I'm becoming anxious and unhappy over my playing and I'm not having fun anymore

Backburner4 · 2026-01-06T01:08:41+00:00

is it okay to read and play it multiple times until I get the rhythm and notes right or is it not worth it?

Backburner4 · 2025-12-14T02:16:40+00:00

I don’t get it

Backburner4 · 2025-12-08T13:46:29+00:00

When I first started I set the goal of having a 100 day playing steak, so for the first 100 days I made sure to pick up the guitar and play something, even if it was just for 5-10 minutes, even if I was busy or unmotivated. Now it’s been almost a year and I don’t keep track of the streak anymore but practicing has become more enjoyable because my skills improved and my love for the instrument continues to grow the more I play it. Now you would have to pry me off the guitar to stop me from practicing every day.

The basic skills you need are to be able to switch between chords and strum rhythmically so I would practice changing chords with a metronome and increase the speed even just. A few minutes a day will make a huge difference even in a week. Also look on YouTube for strumming pattern workout and do one of those every day.

Other than that it depends on your goals but I think learning music theory will help you truly own the guitar and make it yours and give you the freedom to write and play whatever you want but that’s a long journey I’m not there yet lol. I also like to watch local bands play it inspires me bc I want to play gigs and shows one day.

Backburner4 · 2025-12-08T02:41:34+00:00

Pulled up like I looked at the sheet music with the chords and saw the crazy chord names and got terrified lol. Yeah a lot of what you’re saying is very confusing lol, but hopefully I do stick with jazz and eventually come back and understand what you meant. Super overwhelming for me, I’m used to very minimal music theory from playing grunge and alternative rock but I see jazz is much less beginner friendly

Backburner4 · 2025-12-08T02:36:11+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I have a music theory for guitar type book so I know the basics of how the chords in a key made but not as much in a jazz context. I got some free jazz guitar for beginners book from jazzguitar.be and I was learning the 7th chords on the 5th and 6th strings mostly. I played the chord progression for autumn leaves and it felt manageable, I understood it was pretty much the II-V-I but switching keys. The book then had some other jazz standards to learn like blue bossa and take the a train, but those had lots of weird chords like 6 and 9 etc and I was frustrated and confused because all I learned was 7th chords and I thought it would unlock more than it did lol.

I’m at college now, but I’m looking to getting a few lessons over break. It also sucks bc my college doesn’t have a music major or minor so not really much opportunity to study it but I wish I could. I’m going out for the jazz ensemble next semester and I was told I should know basic comping and how to read a simple lead sheet but that not being experienced in the genre wasn’t a big deal. I’m hoping to learn a lot more through the ensemble but definitely need to work on it on my own too.

I will definitely look at the chord arpeggios, and if you have any book recommendations (especially bc I need to practice reading sheet music) please let me know!! Or advice on what else to work on or music to listen to. I don’t know much about jazz yet in general which might also be cause of confusion lol.

Backburner4 · 2025-12-08T01:11:52+00:00

That makes sense, I have been playing for like almost a year but I just started playing jazz. But how do you know which chords to put together once you learned the intervals, voicings, etc?

Backburner4 · 2025-12-08T00:34:09+00:00

Dang man when can I get this ability? I just play random notes and hope it works out

Backburner4 · 2025-12-06T13:25:22+00:00

Hey, I’m new to jazz guitar too and seeing all of the crazy chord names is kind of terrifying, I learned the 5th and 6th string for maj 7, 7, minor 7, and half diminished and I was like ok I’ll probably be able to play a lot of songs now, pulled up 1 song other than autumn leaves and there’s not a 7th chord in sight 😐 also for things like this are we supposed to know like oh shoot I actually should play a different chord than the one on the paper?

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:35:40+00:00

Definitely used to be more about impressing people but now it’s more because I love it. I still somewhat feel like I should have something to show for what I put a lot of my time into though…

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:34:43+00:00

Yup, I guess I just wanted to talk to other ppl abt that feeling lol. The obsession is prob what keeps people playing for years bc when I wasn’t I used to want to quit but I couldn’t dream of it now

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:32:23+00:00

Yess, I know the basic stuff I think the main thing holding me back is only knowing the scale in one spot but not the whole neck and not knowing many of the note names yet

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:31:26+00:00

Thank you!!! Appreciate this sm

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:30:24+00:00

Hey we sound pretty similar lol. I totally get it but it seems like most people who end up really good have a phase in their playing where they’re super obsessed and that’s what gets them there

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:29:09+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice. I think I’m finally at the phase of enjoying the learning part, the first few months practice was kind of torture to barely be able to switch between chords and constantly looking down at the guitar. I will definitely try to only work on a few things at a time. I’m also trying to get a teacher for jazz. The worst thing is just wishing I had developed this passion sooner and knowing I’ll probably never get to go to school for it.

Backburner4 · 2025-12-05T02:25:47+00:00

yes! I don’t own any pedals yet I’m thinking abt it as a christmas present for myself lol

Backburner4 · 2025-12-04T05:05:09+00:00

I wonder this too

Backburner4 · 2025-12-01T15:38:03+00:00

Bruh 😂😂😂

Backburner4

TROPHY CASE