Need some advice

[BigDog]

30+ years playing the guitar and not a lesson one. Have been stuck in the same mode for years, playing most every day, the same thing over and again. My attention span is short lived when occasionally trying to play or learn from tab, videos, etc. Basically, I choose a guitar and amp from my collection and just start playing, which can be for thirty minutes to several hours. During this time I defiantly fill euphoric and get lost to the point of blocking out everything. There are times though, that a riff or rhythm plays out that I've never done and I feel a since of wow and where did that come from. Wife and family praise my self taught abilities and suggest starting band which would be cool, but I tend to loose my playing comfort in front of people and make noticeable mistakes that flusters me even more. I really just consider this a hobby and have spent a lot of money over the years on high end guitars and equipment which help somewhat with confidence and the desire to try new things, but to me, it's not a learning tool. Any fellow RT members who want to chime in on this post to give me constructive criticism, suggestions or ideas are welcome too.

On

 

[War Admiral]

hey I hear ya man...the best advice I can give you is listen to a player you really admire and learn his shit....the hardest thing is the attention span but you have to overcome this and spend countless hours learning his lines...this will teach you whats going on and also side track you on what are you weaknesses as a player. Then you will take more time on practicing your technique with timing and division and accuracy. Staying on each note as long as possible before the next etc. Developing hand strength and dexterity is so important...alternate picking...economy picking...hybrid picking...etc..accenting on the 3 and on the 4 etc....thousands of hours of fun but all worth it. You don't need formal lessons...just a systematic approach and you will be fine.
Its just a hobby for me too....I stop for the longest times then get back into it. Always ongoing but never give up if you love it!