Am I the only one that can't play any full songs and basically only plays leads over backing tracks or in a band situation?

cmjohnson said:

I'm about the same way but probably even less skilled than you are. And that's OK. If playing AC/DC riffs makes me happy, them I'm happy. So what?

I practice as much as I want to. It's not enough to generally improve my playing, and that's an unfortunate fact, but I'm accepting the consequences of my own habits or lack thereof with eyes wide open.

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grazpiano said:

I would also ask yourself if you're exploring all avenues within your lead playing?

Are you working in just the pentatonics? If so, are you moving through all 5 positions? Moving between Maj & min?

Are you playing the changes and are you aware of the notes/intervals you're hitting? Or is it just using common patterns that have proven to have safe landing spots.

Are you exploring the use of chord tones / arpeggios, double-stops, sliding sixths, octaves, etc. to spice things up?

Are you employing modes (depending on the chords presented in the song)?


I found that I was just falling into the rut of playing comfortable patterns that sounded fine but I had almost forgotten the theory behind them, the notes/intervals employed and why they worked. I started to slow down and push myself to relearn those things which not only improved lead exploration but then also made rhythm playing much more interesting since it illuminated the close relationship between the chords and great lead lines.

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Leee said:

Maybe we should put a band together.
I’m a rhythm & riffs guy, 100%.

@TXOldRedRocker and @cmjohnson nailed it.

I’m more than happy to stand back by the drum kit, opposite of the bass player.
I’m perfectly at home in the engine room.

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Classicplayer said:

You're not alone. At age 83, I play today much in the manner that you describe. I keep my playing as simple as you do and it's great enjoyment for me. +-74 years ago music was quite a bit more complex than today's offerings. Those days I used chord method books or sheet music to identify what my ears were hearing and figured out how thiey would “layout” on the fingerboard.

I don't hear any modern songs that demand my attention nor the urge to sit down and learn any current music. One thing I'm doing now is playing using minor keys or chord progressions that move from minor to major and back again… It's great ear training and your soloing techniques will definatley benefit from it. I use Led Zeppelin's music where minor keys are concerned i.e. Immigrant Song, Archilles Last Stand are two examples. They are simple chord progression, so learning a few transpositions of those chords will also help develop your soloing technique and just may stimulate your imagination in new playing directions.

Just a few thoughts for anyone thinking that they are not advancing their playing.

Classicplayer

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LPSpecial6403 said:

I get it. I'm busy with paid work and related creative practice, have a young family and live in a small house with neighbours that share walls. I absolutely love picking up the guitar and playing around unplugged at the end of the day, but that's rarely a great time to try learn something new. I've got to make time for that. To that end, I'm failing miserably!

Anyway, what I've been trying to do is learn things bit by bit. I subscribed to Sheet Music Direct and put together a playlist of sorts so I can learn parts as the mood takes me. It's cheaper than Netflix and much more enjoyable, especially when I suddenly realise I can actually do a convincing emulation of something I admire.

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Paging_Mr_Page said:

This was me for probably my first 15 years of playing. Not even joking. I only knew riffs, some licks, etc. But I never actually bothered to learn a single song from start to finish.

But then I decided to get serious and actually learn those songs I enjoy and then it was like a muscle that got stronger because it becomes easier and easier to learn new songs after

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slug said:

I've owned and played guitars on and off since 1965 and there isn't a song I know completely. I still manage to enjoy playing. Sometimes I manage to come up with a pretty tasty chord progression. Tomorrow it's gone.

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zontar said:

If you’re playing for fun, cool.
In a band that won’t always work.as you’ve done it in a band, it at least kind of worked, but some bands would never let you join.

I know lots of parts of songs, probably more than whole songs, but in a band setting I would learn more

So it depends on the end goal.

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Leee said:

Not the most popular, but still one of my favorites by Thin Lizzy. Easy riffs.

Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)

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musicmaniac said:

If you can't play rhythm there's no song.

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Pop1655 said:

I play 30 minutes a night to get over the stresses of the day. Figured out a while back I don't need guitar to add to those stresses, I need it to relieve them. When I first picked it back up, I focused on the backing track thing. Then I shifted to playing rhythm with songs and found the relaxation I was seeking. I guess I'm still there, but I'm having a lot of fun.

Watching The Masters reminds me I'm no golfer.
Watching "The Wrecking Crew" was a great reminder that I'm no musician.

My wife loves listening to me play from the next room. Comments on how good I've gotten.
That's about as far as it's gonna go for me and I'm good with that.

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DeafDumbBlind Kid said:

if you handed me a guitar and said 'play something' you'll get Folsom Prison Blues 99% of the time.

and ... that's pretty much it. Tell me 1-5-4 in A and standard 12 bar blues and I can do it.

Ok, so I sort of know "Running On Empty" but that break down to C# (?) gets me every time. I just let my buddy handle that and I pick back up again on the D chord.

I've barely been playing since last autumn.

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Leee said:

I’ve been telling people for 30 years that I am a two-string power chord hack.

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jbash said:

Song?

What is a song?

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