Hi! I have been playing guitars on and off (mostly off) for over 20 years. Technically I feel competent and can physically play anything I would want to play. My issue is I don’t feel I really know much about the guitar and don’t really progress. I don’t have much of a repertoire and just know a handful of licks and half songs. I want to dedicate some time the next 6 months to learning but not sure where to start. If it helps I’m mostly interested in blues/jazzy stuff. Any advice?
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As a beginner I’m currently following JustinGuitar and it’s been really great. Justin definitely covers a lot of general stuff about guitar which I like. He has some intermediate and advanced content too, partly related to jazz and blues. All free too basically. He’s a big proponent for learning by playing songs which is fun.
Jens Larsen also has some interesting content related to jazz
I’ve been playing for 25 years and I still use JustinGuitar from time to time. It’s a really great resource.
If you’re willing and able to put in work and be somewhat self driving by trying to understand and absorb everything Jens provides in his videos, I suspect he’s put out the equivalent of a full jazz guitar course.
The best way to improve is to find people to play with
This is true, though they also have to be in it to improve and not just smoke and drink and pretend to be the grateful dead.
Find a short/approachable song written by someone else and really learn it. Don’t just learn to play it.
What key is it in? Are there key changes? How do the keys relate to each other?
What BPM(s) is it recorded at? Know when you’re playing 8th notes at 120 bpm vs 16th notes at 60bpm. Is a certain section actually just a “half time feel” driven by the drums/bass?
How do the chords in the progression relate to the key, how do they relate to each other?
Same as above but with the leads. Which scales are used, and to what effect? Are there maybe some chords over which the root note does NOT sound like the resolution to a phrasing?
Take note of dynamics and how they effect the feel of the piece. Not just noting accents, crescendos, heavy picking, staccato notes etc but the results of how they interact. Think of the bits of Little Wing where the song almost stops, your ears have just a moments break, and then a loud/aggressive bend breaks through the almost-but-not-quite-silence. To the above points, consider what note is being bent to here. It’s a D bending up to an E, which is the tonic note of the relative minor of the song.
Johnny Winter has some approachable jams. Stuff like “Life is hard” has some simple change ups but is mostly the same progression.
In some interview or video or maybe a “Riffer Madness” Dime mentioned that the most effective learning tool was paying attention. “Just look and listen” or something like that. Taking that to heart has certainly improved my playing.
I was looking for more of a structure or a course I could follow but I really like this advice!! I’m gonna start with bb king the thrill is gone. Looking through videos a lesson to play it came up and I think it’s perfect! Easy rhythm but good lesson on chord progression. Then learning the licks and that scale then being able to build on it. I guess a dream would be loop a chord progression and then just jam around on the fretboard. Thanks. I appreciate it.
You can do it!
I have considered buying the Next Level Playing course from Paul Davids when I have some time to really dedicate myself to it. I used to follow his YouTube channel and the guy is very good so I assume the course is worth it. Note that I haven’t actually taken the course so I can’t say for sure. Also I am not affiliated in any way.
What I find interesting about it is that it has a laid out learning path, and covers not only the technical part of playing but also the musical part like scales, modes, improvising, chord progressions.
However it’s not cheap so maybe try to look for some reviews online before buying.
I’ve been looking at Paul Davids’ courses too. His approach and demeanor in his YouTube videos are great. Also Tomo Fujita’s Guitar Wisdom because I like he’s a Berkeley professor and I like his personality.
I’ve been playing for almost a year and just a few weeks ago subscribed to Guitar Tricks.
I’m currently doing the beginners course just to brush up on basic stuff that Rocksmith doesn’t really teach.
They also have courses for specific types of music so you might give them a look.
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