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Just curious if there's a certain technique/style/way of playing you just can't or won't bring yourself to do? Maybe how you make up for it?

I can't flat-pick very well, same goes with fingerpicking. I try learning songs with flat/finger picking and i just end up strumming because I want to play the song. I think i make up for it in dynamic strumming/lead playing....idk.

I also can't play on the neck pick up on most guitars, strats may be the only exception. It's just too warm and I can't get any of the individual notes to come through. My tone knob is always cranked as well.... The only time I really use the neck pickup is when I'm playing blues+reverb.

So what stuff can't/won't you do?

I can never exclusively use a bridge pickup unless it's a humbucker.

Also, galloping.

slap

MM

devi ever wrote:I have a hard time imagining ever playing ska-style guitar in a song, but ya never know.

... oh, and for some reason I can't ever imagine playing a Telecaster.

I love ska but i'm pretty terrible at ska chords.... I have to play barre chords to keep the rhythm.

By the way, devi, have you heard "No answer" live by The Marked? Billy plays ska guitar in it, haha. Totally caught me off guard.

Thinking about this, I came to the conclusion I'm a technique whore, in the sense that I'm not against any technique per se - anythign can be used well.

What I refuse to do is the cheesy over-technical fake blues or played-out metal shredding that you hear any time you step into Guitar Center.

There's plenty I can't do, though - breaking out of familiar patters being the main thing at the moment.

CB1 wrote:
There's plenty I can't do, though - breaking out of familiar patters being the main thing at the moment.

Good call. I have to say my tapping and sweep picking a pretty sub standard but that its not something that bothers me. And er major scales? I tend to just play in the relative minor. Which works. As to what I won't do, probably nothing really. I'm a bit of a playing whore these days, any opportunity's a good opportunity

devi ever wrote:I have a hard time imagining ever playing ska-style guitar in a song, but ya never know.

... oh, and for some reason I can't ever imagine playing a Telecaster.

Shit man. I'm definetly putting mine in your hands some day. If you don't like it, that'll be the last nail in the coffin, becasue it is the best guitar EVARRRRRR!

aen wrote:

devi ever wrote:I have a hard time imagining ever playing ska-style guitar in a song, but ya never know.

... oh, and for some reason I can't ever imagine playing a Telecaster.

Shit man. I'm definetly putting mine in your hands some day. If you don't like it, that'll be the last nail in the coffin, becasue it is the best guitar EVARRRRRR!

I like Telecasters for the same reason I like gibson SG's. On other guitars when I'm strumming I tend to hit one of the controls, on a Tele or SG the control are buy the input jack and pretty far away (in relation to other guitars) from the strings.

I had to unscrew the "rhythm/lead" switch on my Jazzmaster. I like the way it looks when I have my guitar near or above my belt, but I usually hit the knobs/switches only this time I hurt my hand rather than move them..... so my guitar is as low as my strap will allow to avoid issues.

I'm not very good at playing rhythm guitar. I love trying, especially some of the not-so-trad sounding jazz routines, but the temptation to change some of the notes around is too great! Playing in rhythm isn't really what I do when I make my own music, I like it when the music goes slower and faster depending on the mood/feel/stress/kinetic energy.

Patterns are really frustrating to fall into. I've been trying not to concentrate on pitches to make up for it lately. At the same time I've been listening lots to Arvo Pärt for some more harmonic ideas.

I like your chord playing, pumpkin. It's good having something you know you can do. Everything else is just extra fun on the side.

by contrast, i have a really hard time with gibson-scale guitars. what's that 24 and 3/4? i can do it in a pinch but it just doesn't feel comfortable.

+1 on slapping. I used to love it when I first started out (I used to amuse my high school bandmates with a slap-bass rendition of Enter Sandman), but now it just feels out of place to me.

There are certain songs/styles that I personally just can't handle (Nu Country, anyone?), so I suppose that applies as well.

Slap.

So alot fo people responded to this thread and no one mentioned I had "Is there somethings" in the title. Fixed. I am my own grammar nazi.

I never really have problems with different scaled guitars except with squier strats. Then again I'm told I have pretty big hands/long fingers. Actually most les paul I've played hurt while doing power chords up towards the nut.

So i'm not really a "bass player" (i have a bass, played bass in a band, still don't feel comfortable saying I'm a bassist) but slap isn't very attractive to me. It's probably why a lot of rhcp annoys me.

I do have a little trouble switching between 34” scale and 32”, the frets just aren't where they belong.
Dropping down to 30” isn't a problem as it feels like a big guitar.

I have a friend who can't handle the PRS 25” scale for pretty much the same reason.

I hate that all treble, my speakers are made out of tin cans, tone slappers use.
Slapping has become the bass version of wanking off in the back of GC.

MM

i don't do metal, nu metal. old metal, rusted metal, shiney metal, or even aluminum. i don't dig muted gallops of the guitar kind.
i don't like using a pick but will sometimes if i need to...trouble is that i never have one when i need it......

"somethings" i won't do is use a PRS guitar. (they are great instruments, well made and all that shite but i just do not like the way they look) or use a boogie amp. i can't get past the name "Boogie"...and again...great amp that's well made....just not my thing...well...and the freakin' name.

elwd