ive been learning jazz haha. Thats been helping me out. Oh and bass. Thats been helping me.
Yup and yup. Also funk, pop.
When Josh gets to improvising in his video response it just blows my hat off... this guy is a legend!
I am 73 and I find new things to play everyday. Simple ...I decided 4 years ago to write about 20 tunes and front a power trio. A job where as a guitarists I am 'IT". Yup no other players to pick up the slack. Best of all no keyboard player! Keyboards let you nap if you want! I even learnt to play and sing. If Mick Jagger can keep your attention with 5 notes in a tune anyone can do it. I spent all my life in that good old pentatonic. That had to go! Then there is being being able to shred! ...Yes playing triplets at insane tempos ...accurately. Also play thru a Plexi at a very high gain ...gone are those tame Fender's. Controlling the high gain and developing your hand muting skills so it sounds as clean and tight as a piano.Then there is the capper! Get a bass player and drummer that are young and have just graduated from the beginner stage to entry level semi pro. Then bring them up to pro in at least their execution of where they are at on other levels. ZERO rut ...Double zero boredom! Players that have not heard me in years stand therewith there lower job resting on their feet. The best part is I can blow the .ME' of 4 years ago out of the water!!! No...on second thought the best thing is for the first time in my life Iike ME! So...get off your ass right this second ...don't let some 73 old guy like me show you up! In other words ...pull your finger out! And for gods sake quit whining!
"why am I not getting better at guitar?"
Me, as a bass player: ...
you're not SLAPPIN the like button
@@pedro_hmg stop with the slapping jokes its cringey
Lordreign Mabazza smol pp
They both go hand in hand friend
I feel ya as a bassplayer.
For me it's all about learning new songs, that way you can also find out new chords and new scales behind it.
Btw great video as always Rhett
The mixtape tip is genius. I'd even skip the editing. Just hit record on the parts you want, save everything to one album in your photos app. Simply cutting it can be done on the phone as well.
The legend is true! He's back... the great Rut Shull!
Chord revoicing idea/approach: Brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing these ideas. And yes, Josh is indeed one of the best guitarists alive today.
Very helpful. Thank you Rhett. How humble of you to reveal the various ways you grow as a player and out of the same old ruts we all get stuck in. Very cool.
Holy crap. You've called it verbatim. Started the youtube channel almost exactly a year ago and I spend all of my time making videos. Lol. The good news is that I'm gonna hit 4k subs today. The bad news is that I need to find more time to practice!!! Thanks Rhett.
Excellent advice Rhett! love the mixed tape idea, and appreciated Josh's advice as well. Very helpful Thank you!
This is going to help. You and Josh are a Godsend. I really needed this. Thank you guys a bunch.
Excellent topic! After 40+ years I’ve been over this issue quite a bit! Great idea you have here! I can’t wait to try this! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I have found that playing a different type of instrument helps. Got in a rut on recorder, focused on ukulele for a while. Plateau there, swapped over to kalimba for a few days. When I come back, my ears have been cleared, and old ruts are not as tempting. Also helps in getting exposed to different styles of music, which can be applied to the other instruments.
Well done topic Rhett, and Josh Smith is something else love his guidance and yours as well, grip and rip brother!!
Josh is a monster player. He's so humble and looks totally effortless when he's playing. I really dig his style. As a Americana and Classic R&B player, I really look up to him as a mentor and listen to anything he is saying.
Really needed this. Thank you, Rhett!
Great video and tips, from start to finish. Josh is an amazing player. And your ideas, from mix tape to chord voicings, very very good.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video! Very helpful and inspirational. Will try out everything you said here.
Such a great idea with the practice playlist. Love the videos, Rhett!
Great idea with the mix tape. Absolutely gonna do that. Thanks Rhett!
Some great tips right here! Thanks, Rhett
This is a great idea Rhett! I have always struggled disciplining myself to practice and as a result my playing has plateaued and hasn’t progressed so much on the past few years. I’m going to do this loving forward. Thank you for the awesome video 👍🏻
I love following you Rhett because you are so pragmatic! You seem relatable. I love the "mixed tape" idea and will give it a shot tonight. Thanks!!
Great video! Thank you for posting.
