What level were you at after 6 years?

**pott** · 12-29-2010, 09:29 AM

I've been playing for about 6 years now (I'm 24). I never really learn songs... I just play. Sometimes I play along, most of the time I just play. Metal, country, punk, reggae, gipsy, rock, anything with guitar in it.

But I just don't feel very good. I know that IF I had learnt (I've never had a lesson or did any music in my life, as many of you guys) I could be A LOT better. But I kinda was hoping that even just randomly playing for 6 years I'd be able to do a little sweeping and fast runs. Instead I mostly revolve around blues. Now since I never learnt any blues licks from other guitarists I'm ok with that, but I do wish I had more technique (putting note choice aside).

Now since this forum is full of shredders I figured comparing myself to uber-technical dudes may be a good way to get motivated

What kind of stuff were you guys doing/working on when you had 6 years of experience in your guitar life?

**MakeAJazzNoiseHere** · 12-29-2010, 10:48 AM

I'm not overly technical or a shredder, but if you want to improve then learning some theory and having someone show you some of the more advanced techniques might be the thing to do.

If you know blues, and play pentatonic/box scales, take a look at the modal scales and see what "extra notes" you could try out, record some chord progressions, go to town.

Me, I just like to have fun making music. If I'd put my nose to the grindstone 25 years ago maybe I could have been Eddie Van Malmfriedman, but unless NBC comes up with a "Who wants to be America's next old fart guitar hero" then I don't think it's really worth the effort.

**micha** · 12-29-2010, 11:57 AM

What you train is basicly what you get good in.
I spent much time in sloppy tensed up picking, so I'm already quite good in alternate cramping...

But as a Sinergy and Bodom fan I introduced myself to sweep picking quite early, and I'm getting better.
It's not spectatular, but enough to impress the noobs in front of the small stages I play.

Further I guess I made somehow the opposite fault of what you did:
I stopped noodling along some time ago and started speeding up quite hard songs like mentioned Sinergy or Paul Gilbert tunes.
Now I'm quite good at high technical stuff, I learned a lot about positions and modes along the way, but I somehow lost the feel for speed and the muscle to achieve it.
I'm becoming good at playing complicated stuff in slow motion.

I have kind of a top speed I reach, but it doesn't matter as much as it used to anymore what kind of notes or techniques are used. It's almoust the same..

What everyone told me; play nice and clean, speed will come over time, seems to be a lie. At least for me.
I guess it's needed to have a good mixture.
Play some hard stuff to make you better, and play it nice and clean, but play some easier stuff or the classical jam along as well, just to keep your muscle going.

I'm playing for 12 years now or something, and I don't really remember my status back then, but I'm still not Mr. Shreddy.
I know way more then I did, I got cleaner and my basic techniques like vibrato, harmonics, slides, bends and articulation got better, but watching youtube, I see tons of kids way faster then me in their third year or something.

Get a pen and some paper, and just paint some scales all over the fretboard.
This was a huge help for me when I tried to break out of my boxes and habits.
Take patterns, picking or phrasing or note progressions and try to vary them all around the fretboard staying inside your scale.
Some will sound like shit, but it will give you some new input for sure every now and then.

edit: This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efq_lPN2TZE
is a good example of developing one idea. Gilbert often takes ideas and varies them till he's got a whole song.
I like this kind of varying. Probably one of the most useful things I learned from him so far...

**Musician78** · 12-29-2010, 01:17 PM

I've been playing for 18 years and still don't really shread. And the older I get, the less desire I have to do so. I didn't get into leads until about 5 years ago... until then, I was strictly rhythm. As a result, I am a mad rhythm player with an extremely fast picking hand.

**P I K A** · 12-29-2010, 04:03 PM

Think in terms of hours rather then years. You could be playing 6 years at an hour a day vs me playing 3 years at 5 hours a day ,guess whos probably better? Best thing for me was to learn some theory and watch different players like Friedman and Gilbert and Lynch. See how different they approach the guitar yet all of them are great in different ways. Pentatonics are awesome they have their place ,to get out of the rut watch fusion players too. They sometimes do as Friedman going slightly out of the box but coming in quick enough to not sound "wrong". Learn the Major scale and its modes ,some pentatonics and put the time in. Theres no quick way its practice practice and more practice.

**Jack Napalm** · 12-29-2010, 07:01 PM

After six years I sucked. Really sucked. Now, I just suck less. As Micha, I am equally good at alternate cramping.

In the last few years I have really started to take playing seriously. I took quite a few online courses with Berklee and that showed me how to really practice and move forward. I learned a lot about theory and now I don't think about it that much. I can't regurgitate it like many can but I understand it and learned to now let it be a barrier for me.

I learned the hard way to slow things down. Now, if I want to learn something I will slow it down to the slowest BPM to where I can play it cleanly. If that is at 20 BPM then so be it. Speed does come after that. I am not super fast but I am showing slow steady improvement.

