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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Acoustic → Hitting a plateau
Apart from nailing the barre chords recently, i feel in every other respect i have hit a plateau where i have been at the same level for a long time and not learning anything new. I think that's the trouble when teaching yourself, there's no one to teach you new things and to encourage you. Is there many others that get to this stage and if so how do you chivvy yourself onwards?
Learning an instrument always seems to be a series of plateaus. A new musical song or project can jerk you out of it and upwards.
Jamming live with others can jumpstart your interest and technique.
It could be you are trying too hard. A couple days or a week away from the guitar can be refreshing.
toots
Learning an instrument always seems to be a series of plateaus. A new musical song or project can jerk you out of it and upwards.
Jamming live with others can jumpstart your interest and technique.
It could be you are trying too hard. A couple days or a week away from the guitar can be refreshing.
toots
Tuba's right. You put it down and somehow a week later your hands learned how to dance.
Getting over a plateau is going to just happen. Don't get discouraged because there are more of them coming.
Steve
Change of strings, Change of song variety and Change of surroundings always helps me M8
Try to pick out something that you think you can't play because it's too hard. The only way to advance is to try things that are out of your reach. Just like when you first started playing, everything was new and hard. There is always something new to learn. You just have to expand your search a little. Everyone else's advice is spot on. Diff music is a really good one. The blues is really cool.
Plateaus are a good thing in disguise. They allow you to polish what you already know and to make sure you're playing consistently.
Just keep at it and make sure to challenge yourself.
Get a good challenging teacher, one who will push you.
Happens to me now and then, to all of us, I'm sure. You just have to find new songs to learn and new people to play with. It'll come back. Don't let it go.
Hey Hopeful, Speaking for everyone here we know where you are. Since you have just gotten barre chords down have you
practiced jumping from open to barres and back and forth while playing a song? Use both E form and A form barres.
Jamming with others!!! Recently the same thing hit me but i got into a wed. jam night at our local Eagles lodge and now
my lead playing is finally going somewhere---- I just hope it takes me with it.(lol) Mike
Stop and ask yourself, "How would Steve Cropper Play this?" That oughta do somethin' for ya.
I'm my own teacher also and when i get stuck in a rut or hit a plateau i just search you tube for lessons that i haven't worked on yet and find different songs from other genres i wouldn't usually try. You could also go back to the first songs you learned and embelish the easy version with the new tricks or skills you have learned. Then again when you think you've learned enough give a listen to some of the pros. It will give you inspiration and humble you at the same time.
Well the problem with teaching yourself is that your student won't listen to you because your teacher doesn't know anything more than you do.
Try a different style. Try playing a song you know in a different style - maybe even changing the time signature. Take Crocodile Rock for instance. It's a piano rock song, but I worked it out to play in a bluegrass fingerpick style. If you normally play rock then switch up to folk, or if you normally play with a pick try finger picking, or if you normally interpret to a personal style from chord charts learn to read music and cover a song with precision. Learn something that has some jazz chords or chords you wouldn't normally know. And if you haven't already, practice scales, argeggios, and inversions until they make you sick. Start slow and build up speed, then listen to anything from Allman Brothers to Yngwie Malmsteen to Segovia and you'll be amazed at how much of their outrageous solos are applications of scales, arpeggios, and inversions.
I hope at least one of those helps. I need to work on the scales, arpeggios, and inversions myself. They are the keys to blues music, and I really want to learn to lay out some folksy blues riffs like Jim Croce.
- Zurf
Thank everyone for your help. Lots of things to think about what to try next.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Acoustic → Hitting a plateau
