duke - If I was you, I'd avoid using someone elses string / pick / set-up choices.... what is god for Satch, Vai, EVH or even me may not be good for you.....

Folks trying to have the same guitar, backline and effects as their heros down to the 'n'th degree is such a terrible mistake I see made so often....

Admire and enjoy the great players.... learn from them... but be an individual..

For picks, I use 3.0mm dunlops... they are nice and rigid, sharp at the tip and have a deep indentation so I find them nice to grip... they are huge and not everyones cup of tea...

About EVH... do you remember the Ted Nugent story with EVH????? where EVH supported Nugent... Nugent sees EVH sound-check and is like "woa".... when EVH leave the venue to chill a while, Nugent jumps up and has a sneaky mess with EVH's guitar.... he's looking trying to find that amazing tone.... all he finds is the sound of Nugent playing through EVH's rig...

I think that 60% of his tone is in his fingers... even his riffing has forced harmonics all over it [not for divebombing but making everything sound slick]....

He was every bit as important to the development of rock guitar as Hendrix.....

ovation - the thing that made me decide to re-write it was knowing that I'd end up 'settling for it'. It was worth the extra effort... If I'd have left it I know I'd have regreted it in the long run.
the cover will be something like an Ibanez headstock emerging through the face of the Mona Lisa.... it won't hurt her though.. she's about as ugly as a box of frogs... lol

Happy Birthday...

I think that some folks in here that are knocking the Nu-Metal guys are making a mistake.... there is more to their playing than meets the eye... for starters - these guys have great timing and some of them are very precise... a song don't have to have a solo to be good...

nick - a point worth noting is that most of us are in bands that have a singer... this means that only around 10% of your playing is solos.... the rest is riffing and grooves.... yet many folks spend less than 10% of their practice working on chords, riffing, timing, phrasing - which is essentially 'the day job'....

Also, the way that you approach a solo and the note selection used is directly connected to your chord knowledge.. this about being aurally aware of how notes interact with each other...

For Shedz at an Exhibition I am trying to do the right thing by not rushing... but it is all taking longer than I'd like... I was hoping to be done with the writing last August so I'm behind schedule.. but I'm also aware that I really want to put my best foot forward... If I took my absolute best work to Favoured Nations and they tell me to walk then I can live with that... it's either not good enough or not what they're looking for... If I give them something I knocked up on the quick and hope to get signed and then fail... I'd end up beating up on myself over it for ever...

I can only handle failure if I've put in 100% or more

nick - when I write anything - instrumental or a song - the first thing I have in my mind is the subject material... even my instrumentals have a theme and a story [it helps me write].. this in turn gives me an overal vibe to acheive and a layout.. i.e 'the slow mad loud bit' then 'the quiet bit' etc... I think of the melody in my mind first but not so much in terms of the specific notes but more in terms of the overal contour and note density.. The backing track is built to reflect the story line and the way that it ends up definately impacts that way that you create the melody... for my stuff this has even greater importance because I'm writing for so many instruments.. so orchestration is as important as the notes themselves.... getting all of this to come together just right and still 'creative' is quite a problem to solve... but that's the fun of writing... sometimes I find that writing the piece can be as much fun or even more so than the recording and live performance...

Also the music contains elements of authentic composition techniques from various times and styles between 1650 and 1850 with riff ideas from 1990 to 2003 and drumming styles from ealry 70's progressive and nu-metal nutter...

The 1st section from the track Requiem is a quasi 17th Century adagio for Ibanez, chior and church organ... quite pretty and very sad... appart from the Ibanez it would not be too out of place at a Bach recital... in here I think that Ovation, Yoda and PRMAN are the only guys to have heard it...

Tonight I'll be cutting the riffs on the Baptist... images of a key biblical figure in the mosh pit.... has to be done.. lol

I'm glad that you and others are looking forward to it so much.. MAK777, Ovation, PRMAN, Yoda, Ricky Garcia and those that went to Jemfest UK are the only folks to have heard some / most of it.. [PRMAN has it all because this project was his idea]..

