Utilize jam tracks here on youtube! There are THOUSANDS of them of every genre! Pick a genre you think you don't like, add 5 jam tracks to a playlist, and then DO IT. This has helped me out so much and it's insane to me that this always comes off as an "oh I never thought of that" moment for so many people.
I’ve been playing for over a couple of decades but have been doing the things below for just over a year and a half with incredible success. * Keep your gear handy: If your guitar it locked away in it’s case, in the basement, it makes it much tougher to play. * Set yourself attainable goals: This of course depends on your interests but for a common example, “I want to master the minor pentatonic”. Well, figure out what there is to learn about it. How about learning it all over the neck first? Then if you love blues adding the b5 in there. A related goal could be “ I want to play better blues” well, find yourself a nice course with blues vocabulary in it. That will lean on and reinforce what you’ve been learning about the minor pentatonic scale anyway and even better, will open your eyes to stuff you’ll probably want to learn next. Like the Major Pentatonic, or Mixolydian arpeggios. Keep notes of all the things you are finding interest in, and then slowly as you master one topic, add them into your practice routine. Keep interests varied, maybe learn some scales, certainly practice rhythm, work on your lead playing, learn a tune you like from top to bottom. But again keep the accomplishable. If you can fret cowboy chords, don’t make your short term goals to be Steve Vai by next week, Not gonna happen. A critical factor is, study things you actually care about. This may sound stupid, but I know many folks trying to play things they couldn’t care less about. Maybe once you master every music genre you care about you can worry about the ne0-classical-trance-polka Ulgur Mcvadishan licks you once heard. * Set a bare minimum of time you want to study ( I for example keep it at, at least 30 mins 5 days a week). This is critical when building a real habit. Really make it the bare minimum, even if its just 10 minutes. The point is that you actually get down and do it on those really tough days when you don’t have the motivation to do it. More often than note you’ll find that, on those tough days, once you actually get going you’ll get excited and study for longer than your bare minimum. But if not, stick to that minimum and keep a streak alive. * Put a study plan together. Once you’ve set your accomplishable goals build a study plan around them. I usually break mine up into: Scales and Arpeggios 5 mins Rhythm (whatever I’m working on) 10 minutes Lead (whatever Im working on) 10 minutes Song (whichever tune I’m working on) 5- 10 minutes. To keep things organized I use a free app (I have no relation to them fyi) called Modacity . I build my study plans with timers on there. It also has a metronome when I need it. And my favorite part, it logs my study hours. There’s probably better apps out there, but I started with this one and with my hours logged in the hundreds and hundreds ever since I started using it I just don’t want to let go. I also use another free app called Strides, where I set the 5 days a week goal, and just mark it as complete after evert study session. This keeps me in check to study 5 days a week, and tracks my streak. As I type I’m on a 75 week streak since I started using it. I really don’t want to break it. * Keep progressing If something is proving to be too hard (and I mean you;ve really tried meticulously but just can’t do it), or you feel like you’ve got it down, (it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect yet) move along on to other tougher or easier related things accordingly. But don’t get stuck, because then you lose motivation. With experience you’ll better understand how challenging things should feel, and how things that are just unrealistic feel. * Gear. Don’t let it get in the way. Choose a guitar, get a tone ready, and work with it. Don’t lollipop around with your gear as you practice. I’m probably forgetting things as I’m writing this on the spur of the moment. I hope this helps some of you on your musical journey.
Paul Camus Thanks man, great advice. I have played for 35 years and still find myself noodling when I need to practice. It is too easy to fall out of good habits. :)
I think seeing you still learning just goes to show that truly, no one has ever mastered guitar. Every and anything about guitar is a learning process, and it is not for the faint of heart.
