Frustration...

[johnbeam]

I enjoy fingerstyle guitar and play mainly for my own enjoyment but I would like to progress to where I can "perform" a few tunes if I want...
Not so easy I am finding.... I can practice and practice... but when it comes to record the song for anyone or record it to video it takes forever and I always make mistakes... I am never happy with the results and thus very disappointed... I can easily play most parts and if I have a tricky part I practice it over and over til its "easy" but.... whenever I go to perform I lose it and somethings always off somewhere...

I don't know if I lack the concentration to get a whole song down or if there is some way to practice different so I can preform more easily... Does anyone have any tips or ideas that can help.. what do you concentrate on while playing a complete song? What types of practice or methods can you develop to make it easier to master a complete song from beginning to end and play it without mistakes..

THanks for any help?!!

[rick-slo]

Play the tune over and over. It could well be hundreds of time. If there is a problem spot, concentrate on that and how to overcome it - if you can't then find a simpler work around.

When it comes to recording, if you think you must record something straight through to your perfect satisfaction from beginning to end then likely the stress will make you play worse than you normally to. If you are recording and you make a mistake, go back a measure or two and try again, and again, if necessary. Punch in the good try over the mistake. In the same recording play the song two or three times and combine your best.

[JonPR]

Like rick says, the answer is simply more practice. Like they say: "practice until you get it right, then practice some more until you can't get it wrong."

You're at stage 1: practising small parts of a tune until you get them right (maybe even so much that you can't get them wrong!).

Stage 2 is practising stringing all the parts together - without stopping!
That can take much longer than stage 1! Start at the beginning, and add sections one by one. As soon as you stumble, go back to the beginning and take another run at it. (You must know each part by now, it's only the connections you need to forge.)
The kids I teach learn new tunes intuitively this way: insisting on starting at the beginning every time they make a mistake. They've not been told that, so it must be a natural learning process.
The more you do it, the more you'll get a mental picture of the overall form of the piece, the sounds of each section, and the sequence of fretboard patterns.

Stage 3: recording! Again, this takes practice. You need to get familiar with the process, to reduce that "red light syndrome". You could always record more of what your normal practice, even you don't keep 99% of it, just so you get used to having the recording going.
Also remember that most pros will make several takes of a tune in the studio. They make mistakes too.

[SprintBob]

You and I could be at the same level in our progression as fingerstyle players. I'm working through Mark Hanson's Contemporary Travis Picking course and have worked through about 80% of his Beyond Basics - Fingerstyle Guitar course. I do have a very good teacher that is helping me.

Like you, I found I really could not consistently play a piece without making either fretting hand mistakes or just having a "sloppy" right hand technique where I could not get consistently clean picks/plucks. I recently viewed a video course on JamPlay called Hummin and Strummin by a blues player named Steve "Hawkeye" Herman who has been playing blues guitar for over 50 years. In the first part of the course, he stresses to quit watching yourself play, i.e. get your focus off your hands and your focus on thinking about the music. This simple advice has had a huge effect on my playing. In addition to taking focus off the mechanics of what my hands are doing, Steve offers reinforcing advice about relaxation, visualization, and anticipation. In practical terms, if I am playing music where my hand does not really have to move around the fretboard a lot, I am starting to practice with my eyes closed. It REALLY is making a difference for me as I focus on hearing what I am playing rather than focusing on what my hands are doing.

I'm sure you have practiced your music to where you have the mechanics pretty much down so I hope the benefits of this advice will work for you like it appears to be working for me. If you see improvement using this advice, don't thank me, thank Hawkeye!

Good luck and keep it fun!

[Pualee]

If you are happy with your playing alone, but feel like you fail when recording or in public, there are a few considerations:

1. Maybe you are easier on yourself when not in front of others. Are you really as good as you think you are? (do you forgive and forget your mistakes)

2. When you play in front of others, there is a new dynamic. Your mind will start to think about other things (are they enjoying it, was that a mistake, am I going to make a mistake). As soon as your mind wanders, you are in trouble.

