Welcome aboard Alan. Glad that you found us.

I'm sorry to hear about your partly disabled right arm. The fact that you have not let that stop you from delving into playing the guitar seems like a real testament to your character. and determination. 

You will find lots of material in here to work on, regarding both playing and theory. Don't be afraid to shout out if any questions come up for you. 

Best regards

Thanks, Chris

A recurring problem I have is that I don't seem to have "storage space" for more than one tune/solo/whatever in my head. I learn one, get it down (tio some extent), learn another, first one's gone. I'm coming to the conclusion that, not being "naturally musical", it's because I don't really know enough to understand what I'm doing, and why, rather than just  learning "parrot fashion". Does that seem a reasonable theory?

Posted by: Almac

Thanks, Chris

A recurring problem I have is that I don't seem to have "storage space" for more than one tune/solo/whatever in my head. I learn one, get it down (tio some extent), learn another, first one's gone. I'm coming to the conclusion that, not being "naturally musical", it's because I don't really know enough to understand what I'm doing, and why, rather than just  learning "parrot fashion". Does that seem a reasonable theory?

Alan

I think this is a common problem... I have probably forgotten more than I remember. One thing I try to do is revisit songs before they get forgotten... so perhaps part of your regimen should be reviewing sonngs that you have already worked on. Do you think that would help. I think that helps me...

Probably TMI here but... i kind of, in my head categorize songs [licks etc...] into 3 categories... 1st stage - learning it, perhaps getting to the point I don't need to look at the tab then... 2nd stage is practicing it, finding my fingerings and getting it smooth or at least trying to and... 3rd stage - while working on stage 2 & stage 3 songs ... reviewing it to keep it in my memory or muscle memory.

Often it is during the reviewing it stage that the song will start to to gel for me and feel comfortable, even though I have started working on other songs.

I hope that makes sense... and hope it is helpful!

Hi Alan, welcome!

I hear what you're saying. Most likely, you haven't developed the ability to come up with instant ideas, which is what improvisation is. This is a big and challenging topic to teach, but I'm going to do more lesson material on improvisation.

The process is simple, actually:

1. Listen to phrases, licks, solos.
2. Memorize some of these in your head, meaning you need to SING/HUM them.
3. Transfer that lick that is now in your head onto your guitar. 

That's it - now you are improvising! Repeat!

I know it sounds simple and it can be difficult to develop this skill, but I URGE YOU ALL to spend time LISTENING and humming along. You simple must spend a lot of time listening and copying what you hear. That is the number 1 issue most guitarists suffer from. Often they can play well technically and they know some scales, etc. The issue is that for many, there isn't much in their heads in terms of vocabulary. That's because they simply haven't listened, studied, memorized, and applied what they heard.

This sounds like the hard way, and you know what? It is. To become really good at improvising and coming up with licks and playing solos - you need to spend time with what I've described. You WILL get better and there is NO SHORTCUT to developing this ability. I KNOW you can DO IT however - it's a matter of applying yourself and putting in the work to get results. Plus, I'm here to guide you along the way... enjoy the journey! 🙂 

Welcome aboard Alan.

Im sure you’ll find everything here at MGA that will take you’re playing to the next level. I’m looking forward to your contributions and submissions.

Enjoy!

Thanks very much, guys - I really appreciate the advice, and I'll try to follow it.

Alan, welcome to the jam.  I was just chatting with a Scotsman and his wife in Bologna last month.  Small world, yet there's space for everyone.