**Newc** · 01-01-2011, 07:39 AM

Level 8, the one where everything was frozen, with the damn plants that spit fire and the spiked turtles

**Grim** · 01-03-2011, 07:48 AM

I could play all of the Metallica solos.

Yup, I sucked.

**Scooter** · 01-03-2011, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Grim

I could play all of the Metallica solos.

Yup, I sucked.

Same here, but AJFA had come out, I just had to learn it, all of it.
Then I started learning more Megadeth, then Pantera, then I cut my hair and got a good job, 20 years later, I still can't play as well as I'd lilke to. If only I had taken lessons.....

**TheTranslator** · 05-15-2011, 02:36 PM

In my first 2 years of playing, I had most of Hendrix's best leads. In the next 4 years, I feverishly attempted to emulate McLaughlin. It's been 20 years since then, and I can somewhat fake certain people into thinking I can be the next McLaughlin; however, I STILL can't play Benson worth a shit...

**Larz** · 05-18-2011, 01:48 PM

[QUOTE=pott;1397372] But I kinda was hoping that even just randomly playing for 6 years I'd be able to do a little sweeping and fast runs. /QUOTE]

Random playing, even great playing, for a long time won't help with sweeping IMO.

Its the dozens, followed by hundreds of repetitions of the various finger patterns you can use to build the muscle memory in your fretting hand so that it just flows, especially with longer stretches and jumps like Gilbert or Becker, etc.

**DonP** · 05-18-2011, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by pott

I've been playing for about 6 years now (I'm 24). I never really learn songs... I just play. Sometimes I play along, most of the time I just play. Metal, country, punk, reggae, gipsy, rock, anything with guitar in it.

But I just don't feel very good. I know that IF I had learnt (I've never had a lesson or did any music in my life, as many of you guys) I could be A LOT better. But I kinda was hoping that even just randomly playing for 6 years I'd be able to do a little sweeping and fast runs. Instead I mostly revolve around blues. Now since I never learnt any blues licks from other guitarists I'm ok with that, but I do wish I had more technique (putting note choice aside).

Now since this forum is full of shredders I figured comparing myself to uber-technical dudes may be a good way to get motivated

What kind of stuff were you guys doing/working on when you had 6 years of experience in your guitar life?

Pott,

It comes down to this. How serious are you? You can either work real hard and build up your chops or you can end up like a hack as my friends and I.

You've wasted 6 years, but you are still 21 years less than I. We both started at the same age.

It's up to you.

**Nimitz** · 05-18-2011, 03:08 PM

I sucked after 6 years and I still suck 10 years later!!!

**BenoA** · 05-19-2011, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Scooter

Same here... Then I cut my hair and got a good job, 20 years later, I still can't play as well as I'd lilke to. If only I had taken lessons.....

This made me smile, I feel like this these days...

Originally Posted by DonP

It comes down to this. How serious are you? You can either work real hard and build up your chops or you can end up like a hack as my friends and I.

You've wasted 6 years, but you are still 21 years less than I. We both started at the same age.

It's up to you.

Good advice!

**MetalDaze** · 05-26-2011, 03:16 PM

I'll tell you what the secret is. In fact, someone has probably told you before but you didn't want to believe it

Ready?

Here it comes....

It's ok to tell others....

It might even become your best friend....

The secret is.......

THE METRONOME

To be honest, I ignored this advice for a long time because I thought it was boring to play exercises excruciatingly slow to a click. But once I saw the light, I realized that it actually works. Now don't get me wrong....it's not going to turn you into a shredder overnight. But, I bet if you practice slowly with a metronome and gradually work your way faster, you'll see real improvements.

Best of luck!

**jgcable** · 05-26-2011, 03:43 PM

I was probably technically the best I ever was after 6 years of playing but over the last 30 years since then I can say I am a more rounded player. Less is certainly more when it comes to guitar playing. Its not about how many notes you play... its more about the quality of the notes and their placement.
Playing guitar is like building a house. You need a good foundation. My first 6 years were mainly scales, modes, metronomes and learning signature guitar riffs and styles. Basically, I was a student and a clone. I am my own person now.
My advice to you would be to find your strong points as a player and focus and build on them. You don't have to be everything to everybody, you don't have to be the fastest of the most technical and you don't even need to have the best ear. Every guitar player does something unique and cool that they take for granted. Find what you do and build on it.

**Endrik** · 05-26-2011, 04:30 PM

after 4 years... girls asking autographs on their skin... pretty good skill I think... after 6 years I retired

**wilkinsi** · 05-26-2011, 04:55 PM

I've never taken a single lesson, and have only played along to other music with a bass guitar until 97. Since then, I've just played what I thought sounded right to me at the time.