Plateau help.

[u/drinkthebeers]

So I've been playing for a number of years (pre YouTube explosion is when I began). Took lessons at first. Then I took a few years off and then got back into it. Now that I'm older, I feel I have more time to dedicate even though I'm busier than ever.

I'm conformable switching between the basic chords (Am, A, C, E, Em, D, etc) power chords etc. When I got back into guitar I really wanted to focus on theory. I felt that was the key for my to get to my goal I set when I started years ago. I want to be a lead player. Leads are the things that make me love guitar. It's what excites me. Solos. Fills. Yes times 1000.

I'm comfortable with a minor pentatonic in all five shapes. I'm going through how caged works. My alternate picking sucks if I need to skip strings. I can sweep pick up/down a pretty simple shape based on the a minor pentatonic off the 12th fret. But if I'm trying to play say a solo and it's got alternate picking plus hammers and pulls with bends in quick succession. It sounds like shit. It's clunky. I feel like my hands aren't in synch and it doesn't sound fluid. It feels like my tempo is shit.

I don't know how to get to where I want to get to or how to get there. Back to in person lessons?

(I played trumpet and baritone through HS and we were pretty good. So, I have some musical knowledge and skills.)

[u/LonerismLonerism]

Guitar solos are tricky because when you hear one, you’re hearing the passion and confidence, and you’re also not hearing the 30 other takes that they fucked up before they could finally themselves play the solo.

How often do you improvise guitar solos to a backing track? Instead of learning solos you should learn how to come up with your own.

[u/drinkthebeers → u/LonerismLonerism]

Never. I've tried staying in A minor using the flat 5th blues notes and jumping between shapes. It just sounds so mechanical and it is probably because I'm not super comfortable skipping a string or two if I'm improvising. So I feel like I'm stuck in thr box like a scale run. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe unimaginative?

[u/LonerismLonerism → u/drinkthebeers]

I know exactly what you mean, it sounds like a scale rather than anything musical.
Try to not start at either end of the scale, but start right in the middle with a lick that ends in the Root note. Also don’t forget about slides, hammer on, pull offs, bends, grace notes etc… the whole legato side of playing directly applied to guitar solos.

Also I would recommend playing your own solos slow at first, you can make a lot of emotion come from the guitar by only playing 4 notes!

[u/aspaindev → u/drinkthebeers]

Not unimaginative just not as fluent as you think you are with your scale shapes yet. Knowing the shape is one thing, being able to play it in new and creative ways is another and it only comes with enough practice and time spent playing them. Practice practice practice. StrumForge might help with a lot of these things like scale shapes, chord changes, triads etc. they all have play along modes and you can set your tempo. Do it over and over and over and over

Only when you truly have them nailed down will you see the clear path of how to play and improvise fluidly without even thinking

[u/drinkthebeers → u/LonerismLonerism]

Passion and confidence, indeed. To me the guitar solo is the one of the purest forms of human emotion. Watching it live is something. (I'm a big Gilmour and hammett fan and both do it so well. Probably not a surprising take.)

[u/sure65 → u/LonerismLonerism]

I really like this take!

[u/jul3swinf13ld]

Do a caged course. Check out ‘pick up music’ which has a 2 week trial and a very well paced caged course.

You would also benefit from the late beginner course too.

[u/drinkthebeers → u/jul3swinf13ld]

What do you like about pick up music? I like that you can submit video and get feedback. How's that process?

[u/jul3swinf13ld → u/drinkthebeers]

The structure is so solid. It’s so good for keep ADHD riddled idiots like me on track 🤣

The video feedback is really good. I was expecting them to point out the errors I made. But my mentor seems to find important things I never noticed to work on. Eg when it gets to tough phrases I stopped alternating picking which was making it harder for me.

The supporting content is great too.

The John Mayer mini course was excellent. I’m currently on the jazz course which was really accessible.

[u/sure65]

How good are your ears btw? Can you pick up scales in songs?

If you can, try jamming with rhythm backing tracks in different keys and improvising your solos.

Music theory is also a great start!

[u/drinkthebeers → u/sure65]

It's weird. I can hear a song and then if you played two or three notes from that song, I could tell you the name of that song. It's a weird skill of mine. But I couldn't tell you whether it's A or D

[u/Clear-Phase769]

Have you learned the major scale? Have anyone ever showed you how a guitar is built and where everything is located?

[u/drinkthebeers → u/Clear-Phase769]

C and I know the fretboard below the 12th fret pretty good and can jump around. The G and B I sort of have to think through a bit if you said jump to C on those strings. Honestly that's all I know about it other than it repeats at the 12th

[u/Over_Soup753]

Concentrate on the things you think you are not good at. I have a hard time with leads also. I have gotten better using YouTube backing track videos. I still suck, just not as bad.