How do you guys stay focused?

Over the last year or so, my playing has not improved much. Because of this i was getting pretty frustrated. Not too long ago i signed up for corresponded lessons and after a couple weeks I realized that my problem was I lost directions and focus. I'm going to continue to take the lessons but was wondering on how you all are able to stay focused.

I....just do. I've never had a problem with it. But, of course, I'm self-taught, so there may be a difference.

I usually am always playing for tons of hours straight, it's just something I have.
I just focus on playing, and writing new material and such. and I do it

I started writing my own music and playing live. I take lessons, but I think there's really much of a difference between the two. If you take lessons, you have somebody to guide you in the right direction, but you've still got to do the work yourself.

Well I've just played around, not really 'focused' as I'll be listen to music/talking to people/on the phone/etc. I only tend to 'focus' when I'm learning a song via tab or a technique via video, at the moment I'm getting my focus from the upcoming lessons I'm giving, everytime I pick up my guitar I start of playing the scales and chords I'm teaching, then go on to songs I'm learning myself.

i've got this large folder that i write down anything i make up or learn over the interent/by myself. It really helps because although i've been playing for a while, i only just got into serious proper stuff a few years back, and this thing keeps on track , cus im always forgeting stuff.

I used to haev a regime of like 12 scales and modes and another Dozen patterns for sweeping and string skipping and I'd practise them all up and down the fret board and such and it was something else now I just kinda play but sometimes for a month I'll go back to that practise

i listen to lots of music and watch alot of different guitarists on youtube, so its kinda like i always have inspiration so i keep focused

I am 100% self taught until 2 weeks ago when doing these lessons. the main reason i decided to do the lessons is i found i have been just playing the guitar and not really practicing, and not really getting any better. more than anything in needed direction. I have been playing guitar for over 10 years and i should be lot better than i am currently.

i play almost all the time, i figure what influenced me 2 play keeps me going, the sound and awsomeness of guitar..

I teach probably 20 kids so when i teach them i NEED to know what i am teaching. That keeps me focused

lately instead of playing alot of stuff I've been trying to jam on stuff and learn entire songs instead of riffs

It's also diffrent when you get a bit older. EMB5490 you have been playing for about a year or so right? so every thing is fresh and new. Eventually that newness is going to wear off and you be asking the same question.

Ya when you first start out you can't ever get enough of your guitar. Then it starts to slow down a bit. But i'm leaving and working at a camp starting this coming saturday and i am going with the goal to learn the entire song "one- Metallica" including the solo. I think it'd be sweet. Just set goals for yourself and time limits

yeah its good to set time limits. I aim to learn, "Diary of a Madman" in full by the end of summer (which is big to me)

no offence but i found one by metallica to be pretty easy... i hope to learn mr.crowley by the end of the month. also i want to write a song, just 1 song by the end of the month.

You found it easy? no offence taken. My specialty is in acoustic uitar playing so i know i need to improve on my electric. Got any pointers for me?

ahhh, i see, thts prob why, if i was playing acoustic and switch too electric i would find it hard. it sounds harder then it is. the verse is easy, basicly the first sound u hear at the beginning is tht. it just repetes. u need a good tapping guitar, i found the epi special II sucked for tappping. the intro solo is easy, and the solo b4 the one wit distortion is also easy. if u find anything hard, just slow it down, its not played too fast. the first solo with distortion has tons of it, so use all u got, pratice trilling. in the song kirk did a lot of this pull off thing on one string, hed do three in a row, just practice trilling, and ull be cool. the end solo isnt too hard and is much slower, id say pratice trilling and u got it. it sounds much much harder then it is.

So do you guys just try and play the songs note for note?

I have never been into that, in fact i seldom want to learn any songs. I know I'm nutty that way. I get off on learning how to create my own compositions and making every thing work together.

I try and figure the songs out on my own by listening to them. Usually I'll skip over solo sections since I prefer to just improvise (unless there's a cool lick or something I think would improve my playing).

I know a fair amount of theory, but when it comes to my own songs, I usually just noodle around until I have something I like.

i just figure out the songs, when a fast riff or solo comes, first i find the scale its on, play tht scale, then pick it apart note for note

After 10 year of playing you must be in the state I call Good, but are you lost direction for improving technically or Musically?

Im not good, but trying to improve all the time, but more that i wanted to improve is to play more musically than technically. From learning music helps me to stay focused playing on my favorite instrument.

yeah, i would say i'm good not great but beyond a beginner.

I think as you play you go through different levels of mutations.

I think i'm at a new place now, where i thought just lost the passion, and focus.

But last night i put some new string on the old acoustic and spent the better part of the night coming up with stuff and playing it.

maybe all i needed was strings. :)

So Empirism, what do you play? The biggest advise i would have is just to know that playing and practicing are 2 different things. I had forgotten this.

thats an important point yeah.

i usually will try and learn a song if i hear it and like it, or otherwise ill do technical stuff.

the one thing that does get me disullisioned/annoyed is the fact that i cant play by ear :/.

is that common with other people?

well, cant describe well what I play, I like blues, a lot. but more I think I play just what comes to mind, do my own stuff (bit avantgarde) or something...little flirtation with psychedelia...

I maybe even dun want to grow to virtuoso like Malmsten or Satriani, more I want to learn chord progression, songwriting...and i think technique maybe improve at same time a step by step.

btw, im darn lazy for practising :D.

I'm so the same way!!!

So as i said earlier i started taking correspondence guitar lessons. one of the exercises is ear training. and this will sound flaky but part of the process is to sing when you slowly play a scale. then try and sing it without playing it and force your mind to recall the note. then check it. I think the final result is that you want to be able to hear the notes before you play them. I also borrowed Perfect Pitch, there is also a similar exercise.

Another thing I picked up was was documenting practice time and tempo. That way you can see how your progressing over time. I have been setting aside 1 hour every day to practice and what ever else free time i have if i want to play the guitar i can. but practice time is practice time no playing! Each practice sessions i have blocked off 10 or 20 minute segments where i concentrate on the subject and technique. I've only been doing it a week or so but i feel alot better about my playing

Sorry about the novel :)

I stay focused by trying to learn new techniques. Like right now I'm trying to get good at slide guitar, so I listen to some slide songs and I try to emulate those.

I'm also starting lessons soon, so I'll have a teacher to guide me on what to work on.