Everyone approaches guitar differently. I was wondering what you all thought was/is the hardest thing to learn about guitar?

dennisstgermain wrote:

Everyone approaches guitar differently. I was wondering what you all thought was/is the hardest thing to learn about guitar?

FOR ME I WOULD SAY RYTHEM AND KEEPING TIME,

strumming i am like zoolander
i got one strum up and down or just down
but they pretty much sound that same.

i'm blown away when i see somebody take
2 chords and kick out a jam that sounds better
then a song Ive been working on for months

Im at an empass right now I dont hink I will ever be any better or any faster than I am right now...not becasue Icant be...but becasue I dont have the discipline to sit down with a metronome and woodshed it....ao for me thats the hard part slwing thing down and taking to time to work up to speed ive never had the discipline for that I play everything at speed....and thats it or I dont

Finding the right shirt to wear has easily been the hardest part.

shaidtan wrote:

Finding the right shirt to wear has easily been the hardest part.

so its like a musxcle car it needs a scoop on the hood of it .

shaidtan wrote:

Finding the right shirt to wear has easily been the hardest part.

LOL!!!!

The hardest part for me is consistency. Finding the time to practice everyday is the only thing that will eventually improve my playing. I want to be able to consistently play something the same way again and again but I don't want to become frozen in what I do. So, technique practice along with practicing the same stuff is what enables me to go forward in speed and accurace and consistency. If I don't practice, I don't get better.

I have a real bad habit of never playing a riff twice the same way, drives the drummer  over the edge, I normally don't play lead , but on the stuff we do, we swith around, And it's a hard job teaching a group to break meter.

The hardest thing I have in guitar is to keep reminding my fingers who SHOULD be in charge.  Everyonce in a while (toooooo often actually) they let me know who really is in charge.  Dean

xaviersky wrote:

Im at an empass right now I dont hink I will ever be any better or any faster than I am right now...not becasue Icant be...but becasue I dont have the discipline to sit down with a metronome and woodshed it....ao for me thats the hard part slwing thing down and taking to time to work up to speed ive never had the discipline for that I play everything at speed....and thats it or I dont

Have you thought about instead of the tick tocl mechanical sound of a metronome trying a 'drum' beat?? I only heard about this meself the other night listening to this guitar tutor at Youtube who said he uses one. So my earps proped up. He said he's goona put out some mp3s of drum metronomes real soon

There is also this i found that REALLY inspires me creatively. check it out http://www.8notes.com/metronome/
I LOVE the Samba, but there are even more samples if you click the other bottons at top of page etc. its just more fun than always playing to the sound of a manic  clock ticker! LOL

Great link targee, i think beginners and advanced alike would benefit by having a look. Like you mention, there are a lot more under the buttons.

Cheers,

GuitarZen

In all honesty DaveHRich nailed it. Finding the time/motivation has easily been the most difficult thing. That last thing I usually want to do when I get home from a 12 hour work day, or when I'm hung over, is pick up a guitar.

Not that I need any reasons other than laziness and lack of commitment I guess.

...my "tongue-in-cheek" reply is: "...bubble gum and playing..." (double entendre pun intended!)

Yep creating something outa nothing is my thing. Either playing rythm or lead it is what I find hardest.
For me I need to think about the guitar as lots of different things. If Im playing straight rythm I think of it as percussion. If Im playing funk or reggea motown etc, I think of the music as a canvas and my guitar is the brush, I just splash a little color here n there. If Im playing lead I think of my guitar as a voice telling a story. Remember to keep it interesting through the use of light n shade and textures and lots of emotion, (practise your guitar face...lol) Oh check out "dougbrookswood" vids here under member vids, he has a good guitar face...he he he.
My rythm rule is, set my metronome, (my arm swinging from my elbow), then create rythm etc by choosing when to hit the strings on down and up strokes. But, my arm never stops! It is my foundation.
When playing lead guitar, often 2 notes can express better than 20 notes.
Hey you cant beat a nice drippy shuffle beat to practise with ask any of the greats.
Anyhoo after all that I still sound like a 3 fingered picker. Good Luck

Newbie Dean wrote:

The hardest thing I have in guitar is to keep reminding my fingers who SHOULD be in charge.  Everyonce in a while (toooooo often actually) they let me know who really is in charge.  Dean

THAT'S SO TRUE! sometime i have to stop my strumming and reach over with my right hand and place my stubborn fingers where they should be. it's getting better, but still an issue. i think it's all about forming muscle memory. you have to form the right muscle memory from the start, and settle for nothing less.

i have tremendous issues with barring.. oh my goodness! i don't think i'll ever be able to conquer it. or maybe my fingers are just not meant for barre chords (?) any tips?

I would have to say bar chords...I know that probably sounds nuts but I have a hard time stretching my fingers....I have small hands. But I am doing it

wait till you get to arpegios and jazz chords. some are very natural and others defy conventional thinking. so for me it has been arpegios to this point. another one for me is learning to jam with outhers learning to cooperate with the team is a challenge that feels so good when you get it right so its hard but has great rewards. the main trick i have found is never say i can't. small statement big meaning. never say you can't just keep trying look for the time you do it right and go for it. cant never did anything to use one of my favorite double negatives.

Remember that no one knew how to barre and that everyone thought it unnatural and even impossible at first then they'll say they noticed that as they kept at it that barre became easier and easier and eventually a natural feeling thing.

GuitarZen