Your worst playing habit is.....

[The Watchman]

Backspacing - trying to go back and correct a misplayed note.

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by The Watchman

Backspacing - trying to go back and correct a misplayed note.

Aarrgh! This is so hard not to do!

[handers]

Lack of disciplined playing and practice.

hans

[k_russell]

Playing too fast, as in rushing the song. Particularly when I'm performing solo. I'm comptemplating using a metronome on stage (silent with an LED) to remind me of the correct tempo.

[zmf]

My bad habits include all that have been thus far mentioned.

Plus the minor, but very irritating habit of not keeping my 5th digit clear of the strings during chord shifts up and down the neck, resulting in unintentional mutes. Chet said to not lift your fingers too high off the fretboard, but I lift too little.

[OptimusJay]

Originally Posted by fngrpck

My worst habit is not practicing a song to performance level. I usually get bored with the song before reaching that level which could take some time. Unfortunately the distraction to that goal is usually another song which repeats the process. Deja vu all over again. "Jack of all songs and Master of none?"

/\/\
I should have thought of this one too. I totally do this too. Granted, I don't perform and so I never feel the need to have it completely learned but still...

Jay

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by k_russell

Playing too fast

I've been working on this one a lot lately. Stay in the groove!

[BluesKing777]

While I probably have many, many...

The worst current habit is about to get fixed - I just this minute ordered a new practice chair for my music room - the bad habit has been playing in the living room in a single lounge chair because my music room chair broke and the one I got (from work for free!) won't adjust low enough and I have my right leg on a little (pickup) box....all awkward.

Soon to be over - 3 days delivery promised! (Though I have found I like the tones of my guitars in the living room! Hmmm).


BluesKing777.

[b1j]

Letting my left palm touch the neck. That can result in fretting fingers coming down onto the fretboard at an acute angle instead of 90°. That, in turn, can unintentionally mute a string next to the one I’m fretting.

[luecack]

Not using alternate picking to it’s full potential, or consistently. Learning to flatpick shows me just how bad of habits I have developed since I was a kid.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by mikealpine

Not expanding my skills, playing the same things most of the time. I’ve been playing for more than 45 years, but feel like it’s one year, 45 times.

This is what came to mind for me, as well. For the last few years, I've played acoustic guitar as a way to unwind from the work day. It's part therapy, part unplugging from the digital world.

Now that I'm retired, I am going to try to change this by learning some new songs, playing electric guitar more often, using a looper, possibly recording too. I may try some alternate tunings, as well. Anything to get me out of my comfort zone.

[Bluenose]

Stopping halfway through a song and not knowing why.

[DaveG]

Poor ergonomics and playing with too much tension. I tend to pull back on the neck. I've been recovering from a partially torn tendon in my left elbow, so I've been working on fixing these issues.

[FreDrummer]

Originally Posted by neomastino

this is me as well, I am really good at playing the same things over and over...

Yeah, me too.

On the other hand, if you don’t keep playing the songs you’ve learned, they are no longer automatically “under your fingers” when you go to play them again. I vividly discovered this (again) last December when it was time to pull out some of the Christmas songs I “had” learned. After not touching them for 11 months, I had to relearn them, so this year my wife gives me funny looks when, in March, I’m keeping things up to speed and she asks, “why are you playing Christmas carols?” 😆

[JackC1]

Currently, I'm working on a light touch on the strings.

I've known about this issue for a while now (especially when I get excited when playing, I'd press the strings way too hard), but never taken the time to work on it until 2 weeks ago because I actually suffered an injury from it.

I wasn't making much progress until I bought a pressure gauage that allowed me to practice anytime/anywhere. I'm making progress now, and I think I'll be able to label this bad habit "fixed" after another week (maybe 2).