No tempo is good.

[funkapus]

So, as part of the process of getting a tune under my belt and bringing it up to tempo, it's been suggested to me by various people (teachers, practice books and videos, workshops, etc.) to find a slow temp at which I can play the tune flawlessly, with all the characteristics I want (in terms of dynamics and tone and articulation and so forth). And then, once I've found such a tempo, try 4bpm faster; and when I've absolutely got that down, try 4bpm faster, and so on.

The problem is finding a slow tempo with which to start. The problem isn't that I don't know the tune/fingering/etc. well enough to play even at a slower tempo. The problem is that when the tempo is slowed down, it's easier for me to lose focus: I start thinking about the problems of the day, the things I have to do, work I'm behind on, bills that need paying, etc. etc., and then suddenly I didn't fret that note I was supposed to because I'm not giving my playing my full attention.

If I bring the tempo up, my playing gets my full attention; but I'm more likely to make the usual kinds of fingering mistakes and so I'm practicing mistakes, which is bad.

I need to sort this out but I'm not making much headway.

[Wyllys]

Have you tried yoga?

Or beer?

[rick-slo]

Some of the reasons you have listed are why I don't practice new pieces very slowly and gradually increase tempo.

At the very start when figuring out what notes are being played and their duration there is no real tempo at all. It is just stop and go putting the pieces together.

After that though I will vary tempo (though never so slow that the meaning of the piece falls apart) to figure out the phrasing, accenting, fingering, think ahead points, etc.. Problem spots naturally require more attention - perhaps individual attention separate from the rest of the piece.

In other words I play the piece recognizably as soon as possible and polish it up as I go. You can do that with section by section, usually first to last - the whole piece need not be worked up concurrently.

[Wyllys]

There's nothing wrong with "tempo dynamics".

http://piano.about.com/od/musicalter...allentando.htm

Sometimes the music just hangs there for effect.

http://piano.about.com/od/basicmusic...GL_fermata.htm

See also rubato.

[rick-slo]

Found a good webpage that says some of it well:

http://musiciansway.com/blog/2011/02...slow-practice/

[mc1]

Originally Posted by funkapus

So, as part of the process of getting a tune under my belt and bringing it up to tempo, it's been suggested to me by various people (teachers, practice books and videos, workshops, etc.) to find a slow temp at which I can play the tune flawlessly, with all the characteristics I want (in terms of dynamics and tone and articulation and so forth). And then, once I've found such a tempo, try 4bpm faster; and when I've absolutely got that down, try 4bpm faster, and so on.

The problem is finding a slow tempo with which to start. The problem isn't that I don't know the tune/fingering/etc. well enough to play even at a slower tempo. The problem is that when the tempo is slowed down, it's easier for me to lose focus: I start thinking about the problems of the day, the things I have to do, work I'm behind on, bills that need paying, etc. etc., and then suddenly I didn't fret that note I was supposed to because I'm not giving my playing my full attention.

If I bring the tempo up, my playing gets my full attention; but I'm more likely to make the usual kinds of fingering mistakes and so I'm practicing mistakes, which is bad.

I need to sort this out but I'm not making much headway.

it appears like you need to learn to relax your mind and slow down your thoughts. clearly the best tempo for pieces isn't always going to be as fast as possible.

i'd suggest paying attention to your posture, breathing, and any tension, like in your shoulders or back. slowing down thoughts is an art in itself, but it seems to me to always be a gentle and elusive skill.

there are books about relaxing, playing mindfully, and letting go of day to day concerns. probably some good websites as well.

also, try a metronome, it might provide enough of a mental activity to occupy your mind.

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Found a good webpage that says some of it well:

http://musiciansway.com/blog/2011/02...slow-practice/

Yes, especially points 2 and 5.

There's more to tempo than just speed. There's the "groove", the "pocket" or the "beat". Within a phrase or even a measure there is SPACE. How you get from one end to the other is up to you. You just have to relax, find that freedom and explore the space, the infinity of micro-beats.

As it says on the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

DON'T PANIC!

P.S.

I find it easier to let the music play me than the other way 'round. I don't "try". I try to "let it be".

Blessings.

[TBman]

First you really have to try to relax and block out the bits and pieces of unfinished things that keep going through your mind.

Playing something very slow when I am first learning something helps me to learn it. I don't say memorize because it seems I can't memorize an entire song any more as I used to, but I can remember sections and better yet, my fingers remember better than my conscious mind and they handle it well.

