After being out of music for like a dozen and a half years, I put myself through a self-imposed twelve week intensive guitar-boot camp..yeah, yeah, I know they say you can't make up for lost time..but I don't believe that until after I have given things a real hard shove!!
So after a case of carpal-tunnel slowed me down long enough to think things over, I decided to make a list of all the things my guitar-professor had pointed out to me..ways to improve my playing. I figured that out of these things that were pointed out to me, for my playing and my writing, maybe some of them might help you, too.
These are in the order I wrote them..as close as I could remember at the time, to the order he gave them:
1) ..always play clean notes..every note clean.
2) ..play the song the same way every time..[if you are playing it a little different every time, maybe you need to finish the song]
3) ..legato, legato, legato..smooth transition between notes..do you use it everywhere??..no, of course not..but you don't want to leave home without it!
4) ..arpeggiate..if you insist on writing long songs, you use many techniques to maintain interest...[at the time I was studying jazz guitar--chord/melody].
5) ..Use chord voicing to underpin the melody, and as a textural element.
6) ..don't forget, sometimes a key change is just what a song needs..
..there you have it..something to chew on..these comments were tailored specifically to my needs at that time..but hey, who knows, maybe I'm "a lotta like you".
Wyatt
PS..after serving my self-imposed 12 week sentence, I decided to explore something on the fret-board that I never seemed to find time for back when I *was* playing..said au-revoir to guitar-professor, and took off for the road less traveled..and like the fellow said, "..and it has made all the difference."