[Kentl]

Hey well I had a guitar teacher (he came to see my parents form Oklahoma and he did not know what I was doing wrong either
You guys say don’t give up keep it up but even you got to admit maybe I should admit defeat
I mean the fact that the teacher saw nothing wrong shows it might not be the guitar or me it might be me (mentally)
I know sounds crazy but it is the only thing I can think of maybe some reason I don’t wan to play guitar
Question is how do I know if it is a mental block? (it would not be the first time I have a history of mental blocks they believe I mentally block the ability to swim with out opening my eyes (if I do I start to drowned)
And then should I call it quits? (on guitar if it is a mental block I don’t know how to get rid of it)
and then if it is this is a watse if time trying to do soemthing i want to do but dont (i know confusing)

[Rainer.]

Did you just see him once?

Even the best teacher won't be able to do much in one sitting.

What helps about having a teacher is having someone who:
- Knows how you play.
- Knows how you learn.
- Keeps up with your progress over time.
- Guides you with your own practice time.
- Cares about your progress as a student.

When we've told you that you need a teacher, we didn't mean you needed to just see someone who teaches guitar to tell you what you're doing wrong. We mean you need to work with an experienced guitarist over time as a student of guitar (one who studies).

[Nate]

Are you still doing that thumb thing?

I don't think you have a mental block.

I'm not sure why you keep starting threads.

If you want to get better, it takes time and work.

You said you're unwilling to put in either of those things.

You've been playing 3 years, but not learning for 3 years.

If you could post more videos showing both your hands, that would help.

We'd be able to tell you what was "wrong," but that wouldn't make you better.

We don't mean "keep it up" as in "keep playing the same thing and hope you improve."

We mean to work hard at improving very specific things, which you said you don't want to do.

If you don't want to work hard at getting better, stop posting. There's no other way to get better.

You're just wasting both of our times, because we're talking about nothing if you don't plan on working.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Remember that silly little test I had you do with a tuner?

Your guitar will sound HORRIBLE if you do not have good intonation, and your intonation is off by more than a half step at 12 frets.

I am convinced that your guitar is holding you way, way back, because with bad intonation, you play what should be the right fret on a tuned guitar, and it is going to sound a note that is off. Thus your technique could be perfect and the song would sound crappy.

When you play your own songs, I would bet good money, you are picking notes that sound good together on YOUR guitar. On a guitar with good intonation they might not sound as good. (IOW, to get the same tune might require adjustments if some of the notes are off a fret or two which is a real possibility.

In short, you at least need your guitar setup and have the intonation set. It should run around $30. Until you have that done, the best technique in the world will not help you sound right. I would gladly point you the way of a good MIA instrument for a good price if you are interested. This one looks good, and a bid of 125 would most likely take it.

Peavey USA Predator Electric Guitar 06314359 w/ Gig Bag - eBay (item 330337393792 end time Jun-20-09 10:32:23 PDT)


As far as mental blocks go... Not sure I really agree with the concept of deciding you can't do something. If somebody told me that, you can be sure I would keep at it at least long enough to get empirical evidence to the opposite.

[RubberChipmunk]

Originally Posted by Nate

Are you still doing that thumb thing?
I don't think you have a mental block.
I'm not sure why you keep starting threads.
If you want to get better, it takes time and work.
You said you're unwilling to put in either of those things.
You've been playing 3 years, but not learning for 3 years.
If you could post more videos showing both your hands, that would help.
We'd be able to tell you what was "wrong," but that wouldn't make you better.
We don't mean "keep it up" as in "keep playing the same thing and hope you improve."
We mean to work hard at improving very specific things, which you said you don't want to do.
If you don't want to work hard at getting better, stop posting. There's no other way to get better.
You're just wasting both of our times, because we're talking about nothing if you don't plan on working.

I agree with everything that was said here. The only mental block you have is the one you impose on yourself. If you want to learn guitar, or any instrument for that matter, it takes work. Its all about building muscle memory, and the only way to do that is to play the same things over and over and over on an instrument that is properly set up. CGR is a forum used for discussing the guitar, among other things. Yes, sometimes "how do I do this technique" or "how do I make this chord" threads come up here. I've posted threads along those lines, gotten advice, and worked until I got it. Some users here are experienced and can help point people in the right direction. What we are NOT able to do on CGR is teach you how to play. Either you have to do that through playing the same things over and over and over until you get them, or you need to find a long-term instructor that will tell you what things to play over and over until you get them. Posting thread after thread asking why YOU have a mental block or asking why YOU can't improve is not going to help YOU improve. We've told you how YOU can improve. There's no advice left to give.

