At the beginning of any new process, learning happens at an accelerated pace. Every day you seem to learn something new. As you progress, you'll find that your playing becomes harder and harder to improve. Ruts last longer, and progress seems more drawn out. This is normal, and oddly enough, is a good sign. The better you are, the harder it is to improve. It's harder because you know more, and the new elements become more and more advanced.

The good news is that there is no end to how much music you can create and study. If you feel you're in a particularly bad rut, try playing jazz, classical, or country guitar for a change of pace. Many great players have studied other styles of guitar playing and incorporated them into their style.

How much do I have to know?

Learn everything you can get your hands on, even if you can't see a reason for it or a need at the present moment. Just like carrying emergency money hidden in your wallet may seem silly, when you need it you'll be glad you have it. As you learn more, your playing will change. Learn it all and then decide what you want to use. There is no such thing as useless information. Let it lay dormant until you need it.

Listen Freely

To be a well-informed musician, you need to have an open mind. It's so important to listen to music other than rock and blues. While Stevie Ray Vaughan may be the reason you picked up guitar, you will find inspiration from other styles of music, too. If you're trying to write a beautiful melody, check out classical music, because it's packed full of beautiful melodies. While classical instrumentation is different, the basic structure is the same—it's just chords, scales, and melodies. Many fine players have been influenced by diverse music. For example, The Beatles were into the music of India, which has provided inspiration for a lot of players. Many players appreciate jazz because it is so rooted in the blues. If you can inject diverse influences into your own music, you may find interesting results.

Learn Everything

Most of us like to learn by doing. Examples in this book seemed more real after you heard them on the CD and played them yourself. If you want to learn about how to play the instrument, everyone should get a solid foundation in the “classics.” The amount of information you can learn by playing someone else's material is immeasurable. You'll find it to be a common thread among good players; intimate knowledge of great guitarists and their work. Think of it like an apprenticeship; you study with a master and after a while you have honed your skills enough to go out and make your own decisions. If you like a certain player a lot and you feel that they epitomize the way you wish to play, emulate them. Learn every solo, every song. Dissect it and figure out how it works.

Don't Be Scared to Copy

I've touched on this before and want to emphasize how important it is to learn from other people's works. Unfortunately, there is a movement of people who believe that studying someone else's work closely will harm your own personal growth. This is simply untrue. Music doesn't exist in a vacuum. This is especially true in the genre of rock and blues music where there is a lineage that has been passed down.

What you should be careful of is lacking vision. Study players and learn how music works through them. After you feel confident, go off on your own and seek your own truth. Leave the master and become your own master. All the greats downright stole from their heroes. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you use it as a learning experience and not as the gospel of how to play guitar.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of the quickest ways to improve is to put yourself in a situation where you have to rely on your weak points. For example if you're a bad sight-reader, join a community jazz band and try to read a chart. Sure, you'll sound terrible the first night, but being in that situation will force you to learn how to read a chart. It's the same experience many language students go through when they have to spend a week in a foreign country speaking the language—then it all comes together.

On-the-job training is crucial to improving your playing, and in the case of blues, is part of the learning tradition. You're expected to hang around clubs and sit in with other musicians and learn the ropes on stage. So if you find yourself excelling at home, go out and use what you know in real situations. Try as hard as you can to play with musicians who are much better than you. Sink or swim! Being around heavyweights will do wonders for your playing.