I'm not sure how to explain this but here goes. I've been trying to learn to play the guitar for years and still am pretty bad at it. Recently I decided I needed a plan of some sort in order to progress. So I bought a book on sight reading for the guitar, reasoning that if I can learn to sight read it will allow me to achieve my goal of knowing all the notes on the fretboard, thinking this was a "Good Thing" because a teacher had told me some time ago that it was imperative for a guitar player to know all the notes on the fretboard.
I've gotten almost halfway through the book and am making steady incremental progress. It's not easy but it's doable. I work on it a little bit each day and it is delivering results in terms of sight reading (there's a lot more to playing competently, however, which is the rub).
So now I've asked advice from various accomplished guitarists I know and they have all so far dumped on my "plan." They say if you want to learn to play well you should just play by ear. Then they pick up the guitar and play amazing blues, etc. which I don't think I'm anywhere near playing and perhaps never will be. I think I have the manual dexterity but my fingers don't know where to go.
I feel like I'm at a crossroads of sorts. I don't think I have the ability to just pick up my guitar and "jam" with someone on a recording. I don't know why that is but I feel I would just be wasting my time trying to learn to play that way. I've never been able to pick up an instrument and just play amazing chord progressions. I don't know how people do that.
I've also been teaching myself to play the piano (in conjunction with familiarizing myself with written music) and that has been relatively pain-free. Sometimes I think I should just give up the guitar which has been a torture to play from day one and just play the piano. But I love the sound of the guitar -- especially when someone else who is good is playing it! It's a great instrument. I also don't like to think of myself as someone who gives up easily.
Well anyone have any advice for me? Thanks for listening to this cry in the wilderness.
I've gotten almost halfway through the book and am making steady incremental progress. It's not easy but it's doable. I work on it a little bit each day and it is delivering results in terms of sight reading (there's a lot more to playing competently, however, which is the rub).
So now I've asked advice from various accomplished guitarists I know and they have all so far dumped on my "plan." They say if you want to learn to play well you should just play by ear. Then they pick up the guitar and play amazing blues, etc. which I don't think I'm anywhere near playing and perhaps never will be. I think I have the manual dexterity but my fingers don't know where to go.
I feel like I'm at a crossroads of sorts. I don't think I have the ability to just pick up my guitar and "jam" with someone on a recording. I don't know why that is but I feel I would just be wasting my time trying to learn to play that way. I've never been able to pick up an instrument and just play amazing chord progressions. I don't know how people do that.
I've also been teaching myself to play the piano (in conjunction with familiarizing myself with written music) and that has been relatively pain-free. Sometimes I think I should just give up the guitar which has been a torture to play from day one and just play the piano. But I love the sound of the guitar -- especially when someone else who is good is playing it! It's a great instrument. I also don't like to think of myself as someone who gives up easily.
Well anyone have any advice for me? Thanks for listening to this cry in the wilderness.