[Kentl]

Originally Posted by RubberChipmunk

I agree with everything that was said here. The only mental block you have is the one you impose on yourself. If you want to learn guitar, or any instrument for that matter, it takes work. Its all about building muscle memory, and the only way to do that is to play the same things over and over and over on an instrument that is properly set up. CGR is a forum used for discussing the guitar, among other things. Yes, sometimes "how do I do this technique" or "how do I make this chord" threads come up here. I've posted threads along those lines, gotten advice, and worked until I got it. Some users here are experienced and can help point people in the right direction. What we are NOT able to do on CGR is teach you how to play. Either you have to do that through playing the same things over and over and over until you get them, or you need to find a long-term instructor that will tell you what things to play over and over until you get them. Posting thread after thread asking why YOU have a mental block or asking why YOU can't improve is not going to help YOU improve. We've told you how YOU can improve. There's no advice left to give.

That is why I think I should give up I followed a lot of your advice even use the time keeping thing
And when I try to use it slows down!!! Explain that one to me
And the fact that my guitar is meseed up and I cant get a new one (unless I can save up for some time but food comes first)
I am thinking that I should put ti on hold in till I can do something (buy a new guitar or get a teacher) but that is a five years at least when I move on I can do that stuff in till then I cant
if there is no more advice to give there is no way for me to learn i do try to learn i work my fingers to the bone and when i do try to take the time thing it gose haywire
and now it wont open
that is not natrual
i am thinking mabey it is a sign

[RubberChipmunk]

Originally Posted by Kentl

That is why I think I should give up I followed a lot of your advice even use the time keeping thing
And when I try to use it slows down!!! Explain that one to me
And the fact that my guitar is meseed up and I cant get a new one (unless I can save up for some time but food comes first)
I am thinking that I should put ti on hold in till I can do something (buy a new guitar or get a teacher) but that is a five years at least when I move on I can do that stuff in till then I cant
if there is no more advice to give there is no way for me to learn i do try to learn i work my fingers to the bone and when i do try to take the time thing it gose haywire
and now it wont open
that is not natrual
i am thinking mabey it is a sign

Bill said that your guitar might need to be setup. Go get it set up. Its thirty bucks.

Forgive me if I'm coming across as too harsh with this post, but sometimes people need the harshness as a wake up call. Here's your wake up call, kentl. There is no such thing as being "incapable" of anything unless you honestly believe that you are. And you obviously believe that you can't learn the guitar. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get where I am today, kentl? I've been playing for almost eight years. And I'm nowhere near the level of a virtuoso. I'm good, don't get me wrong, but I know I have a LONG way to go. It took HOURS upon HOURS of playing week after week after week, year after year after year for me to get where I am. You've been playing three years, right? Something like that? Guess where I was after three years. Go on. Guess. I'll just tell you. I STILL sucked. I couldn't keep a rhythm. I could play power chords. I thought I was good. I started playing with CGR's own Five Minute Plan. I was too inexperienced to keep up. We parted ways because we both knew I couldn't do it at that stage of my life with the guitar, and they started working with someone else. I can play pretty much all of the parts to every single one of their songs now, but that doesn't matter now as that was like five years ago. You know what that taught me? That taught me that I was teaching myself the wrong things. I asked for a little advice, and I got roughly the same advice you got from the members of CGR. I was told to practice. I did. I practised every day. And then, two years later, I joined my first serious band. I finally made it to where I wanted and I STILL have so much to learn, Kentl.

This does NOT happen overnight. This doesn't even happen in a month. You have years of BAD PLAYING HABITS that you've developed that you need to break. You're WORSE off than someone who has never played before in their lives. But it is NOT impossible. You are NOT incapable of learning to play the guitar. I was in the SAME BOAT YOU WERE. Look where I am today! My band is booking a tour! We're recording an album later in the summer. We're ordering merch. We have fans. And I never would have gotten here if I didn't break my mental barriers and play the guitar.