I am 73 and I find new things to play everyday. Simple ...I decided 4 years ago to write about 20 tunes and front a power trio. A job where as a guitarists I am 'IT". Yup no other players to pick up the slack. Best of all no keyboard player! Keyboards let you nap if you want! I even learnt to play and sing. If Mick Jagger can keep your attention with 5 notes in a tune anyone can do it. I spent all my life in that good old pentatonic. That had to go! Then there is being being able to shred! ...Yes playing triplets at insane tempos ...accurately. Also play thru a Plexi at a very high gain ...gone are those tame Fender's. Controlling the high gain and developing your hand muting skills so it sounds as clean and tight as a piano.Then there is the capper! Get a bass player and drummer that are young and have just graduated from the beginner stage to entry level semi pro. Then bring them up to pro in at least their execution of where they are at on other levels. ZERO rut ...Double zero boredom! Players that have not heard me in years stand therewith there lower job resting on their feet. The best part is I can blow the .ME' of 4 years ago out of the water!!! No...on second thought the best thing is for the first time in my life Iike ME! So...get off your ass right this second ...don't let some 73 old guy like me show you up! In other words ...pull your finger out! And for gods sake quit whining!
Rhett you’re a monster of a player and have been such an inspiration to my playing. Would probably put you up in my top five influences with David Gilmour, Doyle Bramhall II, Rory Gallagher and Marcus King!
Been there for 30 years. Pretty good at my old runs, but just not getting any better with the new stuff. Hand just not going there at this age, but comfortable! Play along with a good Bad Company, Journey, or Zep tune. Yea, fun, Comfortable!
@@MSStateBulldawg83 I never played guitar until I was 54 (am 66 now). There was a sudden unexpected epiphany one night while watching a particular commercial on TV. I loved playing, but wasn't progressing,. Then, during a complicated heart surgery, I suffered a stroke. My left hand no longer worked, but my left arm was OK above the wrist. I thought it was the end of playing. Then I decided to investigate slide, and open tunings. I had to start all over again, but was determined to make progress. Far from being a handicap, I found slide suited me, and open tunings were not the bogey man I had imagined. As time passed, my hand regained most of the dexterity, (the brain 're-wires' itself around the damaged parts) and I was able to fret notes again, but I have continued to progress with slide. I continued to experiment with altered tunings. I went electric. I went Dobro. I went 12 string. I expanded my repertoire. The joy had returned. If I feel I'm getting bogged, I change tunings and try something new. I don't have a comfort zone now.
"I hate practicing guitar" I'm trying to transition from the 15 minutes a day thing into the second nature thing. It's soooooo hard to do! (I'm stuck in my own practicing habits) I tried the 10 hours a day Steve Vai thing, and that helped. I'm gonna go buy some tapes.
Holy crap. You've called it verbatim. Started the youtube channel almost exactly a year ago and I spend all of my time making videos. Lol. The good news is that I'm gonna hit 4k subs today. The bad news is that I need to find more time to practice!!! Thanks Rhett.
Man I came across Tim searching for legato techniques, so cool you're taking lessons from him! Thanks for the time you put in to make these vids as always :)
I have found that playing a different type of instrument helps. Got in a rut on recorder, focused on ukulele for a while. Plateau there, swapped over to kalimba for a few days. When I come back, my ears have been cleared, and old ruts are not as tempting. Also helps in getting exposed to different styles of music, which can be applied to the other instruments.
Learn another instrument :) Piano, drums, harmonica, violin, flute... whatever! The songs you will learn with them will change your perspective of the guitar and lead you to new things to learn
7:36 YES! Don't get hung up on trying to be "original". Learn other people's songs because not only are you just learning a song, you're getting insight into their technique and you might be able to add techniques to your repertoire that will allow your playing to evolve. I've jammed with guitar players that supposedly purposely didn't learn covers for fear of "not sounding original" and they were some of the blandest players I've ever jammed with.
Josh is a monster player. He's so humble and looks totally effortless when he's playing. I really dig his style. As a Americana and Classic R&B player, I really look up to him as a mentor and listen to anything he is saying.
I stop playing the famililar riffs and tunes that i play every time i pick up the guitar. I get better when i just search for small riffs that i can attach in chains to find different rythms and patterns. Don't play what you already know. It is a conscious decision.
