Intermediate level guitar - how to learn new songs without hating them?

[LeeH]

I was a beginner at guitar for 20 years. Lessons were never convenient so I pretty much stayed at the same level, if I played at all. Unfortunately, guitar never really "clicked" for me.

Fast forward to recent years, with the internet and Youtube I can have instruction any time I want. Great! I move from beginner stuff to some more challenging songs. I play just about every day. Sometimes a few minutes, sometimes for hours. Still, I barely feel I'm at an intermediate level.

One of my biggest issues is that I find that by the time I learn a song well enough to marginally play it, I'm so freakin' tired of it that I never want to hear the song again! I enjoy playing but find my inability to advance frustrating. That, coupled with a fairly bad memory (if I don't play a song for a couple of weeks it's almost like starting over) has resulted in a real love-hate relationship between me and the guitar.

I have a brother and sister who are amazing at guitar, but I think I missed out on that gene. My newphew makes a living at it. He's on the right:

[Rick Lee]

There's no short cut here for you. Memorizing how to play a song is easiest when it's a song you already know in your head pretty well. And learning songs you already know and like a lot makes practicing a lot more fun. If you don't know the song, it can be a pain in the ass. My band in college did that to me. They'd hand me a cassette of stuff to learn for the next practice. It was usually easy peasy stuff like REM or what not. So it took no chops to learn, but the memorization was the trick. All I can say is stick with the songs you really like until you need new challenges.

BTW, I went to see two Ozzy and VH tribute bands play last night and the Ozzy band's guitarist just killed. You have to really be a devotee to learn all those guitar solos note for note. It was like watching Randy Roads reincarnated.

[LeeH]

I only play stuff I know. Usually I'll hear a song and think I might be able to learn it with some help. I can usually tell pretty quickly from watching Youtube lessons whether or not I have a chance. It's pretty cool how many lessons are available for specific songs on Youtube. A lot of guitarist have put in a lot of time putting some of the lessons together.

One question I have: Would one on one guitar lessons be much help or are they going to be similar to what I see on Youtube? I've never had lessons and have often wondered if they're more than just someone telling you repeatedly which notes to hit and to practice more often.

[Rick Lee]

If you can't make it sound like the pros on Youtube, then yes, one-one lessons would help. It's hard to decipher a lot of techniques by watching it on YT. A teacher can show you all the tricks you'd never pick up on your own. Gimme an idea of what kind of music you're talking about here. If it's stuff I know, I can show you.

[slodave]

I wanna rock!

[McLovin]

LOL, I could have written your post, we're in the same boat.

I've played on and off for 25 years, and always thought of myself as mediocre at best.

Youtube, and all the tab sites, and songsterr (try that if you haven't) have made it so I can learn and play songs a lot quicker and better.

But I have the same issues as you. There will be a song that I just love, and think "man, if i could ever learn that, that would be awesome!"

But then I learn it over the course of a week or so, perfect it in another week or so, and it's kind of a letdown. Listened to it, dissected it, studied it and practiced it so many times, it loses a lot of its mystique.

I also have a fairly bad memory, and forget a lot of it if I don't play it for a month or so. Although I've gotten a lot better with that recently.

I don't know what the answer is. What I do is stop playing when it gets boring, and pick it up again when the urge hits. I'll go months playing just about every day, then go for weeks off without picking it up at all.

[lowyder993s]

count me as a third...coulda written that too. I can only aspire to Rick's chops(didn't you post you and your bro doing VH?)

[craigster59]

Try finding someone to play with. Guitar is like working out, if you have a partner you are more inclined to stick with it and push harder. Also working together on the song, you can come up with different versions and styles. Helps to mix it up.

[slodave]

Also try and play at least 15 minutes a day. Whatever it is, from chords to riffs.

[Rick Lee]

I'm totally out of shape. Takes me about two weeks of a few hours a night to get the chops back to where they were, but then I haven't progressed in forever. I just looked up a few James Taylor songs on YT and I'd be very hard pressed to learn how to play those from the videos. I have a TAB book from his greatest hits and I find it very challenging. I always find myself reverting back to playing VH stuff. It's just so much fun and feels so natural. And I'm really lazy in my old age.

Back when I was learning, there was no Internet, TAB was not that common and I didn't get a CD player until I was in college. It was press play, pause, rewind, play, repeat. That's how I had to do it. Once a month I rushed to the local pharmacy to see what songs the guitar mags had transcribed and I'd try to see how close I was in my own interpretation of it. Learning that way really honed my ears. But again, I'm lazy now.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Try finding someone to play with. Guitar is like working out, if you have a partner you are more inclined to stick with it and push harder. Also working together on the song, you can come up with different versions and styles. Helps to mix it up.