Stop posting your questions here. We cannot help you anymore. Its not that we aren't willing to try, because I know we will try the best we can, but for your own good as a player, understand that it is nearly impossible for us to tell you what you're doing wrong unless we were sitting down with you teaching you face to face. Go get a teacher. Stop doubting yourself. If you sit with a teacher weekly for a year and PRACTICE what you learn for an hour at least four days a week, I can PROMISE you that at the end of that year, you will be a much better player.

[thesteve]

Honestly, if you had a guitar teacher come and see you and he couldn't tell you what you were doing wrong, then he probably shouldn't be a guitar teacher.

[Kentl]

Originally Posted by RubberChipmunk

Bill said that your guitar might need to be setup. Go get it set up. Its thirty bucks.

Forgive me if I'm coming across as too harsh with this post, but sometimes people need the harshness as a wake up call. Here's your wake up call, kentl. There is no such thing as being "incapable" of anything unless you honestly believe that you are. And you obviously believe that you can't learn the guitar. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get where I am today, kentl? I've been playing for almost eight years. And I'm nowhere near the level of a virtuoso. I'm good, don't get me wrong, but I know I have a LONG way to go. It took HOURS upon HOURS of playing week after week after week, year after year after year for me to get where I am. You've been playing three years, right? Something like that? Guess where I was after three years. Go on. Guess. I'll just tell you. I STILL sucked. I couldn't keep a rhythm. I could play power chords. I thought I was good. I started playing with CGR's own Five Minute Plan. I was too inexperienced to keep up. We parted ways because we both knew I couldn't do it at that stage of my life with the guitar, and they started working with someone else. I can play pretty much all of the parts to every single one of their songs now, but that doesn't matter now as that was like five years ago. You know what that taught me? That taught me that I was teaching myself the wrong things. I asked for a little advice, and I got roughly the same advice you got from the members of CGR. I was told to practice. I did. I practised every day. And then, two years later, I joined my first serious band. I finally made it to where I wanted and I STILL have so much to learn, Kentl.

This does NOT happen overnight. This doesn't even happen in a month. You have years of BAD PLAYING HABITS that you've developed that you need to break. You're WORSE off than someone who has never played before in their lives. But it is NOT impossible. You are NOT incapable of learning to play the guitar. I was in the SAME BOAT YOU WERE. Look where I am today! My band is booking a tour! We're recording an album later in the summer. We're ordering merch. We have fans. And I never would have gotten here if I didn't break my mental barriers and play the guitar.

Stop posting your questions here. We cannot help you anymore. Its not that we aren't willing to try, because I know we will try the best we can, but for your own good as a player, understand that it is nearly impossible for us to tell you what you're doing wrong unless we were sitting down with you teaching you face to face. Go get a teacher. Stop doubting yourself. If you sit with a teacher weekly for a year and PRACTICE what you learn for an hour at least four days a week, I can PROMISE you that at the end of that year, you will be a much better player.

I cant say this any more I cant get a teacher I want one but I cant okay?
Do you think I don’t get a teacher by choice? I also have a doctor and I do have a mental block about swimming and he said I might have a block for guitar

Originally Posted by thesteve

Honestly, if you had a guitar teacher come and see you and he couldn't tell you what you were doing wrong, then he probably shouldn't be a guitar teacher.

he is consider good as a teacher out there he and my grand father know each other
my grand father learned guitar with him
but idk any thing

[RubberChipmunk]

Originally Posted by Kentl

I cant say this any more I cant get a teacher I want one but I cant okay?
Do you think I don’t get a teacher by choice? I also have a doctor and I do have a mental block about swimming and he said I might have a block for guitar

Do you actually read the things you post? Do you actually read the things other people post? I'm really starting to think that you don't, because I told you that any mental block you have is SELF IMPOSED. That means that YOU ARE DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. You can do ANYTHING that you set your mind to, Kentl. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT THE WORK INTO IT, YOU CAN LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR.

If you can't afford a teacher, do yourself a favor and buy a book. Preferably one with pictures. I'm sure someone can recommend a really good one. Learn your chord shapes. There are plenty of people here that can give you a good practice routine. Scales are going to be the least of your worries off the bat. Learn to make open chords, learn to strum in a rhythm, and learn to change between shapes flawlessly. This will take you hours of practice over the course of weeks, maybe months.