3. When you play in front of others, or record, you will become more nervous. Practicing more won't help much if you can already play it perfectly. What will help, is to play in front of others more - get used to the nerves the energy, etc. Develop a routine to help yourself relax. Start safe - family, friends, 1 person, 2 people. Then as you get used to it, go for bigger groups.

4. Maybe when you play it perfectly, you are already warmed up (because you are just playing for yourself during practice). But when you play for others, you are starting cold, because you want to impress. Get a song or two that is super easy and play that for others. Use it as your warm up before you play the good stuff.

5. Are your position, posture, and guitar in the same place when you perform vs practice? I find even a slight variation in how I hold the guitar affects my playing. Practice the way you perform (even practicing pretending to have the mic in position).

[johnbeam]

Pualee... there are some things here that may be the problem!... I do not have the same posture and position when I am practicing vs when I play for recording.. I'm going to try to practice in the same position....

[johnbeam]

SprintBob.... I am going to check the JamPlay called Hummin and Strummin for sure! Thanks so much! I do always watch the fretboard and have never really tried to play with eyes closed?! can't wait to check it out as I love the blues as well...

Thanks again for all the help here!!

[SprintBob]

I watched your YT videos, excellent! You are about 1-2 years ahead of me on my learning curve. If you played like that in front of an audience, you will have fans for sure. Hope you get past the block that's tripping you up.

[martingitdave]

Play live. You can't dwell on the mistakes. I make as many, or more, mistakes than I did when I started playing out again. I just don't beat myself up about it. Perfection is the enemy of the good.

Good luck!

[GBS]

Peter Lang noted to me that he practices to the point where he can play the piece without mistakes while watching TV. If he can then recite the plot of the show he was watching, he figures it is ready to play for an audience!

[islandguitar]

Some great advice here!
When I'm in the rare position of playing out (wedding or something), I play the set for my guitar partner, Mo. We've played together informally for years and he knows me and my style in great detail...nothing gets by him if and when I ask for feedback! So, my "nervous" moments are actually playing for Mo.....once that's conquered, I feel like I'm ready to roll and I'm usually able to find a good "zone" when playing in public as I've left it (nerves)all back at the house with Mo!! Just another kind of approach to this......whatever works!

[ljguitar]

Hi John…

I dug thorough your YouTube stuff, and you'll do fine live. Just don't stop when you make mistakes, or say "Ooops" too loudly, and don't start over and you'll be fine in front of people (and you did none of that on the recordings even when you missed some of your fingerings).

You are being harsh on yourself. I operated a studio for 8 years and most people when they were recording the first time (not first session, but first project) practiced perfectly, then were nervous, hesitant, halting etc with the recorder rolling.

So I'd just put it on record and have them play and play and play. They got over it pretty quickly. They discovered it wasn't terminal, and as they adjusted to the recorder rolling being 'normal' they responded appropriately.

Nice playing by the way…"It Is Well…" was my favorite.

[paulp1960]

Don't beat yourself up I thought your playing was good, certainly nowhere near a beginner. Just keep playing.

[Ceabeceabe]

Part of your practice needs to be learning how to play through your mistakes. It will give you confidence that if you fall off the rails (in your estimation) you will be able to get back on. It is something I have to practice to get used to doing, but I find the more I get used to playing though the mistakes, the fewer big ones I seem to make...

Frankly, a few mistakes here and there are not noticeable, and a few noticeable mistakes will not mar others' enjoyment of the music. (Unless you are sitting for exams in a music program, perhaps.)

I share your frustration with the recording process. It is hard to get a song perfect all the way through. Quite a number of professional musicians don't do one take recordings, and often splice together the best part of several takes to make one stellar one.

Good luck, have fun !!

Curtis

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Pualee

When you play in front of others, there is a new dynamic. Your mind will start to think about other things (are they enjoying it, was that a mistake, am I going to make a mistake). As soon as your mind wanders, you are in trouble.

When you play in front of others, or record, you will become more nervous. before you play the good stuff.

This thread has made me feel better. I have been trying to make enough recordings of myself to fill a CD, only to listen to for improving.
It is almost impossible to record a song start to finish that otherwise I can play no problem.
Kinda like open mics.