Honestly, if you need someone else to motivate you to play guitar, it might not be for you. When I was a kid, my parents took my guitar away as punishment when my grades suffered. That's how much I loved playing. Between learning songs on my own and band practice and gigs, I probably averaged 3-5 hrs. per day with my guitar around my neck my last year in college and the year I stayed there after that. I'm toying with the idea of getting back into shape and getting into a local band. But again.....I'm lazy.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

If you can't make it sound like the pros on Youtube, then yes, one-one lessons would help. It's hard to decipher a lot of techniques by watching it on YT. A teacher can show you all the tricks you'd never pick up on your own. Gimme an idea of what kind of music you're talking about here. If it's stuff I know, I can show you.

I play a variety of stuff. Mostly strumming along with chords. Dave Matthews, Nickelback, Train, etc. The most recent song I started working on is Tears In Heaven by Clapton. Seems like a good intermediate song, but again, I've reached the point where I can almost play it, but am already sick of it.

[davidbir]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Honestly, if you need someone else to motivate you to play guitar, it might not be for you. When I was a kid, my parents took my guitar away as punishment when my grades suffered. That's how much I loved playing. Between learning songs on my own and band practice and gigs, I probably averaged 3-5 hrs. per day with my guitar around my neck my last year in college and the year I stayed there after that. I'm toying with the idea of getting back into shape and getting into a local band. But again.....I'm lazy.

This is why I gave up-many years ago and again recently. In my twenties I would practice eight hours a day: Some people have talent but most of us don't. I didn't want to learn to play stuff "parrot style", I wanted to be able to create but I just had to conclude it simply is not a talent I possess. I never took lessons because I spoke to and heard of people like Rick Lee who didn't need lessons-therefore, why should I?
I started taking lessons a few years ago and it was a big help-but still no talent!

I still have three nice guitars that I love the look and feel of. Today I watched a band play at the local mall-they were all teenagers and they were amazing! The lead guitar player has played for seven years and he could make that thing talk-in any language. ( The singer was a gal who looked and sounded just like Adele-they call themselves Tin Pan Alley). I was very envious but, finally realistic.

[Rick Lee]

Well, I knew I was never gonna be a great songwriter and probably not any kind of rock star. But it's still a lot of fun to play and it's very satisfying to be able to come close to pulling off some of the stuff you once found superhuman. I was front row for Eric Johnson a few weeks ago and, while I know I'll never play like he does, I have a much greater appreciation for what he does because I did put in the hours to learn some of it. Just because you're not going to ever rank with the best is no reason to not play for fun and for the challenge of continuing improvement.

[Rick Lee]

Lee, that's a pretty cool video lesson. I hadn't seen anything that detailed on YT before. But I really only use YT to either just get started or for help with some tough parts.

This is one of my favorites and I plan to tackle it one of these days. It's at the professor, not student level. But it's sooooo cool.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Lee, that's a pretty cool video lesson. I hadn't seen anything that detailed on YT before. But I really only use YT to either just get started or for help with some tough parts.

This is one of my favorites and I plan to tackle it one of these days. It's at the professor, not student level. But it's sooooo cool.

Hehe.. Small world. I know him. He is my dad's business partners son.

[T77911S]

sounds like you and me have a lot in common in that i always have had a hard time remembering songs when it seems like others never forget anything they have ever played. kinda why i switched over to drums after playing guitar for 25+ years.
i found it easier to just play with charts/music, not that i can read real music.
i played at church for several years, with profesional musicians, we were doing so many new songs a week i had to have music.

[craigster59]

Have you tried fingerpicking the songs, that sometimes gives it a different "flavor" and sound and keeps things from getting repetitive,

[Por_sha911]

I took lessons when I was a kid and the only thing I learned was how to memorize a song in the lesson book (anyone remember Alfred's Basic Guitar?). Two weeks after I finished a song in the book it was forgotten and I couldn't play again. Then, my folks hired this weird jazz musician who taught me how to play the guitar instead of how to memorize a song. He forced me to learn 2nd position, harmonics, rhythm, and to have an ear for the music. He was tough. I wanted to rock out with power chords and he wanted me to become a true musician. There wasn't the reward of finishing a song after a few weeks but I learned how to learn. I started playing with other musicians and I was able to pick up songs faster because I understood the dynamics (a major plus back in the day when there was no internet). I could hear where the songs were going and knew what chords would naturally come next. That said, it still takes playing on a regular basis every few days if you want to develop your ability. Atrophy sets in pretty quickly and the callouses go away way too fast. Sadly, I haven't played in years. I still have a custom built 12 string sitting in the closet.

[Superman]

Thirty-five years ago, I was a passable guitar player and a decent bass player. At least. Then life got in the way, I put it down and never looked back. Until today. I am still working up an Open Mike set and I'm just about ready. It's going to be a pretty good set.

Anyhoo.....I have a perspective to offer that may be unique, except that it's not, really. You see, I have never, ever in my life, ever practiced when it was not fun. Ever. When I pick up a guitar, I have fun playing and practicing, and three hours later I realize I'm hungry and I've had to go to the bathroom for two hours. If practicing were bother, I would not play.