You’ve probably seen a ton of stuff on the internet, and particularly on YouTube, about ‘breaking out of the box’, which basically means you’re stuck in a scale pattern and want to somehow break free of it to play more…
Category: Ruts
The Reason Intermediate Guitarists Don’t Progress
This leads on from what I was talking about in a previous article but it applies more specifically to intermediate guitarists, or those that are stuck on the so-called intermediate plateau. I say so-called because the main problem you face…
How to Approach Scales in Your First Few Years of Playing
If you’re serious about learning guitar, beyond having the technical ability to play your favorite songs, then at some stage you’ll need to learn scales. While this might seem like a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be. Sure, the…
How to Get Out of Any Guitar Rut
If you’re committed to learning the guitar, it’s inevitable that you’re going to get into a rut from time to time. Ruts can last from a weeks to years and can be very frustrating but once you understand the psychology…
3 Ways to Get Out of a Scales Rut
Most guitarists get stuck in a scales rut sooner or later; this is somewhat due to learning patterns which, because of their enclosing nature, train our fingers not to stray outside of them and encourage us to play almost on…
The Real Reason You’re Stuck in Scale Patterns
Very often guitarists complain of being stuck in scale patterns or boxes, they then go in search of some way to break out of them; however, I don’t believe that it’s necessary to ‘break out’ of a scale pattern to…
The Odd Time Cure for Mindless Guitar Soloing
If you’ve been playing for a while you’ve probably gotten your lead playing to the point where you can pretty much improvise without thinking too much. This is both good and bad as on the one hand your playing is…
5 Tips to Avoid Getting Stuck in a Rut
Almost all guitarists get stuck in a rut once every so often, and it can take a while to get past that point. The most common rut is the so-called, ‘intermediate plateau’, where guitarists who have become fairly competent on…