Finger rolling

Pompier

Thanks, Buco. This all makes sense. I've started going to the other DC area jam to practice accompanying people. Sometimes it feels like I can help, and sometimes it sounds like there's enough rhythm playing going on already and I just sit back and listen. My hunch is that the second case is more common at the Bethesda jam. I'll drop by when I'm ready to try out a little solo.

Buco

If I go, it's usually Bethesda even though I love the other one because of the bar joint. But it can be a long drive from me. Bethesda jam, sometimes you'll be one of the 2 guitars, sometimes one of 8. It's a coin toss. But always low pressure. You should come.

psychebilly

Another thing I would like to add is that (most likely) the vast majority of 'Us' have regular jobs, families, 'life'...

We don't have 8-10 hours a day to woodshed, call up pals to show off our latest licks, or even spend an hour's work on finger-rolling our arpeggios...we have maybe an hour...maybe a rehearsal or jam with our buds for a couple hours...how do you work on something that needs attention to detail in such a short amount of time?

While there are numerous YouTube videos, books, DVD's, lessons that will show you every technique under the sun, the simple fact is this: time with the instrument and attention to detail is still the only way to excel with any style of music. If all you can get is an hour a day, your level of understanding, technique, learning songs, etc. is greatly diminished (no pun intended) to those that can develop their skills over 8-10 hours a day.

Also, playing gigs is like practicing on steroids...Gonzalo, Adrien, et al, will discover something new and expand their already HUGE vocabulary, just by playing a normal gig...Meanwhile, I'm cooking dinner, washing dishes, answering emails, and wondering: "...how can I drill on the "Spain" riff in the 45 minutes I have before I need to go to bed...?"