I really hope it meets everyones expectations..

Nick - song writing and composition in general is a subject that interests me greatly... there are so many different ways of going about it and there are no rules [unless you're sitting in a composition class at university].

I managed to get the first rhythm guitar cut on the Baptist last night... three more to go before I can start cutting the sredz...

Ovation - keeping the faith... let's hope that 2003 will be my year.......

funny enough.. The first part of Requiem is a real pig to play... you're so exposed and you need to be very precise.. It's the track I dread most live.....

good advice to Mick87 bro... don't mindlessly learn scale fingerings... understand them and how they are sructured.. This is the key point I tried to get arcoss with the theory posse studies... and if you understand it, then it's easier to pick up on new ideas... just a re-spin on the same and familiar theme..

there is no age limit to education.... all of this "too long in the tooth" crap is just a decoy statement for "I really cant be arsed"....
The only reason to stop learning and studying is death
And was is life without stimulation and challenge

PRMAN [Barry] is my manager and handles everything in my music life that does not have strings, speakers or MIDI...

Invigor - dude, if you've had your guitar set up by a 'pro' and it still buzzes then there is something wrong with the 'pro'.... When I get my guitars setup by a luthier that includes stoning and re-profiling the frets.....

I was in a store once where I happen to be on pretty good terms with the owner... I bought something and I wanted the box but the store was busy so the store manager says.."the box is in the stock room, you know your way around in here, if you don't want to wait I don't mind if you go out back and get it yourself"... As I went through the store I find a 17 year old kid sitting at a table with a Les Paul, a Boss Tuner and a tool roll of allen keys and screw drivers.... I'm a curious sort of person so I ask him what's up... He tells me that he's doing a set-up... I say that it's pretty nice of his boss to let him fix his guitar at work especially whwen the store is so busy.... He then told me that it was a 'customers guitar' and that he was doing a 'set-up'... There was not a grind-stone, fret file or needle file in sight.... Not even a can of metal polish... And setting the intonation with a 'Boss Tuner'!!!! not a strobe.... And charging £30 a time......

no thanx... that's not a set-up.. that's basic love and attention at 'string change time'... not the serious luthier set-up I'm used to....

Artanis - you've obviously had a sneek preview of my rambling compositions... lol

I'll look forward to seeing you....

I don't know what 'plekked' is... never heard of it... what's the deal.... I'm curious...

I'm glad you like Requiem... that one is personal... I wrote the main melody to that [1st cycle of the part where the band cuts in] when I got home from my grandmothers funeral.... and song is dedicated to her memory...

You've move the 'bridge saddle' which effects the 'intonation'. This sets the length of the string so that the string is 'in tune' with the fingerboard.... The natural harmonic at the 12th fret should be exactly the same note as fretting a the string at the 12th fret. The harmonic is the 'mid-point' of the open string so if the fretted note is higher than the harmonic the string is too short. Undo the allen bolt, move the saddle back and check again.... If the fretted note is lower then the string is too long.... so the saddle moves forward... If you set this with a digital tuner it'll be pretty close... If you want it set spot on... take it to a luthier that has a strobe...

h302 - wow... there's an imposter on the loose....

he's an ugly git, stands a little gay in the pic and plays one of those funny guitars with the hole in.....

and he's from Kansas

he has to die.....

Surely you can do better than that dude...

Theory Posse – here are the answers to the ‘keys’ used during the modulations.

A little note: (V7) indicates the ‘target’ V7 chord so that you can see where the modulation occurs.
To make things easier to illustrate I’ll use ‘*’ to represent harmonic minor and melodic minor. So ‘A*’ means that you have the choice of A harmonic minor or A melodic minor. The one you choose to use is a matter of personal taste – so experiment with both.
Note that the letter on its own means a ‘major’ key - E = E major.