I have a guitar exercise playlist on my media player - goes from Satch and Vai to Neil Young to Prince to Primus to Santana to Loreena McKennit (very intoxicating stuff to solo over) - currently freaking out over Jimmy Herring and going to throw some of his tunes in there as a challenge - and I practice scales on an acoustic for a few minutes before picking up the electric...
I do something similar but with only audio, and a notepad/google docs file to track progress. Basically, download a bunch of mp3 files (or rip audio from RU-vid videos, which I have been doing a lot lately), download Amazing Slow Downer, import all the files in, create a playlist in ASD, set the loop time (e.g. 30 seconds-45 seconds of the first clip will loop repeatedly until you turn it off), then practice that section til I've nailed it. Repeat with the next clip.. I usually only do a few of these a day though. I like the idea of using video but this process takes way less time so I can focus more on actually practising.
Here is a tip for getting out of lead ruts- find a song you love (or not - it actually doesn't matter) and try to play the lead vocal line. Not just the melody as written on sheet music, but really attempting to capture the feel and nuance of the original vocal performance. The slurs, The stops. The dynamics and swells. The fills. When it is soft. When it is aggressive. Everything. Obviously starting with a vocal artist who has some depth makes it more interesting. Aretha comes to mind. Michael Jackson would pose some interesting challenges (eg - his squeaks). But even some of the old crooners like Sinatra could open you up to subtle timing and dynamics changes that could be killer in your arsenal of tricks.
Your open mind is commendable Rhett and who am I to question your esteemed guitar teacher but this approach seems contrary to the creative process which could be deployed simultaneously while practicing. For example....pick a key / establish a rhythm / identify a progression utilizing parallels chords and secondary dominants / put on the loop / experiment with notes inherently / drill new good sounding phrases. Consider putting newfound phrases into tabulature for ones own archive.
Hi Rhett, I play the guitar for about 1,5 years and can play a decent amount of songs, but when I’m jamming on my own I never know which key I am and what notes to play next, I always just guess what to play next. I don’t really know the fretboard too and I’m struggling to learn it. I want to write my own music and I think those things are why I can’t really start. Could you give some advice for starting/practicing to play like that?
I needed this. I’ve been caged in a box for years, mostly pentatonic. This video may have set me free. I recently release a smooth jazz tune and when I first released, I was excited. But now when I listen to it, you can tell I’m stuck in that box...the song sucks lol. But we fail when we don’t get back up, so I’m charging ahead! Thanks for this...I needed it bro!
So true..I am at that point I grew fast but am in a rut........that guitar looks amazing what is it ...love sparkly guitars and new looking ones are boring. Sweet blco inlays... I'm drooling dream guitar....
Over and over and over again until you feel it change!!! And then change with it!!! Or just study theory and do it like that!!! If it sounds right and feels right it probably is right, right??? Regardless of theory!!! Don't you think???
Suggested, JamKazam to download PARTS of tunes, then you can do all but the Guitar or Bass or Keys or whatever you are practicing... Elevated Jam Tracks on You Tube also... I "record" to get "Better" also a UD Rep or Vidami pedal that lets you use your foot to reverse slow down or pause a You Tube video... I don't use it MUCH but I DO use it... "Recording" with jam tracks helps a LOT!
I have learned the guitar from the youtube community and been in a rut,but this video has great ideas thats why I keep watching.Thanks cause i love guitar
I’ve been playing guitar for 20 plus years,I’m not great,But I can hold a tune,I know my limitations,I know I’ll never get any better,Different genres of music have influenced me over the years,Oasis,the Beatles,90s britpop music is how I learned,Wasn’t till I started listening to American bands like the black crowes,Blackberry smoke,REM,Who were my very first favourite band,Was when my guitar playing got better,Different tunings for a start,Noodling around with open G,Open E Tunings was great fun,
Love the waffle house mug! You mentioned making a mix tape.....but then started talking about DAWs. Take a step back, get a cassette, and make a proper mix tape!
PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON THE MASTERY BRIDGE. I see that u have one on ur novo I need to know which one to get for my jazzmaster and how hard it is to instal
Damn! Another great video. As a kind of intermediate player, your videos are a great source of inspiration. The main problem is...They always make me think..."Spend more time with your guitar in your hands dumbass!" 😁
The worst part for me was, when I picked it up again after 16-year hiatus, I started making real progress. I learned more theory. I could actually solo, quite well, changes & all. Then arthritis kicked in. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
No no no. You're completely wrong Rhett. I've just been told in no uncertain terms, by a guy on a guitar group, that all practice is rubbish. He tells me that he knows lots of successful guitarists, and none of them practice. Also, "If you ain't gigging, you ain't shit. That's absolute". So let's have no more of this 'great way to improve by practising' stuff. LOL!
You HAVE to play with other people. Preferably people better than you. Only way you will ever get good. Playing by yourself...Play along to a favorite song. Learn it note, for note. Even if it takes weeks. But, you’ll never be a complete guitarist if you don’t jam with others regularly.
Thanks for the advice Rhett i myself have been playing a 10 string mexican guitar called the Bajo Quinto it's similar to a Baritone Acoustic guitar and I've been playing for almost 2 years and in that short time I've learned very quickly and I'm now playing with a band and we gig every weekend but now the pressure of that plateau is starting to hit me where i feel like I've slowed down a lot when it comes to learning and I want to keep progressing for myself and for my band. it's crazy how fast I learned all the basics and some intermediate things and suddenly one day that progression just stopped out of nowhere 😔
People are able to move their hands and fingers in ways that other people will never be able to do no matter how much practice and that's why some people progress and some people don't and never will. Playing guitar mostly comes down to your anatomy and it's not fair. I can't even get my picking hand parallel to the strings and end up scraping the pick toward the bridge when it should be going down towards the ground and I've been playing for years. I hate seeing people making progress when I can't because I wasn't born with special muscles and tendons in order to do it
I'm a blues guy all the way. I play hardcore punk in a band for fun. But as someone who never solos... at all. Rock Discipline by John Petrucci is an absolute ace guitar practice guide. It's weird. It's different. Which is perfect, for anyone to use to help bring inspiration, or just practice a different style.
Josh Smith makes it look SO EASY!! Awesome video though Rhett. Moving those chord voicings around at the end sounded amazing! I try and do something similar because it can be so easy to get stuck playing the same voicings due to muscle memory.
Hi Rhett, this video really resonated with me. Been a bass player most of my life, so I can play chords with good timing. My challenge has been learning to play lead licks. All my guitar buddies tell me “ learn this scale or play that scale”, which I can do. But it doesn’t sound like I’m playing real “licks” like accomplished guitarists. Like I’m not getting the “feel” of medlodically connecting the notes over the chord. Any advice?
I like to take popular songs or just songs I like and transform the chords from regular major and minor, to maybe maj7, 9th or sus chords and then try to play the melody mixed with the chords. I also try NOT to play E and A shapes since those are the ones I'm most comfortable with and try to go for G, C and D shapes or maybe just some other inversions.
I learn drums for quite a while. Then I had plateau for years. I did not know what to do... Last year I decided to buy a bass on a whim. Thanks to lockdown I had time to practice for 4-5 hours / day a made very huge progress. I cannot say I reach a plateau yet but my progress are much slower now. Guess what? I bought a guitar 2 days ago! My advise is to play another instrument. If you are guitar player, start drums, bass (do it as a bass player, not as a guitarist playing juste an octave lower guitar) or keyboard... It will not only benefit your global understanding of music and song, but it will refresh your idea. If you were used to think guitar first when writing songs, maybe you will now think of a new song by first having a powerful drums fill or bass line...
I just do mostly mprovisation on my guitar except when gigs required New songs on my list. Play also very much the melodys of a song to strech my musicality. A mix
Sometimes I'll pick up another instrument ... bass, keys or drums. So if I'm playing bass I'm listening to someone like James Jamerson. Then when I go back to guitar I feel like I bring a little of his bass vibe back with me. Same idea with keys. Picking up drums has definitely helped break me out of my rhythm guitar ruts. Think about some of Dave Grohl's unique rhythm guitar. But I do agree with Josh about trying other styles. That is a great rut buster.
