People in their 40's, do you notice...?

[cobrahead1030]

Overall my playing has improved. Runs are cleaner, timing is more solid, I’m more comfortable playing a wider range of styles.

The rapid fire technical parts are tougher though. It takes longer to warm up & more daily reps with the metronome to keep those chops up. I can still pull off most of what I want to play, but there’s a few areas in that dept where I just can’t keep up with 25 year old me.

 

[anomaly]

No. I got to 15 pull-ups in a row in my early 40s for the first time and stronger than I ever was. I have also, finally, after 20 years of bad practice, unlocked my right hand alternate picking speed, thanks to discovering that one little Paul Gilbert lick and the Troy Grady pick exit strategy

Try lowering your action or moving to a lighter gauge string set. Or just keep blazing away, you’ll get there eventually

I just gotta say, pullups are hilarious, almost as hilarious as
pushups.

 

[anomaly]

Everyone goes through lulls and valleys. Keep heart and a positive mindset

Keep heart and a positive mindset? WTF does that mean troll?

 

[anomaly]

Vonbonfire you're the ultimate troll, aren't ya? Do you actually play guitar? If you aren't...my mistake.

 

[anomaly]

Just hit 44, I definitely see what you’re saying but back in my teens I spent hours a day playing things like Slayer, Metallica and Dream Theater type shit, then I spent 20 years playing Jessie’s girl and similar shit in cover bands. Point being I’m not sure if it’s age or just the fact that I stopped playing that type of music but there has definitely been a decline. I also used to play for 6 hours a day and now I barely do that a month, perks of needing a job to survive I guess. I’d say if it depresses you just structure your playing to what you can comfortably play and just enjoy the fact that you’re doing something you love. My two cents.

I've got a full time job but I still got time to play 6 hours a day if I wanted to, but I never want to... And I've got no life at all. The problem is, I run out of stuff to practice or play. I need to learn some new shit.

 

[boogieman1187]

I've got a full time job but I still got time to play 6 hours a day if I wanted to, but I never want to... And I've got no life at all. The problem is, I run out of stuff to practice or play. I need to learn some new shit.

I agree with you, I have the time but I've been playing for 30+ years, was a teacher for almost 20, so at this point for me I hear something that sounds cool to learn and I just listen and enjoy it instead of dissecting it. Other hobbies and learning to work on the house replaced the urge to learn new "guitar" stuff I guess. Funny where life takes you. I used to play six nights a week and now the thought of another gig is nauseating to me.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

I agree with you, I have the time but I've been playing for 30+ years, was a teacher for almost 20, so at this point for me I hear something that sounds cool to learn and I just listen and enjoy it instead of dissecting it. Other hobbies and learning to work on the house replaced the urge to learn new "guitar" stuff I guess. Funny where life takes you. I used to play six nights a week and now the thought of another gig is nauseating to me.

I would never want music to become a job, especially a slog that I started to dread.

It's always been an escape for me, a creative outlet. I still love creating as much as ever, but can never seem to find the time I want to fully focus on it:

"....And then one day you'll find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told when to run
You missed the starting gun".



It is one of my life's ambitions to retire early from the corporate world and become a producer/songwriter full time (or whenever I damn well feel like it).

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

We are all watching you

 

[311boogieman]

@anomaly - why are you needlelessly attacking people

Ask your doctor about ectolac . Arthritis med
I just se messsge thanks ! Can’t wait to see back

Thanks man. Actually, I do not have debilitating arthritis - but I can feel it starting to creep into my shoulders. Chainsaws and heavy lifting at my cabin probably is not helping.

@Smash - OMFG ROFL

 

[CoreyW]

Very interesting, and reflective of some of my experience with age as well.

Only difference is you were good and went to GIT LOL. And went there you had to be able to throw down just to walk in the door.

I was only a big fish in a small pond, that could play fast relative to the other folks in my neck of the woods.

I actually still thought I was good until YouTube became a thing. When I saw 11 year olds in Japan shredding me under the table, reality set in haha.

You bring up an excellent point about being a young fella, and having the time/obsession to burn in technical skill. I have a theory (basically anecdotal crap I made up haha) that to a large degree a player establishes their technical ceiling, at least as far as straight up guitar gymnastics/chops very early on. I think, like in the first 2-3 years of playing.