From the key of Em to Am
I VI IV I (V7) I
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em ‘ E7 ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > A* - Am - - >
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em ‘ E7 ‘ ¦ A ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > A - - - - - - - >

From the key of E to Am & A
I Vb VI IV I (V7) I
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/D# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C#m ‘ A ‘ ¦ E ‘ E7 ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > A* - Am - - >
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/D# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C#m ‘ A ‘ ¦ E ‘ E7 ‘ ¦ A ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > A - - - - - - - >

From the key of Em to F#m & F#
I VI IV VII (V7) I
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ D ‘ C#7 ‘ ¦ F#m ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > F#* - F#m - - >
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ D ‘ C#7 ‘ ¦ F# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > F# - - - - - - - >

From the key of E to F#m & F#
I Vb IIc (V7) I
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/D# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ F#m/C# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C#7 ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ F#m ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > F#* - - > F#m - - >
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/D# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ F#m/C# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C#7 ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ F# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > F# - - - - - - - - - - >

From the key of Em to F#m & F#
I IV Ic IVb (V7) I
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em/B ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am/C ‘ A7 ‘ ¦ Dm ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > D* - Dm - - - >
chords ¦ Em ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em/B ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Am/C ‘ A7 ‘ ¦ D ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Em - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -> D - - - - - - - - >

From the key of E to Dm & D
I Vc Ib IV (V7) I
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/F# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ E/G# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ A ‘ A7 ‘ ¦ Dm ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > D* - Dm - - - - >
chords ¦ E ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/F# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ E/G# ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ A ‘ A7 ‘ ¦ D ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > D - - - - - - - - >

From the key of Bm to Cm & C
I (V7) Ib (V7)
chords ¦ Bm ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/A ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em/G ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ G7 ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Cm ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Bm - - > E* - - - - > Em - - - - > C* - - > Cm - - - >
chords ¦ Bm ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ B/A ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ Em/G ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ G7 ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦ C ‘ ‘ ‘ ¦
key - - Bm - - -> E* - - - > Em - - - - - > C - - - - - - - - - >

JSC1 - chill dude... I'm not getting shitty with you or taking the piss so there's no need to get out of your pram.... you well know that it is very possible to create forced harmonics both gently and at high velocity...

I was thinking more along the lines of describing that the pick and the fleshy part of your thumb [or forefinger] make contact with the string simultaniously...

The deeper into the string the flesh pushes, the more harmonic. The lighter the flesh pushes you hear more of the fretted note.

The scream occurs when the ratio of the harmonic and the fretted note is around 50-50....... this is due to addition and cancellation between the frequency of the fretted note [the fundimental wavelength] and the frequency of the harmonic added on top..

Applying forced harmonics with the forefinger are more difficult technique wise but is a more accurate method. This is good if you want to play very high notes that are beyond the range of the fingerboard. So you apply harmonics an octave higher...

Theory posse: ok guys… I know that some of you have struggled with modulation a little so here is a mock situation that you could be faced with when writing a song…….

Picture this: You and your singer are sitting together writing a song. The lyrics and a melody worked out already. It’s an atmospheric ballad [called ‘I Love You So Much I Could Shit’] as the melody is being sung to you, you can here a vibe in your head not unlike Satch’s ‘Crying’ as being a very nice setting to the tune. Your singer sings it in a key that is most comfortable to the vocal range… You noodle a few chords and figure that it’s in the key of A major. So together you mess with it until you arrive at a nice chord progression to complement the melody….

Note: To show the fingering of the chords I’ll write them 1st string [skinny E], then 2nd string [B] and so on. ‘O’ = open. ‘X’ = mute [don’t play it] and the number represents the fret.
Example using an E chord. I’ll write it: - E [O,O,1,2,2,O] - a pretty familiar chord yes?

Also I can’t make a little ‘triangle’ shape to show a ‘major 7’ chord so I’ll use ‘^’ instead… Therefore E^7 = E major 7.