Rhett, great insight man ! I feel it’s key to jump outside the comfort zone anyway you can to grow!!! Thank you 🙏
Just loved the idea of making the practice video! Thanks man!
Awesome Vid Rhett!!! Thanks man!!!
Thanks for yet another helpful video Rhett!
Cool video Rhett...keeping a journal helps you remember where you are when you come back to practice time. Knowing what you are going to practice before you sit down is another great idea...Peace ☮️
Brilliant video and approach look forward to trying this out ASAP, keep up the great content Rhett 🤜🤛
Super useful. Thanks Rhett!
Loved the attitude that allows you to use familiar things to find new areas. I think it is important that your practice routine isn’t based on things that are so difficult to execute that you lose the flow of covering a lot of ground in a comfortable manner. We all need and strive to learn hard stuff, but a little familiarity like your tape system makes it a bit more accessible and repeatable, in my opinion. Yet another great video from you, Rhett!
Hey Rhett, really great ideas!
thank you for this clip🙏🏼
The first minute made me chuckle.
Can't wait to see the results of the 1-month challenge of different genre music
I have learned the guitar from the youtube community and been in a rut,but this video has great ideas thats why I keep watching.Thanks cause i love guitar
Rhett, this is really good advice... I recently started doing this for practicing tricky/interesting parts from songs I play on my covers band... and the benefits are showing.. and is fast, fluid and entertaining.
I started playing in different tunings. It’s awesome for your playing and super inspiring if you’re a songwriter.
This was an eye opener. Thanks!!!
I love Rhetts videos, so much inteligent and out of the box content. Kep it up bro!
Great tips Rhett. Thanks. I'm in a rut right now so this will really help.
Big help. Thanks!
Wonderful video, love Josh Smith I had the fabulous chance to open for him with my local band and chat a little bit after the gig, he is such a nice and down to earth guy and he really played killer guitar with such a tremendous touch and sense of dynamics.Thanks you Rhett I'm gonna try to work on those new chord voicing that looks really apealing to me !
Tim Miller is an amazing player and an extraordinary instructor - take full advantage of your time with him!
The mix tape idea is brilliant. Thanks for the tip. I'm gonna do it.
Man I came across Tim searching for legato techniques, so cool you're taking lessons from him! Thanks for the time you put in to make these vids as always :)
Tim is the man!!
Man he is something else, humble cat too.
Thanks Rhett very useful !
Truefire is a great resource. Love your videos man, keep it going!
Great Video brother, thank you!
That is an awesome idea. Thanks
Awesome, thanks!
Amazing video! This was super helpful!!!!!
"I hate practicing guitar"
I'm trying to transition from the 15 minutes a day thing into the second nature thing. It's soooooo hard to do! (I'm stuck in my own practicing habits)
I tried the 10 hours a day Steve Vai thing, and that helped.
I'm gonna go buy some tapes.
Great tips. I’m going to try to learn parts from my favorite players.
Glad to hear I'm not the only person who does stuff like this. This is a really good idea.
So many good pieces of advice in this
I absolutely love your channel and your teaching tips! It's also cool to see you supporting others (like Pete Thorn!) by hanging out in his live Sunday chats!!!
This video is gold. Good tips.
Nice Rhett! Thx!👍🎸
Excellent, thanks!
Here is a tip for getting out of lead ruts- find a song you love (or not - it actually doesn't matter) and try to play the lead vocal line. Not just the melody as written on sheet music, but really attempting to capture the feel and nuance of the original vocal performance. The slurs, The stops. The dynamics and swells. The fills. When it is soft. When it is aggressive. Everything. Obviously starting with a vocal artist who has some depth makes it more interesting. Aretha comes to mind. Michael Jackson would pose some interesting challenges (eg - his squeaks). But even some of the old crooners like Sinatra could open you up to subtle timing and dynamics changes that could be killer in your arsenal of tricks.
Watching your TH-cam's usually gets me going in a different direction. BTW Thanks!
Great video! Plateauing guitar skills can be very frustrating. These tips are very helpful.
Thanks Rhett!
