Changing Things Up

Photo by Caught In Joy on Unsplash

One of the problems I constantly struggle with when playing guitar is that, when I’m noodling around, I’ll gravitate towards the same chords and progressions. 

In other words, I want to play something fresh and original, but I’m constantly back at G, Am, C and D.  

Which is fine every now and then, but when I want to create, it’s less than helpful. It just sounds like everything else. 

So, I try and make a few conscious decisions. 

I don’t allow myself to play those specific chords, which forces me to look for others. 

I slap on a capo and play further up the neck, where even if I play the same chords, they sound different. 

I make myself look for alternative formations of the same chords at different positions. 

Or I go play a completely different instrument for a while to gets my creative juices flowing. 

The point is, when I’m in a rut, I make a conscious decision to shake things up. I know I can’t let things just happen, it’s down to me to force the change. 

And, more often than not, it works.