Back to the story. So you are playing it as an arpeggio on your neck pick-up, clean with a nice gentle chorus effect and a pile of reverb. Each chord lasts for one bar. You are playing nice and slow on 16th notes so you can play the bass note of the 1st and 3rd beats of the bar. This pretty little chord progression goes something like this:

In the key of A:
A^7 [9,9,9,11,O,X] ¦ D^7 [9,10,11,12,O,X] ¦ A^7 [9,9,9,11,O,X] ¦ D^7 [9,10,11,12,O,X] ¦
Bm add9 [7,7,7,11,X,7] ¦ E11 [7,7,7,7,7,O] and repeat progression…….

Cute or what!!!

So the writing is going pretty well… your singer is gob-smacked ‘cos you’ve just plucked another killer progression out of nowhere… and then breezes off to the kitchen to make some coffee….
You’re sitting there thinking “this is all pretty nice but there’s a little something missing”… And being a mindless shredder like me it dawns on you “I need a solo….”
But you want a contrast to the mushy major7 chords… you need to move it up a gear to get the song to climax…. And Crying does this too bang in the middle of the track.. so your next thought is “good enough for Satch… so it’s good enough for me”…
You think back and recall an awesome idea you was messing with a few weeks ago and this is just what the song needs…. It’ll fit great… a real master stroke…. but it was in Em… and the killer lick at the end uses open E and B strings so if you transpose it you’ll lose the effect…. Ah ha… time to have your cake and eat it…. Modulate… so you look at the chords your monster solo worked over..

Em [O,8,9,9,X,O] ¦ C^7 [O,8,9,9,X,8] ¦ Em [O,8,9,9,X,O] ¦ C^7 [O,8,9,9,X,8] ¦
Am add9 [O,O,9,10,O,X] ¦ B7 add11 3rd inversion [O,O,8,9,O,X]
Am add9 [O,O,9,10,O,X] ¦ B add11 [O,O,8,9,X,7] and repeat progression loads of times ‘cos it’s so much fun to tear up over…and it is after all your band right.. what you say goes....

So all you have to do is to build a little ‘bridge’ from the key of A to Em to get there and another from Em to A to get back to the song… You’ll be looking for the dominant 7 chords of Em and A to use as a springboard to get into the solo and then back to the song….

To get there you insert:
A^7 [9,9,9,11,O,X] ¦ D^7 [9,10,11,12,O,X] ¦
<2 chords per bar> Bm add9 [7,7,7,11,X,7] - A 1st inversion [9,10,9,11,X9] ¦
<2 chords per bar> D^7 [5,7,6,7,5,X] – B7 1st inversion [5,4,4,4,6,X] ¦

theory posse: So you’ve figured out the song and end up with:
Verse
A^7 ¦ D^7 ¦ A^7 ¦ D^7 ¦ Bm add9 ¦ E11 ¦ A^7 ¦ D^7 ¦ A^7 ¦ D^7 ¦ Bm add9 ¦ E11 ¦
Bridge
A^7 ¦ D^7 ¦ Bm add9 - A 1st inversion ¦ D^7 - B7 1st inversion ¦
Solo
Em ¦ C^7 ¦ Em ¦ C^7 ¦ Am add9 ¦ B7 add11 3rd inversion ¦ Am add9 ¦ B add11¦
Em ¦ C^7 ¦ Em ¦ C^7 ¦ Am add9 ¦ B7 add11 3rd inversion ¦ Am add9 ¦ B add11¦
Bridge
Em - E7 3rd inversion ¦ A - E7 2nd inversion ¦
back to the verse

Obviously I’ve missed out the chorus etc etc…. but the intention of this is to see a good reason for a modulation and how to make it happen… and show it being applied…

this is my name - the harmonics with the index finger work in the same way as using your thumb. You have to ajust your pick grip slightly... holding it between the middle finger and thumb so that you can extend the index finger forwards. Fret the 1st string at the 12th fret. When you pluck the string make the index finger make contact with the string at the same time as the pick. If the index finger touches the string over the 24th fret [or where it would be if you have a shorter neck]. You should now be hearing the note E but as though it was played on the 24th fret. If you now fret the 1st string at the 14th [F#] and move your picking hand a little closer to the bridge and play the harmonic you should now hear F# as if it was played on an imaginary 26th fret.... and so on... dont forget that as the notes get higher the frets get closer together... you'll find that the spacings between the points where you place the index finger get closer too... Use 'landmarks' as a reference [i.e. front edge of neck pick up, the front pole piece, etc...] You'll obviously not be able to play these notes very quickly so it's not a shredder thing... but then, not everything you do on a guitar should be at 100MPH....

