Don't be concerned - it's natural for your learning curve to become sluggish now and again. Every player, whatever what the musical preference, understands the signs. Suddenly you realize that you've been playing the same piece for many weeks, and you're not improving. On top of that, you don't try to add other tunes to your repertoire. What's happening? You've hit a full stop, attained your level, you're blocked, doomed never to get any better and reach your prize, to be recognized the best guitar master that lived.
Is there something that will help?
Well, of course there is. That's to say, I can confide in you some idea of what works in my case. As you might possible imagine, the problem is based in the mind, unless you are just practicing for so long that you're physically sick of playing! Some master players, like BB King, don't practice at all, and just play 'on the night'. By the way, he also said that he's afraid each time he plays, thinking that 'this time it won't work' and 'people will realize that I'm not very good'.
Attempt to and leave the guitar alone!
Of course this is a difficult one for guitar players. Most the greatest guitarists indicate that they played licks and tunes a million times to be the best (and I'm sure it's true), so we have to play that thing until we're blue in the face, right? Right and wrong.
It's true that you are developing and training the motor dexterity by putting our hands in the right places again and again, but if these actions are mechanical, without the passion behind it, then it's not productive. Get your mind right first - why are you learning guitar? You play because you love it.
Relax for a few days. Forget that difficult song you've been learning. After a week or more without practicing, you'll possibly find that the technique just comes naturally.
Let's go back to the basic techniques
It seems inevitable that, when we improve in our playing, some simple techniques might be taken for granted as our playing becomes more complex. From time to time, we can get a little slack in our basic ways of playing, which can be very pleasurable to play. revisit these techniques and learn them again. Listen to the old guitar legends and hear again how their techniques were grounded on solid foundations.
Play very easy techniques for a few days, but practice with feeling and give attention to every detail.
Get Content With Your Playing.
If you're at ease with your music, then it flows and appears naturally. We all can can improve, but its true that we all have a limit of playing ability. Recognition of this and acceptance of it, will help you relax. Just say to yourself "it may be that I won't improve anymore - I'll make sure that the the music I do play the very best it can be." After you get into this state of mind, you will progress! It's like magic!
There are many levels of expertise, and not everyone can be the best. Someone once said "if only the best birds were allowed to sing in the woods, it would be a be very quiet place indeed". Know your level of expertise and be at ease with it. Every one is different and can create unique sounds. Eric Clapton is often hailed a wonderful blues guitar player, but when playing the acoustic guitar, Tommy Emmanuel makes him seem merely competent.
We All Know That, It's All In The Mind.
Its not certain where I'm headed giving this tip, but here's the story. When younger, I played guitar with a friend of mine, who was not quite as good as I was. I think I practiced much more than him back then. I loved 'Police Dog Blues' by Arthur Blake but for me at that time it was too tricky to tackle.
This friend of mine moved away and perhaps a year later, while chatting on the phone, he casually told me that he had taught himself 'Police Dog'. The fact that a 'lesser' musician had taught himself this song was difficult to take. I grabbed my instrument and learned how to play the song in around three days. This isn't a testimony to my talents, but rather a comment on my faulty way of thinking. Good guitarists have a significant amount of arrogance, and often, a big ego.
This should be be taken on board, controlled and used for good!
Play With Other Guitarists.
It's great to play along with other players from a couple of ways of thinking. For one thing, it's fun. There's nothing quite like swinging along with other guitarists, even when it brings along a spirit of competition. This competition can motivate you. While playing together, guitarists become aware of each others capabilities. We all have our strong and weak points, and the the best kind of musician reinforces your strong point with his own. He may additionally attempt to hide your own weak points, and the overall music can be a wonderful example of synergy - this indicates that the end result is greater than all it's parts added together.
If the guitarists are more proficient than you, then this will help you to improve your skills, giving you a new approach and helping you to improve.
Play Away Your Normal Way Of Playing.
I go for this one, as it's a lot of fun. If you normally play blues, then teach yourself some folk. If you finger pick, then become a temporary strummer. You get the idea. Now and again we become fixed in a rut and call ourselves this or that kind of guitarist. We just pluck the guitar and becoming acquainted with a variety of musical styles will inevitably aid us to play higher standard.
Relax Into It.
Relax. It's no big deal. You won't play great guitar if you are too stressed or too serious. Some of the modern blues men seem particularly intense and I don't know why this is. Possible it's because we want to play the same as the classic blues players and that kind of outlook goes with the territory. Don't bother with that kind of thinking. You will never be be the legendary blues man, as our lives are completely different. Be who you are, that's all - the rest will come.
Gitarren Bodies
