Damn. I feel im stuck.

Now I feel that I can play pretty solid rhythm on most rhythms, I remember basic scales quite well. But I totally lost direction where I should go next.

I somehow bored to play same practices all the time, I feel my licks repeat themselfs.

I wish I could take next the "major step" that will improve my playing, any suggestions? Should I try to some totally new technique, some theory, new scales?...

Thanks in advance.
Empirism

I kinda got the same feeling actually, I am also looking for where to go next. But how far are you? What picking techniques are you aware of? What scales do you know? And how far is you chord knowledge?
I think there are tons of possibilities, its also up to a player what he is intending to learn. Like in what genre do you want to go?

Whenever I'm stuck in where to go next, I sit down and listen to the music that inspired me to start playing guitar in the first place.

Can you play that?

i'm in the same boat right now, except it seems like i can't play any of my own work right, or any of the covers ive been doing for years. its driving me nuts

@Admiral

Good points there m8. Picking techniques I was thinking also, but I use alternative picking because It fill the most genres I want to play, so I think I have no "big need" for practising different ones.

Better chordal knowledge could be always good, its pure memorizing isnt it? and usage of them is actually music theory.

@Jeff

Yeah, I think ear training is could be the one, but it is actually only partly to "guitar" playing so its not just what Im looking for. Though I practice it a little time to time.


I was thinking two choices also which are:

Practising covers and analyze them. (Like Jazzy always encourage)
or
Memorizing and learning "licks"... hundreds of them. (but here I little mess with how I use them on different positions or on different backgrounds)

but keep goin to flood tips,
Cheers!

i felt exactly how you did a few weeks.

what i did is i started to play other songs that i normally wouldnt play, i got a much better teacher, and i got a jamman.

if you practice different songs (more jam style) it forces you to improv. like play some dead or skynyrd or pink floyd if your into them. shine on you crazy diamond is great. you dont need to play a cover exact unless you r playing a gig or its one of those solos thats so perfect or somthing, you can improv over them

next a teacher always helps...

and a jamman is fantastic. you play a chord progression into it, and it repeats for the rest of time allowing you to solo over it. alos has a drum mode!

That jamman looks cool :P, I jam a lot, very lot. I usually use sequencer tho when im alone. I think Ive basicly got this far by jamming (and with this site) lol...

Ya, I know that teacher thing... but because of a lot of reasons I cannot take personal teacher.

btw, with jamming you got me an idea... I started to look my shelves and found amazing dvd. Vamps Jams & improvisation that I recently got. It use quite nice method "where students play their way" through curriculum rather than struggle through tedious theory and excercises"

I think I could start look with that one...

go for it. it really helps to jam to songs and progressions...

i feel ya.

had writers block(its BS , but what i always think) until a few daze ago, no cure but time (fer me)

as fer the being inna rut thang goes, i do what i tell my students (young and old) to do : break "the routine" and/or move outside your comfort zone, and into some new or new-ish 'routine' (same tools)
you are usually best at solving a stuck you.



ya got me!? (J/k) lol

I got a JamMan myself! (fav "toy"), years and years ago... the original Rack-Mount version, with an "extra chip" (big deal back then) in it fer longer delays, samples, and *loops(in echo mode)
i use it for ambient (see AmPient Music (label) for more) looping and love the he!l outta it.
BUT YES
setting something/anything(Todd Rundgren Pun)on it as a to improvise over ("jam" w/) will elevate your skills more than you could imagine!
you are your worst critic(should be) so you are playing to 'a tough crowd' and wanna really stretch and show yerself something :)

RAWK!
Cs

Global Disclaimer :
Carl Snow is an old, jaded & slightly bitter old man who cannot be held accountable for anything, much less his opinionatedly opinionated opinions or those of his imaginary friends. We sincerely apologize if this Carl Snow and/or its behavior have infected you or others with its ugly brain and its juices.

get a slide, it'll open up some new stuff for sure

I am the same way. I just try and find stuff to inspire me, or wait for something inspiring to pass along. The best music is not forced and is often found in unexplored seas.

Maybe get together with some friends who play guitar and trade licks? They might be stuck in a rut as well and you could help each other out :-)

Well, i think in the end it depends on you emprisim. Where do you want to get as a player? What do you want to be able to play? Just jam or play along your favourite bands or play in a band yourself? or be able to improvise? I actually posted in my first comment that i am also kind of stuck, and now i looked on the gutiar chord tool and found some interesting voicings of some chords, so i actually decided to work on that topic for the entire day. Sometimes asking yourself the right questions can be really helpful. Hope i could help mate!

very true carl snow...

This may sound wierd at first. Try things you have never done before. See what a major 7th flat 5th ect. ect. sounds like and play with that. Pick differently than you usaully do. Learn new chords