you choose..

on the live front... my biggest problem will be forming a band that can do it... I need a drummer that can play real tight to a click because I'll be using sequencers to play the orchestral and choral parts... I have a drummer, bassist and keyboard player in mind - and I know that they are very interested in doing this... I also need a rhythm guitarist that plays 7-string..

lgu89 - what am I talking about????? I've no idea... it's alright for you ... Clarky is a complete mental case.... and I have to live with him.....

There is a chord change that is known as a 'perfect cadence'. This is a move from chord V to chord I. This is the musical equivalent to a full stop. It is used to end a piece of music and to establish a new key. In a major key chord V is major and chord V7 is a dominant seven. In an minor key chord V is minor and V7 is a minor seven. For a perfect cadence to work chord V has to be major or V7 has to be a dominant seven. In a minor key during a perfect cadence, chord V is modified into a major chord [and chord V7 is modified into a dominant seven chord].

To get from the key of A to Em a perfect cadence must occur in the key of Em.... this means that V7 in Em during a perfect cadence is B7.... so the bridge section in the key of A works towards landing on a B7 chord to create this cadence which acts as a springboard into the key of Em. To get back, we need to create a perfect cadence in the key of A. Chord V7 of A is E7...

I hope this helps....

tyrantduke - the only problem with your chord voicings is that the note 'B' is not always the lowest pitch. Having for example F# in the bass throughs the chord into inversion....

You missed the easiest fingerings: starting from the 1st string: 9, 7, 7, 9, 9, 7: which is a Bm barre chord on the 7th fret and the 9th is added with your little finger on the 9th fret of the 1st srting.
and my favourite: 7, 7, 7, 11, 9, 7 - very moody

Another little trick [which is allowed] is to drop the 3rd.... If the music is in the key of Bm and you play B5 add 9, then the minor 3rd is 'implied' by the tonality of the music. In isolation [just playing the chord on your guitar without accompanying music and listening to it] this is obviously not Bm add 9... but in a live situation with a band you'll find that in some cases this will be acceptable..... [2, 2, 4, 4, 2, X]

When I'm in a position to put a band together for this I'll shout and you'd be welcome to try out for the roll....

Did anyone actually try to play the chord progression to "I Love You So Much I Could Shit"??????

r6r - oops.... I forgot that one on the locking nut....

mowlie - you'll struggle with the riffs without either playing a 7-string or a B drop tuned 6. I like the heaviness of sub-E keys so most of the riffing is in the B to D range...... I have messed with a C# tuning where the 6th is dropped to B... it makes some of the parts much easier and others become a real handfull... The 7-string is the best choice but they are quite tiring to play for long periods.... However, a 6 string dropped to B with a very heavy string guage to compensate for the loss of tension sounds very cool... that would be great for my riffer but bad for me because I'd loose all of the top notes...
the confiuriation I'm looking for is:
5-string bassist [which I have found]
B Dropped 6 or 7 string player for the rhythm
Concert tuned 6 and 7 string for me [which I have]...

If you have a spare 6 then there is no reason not to drop it and mess around....

Something that many folks don't realise.... your live and studio settings should not be exactly the same..... with my 2120 I have one bank of patches for studio and another bank configured exactly the same but the eq and effect depths changed to allow for my Marshalls and big volumes.....

jeez.... I should play it more often....

jsc1 - If I could have a 'Clarky signature' model made I guess with would be something in between my Strat and an RG... Ash body shaped like an RG.. a real Floyd Rose instead of one of those nasty plastic Ibanez things that need attacking with a file every five minutes, two coil-tapped Seymour Duncan hot rails [neck and bridge] and a single in the middle. 24 fret Canadian Rock Maple neck [with a real tight grain] but with an ebony fingerboard and big fat frets... the neck profile and scale would be like the RG470 [which works perfectly for me]... if it can be done I'd like a piezo in the bridge too for those awesome accoustic tones..

