Tips to taking my guitar to the next level?

I got ""Aug" off .I have been playing on and off 30 yr.my best song is Johnny b Good, I know Chords ,5 Pent ,One Mode CM. Learning stairway to H. about 2 to 3hrs a day. I want to do 6 to10 .try that Steve Val 30 hrs.Looking for ideas,books,web sites drills etc


Ps when my Boss said goodbye ""She told us I don't know who i will be calling back,so I guess I will be looking for a job too.

I have been playing on and off for about 15 years, never had any real guidance until recently. I found a good instructor and we worked through the hal leonard guitar method books. I was real surprised how much i didnt know about the basic stuff.

So my suggestion is to steal $15 a week out of the grocery money and get an instructor that is patient yet willing to say "hey that sucked play it again". I also suggest getting the hal leonard method books. I think its $20 for all three volumes.

thanks,have taking lessons, right now no money may not have a job .But i do agree a good teacher is a big help.

One thing that none of my teachers told me about was that playing light, loose and relaxed is essential. If you focus on practicing slow (like half speed) and program your muscle memory to be loose and relaxed when you play (with a light touch), you will improve your technique in a shorter period of time than if you just keep sluggin away like I used to do. I learned a lot about that sort of stuff from a book called The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar.

It will also be imperative for you to play this way during your marathon practices so you don't injure you hands. It can happen, and it's no joke when it does. Be careful...take breaks too.

As far as what music to practice, I would say think of some long term goals and put your feet on the path. A good teacher would be a big help.

Oops.. just saw your comment about not having the money for lessons right now. Tell me what you want to learn, what your goals are, who are some of your favorite players, favorite songs, and I'll try to help.

May,Jimmy,Prince I want to great like them,i like there Music.I am ok,but I want to be great .Do solo Like Page,funk like prince

My generic response would be join a band, nothing like needing to learn new songs to get you motivated. Obviously that's not easy to do, but I does work. I personally think whole songs are the best way to improve.

Technique wise I would pick one thing that you wanted to learn how to do, and find someone on YouTube that has some detailed videos for that. Let's say that is funk, I would try going through all of Just Nick's Funk Guitar For Everyone (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL14DA7E7A9722E231&feature=g-all-a). I really want to do that myself, but I don't have the time.

Practice the songs you like and as BottyGuy said, Join a band or play with people. It doesn't matter what you can play on guitar if you can't play it in time with a band.

Tips to taking my guitar to the next level?

Stairs, elevator or escalator. Sorry! Smarta$$ mode off!

Youtube... Privettricker.

Google it.

Get a book that first beginners use. I had played in bands for decades and knew hundreds of songs, including most early to middle Beatles.. Bill Kirchen, a telemaster today was playing locally one night and I got to see him way back in 1992 on his comeback mission. He played for Commander Coty and the Lost Airmen in the 60s. A friend, who was with me, told me that he gave guitar lessons. So I wrote letters to the club addressed to him, called his tele and left messages about 5 times, and finally he called me back and he starrted giving me lessons. He put me on book #1 How To Play Guitar by Berkley, page on, lesson one... how to play a major scale in key of C. It was very hard for me. He said play it no faster than I can play it SMOOTHLY without stopping. I had to play it giving each note 5 seconds per note in order not to make a mistake. And he told me to READ EACH NOTE on the staff. Then he had me move onto the next lesson... how to do the exact notes, [in the c major scale], starting on a different fret, then another, and another....all being the C scale. Now I know at least 8 different ways to play the C major scale... After that he went on the Nick Loew tour in England and I was left on my own. But by then I got thre drift of how to follow the book. s So altogether I got about 1 and a half years of lessons from him. Then, on my own I bought a book on 'Scales and Modes'. Reading that demystefied that confusing word,[modes], and if one forgets the Greek names given to them, it's nothing other than which note in the major scale to start on. all the other note go the same... Like....For the major scale in C it would be MODE ONE...C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C..... MODE TWO= D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D... MODE THREE=E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E.... MODE FOUR= F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F MODE FIVE= G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G... MODE SIX= A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A- MODE SEVEN= B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B. Mode EIGHT= Same as mode one..... That is what is meant by modes.... The greek names for each mode doesn't interest me. Each mode corresponds to a chord which is the first note in each mode..... The chords are either major or minor.. So the chords that correspond, going up the scale would be. C maj., D min., E min., F maj. G maj. A min., B min. Cmaj. I learned a lot from the scales and modes book.. Good luck. I could use more real lessons from a teacher, too, but with the economy the way it is... I can't swing it now, either.