When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

[xxxplorer]

Sorry,
Had to get your attention! I recently met a local guy who is about 6 years my younger, been playing for a shorter amount of time and can play his butt off!

It really kicked my butt into practicing and playing again. I had become one of those pick the guitar up for the gig but almost never in between guys! I guess married life with kids will do that!

SOOOOooooo now I am actually learning songs and branching out of the world of metal and hard rock... kinda hard from me. It makes me want to meet some blues guys and say "Hi my name is James and I am a Gainaholic".

 

[DankStar]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

yeah, it's tough to keep the chops up. I fiddled around last night with some low gain type stuff, and had fun.

I like to put my amp on the clean channel and use different OD pedals through it for low gain experimentation. different pedals result in different riffage. fun to check out different pickup settings than you typically use too, like the middle settings, which are hardly used in metal (at least I never do).

 

[StratTom]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I think my playing sucks all the time! I do have a hard time in music stores trying out new gear because I feel like everyone around me is just better than me. It's hard for me to think that I have been playing now for a little over 10 years (on and off) and feel that I am not where I should be when it comes to my playing.

Dankstar has a good point with turning the gain down. I used to love playing fast, high gain, punky power chords. Now I'm a little older and those days are starting to pass. I find that turning the gain down and playing slower help with improving my skills and in turn, I am having fun doing it! Not saying that you need to stop playing metal and go play indie rock or anything like that.

 

[Sanford]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

Usually I start to think my playing sucks when I notice that I play the same things over and over. Same solo, same key, same rhythm/time signature. It's about that time that I realize I need to hang out with some other people and get inspired to play differently, but the Catch 22 is not wanting to come off sounding lame in front of them.

 

[donnievaz]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

From day one. And every day since. I came to grips with the fact that I'll never be anywhere near as good as i'd like to be a long time ago. It's all about the love for the instrument here.

 

[jeremy]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

ive known for a while but im ok with it. it still makes me happy

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

Yep... I still love the guitar so much! So much fun. I think I have more fun with it than some because it is really just my hobby you know? Keeps me busy and there is not a day that goes by where I don't hear something cool!

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

When I started playing.



















:dot: Realized that hadn't changed when I started recording.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

It's mind over matter...















I don't mind, so it doesn't matter!!

 

[JacobTM]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

The same day I started holding amateurism up as a good way to make music.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

my lead playing sucks, it's all pentatonics mixed with bits of my practice runs. my rhythm playing is great though, or at least good enough for my liking. it's nice 'n' chunky sounding without ever dialing in that much bass

 

[Thurisaz]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I didn't really pay attention to what sucked in my playing, but rather worked on things that were my strengths, and tried including little bursts of things that I sucked at to work on getting it better.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I have always known that my playing sucks, but it's not so noticable unless there's a guitar in my hand.

 

[cayle_6]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

i feel i haven't improved my playing. i'm still stuck on the speed where i left of last year. the more i crank the gain of my amp, the more i want to play softer stuff.

 

[uOpt]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I've always been better at the soldering iron or a mixing desk than a guitar pick.

Not that big a deal since I wasn't cut out to be a heavy metal star in the first place and now I'm too old for the latter but I might make some money off the former

 

[DankStar]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

you guys ever do that trick where you turn your guitar upside down and go from right hand playing to left? (or, vice versa, if you're a lefty). It's a cool way to see how far you've come, and makes you remember first picking up a guitar how hard it was.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

you guys ever do that trick where you turn your guitar upside down and go from right hand playing to left? (or, vice versa, if you're a lefty). It's a cool way to see how far you've come, and makes you remember first picking up a guitar how hard it was.

i do that sometimes! makes me feel like a bastard elitist though....

 

[BigJoe77]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I have always known that my playing sucks, but it's not so noticable unless there's a guitar in my hand.

Funny. This is almost word for word what I was going to say.

 

[StrangeSound]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

Everytime I think too much and don't let the feel get involved in my playing...then it sucks

 

[Aceman]

Re: When did you realize your playing sucks?!?!

I don't know when I first realized it, but I am rudely reminded of it every time I pick up the guitar and start to play! It's getting kinda old after 30 years...