Maybe this will be my next custom [Glutony]...

ovation - so what do you suggest should be the content of the manifesto...... lol

The neck serial number dates it at 1978 [and I've had it from new] so the neck has a beautiful golden / amber tint....

I'm looking at it now..... what a babe...

Although 'birdseye' is super pretty I've always had a little doubt about its suitability as a neck wood because it could lack strength and therefore stability....
As a 'top' I think it's wonderfull...
A pal of mine had birdseye on his drum kit [the tom shells].. no stain just clear varnish... it looked awesome..

That thing where the Septics raid you of your own timber and sell it back to you is just plain mental....

I think that the Clarky Sig RG would be quite a thing..... I need to save up and get one made.. lol

Sweep pick - hitting 'plateaus' in your playing is pretty normal.. albeit distressing and a great cause of angst...
here's why they occur:
When you are learning to play, three key elements within you start to grow.....
1 - manual dexterity - this is your technique. Like actually being able to go through the mechanical processes required [moving your fingers] to make music....
2 - knowledge - learning not only music theory but also being able to viusalise the various and many scale and chord patterns on the fingerboard....
3 - inner ear - this is knowing when things are in or out of tune just by listening. Further to this, it's also about being able to hear music in your mind so that you can go make it happen on the neck....

As you play, all three of these components grow. Your first big hurdle is obviously just being able to finger a few chords and make them sound nice... including nice crisp chord changes....
At this point, you make major break-throughs in your playing quite often - because you are very 'young' in a playing sense.... but as you get better these break-throughs are less often and require more and more effort....
You 'knowledge' is the easiest thing to grow.... this is all about studying... reading / being taught etc.... At some point you'd be inclinded to start experimenting with these new ideas....
Your inner ear picks up too... you start to listen with greater resolution than before... so what used to sound like a minor little mistake now begins to sound like a serious error... As you experiment with your new knowledge, your inner ear begins to understand more about these new sounds... and you begin to think and hear in a new way.... the way you play is now sounding bland... you are no longer excited and stimulated... and when you try out some new ideas on the neck your technique just can't cope yet.... it will though - it's just a matter of time and patience...
your technique is always the last component to catch up...
when it does catch up, you are on a high again and deeply into your playing.....

How do you break through the plateau?????
The plateau is in your mind so the only person that knows you're going through this is you.... you are still playing to the same standard as you was yesterday so don't dispair that something is broken or has 'gone'....
Variety is the key.... don't practice the same old exercises over and over.... try something a little different... something fresh... stay interested and stimulated and therefore motivated.
try for example learning a solo from Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd... or spend a little more time having blues jams with your buddies.... or learn to sight read and try some classical.... work on solos made out of short phases instead of endless legato runs.... experiment with a little lick and see how many different variations you can make out of it by altering it a little each time..... the point is... do something new on the guitar.....

If playing and practice becomes a chore then you will fall out of love with the instrument... and that is the worst thing that can happen.... and there is no need for this to happen....

You may not even notice yourself improving but those around you will.... this happens to me often.....

artanis - Slag in the UK to a girlie means that she will / has screw anything and everything... Salg to a man is someone that would lie and cheat on his best bud / family.... are real dirt bag....

The word I really like [originating from Manchester UK I think] is 'minger' [spoken: ming - er or mingah... lol]... this is much funnier: it is a girl that is not only a complete slag but she's also deeply gagging for a shag as if the world will end in a few minutes. Also, she looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp and is built like a buffalo....
phrases:
"she's a total minger"
"she's minging"

For more lessons on how to flunk English Language at school... lol lol.....

I think Durex in the UK and Oz are not quite the same too...
try going into a chemist in London and ask for a roll of Durex... lol