I'm exactly the same way.

Im in negotiations with the wife to use the tax return to purchase a new guitar. Been a while and it always lights a fire under my a**! Hard to maintain that practice strategy for long financially!

Well, as a guy who lost 185lbs without a trainer or partner, I'd say when you want something bad enough you go figure out how to get it done. :D

This is a good reference. Can't figure out how to embed frm my iPad


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pSSeaE_B75U&feature=relmfu

You could have lost that weight twice as fast, though. ;)

Getting something new always helps.

I can tell a definite improvement in my playing the last couple of months.

I got a Zoom C5.1t controller with Zoom ZFX and I like it so much I want to play 1-2 hours a day.

Holy crap! I had a couple of those when I first started out playing guitar. I didn't realize that was still around these days.

Dayze you ever get that electronic drumkit?

before you seek professional help, start practicing permutations... have the guitar with you when you are watching tv, run the permutations up and down the neck, changing the patterns but stick with the alternate picking. Do this 20 minutes to half an hour 4 to 5 nights a week and within a month you will notice a drastic difference in your playing. Like you said it's muscle memory, you have your little lick library, ways your fingers move time after time... permutations will open up your library.

It's not learning scales, you have already learned those at some point in time. It's weird, after starting the permutations about a year ago, the scales are coming to me naturally, the fingers want to travel around the neck more(instead of hanging out in A Pentatonic at the 5th fret!).


pick up that unplugged electric and annoy the wife for a few minutes...

I think it is worth seeking profession human help in person the worst thing is you find out it doesn't work, which is a lesson in itself

I'm not saying don't do it, what I am saying is to get into shape before showing up to training camp... ;)

Not yet.
But I got a promotion yesterday that bumps me up 10k a yr. so it's coming very very soon.

Possibly by he end of march. It might even allow me to go up a step in terms of price aNd not be so constrained by cost etc

That's good advice. I used to do this back in the days when I was in gigging bands.

So what are "permutations" if they aren't scales?

Get a book that shows you the pentatonic minor scale. Learn that and you have learned 99% of all the scales used in blues, pop, and rock. Also, learn where all of your octaves are on the neck and your range will skyrocket.

I started messing with guitars as a kid in 1962. I played professionaly from 1972 - 1982 until my left ear got damaged by a virus. When I was doing it for a living I played 8 hours a day minimum. Now days I forgot 90% of all those scales and chords but still play sometimes.