Thanks Rhett, I plateaued early on just as you said, that was many years ago. The things that really helped me (other than TH-cam) were playing with other people, in a band, playing live, having to learn songs that I didn’t always know well across a fairly broad spectrum.
Cool video... great advice.for all levels... cheers
Thanks for this great video,, guy! I'm used to trying to challenge myself when I get stuck by simply starting to study some song that has some new techniques and expressions that I've never learned before. This works for me. When I felt that I needed to improve my fingerings I looked for a song that has a lot of that and start to practice it till I got there.
Seriously, showing up as often as possible. Definitely, everyday. Great ideas to improve...mix tape. Learn songs
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Love Josh Smith...amazing player, and generous. Class
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Being open, not locked in negative emotion. Don’t watch the news
Josh is a beast ! Great video man
This was really helpful, I've been trying to build my repertoire of chord inversions to break out of the cowboy chord area
Thanks Rhett. Great video that addressed exactly what I needed. I think there are a lot of players like me . . . played a long time (maybe in lots of bands) and relatively competent but not that disciplined at practicing, maybe who don’t read proficiently or have a deep knowledge of theory . . . but still love guitar and who want to continue to improve. None of the teaching material out there seems to be for us. This is a great approach. And PS . . . I downloaded your Helix presets and like them a lot.
The mixtape idea was soooo killer. Never thought of this
Rhett you’re a monster of a player and have been such an inspiration to my playing. Would probably put you up in my top five influences with David Gilmour, Doyle Bramhall II, Rory Gallagher and Marcus King!
Thanks Tom!
Great episode!
Love the mixtape idea! Started my first one today!
New and creative chord voicings always inspire me when I'm in a rut! Take that old A major in open position and turn it into an Aadd9 and boom! You got a whole new sound happening! Thanks for the great video Rhett, keep it up brotha!
wild to hear that you are taking lessons from tim miller... I 'attended' (virtually) the alternative guitar summer school and loved his insight. Huge fan of his playing and watching his dynamic with nir felder, who he taught, was pretty great...cheers!
I work best under pressure when preparing for a gig or show, but this video is so helpful in forcing a new thought process for practicing. I'll be working on my mix tapes this week. I'll also add, that as a songwriter, I often will force myself into playing completely different and unconventional chord arrangements that break rules lol. Then, I'm at the mercy of what I've put down on paper and have to make up solos to accompany. I look forward to attempting this approach for practicing!
Thank you Rhett, i kind of did my version of this method/approach some time ago but didn't stick to it, mainly because it was an improv way to get me around organizing what the hell i wanted to tackle for improvement sake. But now i'm in for another go in a major and organized scale! :)
This is really a great idea. thanks
Thank you Rhett. :-)
Tha intro monologue was aces!
being organized is very important and this ties into that, learning is hard when you get comfortable and play the same stuff, but I’ve learned it’s worth the challenge to always stay learning, get out of your comfort zone, stay relaxed, and enjoy guitar. Realize that your getting better and it takes time, and if you put in the time and enjoy guitar, there’s no need to get frustrated bc your doing something you love
Thanks for the great tips! Put my first mix “tape” together last night.
This is so helpful man
Thank you!
I will definitely try the mixtape approach! thanks man :-)
Nice Job!
I will definitely be trying this. I really need to learn new chord shapes
I’m a fan of Trufire . Sooo many styles, and you can save the lesson clips in a favourite section and then play through them exactly like you are talking about. I am doing the Blues and the Jazz course and my playing has improved, a lot. I also am doing the Street Theory Course. All 3 of those together, for me keeps me inspired, sets a regime and teaches me heaps.
Mahalo for the great ideas...
I've been in a rut, not learning new stuff for maybe around 5 years. Just getting back into it now and watching videos like this for some ideas. New guitar arrives next month but practicing on my acoustic for now, hoping to try these ideas out!
I have been playing for 5 decades ( started when I.was around 8 years old ) learning new songs of all different genres keeps me out of ruts , I have to do this as I am playing in 3 bands that all have different styles of music. I love the idea your presented here and I am going to give that a try Rhett . Cheers ! CJ
Man i just really want to say that you're awesome and you're living my dream
Whole tone scale, tritones and diminished or augmented scale to move between chords on standard blues progressions.