Simple things that are a struggle…?

HAL9000

I reckon I’m a halway-decent guitarist. Sure, I’ll never be the next Clapton but I can usually hold my own in a band or jam situation. However, give me something with a Johnny Cash boom-chica-boom-chica rhythm and I simply can’t do it. Anyone else struggling with something that, on the face of it, should be dead easy?

smigeon

Riff pattern in “Africa” by Toto.

Perdix

Singing and playing at the same time. As soon as I open my mouth my right hand acts like it’s receiving electric shock therapy, involuntary movements all over the place. Everyone else makes it look effortless. 

LionAquaLooper

Pick scrapes. Looks so simple to do but still can't bloody do them properly. I'm scraping my pick along the wound strings and still sounds weak and not getting that proper scraping sound. FML. 

BillDL

I find it really difficult to fret the 6th string with my overhanging thumb.  It usually just results in a muted string which, for some things is OK, but I would like to be able to do it more comfortably. I haven't played my acoustic guitars much for several months and have been playing more melodic stuff with partial chords "up the neck" on my electrics so much that when I try and hold an open chord (C in particular) it actually feels uncomfortable and weird now and I usually don't fret the notes cleanly.

octatonic

HAL9000 said:

I reckon I’m a halway-decent guitarist. Sure, I’ll never be the next Clapton but I can usually hold my own in a band or jam situation. However, give me something with a Johnny Cash boom-chica-boom-chica rhythm and I simply can’t do it. Anyone else struggling with something that, on the face of it, should be dead easy?

Slow it down.
Absolutely everything can be played when played slow enough.

Try this video too:

topdog91

I think the things that are a "struggle" are just the things we haven't practiced enough. I've worked on my rhythm playing from Rick Parfitt to Nile Rodgers and now it's much more convincing. People might think it's simple to sound like Malcolm Young, but go and do it and let me know how you get on. At the other end of the scale, I can't sweep because I never use it and I'm not likely to, nor can I sight read although I am starting to work on it. I fully expect it to be less of a struggle when I practice it.

Another example would be the keyboard player in my band. Classical background, an incredible musician with an extensive knowledge of harmony, theory, sight reading, and a good ear too. Yet, we'll occasionally point out to him nuances in the phrasing of "simple" stuff like the synth lead in Blinding Lights or Don't You Forget About Me.

None of us are complete.

guitars4you

HAL9000 said:

I reckon I’m a halway-decent guitarist. Sure, I’ll never be the next Clapton but I can usually hold my own in a band or jam situation. However, give me something with a Johnny Cash boom-chica-boom-chica rhythm and I simply can’t do it. Anyone else struggling with something that, on the face of it, should be dead easy?

I know where you are coming from and would add 'Mystery Train' by Elvis - I can't get that rhythm/phrasing right

Plus The Beatles - All My Loving - The repeated triplet rhythm by John - The chords are easy, but nail that triplet rhythm work is a constant battle

S56035

Life...............

HAL9000

guitars4you said:

HAL9000 said:

I reckon I’m a halway-decent guitarist. Sure, I’ll never be the next Clapton but I can usually hold my own in a band or jam situation. However, give me something with a Johnny Cash boom-chica-boom-chica rhythm and I simply can’t do it. Anyone else struggling with something that, on the face of it, should be dead easy?

I know where you are coming from and would add 'Mystery Train' by Elvis - I can't get that rhythm/phrasing right

Plus The Beatles - All My Loving - The repeated triplet rhythm by John - The chords are easy, but nail that triplet rhythm work is a constant battle

Yup! Mystery Train is in my ‘must try harder’ list.

ElectricXII

LionAquaLooper said:

Pick scrapes. Looks so simple to do but still can't bloody do them properly. I'm scraping my pick along the wound strings and still sounds weak and not getting that proper scraping sound. FML. 

I thought the same, and then discovered that pick material makes a huge difference. I use heavy Dunlop Ultex Jazz III XLs, and pick scrapes sound weak with these. If I switch to a nylon Dunlop pick, the scrapes sound much more convincing. I'm not going to stop using my favourite picks though, so my occasional scrapes will have to remain lacklustre.

