"I hate my playing" syndrome... Anyone ?

[BenoA]

Anyone goes into that phase? I'm in right now. I hate the way I play. With my band, I don't learn all the solos of the tunes we play and when come that jammin' part of the songs, I feel always stuck in the same licks/patterns/scales...

I'd like to woodshed and spend more time practicing but between day job/family life/house duties/learning the tunes for the band... Well, there isn't much time left.

Do I need to see my Doctor and get some happy/feel good pills? Should I stop playing guitar and start collecting stamps? Joking aside, who's a 100% with the way they play...

[wilkinsi]

I come across this all the time, even more so when I listen to other bands/artists. That said, I don't play conventionally. I can't play, read or write music as professional people do, nor have I ever taken a guitar lesson.

[Trussrod]

Anyone goes into that phase? I'm in right now. I hate the way I play. With my band, I don't learn all the solos of the tunes we play and when come that jammin' part of the songs, I feel always stuck in the same licks/patterns/scales...

I'd like to woodshed and spend more time practicing but between day job/family life/house duties/learning the tunes for the band... Well, there isn't much time left.

Do I need to see my Doctor and get some happy/feel good pills? Should I stop playing guitar and start collecting stamps? Joking aside, who's a 100% with the way they play...

I go through this from time to time. I just get bored with what I can do--it's the same old, same old. I think a lot of people get tired of their own cooking for the same reason.

[goodwood]

Yeah. I'm in that phase...I hate your playing too.

[BenoA]

Thanks for helping my moral goodwood!!!

[goodwood]

HAHA!! I saw that you are Canadian so I know you can take it!!

You'll bounce back man...seriously, it is a phase and it will pass.

[BenoA]

Canadians can take it???

lol

And how about french-canadians... ??? ha ha ha

[goodwood]

Oui oui!!

F1 weekend...man...the women in Montreal...I have been there a couple of years on F1 weekend and the women were just EVERYWHERE!!

[Bigfknbang]

Its a day to day thing with me. one day i'll be like damn i suck! then ill not play for a week or so and just pick it up and im like WHOAOOAA! \M/\M/

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

If you hate your playing, you're tired of hearing yourself play the same old crap, and you need to learn something new.

[Disturbing Manor]

Go online and learn a new scale, mode or whatever and apply it to your playing every chance you get. Something as simple as a new scale or chord inversion can change your whole sound...and it's free! Works for me, anyway.

[CKJ]

I hate my playing, but I love to play. I can't play, but it doesn't sound like it. I don't know any scales/chords/other stuff, but I think I make out alright.

[porsche928]

Try some other techniques, so you feel 100% comfortable when you're playing.
like other strumming technique, maybe try to mess around with your left (or right.. when your lefty :P) hand and your fingers on your fret board untill you think.. hey this is fine!, in the beginning i had some problems with how to keep my hand/fingers comfortable on my fretboard while playing, now I tried some different things its a lot better, and much more comfortable..! Improvise some things when practising with your band, it's real fun

Btw, I am still like 99% happy with how im playing, I play comfortable.. not much problems (only when bending, and then also add a GOOD vibrato..)

[BenoA]

Well... Still not liking my playing but decided to challenge myself... Started by "trying to learn" Satch Boogie... Not easy... Have learned like only half the solo (at a very slow speed) but having a lot of FUN!!!

[porsche928]

Well... Still not liking my playing but decided to challenge myself... Started by "trying to learn" Satch Boogie... Not easy... Have learned like only half the solo (at a very slow speed) but having a lot of FUN!!!

Good! have fun , and rockon!

[powermacho]

I have been like that for the last 5 years, stuck of what you could say a beginner player. But few days ago I got motivated again, and I could finally do some maydem melodies. I did the troper and I am about to learn wasted years. I want to learn solos but don't know how to start. also got new guitar and amp to be more exited

[MindRapist]

I get like that every once in a while. When that happens I usually just change tunings and play stuff aside from Metal more often. That usually helps me out with the whole uninspired feeling.

[kalapoka]

I think that this is quite a common phenomena. I suffered from that for a long time. Usually it helps when I learn something new. So I try to teach atleast 1 new lick when I feel a bout of 'I Suck' is coming. You can do that too, just learn 1 new lick at a time and play it over and over until you get tired. Then learn something new again. Learning songs help too, only in my case not much bcuz I keep comparing myself with the original player and feel I've fallen way short of him. So I don't do that much. Right now I am expolring bebop, augmented etc scale. Coming frmo a rock background, it really helps take my soloing concepts to the next level even if I add 2 new notes in my arsenal.

Cheer up mate, you'll get the hang of it!

[Glave]

I tend to look up one of the tons of websites with riffs-exercise patterns to work on. I figure if I find them difficult, it's probably not a way I'm used to playing so would never find it's way into my normal routine. You may never use the riffs, but it's a good way to get your fingers moving in a way they're not used to. Here's a page I'm sort of tackling now.
Practice riffs.

[6string40]

I'm in the hate-my-playing rut right now...and it's really pissing me off. Not that I'm that great to begin with, but I just feel I've lost my touch as of late...don't know what it is.