Obviously practice at any age will lead to improvement, but everyone I know that can play at a higher than average technical level, could do it when they were teenagers.

The ceiling I'm referring to doesn't mean your at your best at an early age, just that it's likely you're establishing how far your technique can go early on, with the hope that you eventually maximize that as you get older.

For instance, I've never met a 30 year old guitar player that always played at a David Gilmour kind of speed, that suddenly decided they wanted to shred, successfully implemented practice etc. and successfully transition to having blazing technique.

Obviously, they can improve and maybe even develop a couple decent parlor trick techniques, but nothing that would approach breaking through their previous 'ceiling.'

I think some of that is because a 30 something dude with a job and a family can't put in the obsessive time like a 14 year old. But I also think there's some pliable aspects to the youthful brain that allow the formation of new skills, where that pliability is majorly diminished in adulthood.

I have zero evidence other than anecdotal observation, and would be very interested in hearing from anyone that has seen a player totally blow away my theory.

Also, there are outliers that are not inhibited by 'the ceiling.' The ones I've seen were high level musicians on other instruments, and they picked up guitar later on and were as good as they wanted to be. And I suppose there would be extremely musically talented individuals that never played an instrument until later on, and they also would likely not be inhibited (I have never personally seen this).

Please forgive my giant deviation haha. To bring it back, I have also experienced technical fall off with age. I was not able to correct it until I had the time and head space where I could prioritize music again. And even then it took (and currently still takes) consistent and intentional practice to get back in gear.

Then there's try to continue improvement/development in my 40's, which is a whole subject by itself.

So, I know we have never met, but I am the opposite of what you describe.

In my late teens and early 20s playing in cover bands and even a local elks lodge house band.. I could do some southern rock, popish, blues type stuff, but it was stuff i had to work on for a while to learn. Black Sabbath solos were difficult for me, my speed and technique was pitiful, but I was easy to work with, dependable, and people liked hanging out with me, which I credit more to me getting gigs than my playing ability.

Over the years, I would play a good amount for a couple years then put it down for a couple years, rinse and repeat. Then in the mid 2010's I got really fired up, started myself a home studio, and finally took playing serious. Got with a couple online instructors and spent probably a year fixing shit shit that I was doing wrong/bad from my self taught days, and I though I made pretty good progress, even started tackling some of the songs I have always wanted to play.. Bark at the Moon was a goal of mine... got most of the song down and up to speed relatively quickly, but the scale run at the end of the solo kicked my ass and I spent months working on it and eventually got it.

Life got in the way, and I put everything down for a while again, had a baby, moved houses lost my basement studio, career change, I was eventually able to get my practice space set back up, and actually prioritize my play time.

I currently travel for work, im in a hotel 3-4 nights a week, so I have a mobile set up that I get to practice usually 2+ hours a night. My technical ability is leaps and bounds ahead of anytime in my entire playing history. I spent months like 6-8 trying to get Bark at the moon down several years ago, a couple of months ago I spent about 2 weeks getting Technical Difficulties up to speed to play a long with the track, I still have to clean it up. Master of Puppets down picked the way James intended, up to playing with the album in just a couple of days, Im working currently on learning the entire No More Tears album... while I know this isnt Yngwie or Via, but im getting to the point where I am able to sit down and just learn what I want to learn, and not have to sit and develop a new technique just to even start to try and learn something.

 

[CoreyW]

@anomaly - why are you needlelessly attacking people



Thanks man. Actually, I do not have debilitating arthritis - but I can feel it starting to creep into my shoulders. Chainsaws and heavy lifting at my cabin probably is not helping.

@Smash - OMFG ROFL

Something I have found that has really helped, ans simple as it is.. finding a rubber band like the thick ones on broccoli and putting it over your fingers and trying to open your fingers with the resistance, but using tools most of your life, you hardly ever use the muscles needed to open your hand, so exercising those does help from the years of heavy gripping.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

So, I know we have never met, but I am the opposite of what you describe.

In my late teens and early 20s playing in cover bands and even a local elks lodge house band.. I could do some southern rock, popish, blues type stuff, but it was stuff i had to work on for a while to learn. Black Sabbath solos were difficult for me, my speed and technique was pitiful, but I was easy to work with, dependable, and people liked hanging out with me, which I credit more to me getting gigs than my playing ability.

