guitar playing

I really wish I knew how to build some dexterity and speed in my left hand. I asked on the internet for some exercises to help with this as I keep getting stuck at a certain playing speed and being unable to get faster than that. So I got some exercises suggested which indeed did test my abilities and forced me to overcome some weaknesses. But... I still can only play the new exercises at this same speed limit as I reach with the old ones. Anything beyond that and I physically can't do it; the hand gets painful, the muscles cramp slightly, and the fingers refuse to go where my brain is telling them to. Seemingly no amount of practice or targeted exercise is changing this.

Luckily the degree of skill I am trying to build is way beyond that which I need for my own music, so it doesn't hold me back in that regard. It's just frustrating from a personal development point of view. I don't understand how others can achieve certain playing speeds and yet my hand refuses to do it. Maybe I have some sort of physical problem or something!

Ben vs. Local Scum

Well, today was interesting. To cut a long story short, the local kids were repeatedly trying to steal our wheelie bin from outside the house, and every time we nearly caught them at it, they'd run away, but come back for another go 10 minutes later. Eventually a load of them threw it over our wall and tried to run off with it. I went out there and managed to corner one kid, aged roughly 12 or so, and yelled at him. Then half the street came to threaten me, meaning I had to defuse this situation or get beaten up by 8 or 9 people of ages ranging from 14 to 40. The mad woman aimed a couple of weak kicks at me (which is pretty funny in hindsight) until dragged away by who I assume was her husband, who was initially furious but seemed to calm down significantly when I made it clear that I wasn't interested in beating up children, but merely in reclaiming my stolen property. After what seemed like a long confrontation, but which can't have lasted more than 30 seconds, they wandered back down the street cursing and I dragged my trouble-causing big green wheelie bin back into the garden.

Then 5 minutes later (after hearing the woman yell out calling me a child abuser!), the police arrive, since Chris phoned them while I was outside being confronted. The police have plenty of dealings with these twats down the road so he pretty much knew the score from the start. He went down to have a word with them and hopefully that will be the end of that. However, it makes it more urgent that I move out of this shithole, although having no money and 2 housemates you don't want to abandon tends to restrict my options somewhat.