Simple things that are a struggle…?

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?

Riff pattern in “Africa” by Toto.

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. 

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 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.

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfBvB-flx4

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 :) 

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfBvB-flx4

Thanks. Very helpful.

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. 

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. 

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

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.