Over the years, I would play a good amount for a couple years then put it down for a couple years, rinse and repeat. Then in the mid 2010's I got really fired up, started myself a home studio, and finally took playing serious. Got with a couple online instructors and spent probably a year fixing shit shit that I was doing wrong/bad from my self taught days, and I though I made pretty good progress, even started tackling some of the songs I have always wanted to play.. Bark at the Moon was a goal of mine... got most of the song down and up to speed relatively quickly, but the scale run at the end of the solo kicked my ass and I spent months working on it and eventually got it.

Life got in the way, and I put everything down for a while again, had a baby, moved houses lost my basement studio, career change, I was eventually able to get my practice space set back up, and actually prioritize my play time.

I currently travel for work, im in a hotel 3-4 nights a week, so I have a mobile set up that I get to practice usually 2+ hours a night. My technical ability is leaps and bounds ahead of anytime in my entire playing history. I spent months like 6-8 trying to get Bark at the moon down several years ago, a couple of months ago I spent about 2 weeks getting Technical Difficulties up to speed to play a long with the track, I still have to clean it up. Master of Puppets down picked the way James intended, up to playing with the album in just a couple of days, Im working currently on learning the entire No More Tears album... while I know this isnt Yngwie or Via, but im getting to the point where I am able to sit down and just learn what I want to learn, and not have to sit and develop a new technique just to even start to try and learn something.

The most important thing for me regarding tech playing it do it with great tone and with authority as they used to say. Just hitting the notes isn't enough. I've heard it said it takes 10,000 hrs to become "Master" of a skill, and that seems to make sense. You're going to have to invest the time, although once you've reached a certain plateau, it doesn't take as much to maintain it. My physical guitar playing abilities sustain themselves very well even when I don't play for a while, but I spent years in the woodshed honing them.

I remember Petrucci saying he was surprised how difficult it was to play his own material in the early '90s when they were starting to have bigger and bigger tours, until he developed Road Chops. I've never been on a major tour, but I can understand what he is saying. It's always easy to nail something on the couch, so STAND UP! I stand up during most serious playing recording, because that's how you'll want to do it live, and it does take more.....

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Something I have found that has really helped, ans simple as it is.. finding a rubber band like the thick ones on broccoli and putting it over your fingers and trying to open your fingers with the resistance, but using tools most of your life, you hardly ever use the muscles needed to open your hand, so exercising those does help from the years of heavy gripping.

Having a strong grip is useful for many things. I also have two versions of grip exercisers that I leave in a coffee table drawer, so any time I'm watching I movie, they are ready for a few sets. Even bought a grip strength measuring device to see proof of progress.

 

[CoreyW]

Having a strong grip is useful for many things. I also have two versions of grip exercisers that I leave in a coffee table drawer, so any time I'm watching I movie, they are ready for a few sets. Even bought a grip strength measuring device to see proof of progress.

But you never exercise the opposite muscle group, doing hand opening exercises and stretches helps relieve grip related issues.

 

[VonBonfire]

It's always easy to nail something on the couch, so STAND UP! I stand up during most serious playing recording, because that's how you'll want to do it live, and it does take more.....

I find that a good set of Carlos shoes by Carlos Santana can be like couches for your sole if you spend a lot of time onstage.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

But you never exercise the opposite muscle group, doing hand opening exercises and stretches helps relieve grip related issues.

I've never had any physical problems whatsoever playing guitar, even at times when I've been heavily into lifting weights, but I do rotate gym days away from heavy guitar days. At this point, lifting weights is more about maintaining overall fitness and flexibility for me, no more attempts for personal all-time records, although it does take more effort now to maintain the same level. On the other hand, physicality for guitar playing always seems to come naturally for me with no effort.

 

[VonBonfire]

On the other hand, physicality for guitar playing always seems to come naturally for me with no effort.

Now imagine your chops with those shoes I mentioned.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Now imagine your chops with those shoes I mentioned.
View attachment 438744

I'm gonna need a fedora to go with those!

 

[VonBonfire]

I'm gonna need a fedora to go with those!

Selentino has you covered.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

I have had to be creative to spy on people lately. People really have no appreciation for the work it takes to be invisible