Search options

I think I said exactly what JeffroFiddlemaster said... without the hostility.  I got my first guitar when the Beatles hit the scene and learned to play by ear.  After 40 years I have the theory and technical aspects of my playing style pretty well mastered.  But the improvised solos and fills my bandmate plays (and he's played as long as I have) often sound more melodic to me than my own. His "feel" is better than mine on average, but he envies my technical skill.  So we both have our strengths and weaknesses, and that makes our playing styles complement each other.  I can play Clapton's Cream solos note for note, but if I had to create them from scratch my phrasing and melody could never compete with his ability.

While it is imperative that you come to know your guitar's neck intimately and which scales fit over which chords, the legendary guitar players play what they <b>feel</b>, and not what notes they know will fit over the chords.  That's why they're legends and we're not.  You need to listen to a progression and then hear in your head what notes you want to play to communicate a feeling.  This is impossible to do if you're still struggling with chord changes and/or scales, because you're still consumed by the mecahnics of guitar playing and unable to split your focus to let the music carry you.  Once your playing becomes second nature you'll be able to translate your knowlege into something that your audience will feel with you.

Your left hand (if you're right-handed) has to develop "muscle memory" so it can grab chords without your brain telling you to plant your fingers on the correct frets in a time-consuming sequence.  This skill comes only with hours upon hours of practice and repetition--there is no shortcut.  Most beginners who pick up guitar playing and then drop it don't commit to the patience and self discipline required to reach the level of competence they had hoped to achieve.