I read that all true musicians have periods of self doubt, frustration, and disillusionment. I was advancing nicely, but I reached one of the plateaus and I’m facing some hard work to get to the next plateau.
I finally ordered that elusive guitar part missing on my Vintage Hagstrom, when I get it and install it, that will reinvigurate me a great deal.
What I’ve been putting off is learning rock standards. The truth is I’ve avoided it and focused on the rudiments of theory and learning scales and chords. I tend to prefer doing my own thing, but no guitarist worth their salt has grown without learning other people’s stuff and I need to overcome the natural resistance to do so.
Truly, I’m a better guitarist in most ways than I was as a kid in my bands. Back then I had no idea what I was doing, I hated that I was driving blind musically. I love theory, I love the science of music and tend to most appreciate the hard stuff the most. Bela Bartok was one of my heroes as a kid, but I couldn’t fathom his writing. Now I understand it somewhat.
Once I start, in earnest, to playing to recordings and learning by ear, I will be unstoppable, I don’t know why I’m resisting when that is what I loved as a kid and I know I will love now. Maybe I’m fearing the mountain.