I can really appreciate a technically adept guitarist, put hearing someone play a repetitive run does not generally excite me - It's when people do something unusual or melodic in some way (even at high speed) that I get interested.
Research shows that if you want to be a technically adept musician (or anything else for that matter) then the simple maxim of practice, practice, practice is the way to go - but what about creativity?
Research also shows that wrote practice does not lead to being 'creative'. Most musicians want to create their own 'voice'. Indeed I remember at about 13 saying to my classical guitar teacher that I wanted to develop my own style...without really understanding what that meant!
Joe Satriani recommends using scat singing - then try and play what you sang to free you from your normal patterns'
Steve Lukather recommends practicing what you cannot play, so you are stretching yourself.
I used to play along to my favourite music and just try and absorb it rather than learn it note for note...sometimes that happened, but mostly I just wanted to capture the essence of the song.
Listen and play along to music that you generally wouldn't just to get ideas and influence, I don't really 'get' Jazz...but I enjoy playing along to extend myslef in different directions.
You could try re-tuning the guitar so the usual patterns don't work.
Get more rhythmical - great solos are not just 16th or 32nd notes blasted out, it has to have some syncopation so try just playiong some funky rhythms, or extending your rhythmic picking abilities.
Write some random notes down and try and play them and make them interesting.
Try to play just 2 or 3 notes in as many ways as you can, using all the possible techniques (slide up, down, bend up, down, 'squeeze' it with vibrato...)
Mostly..keep it fun and interesting, a bored guitarist does not make for passionate exciting music!
Research shows that if you want to be a technically adept musician (or anything else for that matter) then the simple maxim of practice, practice, practice is the way to go - but what about creativity?
Research also shows that wrote practice does not lead to being 'creative'. Most musicians want to create their own 'voice'. Indeed I remember at about 13 saying to my classical guitar teacher that I wanted to develop my own style...without really understanding what that meant!
So, what are some ideas for creative practice?
Joe Satriani recommends using scat singing - then try and play what you sang to free you from your normal patterns'
Steve Lukather recommends practicing what you cannot play, so you are stretching yourself.
I used to play along to my favourite music and just try and absorb it rather than learn it note for note...sometimes that happened, but mostly I just wanted to capture the essence of the song.
Listen and play along to music that you generally wouldn't just to get ideas and influence, I don't really 'get' Jazz...but I enjoy playing along to extend myslef in different directions.
You could try re-tuning the guitar so the usual patterns don't work.
Get more rhythmical - great solos are not just 16th or 32nd notes blasted out, it has to have some syncopation so try just playiong some funky rhythms, or extending your rhythmic picking abilities.
Write some random notes down and try and play them and make them interesting.
Try to play just 2 or 3 notes in as many ways as you can, using all the possible techniques (slide up, down, bend up, down, 'squeeze' it with vibrato...)
Mostly..keep it fun and interesting, a bored guitarist does not make for passionate exciting music!
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