The only thing I can read when I see what you type is that you don't believe you can do it. You are making excuses. Excuses don't get you any better at playing guitar. You say your doctor says you have a mental block? Does he ever tell you that the mental block is self imposed? If not, you need to find a new doctor, because that one is not doing a very good job. You are not an idiot. You ARE capable. It WILL take work. You need to BELIEVE that you can do it, and you need to stop looking for pity and sympathy from people that CANNOT HELP YOU.

[Ax]

Kentl, if you wont listen to advice then stop asking for it. If you are so determined to give up then do so. The only one holding you back is you.

Have you tried that test that Bill told you to try with the intonation?

Have you purchased any guitar books?

Have you attempted ANYTHING anybody has told you?

The answer to all of these is NO.

You are holding yourself back, and if you want to give up so much then just do it and stop wasting our time and server space.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Kentl

he is consider good as a teacher out there he and my grand father know each other
my grand father learned guitar with him
but idk any thing

Then maybe the fact that he is a family friend clouds his judgment of your guitar playing. It's a lot easier to tell someone you only know from a teacher/student relationship that they're doing it all wrong than it is to tell someone that is a family friend.

[Kentl]

Originally Posted by RubberChipmunk

Do you actually read the things you post? Do you actually read the things other people post? I'm really starting to think that you don't, because I told you that any mental block you have is SELF IMPOSED. That means that YOU ARE DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. You can do ANYTHING that you set your mind to, Kentl. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT THE WORK INTO IT, YOU CAN LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR.

If you can't afford a teacher, do yourself a favor and buy a book. Preferably one with pictures. I'm sure someone can recommend a really good one. Learn your chord shapes. There are plenty of people here that can give you a good practice routine. Scales are going to be the least of your worries off the bat. Learn to make open chords, learn to strum in a rhythm, and learn to change between shapes flawlessly. This will take you hours of practice over the course of weeks, maybe months.

The only thing I can read when I see what you type is that you don't believe you can do it. You are making excuses. Excuses don't get you any better at playing guitar. You say your doctor says you have a mental block? Does he ever tell you that the mental block is self imposed? If not, you need to find a new doctor, because that one is not doing a very good job. You are not an idiot. You ARE capable. It WILL take work. You need to BELIEVE that you can do it, and you need to stop looking for pity and sympathy from people that CANNOT HELP YOU.

i am not looking for pity i am looking for a way to stop the blocks i cant just go say yes i can jump in to a pool and slwim i will drowned and menteal blcoks are caused by you but it is Subconscious
so you dont know you are doing it also i do know the chords and scales and i ahve lots of cds books that i read and understand
i know you cant seem them but that pile is not evn hal;f of my gutair stuff
look you may think i am lookin for pity but no if i was i whold not be yelling at all fo you all the time i am trying to play songs and when i fail and fail and fail and fail i get mad also you played for three years chold you play someone eles song i cant

[Kentl]

Originally Posted by Ax

Kentl, if you wont listen to advice then stop asking for it. If you are so determined to give up then do so. The only one holding you back is you.

Have you tried that test that Bill told you to try with the intonation?

Have you purchased any guitar books?

Have you attempted ANYTHING anybody has told you?

The answer to all of these is NO.

You are holding yourself back, and if you want to give up so much then just do it and stop wasting our time and server space.

okay you are wrong i have gutair books i ahve tried the test bill can tell you that
and yes i tried the Metronome and it wont work it slows down stops and speeds up (there is a vid if you dont belive me)
Also don’t assume I don’t try you advice believe it or not I do
and how am i hold myself back if i was then why am i posting thread after thread it is becuse i want to learn i want to learen
just like i wanted to swim i never chold with out googles

[Kentl]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Then maybe the fact that he is a family friend clouds his judgment of your guitar playing. It's a lot easier to tell someone you only know from a teacher/student relationship that they're doing it all wrong than it is to tell someone that is a family friend.

So what do I do it is not like I can find a guitar teacher near by so i am stuck that is why i need help and you cant help so how can i be helped?
they have live out here and no one dose i can walk for miles just on famrs