There are times when I can't get a section to flow at all and I will slow it down so much that it is nothing more than a series of notes. Until I can finger it without mistakes there is no point in speeding it up. I have one section now that I'm working on that will take me a week to flow, maybe more, maybe less. Sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem. At first something is very awkward, but then it comes around and you surprise yourself, but you have to learn patience and not give in to bs'ing yourself that something sounds ok when you really know it doesn't. Playing something fast before you are ready just teaches you to make faster mistakes.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by Wyllys

Have you tried yoga?

Or beer?

The answer to many of life's problems

I think I will open up a yoga bar.

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

The answer to many of life's problems

I think I will open up a yoga bar.

Maybe just a franchise:

https://mikkiyoga.com/yogaandbeer/

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by funkapus

The problem is that when the tempo is slowed down, it's easier for me to lose focus: I start thinking about the problems of the day, the things I have to do, work I'm behind on, bills that need paying, etc. etc.,

Hey, the whole point of music is to make you forget all that stuff!

Obviously the answer is to pay more attention to the music. Just because something is really slow (or really simple, or both) shouldn't mean you stop paying attention when little or nothing seems to be happening. You should be able to play just one chord (or one note) every two or three seconds - or slower - and just listen to how the note or chord sounds while it sustains - listen to its decay, think about (and feel) the beat fractions passing by while it's sounding. If you find that boring, then maybe music is not for you...

Use the guitar as a way of escaping all that other trivia!

[WonderMonkey]

Originally Posted by funkapus

So, as part of the process of getting a tune under my belt and bringing it up to tempo, it's been suggested to me by various people (teachers, practice books and videos, workshops, etc.) to find a slow temp at which I can play the tune flawlessly, with all the characteristics I want (in terms of dynamics and tone and articulation and so forth). And then, once I've found such a tempo, try 4bpm faster; and when I've absolutely got that down, try 4bpm faster, and so on.

The problem is finding a slow tempo with which to start. The problem isn't that I don't know the tune/fingering/etc. well enough to play even at a slower tempo. The problem is that when the tempo is slowed down, it's easier for me to lose focus: I start thinking about the problems of the day, the things I have to do, work I'm behind on, bills that need paying, etc. etc., and then suddenly I didn't fret that note I was supposed to because I'm not giving my playing my full attention.

If I bring the tempo up, my playing gets my full attention; but I'm more likely to make the usual kinds of fingering mistakes and so I'm practicing mistakes, which is bad.

I need to sort this out but I'm not making much headway.

I'm similar in that there is a certain point that I lose focus. For me it is usually on repetitious strumming. Before you know it I'm off somewhere else.

I've had to work on staying in the moment with what I'm doing. To start I practice for shorter periods of time, but more frequently. For example if I'm working on a piece I'll pick two bars or two complete strum pattern cycles, pick up my guitar, and work for a few minutes. Then I put the guitar away. As I get more in tune with what I'm working on I can stay in the moment longer.

As for learning the notes, chords, etc. you are going to have to break the song down into small parts then tie them together. If you are following along with a video then use Microsoft Movie Maker to snip out the section you are working on and put it on repeat. How small you make that snip is up to how small a piece you want to work on. If you are using audio use Audacity or another tool to snip a part out and work on it. Start as small as you have to then add to it.

That's how I do it, anyways.

[s0cks]

I find you need a balance. Not so slow that it falls apart and you lose the groove, but not so fast that you keep making the same mistakes. If one part is really difficult it might require slowing down that one bar or something so that it is ridiculously slow - but it's ok when focusing on just 1 bar - I wouldn't play the entire song like that.

I also count out loud as a I play when learning new pieces. I dunno if this helps me stay focused. It is what I do though.

[SprintBob]

It can be a challenge to get that chatty monkey out of your head. I've had to stop and walk away from a playing session sometimes because I just have too much "stuff" keeping me out of the moment.

[funkapus]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Found a good webpage that says some of it well:

http://musiciansway.com/blog/2011/02...slow-practice/

Thanks for this. This is interesting and makes sense, but some of it runs counter to other advice i've been given. For example, re: #2, the teacher I have now has suggested, practicing some more tricky fingerstyle parts very mechanically, isolating and emphasizing each movement, as a mechanism for enabling more speed. It's actually been really hard for me to do that, as it's not how I normally relate to music.