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This guitar lark is getting to me now!

I have been learning to play gutiar for nearly a year- started at the back end of November 2005. While I never thought it would be easy (this is the 3rd time I have tried to learn!) I really never thought I would be finding it so hard after this amount of time. I thought at least the basics would be sticking by now… but no!

Can I hit the right string…. nope.

Can I hit chords cleanly every time, in simple practice yes- when trying to play something- even simple stuff- nope.

Can I do scales smoothly and “automatically”. nope

Can I play anything from start to finish, well. Don’t make me laugh!

God I am so CRAP!

The daft thing is I really enjoy it but I am seriously getting pi$$ed off with the lack of progress. I do pretty well an hour of practice most days sometime a lot more at weekends, but its jsu not happening.

The guy I go to for lessons, I think is fed up with my lack of progress though he hides it well! But each time I go the list of things I do wrong seems to get longer.

I over strike the stings (thus hitting the string beside the one I want too)
I don’t bring my left hand round the neck far enough
I have “bouncy” fingers on my left hand- i.e lifting them too far off the frets which slows me down.
My picking action is crap- I can alternate pick but tend to be inconsistent with it, and apparently I use too much hand and not enough finger action- though I am struggling to relate this to what I am doing wrong. I can’t seem to change the way I do it.
Strumming- don’t even go there- shite.
I can’t play standing up at all!
I can’t smoothly change between simple chords.
Don’t even discuss barre chords!
Anything I can do right?- apparently the posotioning of my right hand relative to how I hold the pick is spot on!- Thats reassuring at least I’ll be able to throw the picks in the bin accuately when I finally give up!

P.S none of this is Gordon’s fault, he is a phenomenal guitarist and musician, and a pretty good teacher. If he has a fault its that he has been doing it so ridiculously long that his hands are able to get into weird shapes that for a beginner like me, I can’t even come close to emulating so he is hard to copy. (and he is only 24 or 25 !)  its just me I am obviously not musical at all!

I suck at guitar. Goign to give it until November and if I really am not getting anywhere, and I am starting to feel I won’t be, I think I will have to admit defeat for the first time in my life and quit.

Heard a band the other night on Scuzz TV. Found out their name is Sevendust. The song they played was called Ugly-  grungy type metal track. What’s most unusual is their lead singer is black- not something you see a lot in the metal genre. His voice reminds me a bit of Seal. I am gonna get their album Next and see what its like.

They have a website at http://www.sevendust.info/

Sevendust “Ugly” Music Video
Description:
Sevendust “Ugly” Music Video from their album entitled NEXT.

If you’re having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-4237913843211015392&q=Sevendust&pr=goog-sl

I am crap at guitar, but I am enthusiastic. When I heard the main riff ( it come’s in as the third guitar at the intro) to “So Cold”- I decided I had to be able to play it. But there was a problem- there’s always one!. I had no music and could not find a bit tab I could follow. I have only been playing guitar about 8 or 9 months.

This link takes you to the original with Breaking Benjamin on Google Video.

Hollywood Records: Breaking Benjamin – So Cold

If you’re having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4683399794446875827&q=So+Cold&pr=goog-sl

I believe the book of music to the album We Are Not Alone is actually available but I think its USA only so rather than go to the expense of buying one right now (bit strapped for cash!) I trawled sheetmusicdirect.com and turned up the track!

One of the big benefits of getting their music is that you can play it back in their online player thing- uses a plug in called Scorch, so though its a midi thing (i.e it sounds rubbish) it does let you heare the tempo, rhythm etc and you can play it over and over to get close (especially helpful when you can’t read music!).

Actually there’s two problems- as my guitar instructor will testify, I am really rubbish at guitar- not just saying that to illicit some kind of sympathetic “you’re not that bad” kind of  response- seriously- I am truely awful. Though I am improving very slowly- after the time I have been at it I am probably about the 3 month stage! And thats with at least an hour a days practice since I started. In my defence however- I did lose a month with holidays and my guitar being away for a set up and in that time my fingers softened up so it was like starting over when I came back to it. Oh .. and I am no youngster to be picking up an instrument for the first time.

Anyway I have learned all the intro bits to the track over the last two weeks  up to where it uses the so called “Leslie effect” in the music- ie. the really loud bit. I can actually play some of the rest of the song but it seems to be a bit of a 3 or 4 guitar arrangement ( the bands only a 4 piece with a drummer and bass). So there must be a bit of additional artistic licence used when the original was recorded IMO. One player many tracks etc.

I decided to “lay down” my first recording of me trying to play the intro. Now I have to say its not flawless and its not perfectly in time- I reckon I am a bit slow with the very first bit you hear, think I need to raise the tempo a bit.

Also this is my very first attempt at using Cubase LE though my Zoom G2.1u effects pedal. I am finding laying down the tracks really hard, ‘cos I can’t play along to my own played tracks as the latency knocks the timing out. I need to get some advice how to overcome this. I have a mate down south who is big into home studio stuff so will ask him later.

So Cold Intro by Kenny- its a 1 Meg download if you can stand the pain- try not to laugh!

Half Life 2 Breaking Benjamin

Description:
This is a machinima music video of Half Life 2 and Breaking Benjamin. Coolest music vid ever!!

If you’re having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=5152793688943085959&q=Breaking+Benjamin&pr=goog-sl