LionAquaLooper

ElectricXII said:

LionAquaLooper said:

Pick scrapes. Looks so simple to do but still can't bloody do them properly. I'm scraping my pick along the wound strings and still sounds weak and not getting that proper scraping sound. FML. 

I thought the same, and then discovered that pick material makes a huge difference. I use heavy Dunlop Ultex Jazz III XLs, and pick scrapes sound weak with these. If I switch to a nylon Dunlop pick, the scrapes sound much more convincing. I'm not going to stop using my favourite picks though, so my occasional scrapes will have to remain lacklustre.

Ah that must be it then because I use Dunlop jazz picks as well coincidentally enough. They are thick. Like you, I like those picks too much to sacrifice them for the occasional pick scrape. Thanks for the useful tip though  

HAL9000

octatonic said:

HAL9000 said:

I reckon I’m a halway-decent guitarist. Sure, I’ll never be the next Clapton but I can usually hold my own in a band or jam situation. However, give me something with a Johnny Cash boom-chica-boom-chica rhythm and I simply can’t do it. Anyone else struggling with something that, on the face of it, should be dead easy?

Slow it down.
Absolutely everything can be played when played slow enough.

Try this video too:

Thanks. Very helpful.

EricTheWeary

Oddly enough this reminds me of my attempt to learn drums (there was a kit in the house so it was going to happen at some point). I could get a basic pattern going but at no point could I relax with it, get it into muscle memory I guess. So every beat required massive concentration and a three minute song was mentally exhausting. Would have got there eventually I guess but compared to widdling up and down a pentatonic wholly unsatisfying. Those Luther Perkins rhythms are like drums on guitar, that kind of exacting. 

It’s quite easy to get into habits on guitar where your time drifts or you are okay with that level of concentration because you are improvising. You hear a country rhythm or a Steve Lukather three note part and you think oh that’s easy but to play it that well and consistently for three minutes (in a recording studio) can be harder than trying to be the next Clapton over it. I think I understand more these days what made the first call session guys the first call session guys even though we rarely hear them do anything flash and why a lot is just quantised now because that’s a cheaper short cut. 

Yorkie

There's something about a C chord that my left hand doesn't like. I can do most other chords no problem, but C is something I struggle with and I don't know why. I can do it, just not as fast as the others. 

JAYJO

I still struggle with u2 streets. Playing with the delay. Transition at the beginning as it changes tempo....been trying for months...i get it right sometimes

axisus

I am incapable of learning anything fast. I can play fast when improvising (no comment here on the quality of playing), but learning something fast from someone else just never happens. I've been trying to learn this thing for many years, the quick flurry of notes is 4 or 5 seconds long and according to iTunes I have played the backing track 2314 times. Likewise, I've been trying to do a quick bit from Satriani's Always with me AWY for many years.

Lewy

The lick at 0:49 of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). It’s not really simple per se, but I can play things which are more demanding, faster, trickier etc but it just always kicks me in the dick and I never get it. 

Rocker

I am struggling with the rhythm of “call me a breeze” by JJ Cale. It sounds simple enough but nowhere like the record when I play it.

PAL

It's best to try and learn things that we don't normally do. When it comes to practice we tend to do what we know and 
  are able to do so sometimes it's worth trying something completely different. It may be the case that it's not a style
  of music you will ever play but it can give your current playing style a different approach and even improve things that
  you are having difficulties with. Check out the USA session players they can play various styles and over all they are
  really good players. There is so much good music out there for us to enjoy and learn and it will improve our playing
  as well. Good luck.

guitarjack66

Yorkie said:

There's something about a C chord that my left hand doesn't like. I can do most other chords no problem, but C is something I struggle with and I don't know why. I can do it, just not as fast as the others. 

In the open position I assume? There are two,at least,alternatives. You can simply fret the B string at the first fret and play the open G,B(fretted on 1st) and open high E. Or you can just fret the B string 1st fret and 4th string 2nd fret and play the high 4 strings. I also sometimes do that plus fret the high E at the 3rd fret and this adds the fretted G. 
I struggle with this too,as you can tell.
I also struggle to play a full open G chord.