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Old 04-07-2018, 07:41 AM
GBS GBS is offline
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Default Taking a break...

Just an observation, as it happened again. I have a couple of pieces that while I have been playing for a good while (months), still have a stumbling point here or there. Not always, but I can't say I could fully play for more than 50% of the time without hitting one of those points.
Had to take a longer trip - 3 weeks - away from playing at all. First time picking up the guitar again, and I nailed all of them. And it continues to be so.

I've had this happen over shorter periods (not practicing a difficult to get section for a few days), and also for complete pieces after taking a longer break.

So if you find you just can't seem to "get" it, no matter how much you practice it, try giving it a rest and coming back to it later. You might surprise yourself too!
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Old 04-08-2018, 05:57 PM
RockyRacc00n RockyRacc00n is offline
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Originally Posted by GBS View Post
Just an observation, as it happened again. I have a couple of pieces that while I have been playing for a good while (months), still have a stumbling point here or there. Not always, but I can't say I could fully play for more than 50% of the time without hitting one of those points.

Had to take a longer trip - 3 weeks - away from playing at all. First time picking up the guitar again, and I nailed all of them. And it continues to be so.



I've had this happen over shorter periods (not practicing a difficult to get section for a few days), and also for complete pieces after taking a longer break.



So if you find you just can't seem to "get" it, no matter how much you practice it, try giving it a rest and coming back to it later. You might surprise yourself too!


I’ve experienced this myself as well, although not to the complete degree of success you seemed to have experienced. I need to remember this phenomenon and try that more often. But in many cases, I keep practicing the same stuff over and over again, thinking today it will be better. I think there is something about letting the stuff you practiced simmer in your brain a bit and letting it come out again later.

There is a particular piece that I’ve been working on for about 2 weeks and I was just thinking I should take a break from it, when I read your post.
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Old 04-08-2018, 06:20 PM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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Learn something. Leave it alone long enough to half forget it. Repeat cycle a few times. Becomes ingrained eventually. Once in a while you will ace something after a short break, but next time mess it up again. See how
this one goes.
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Old 04-09-2018, 11:57 AM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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The subconscious mind never sleeps...
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Old 04-09-2018, 12:12 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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It's strange how our minds download information. I have been there myself. Put something away for sometimes 3 months and come back to it and find that I can play it flawlessly. Problem is very few have the patience for this in the world today.
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Old 04-09-2018, 01:25 PM
reeve21 reeve21 is offline
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Originally Posted by GBS View Post

So if you find you just can't seem to "get" it, no matter how much you practice it, try giving it a rest and coming back to it later. You might surprise yourself too!

I have found this to be true.

In a sense the learning actually takes place between practice sessions.

In athletics the recovery/rest period between training sessions is said to be very important, and I think something similar goes on with learning an instrument.

I'm learning not to obsess as much about practice time. For a while I would play whenever I had free time for as long as possible, regardless of how it was going. Last night things went pretty well so I knocked off well before bed time, even after a rare day of no practice the day prior.

Same thing with missing a day here or there or even longer while traveling. in the long run it doesn't make much difference, and may even be beneficial. i think they call it absorption. Consistency of effort over the long haul seems to be more important than what is going on in any small snapshot in time.
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Old 04-09-2018, 07:49 PM
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KDepew KDepew is offline
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Love this. So true. Thank you for sharing. It is the little things we sometimes don't think about that have a really big impact
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Old 04-10-2018, 09:00 AM
reeve21 reeve21 is offline
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Here is part of today's blog post from Griff Hamlin (Blues Guitar Unleashed) on this topic of learning. It may interest those who are following this thread:

Over the years there are few things I keep saying over and over again that are the real keys to making progress faster...

1. slow down

2. count out loud

3. memorize as fast as possible

4. don't start over when you make a mistake

5. focus and practice in short spurts then play the fun stuff


And while you might get tired of hearing me say the same things over and over again... there's a reason.

Those things work.


........ the last 20% or so just comes with time and comfort makes all the difference because he'll have a half a dozen songs down reasonably well before he really "owns" the first one.

....doesn't matter how 'perfect' you can play it, you can always play it 'perfecter'. So if 'perfect' is your driving goal and your only gratification, you've shot yourself down before you even start.

So true... don't beat yourself up over your mistakes because they happen to us ALL (yes, I make them all the time.)
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Old 04-10-2018, 10:33 AM
RockyRacc00n RockyRacc00n is offline
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Originally Posted by reeve21 View Post
4. don't start over when you make a mistake
This is one so hard to do without getting out of rhythm to correct yourself.

For example, I am singing and strumming along to a simple chord progression. And my mind wanders off to think about the lyrics on the next line, and on the next chord change, I down strum the wrong chord... It's so hard to not come to a grinding halt when that happens.
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