I am a sucky guitarist because:

What makes you such a blowy guitarist?

  • I don't know enough theory

    Votes: 37 33.3%

  • My picking hand feels like a brick

    Votes: 20 18.0%

  • My fretting hand is glacially slow

    Votes: 24 21.6%

  • I blame my equipment (piece of shit guitar, amp says "Crate" on it, etc.)

    Votes: 3 2.7%

  • I sound like crap unless I use a boatload of effects

    Votes: 2 1.8%

  • Er...because I'm a drummer?

    Votes: 12 10.8%

  • I'm refuse to play anything but "Smoke On The Water" on my Fender So-Cal

    Votes: 2 1.8%

  • My name is acidrock

    Votes: 11 9.9%
  • Total voters
    111
Can't synchronize both hands at extreme speeds and I often suffer from lack of stamina when playing complex palm muted rhythms for a long time. I voted for 'my name is acidrock'.

I'm an incredibly inconsistant player. Some days I'm noticably more accurate than others. Some days I totally can't even play my own tunes.
 
My brain is way slower than my hands. If I could only think four measures ahead of my hands, life would be better. So I guess that means I need to master more theory.
 
Lack of time to practice is the biggie for me. I'm, by and large, ok with my phrasing, and I've been playing long enough to get to the point where the technique limits I have I look at as part of my style as much as anything else.

But, the whole graduating from college and getting a real job is what's doing me in. When I have time to get in a couple hours of practice a night, I'm generally pretty happy with my playing, but these days that's rarely a sure thing, so more often than not when I pick up the guitar to record, my technique is rusty so I'm fighting to do things that should be easier for me, and my calluses are shot after only a few takes. It sucks. :/

Aside from that, my picking hand has always been my weak link.
 
Zaphod B said:
You forgot an "all of the above" option. :o
Click to expand...

Unpossible! Acidrock may be a freelance horse fellater, but even he would never stoop so low as to play a So-Cal. :eek::D

My problem seems to come from something that I didn't bother including as a poll option: I do have a decent level of skill, knowledge of theory, good equipment, etc...but sometimes I seem to freeze up right when I really need to pull off a solo. I've got it stuck in my head that whatever I do had better be damn near perfect, and a lot of times this causes me to just take a gigantic artistic shit.
 
I had a stroke in 2002 and it effected my left side...I recovered but I cant play the VanHalen stuff near as fast as I used to...but I can do some things.
 
Theory, reading music?? Fuck that. I started all that shit when i was 6 years old and got 5 grades of classical music under my belt. After 30+ years of playing I'm still an incredibly mundane, unimaginative and below average guitarist.
IMO Its all about practice, technique, practice, the fingers, practice, the brain, practice etc etc
And as previously stated "a real job is what's doing me in" - the true killer of valuable practice time.
 
Mike_J said:
And as previously stated "a real job is what's doing me in" - the true killer of valuable practice time.
Click to expand...

Too true. As much as I still love playing guitar, I'm just not motivated after a work shift. If I could bring myself to practice more, I'm sure I could eventually become something other than an improvisational deer in headlights...
 
Zaphod B said:
You forgot an "all of the above" option. :o
Click to expand...

+1...I suffer from multiple problems on this list. I chose slow fretting hand, but I need to learn more theory and speed up my pick hand too. So basically, that about covers everything guitar related, doesn't it?
 
My worst problems are a lack of sustained concentration and laziness. I do Ok 'till my brain farts and my brain farts because I don't practice enough to stay sharp.
 
With me, it's a combo of not enough time spent practicing, and not enough cajones to take big risks when I am playing in rehersal. I do find, however, that when I DO risk sounding like crap during a rehersal lead break opportunity, sometimes I sould pretty good.
 
My guitar playing sucks because I work a real job by day and have a social life at night. Without those trivial hindrances, my guitar would rule the world!
 
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