What has made you better?

I wanted to ask an open ended question if any one thing made you a better player. We all know practice practice practice, but what has propelled you in leaps into being a better guitar player. Have you ever had a guitar that made you more confident. Maybe watched a video that blew your mind and explained everything. Maybe a book opened the door to playing lead. Maybe a digital recorder taught you how to compose. Maybe your annoying brother playing the tambourine taught you to keep time.

Share those things with other AGC brothers and sisters and maybe your success can also be theirs!

Listening to recordings of myself helped to hear flaws. Studying different genres, even those I don't listen to or like. That helped when writing songs to get more creative with chord progressions. Also, not being satisfied with my level of playing keeps me pushing to achieve more. I've met guitarist that felt like they knew it all so they quit pushing themselves too get to the next level of playing. They still sound the same now as they did a year ago.

I have to agree with Mosh with never being satisfied with my level of playing as one of the things that makes a guitarist better...there's always something else to learn, and understand that its a endless process. And also it may seem weird but playing different guitars made me play better I think because it seems to me every guitar has a feel to it, a mood if you will, if you pick up a classical guitar, you finger pick, if you pick up...say a Jackson...you want to shred...hope this is coming out right....lol anyway just my opinion

My first big leap was when I first picked guitar. Last big leap... can't really say, maybe when I started to study caged system.

Emp.

Discipline.

Got Rid of Distortion (Mostly)

With a Clean guitar I feel I play Better than with distortion.
But of course I don't suddenly hate distortion, I just use it sparingly.

Listening.
Playing with other players of all different genres.
Writing.
Practicing a lot.
Really just playing, and always pushing to play better and more creatively.

Playing every note clearly without any distortion.

Not weird at all. This is why I own 9 different styles of guitars not counting mandolin and banjo or bass. To get better you need to experiment.

There are a couple of experiences I had and wanted to see if any one else was the same.

I was solely a bass palyer for years and when I decided to return to the guitar I was lost. My band mate gave a book "blues you can use". I started studding out of that book and was opened up to lead guitar in general as well as the blues.

Then I sat down one day and said I'm going to learn the C major scale. I learned it. Then i wrote out all the notes, found chord shapes I recognized. This was an epiphany for me. For the first time the mystery of scales, and chords were reveled. It was the scales to chord tool that actually brought me to this site in the first place.

Scales to Chord Tool

That also lead to me coming up with little chord parts and mixing little leads to it.

I totally lack discipline and focus and so I rely on sudden "ah-ha" moments and bursts of inspiration to push me forward as a player.

The thing that helped me the most was subscribing to guitar world magazine. They have interviews with some of my favorite artists that really make me want to play my guitar. The lessons also are very helpful and usually tie into a song that they are featuring that month. Its a great magazine.

wow that kind of sounded like an advertisement.

You should watch that guitar guy(sentence names are confusing) since GW may use your free advertising XD

What made me play better?
Better guitar helped me to play more, better amp made me want to play more, and joining a cover band.
Writing and riffing is great, but really when the pressure is on in a band situation, that's where the real growing starts. Bedroom jamming will get you ready to go into a band, however bedroom jamming won't give you near the same amount of experience as a band will.

I've made leaps and bounds since having the pressure of a band behind me all the time-and since it's covers, it's making me stress timing properly which is helping me loads for leads and rhythms.

I read lots and lots books on all sorts if dumb *** that no one should ever bother with. One of them is music.

Ted Greene's books are the best, but not the only books you should read. Chord chemistry is a massive intro in how to use chords, Modern progressions is page after page of examples, and Single note solo is the best book on scales FOR GUITAR there is.

People saying Im shi-t,thats,by far what motivates me the most to keep learning.

Recording myself has taught me how aweful i really am at trying to play guitar.

I read somewhere about the idea of recording your practice sessions and saving them. Going back and listening. It's probably the only real proof of improvement.

HIM

***.................. JASON BECKER

I went through a number of phases to improve. Besides the obvious (hours and hours of practice) I utilized recording, drum machines, loops, music school, playing with other people, playing with less distortion, to name a few techniques. I saw the greatest improvement when I played with musicians with better skills than myself to motivate me to bring it the next time we had a rehearsal or gig!

I have tried everything over the years but what helped me the most was understanding that I play guitar for the sheer enjoyment of the whole experience and that it's MY thing. Also, I listen to a LOT of music. Another thing was the Heavy Guitar Bible. It taught me about theory. That changed everything! It was like my experince of learning algebra. Suddenly my brain was unlocked and it all made sense!

The Gig Bag Book of Scales
+
The Boss RC2 Loop Station

Alot of weed,alchohol,and solitude made me the
player I am today. Along with listening to buckethead,shawn lane
danny gatton,and al di meola. Also agc...

@gshredder,

I hate to say it but a lot of weed, speed, alchohol, and solitude also has something to do with the player I am today as well. Drinking gave me confidence. Weed made me creative (in a different way). With speed, I could play fast for hours. My use, of course, was more destructive than good and that led me to sobriety in the early 90's. That's when I played the most. I worked all day and then came home and played the guitar, listened to a lot of music, studied, and played more guitar!

Trust me, I know drinkin and druggen don't make you better at anything but they make you who you are and that has an effect on whatever you do. For me, it was the experience of using then coupled with long term sobriety that make me who I am today.

Like Guitarslinger said, discipline. Or like i would call it... Self Descipline... same thing :P