Write and record a complete song in a different genre you haven't tried before. You will go down a rabbit hole and definitely get out of your comfort zone. And by genre, that includes time periods. 60s rock was very different from 90s rock. Then genres outside your culture space.
I grab my bass, and break out of my genre (heavy metal). Play way outside the box (50s decades and onward). I do like the idea of just learning songs from bands I love, but have not played. Learning a bunch of songs from one band will get easier over time, and not break a person from their rut. Would definitely open the mind to another artist's style and expand on one's own musical vocabulary.
Can you get better at guitar by just playing all the time? Like would a person get better with 30mins of structured practice or 2-3 hours a day of just having your hands on the guitar and doing whatever
For me the best thing I ever did to get out of that rut was switching to Open and other altered tunings, and start incorporating slide into my playing. I had stagnated and altered tunings opened up a whole new Universe of possibilties. Slide let me work around the damage from a stroke that ruined my left hand. I think a lot of the 'rut', that stagnation and frustration, is slavishly sticking to 440khz.
Rhett, what would you suggest to those of us who just started i.e. like 1-2 months in am not getting anywhere. I have tried Guitar tricks, metal method, and nothing seems to be clicking. I don't have any musical friends to try and help me get to that ohhhhhhh moment to where things really start to take off. So, I am not sure you would call mine a plateau, I'm more still at the base of the hill staring and scratching my head..
New and creative chord voicings always inspire me when I'm in a rut! Take that old A major in open position and turn it into an Aadd9 and boom! You got a whole new sound happening! Thanks for the great video Rhett, keep it up brotha!
I see this topic come up often, but my problem is not the plateau, it's maintaining where I'm at. When I'm always looking for something new, I forget what I learnt last month. What do you do to consolidate the new things you learn?
Let's see...what do I do to break out of playing ruts? Buy a new guitar? Seriously, I find playing or learning a different instrument such as ukelele or mandolin or I tune the top four strings of my guitar to a mandolin type of tuning and learn some songs on it to get my head out of a rut and make things interesting. Or try different tunings to mix things up. I agree with trying new or different chord voicings. Cool video and great ideas.
Wonderful video, love Josh Smith I had the fabulous chance to open for him with my local band and chat a little bit after the gig, he is such a nice and down to earth guy and he really played killer guitar with such a tremendous touch and sense of dynamics.Thanks you Rhett I'm gonna try to work on those new chord voicing that looks really apealing to me !
I think as much as structured practicing is a way to break out .. I think turning up and knocking the dust off.. literally ..can help too .. staying in the moment on the edge .. willing to risk failure ..sounds to me you had to get it right quick a lot in the studio ... go make some noise .. with an eye on not ..playing anything from muscle memory .. nothing wrong with playing feel / tone for the song .. I think there is to much focus on complex playing sometimes
Sometimes I’ll take a riff or lick or piece of a scale and ask myself “where else can I play this?” Am Pentatonic Box 1 to Box 3. Don’t look at charts or tabs. The possibilities are endless... Or, can I play a blues solo all in the first four/five frets? Also having a lot of fun with CAGED system.
Rhett, do you think you could do a video on how you find people to play with/start a band? My biggest thing is I had a previous band i played with for a short time, it was one of the funnest times of my life. Ever since it ended ive been really sad and cant find anyone to start with
My way of practicing to make me better is just noodling but I try to add in new ideas or line into it, which connects it to stuff I already know. Probably not the best but it’s what I do
I'm NOT getting better at guitar cause it serves no purpose to do so. I have wasted waay too much money on gear, and waaaay to much time for little to no reason.
I haven't picked up the guitar for over 3 years now..i just feel like giving it all up but i dont want to because i still love it but not at the same level
Very helpful. Thank you Rhett. How humble of you to reveal the various ways you grow as a player and out of the same old ruts we all get stuck in. Very cool.
