Recurring Theme about New Music

[lackstone]

Going by many names - Plateauing, Doldrums, Going Stale, In A Rut, etc. - there are also as many suggestions for rising above them from learning new music, changing genres, using alternate tunings, etc.

One I've yet to read about is exploring the chords, or a single chord, and breaking it down at its varying places along the fretboard. We tend towards placing full chords because that's how we start out. Seldom do we learn to place a chord successfully and then immediately explore its varying sounds relative to its scale. Instead of the triad, use the diad. Get it in your ear and then do the same with the other chords. These are called Partials and can be very rewarding when experimenting with published music or when scoring your own compositions, which leads me to just that; composing.

Another break from the monotony of what seems to be a roadblock to progress is venturing out of your comfort zone and scoring your own music. It's not rocket surgery. If you have the basic chords down you can score music. I do constantly and the use of Partials in an alternate tuning (DADf#ad) is where I dwell more than in standard tuning. This departure from the norm has given fresh ideas to existing skills. Learning the fretboard in the new tuning will come quickly.

Last is more odious but, let's face it, necessary to going to where you want to be instead of suffering where you are. Lose the plectrum, if not forever for a while at least, and get some muscle memory going in the picking hand fingers. It will eventually stick and the rhythm of the finger movements, patterns, will ultimately lead to patternless control, or freestyle if that can be applied, and that will never find itself plateaued. I suggest you not (ever) anchor your little finger. Debate that all you want but a crutch is still a crutch in all that it implies.

The guitar is a limitless instrument in the hands of the right person and that's the person you need to be and remain - musically curious. Never let the skills training get comfortable.

 

[Silence Dogood]

Interesting post.  Regarding losing the plectrum, I'm a lousy fingerstyle player, always have been.  When I see someone really playing well sans pick, I'm always a bit envious.  But I love my picks and what I can do with them, and I'm content being a "picker." 

As far as getting out of my comfort zone, something I enjoy is learning new songs/pieces of music and then making them my own.  Most of the music I'm interested in is so obscure that the average person hasn't heard it anyway, so me changing it up won't throw up any roadblocks.  This keeps everything fresh and fun at the same time.  The guitar is an inexhaustible well. 

[StringPicker6]

I'll back up the suggestion to lose the guitar pick for a while.  I'm no expert finger picker, but just touching the strings with the right hand gets me in better touch with my guitar, and I can control the volume a bit better, as well.  I remember seeing Mark Knopfler on youtube stating that a guitar pick is the best amplifier for volume. 

[Queequeg]

Most players begin playing with a pick, particularly electric players.
Picks will always have a respectable place with guitars and players.

I wouldn't suggest that anyone go "cold turkey" and put their picks away.

For anyone interested in fingerstyle just learn one tune. If this suits you, learn another one. Then see where that leads you on your musical journey.

[B0WIE]

I never made a conscious decision to become a fingerstyle player. I just found myself being too lazy to hunt for a pick at times, or noticing some songs worked better with my right hand fingers getting more involved. Once the opportunity to play more complex songs became an option I just found myself gravitating in that direction. Now, I rarely play with a pick as I find the level of expression fingerstyle offers is just so much greater.

I assume most people play the music they listen to. I certainly don't. I will sing music I enjoy and play along with that but the fingerstyle songs I learn are mostly things I'm unfamiliar with. This means I'm not ruining my favorite songs by practicing them all the time, and keeps things interesting for me. Learning songs that I don't normally listen to is the #1 thing I ever did to keep my interest in guitar playing as a hobby going. Before that, I just knew enough to accompany my singing.

[Silence Dogood]

I never made a conscious decision to become a fingerstyle player. I just found myself being too lazy to hunt for a pick at times, or noticing some songs worked better with my right hand fingers getting more involved. Once the opportunity to play more complex songs became an option I just found myself gravitating in that direction. Now, I rarely play with a pick as I find the level of expression fingerstyle offers is just so much greater.

I assume most people play the music they listen to. I certainly don't. I will sing music I enjoy and play along with that but the fingerstyle songs I learn are mostly things I'm unfamiliar with. This means I'm not ruining my favorite songs by practicing them all the time, and keeps things interesting for me. Learning songs that I don't normally listen to is the #1 thing I ever did to keep my interest in guitar playing as a hobby going. Before that, I just knew enough to accompany my singing.

Wow, that is really interesting, the fact that you don't listen to and play the same kind of music.  I suppose I do this to a degree when I play the mandolin, but I've just never thought about it before.  Most of the music I play on mandolin is old Irish tunes, and some fiddle tunes, but always something old.  I never sit around and listen to that kind of music, or very rarely anyway.  But on guitar, it's the songs I like to hear that make me want to learn them most of the time.  I also sing and can handle 99% of the songs I want to learn vocally, though sometimes a song will be out of reach for me.

[Myopic Squirrel]

Interesting comment re: losing the plectrum.

When I was learning in the early sixties, was listening to Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez, et al (who's Al?) so learned what is now called Travis Picking but then was simply "double thumbing" (never was able to copy Leo Kottke's style  ). "Freight Train" and "Come Back Baby" were favs. And when I finally used a pick, it was the kind that fastened to your thumb - not a flat pick (also used the metal finger picks).

Those memories give me something to aim for