UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45
Consistency - Out of reach..... :(
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This is something I struggle with all the time and I wondered what others thought.
I can learn songs, parts of songs, I've written songs even, yet no matter how well I get it under my fingers or how long I practice it for I find I can't consistently play it well everytime. Is it just me?!!
Like, I can play a number of songs all the way through and I've probably put a load of hours into them and I'll still mess it up, I'll go as far as to say that I wouldn't be able to play it exactly the same way twice. So the second pass would have some subtle differences or I'll miss a chord/beat, be late for a melody line etc., if I sat and played it 10 times I would completely ruin it at least twice.
Do others struggle with this, how can you get over it? Should I just accept it as part of the playing guitar process?
I mean I can't compare myself to pro level guys and I'm not meaning to, but I see some of the stuff guys play on here or at gigs and they seem to be able to nail stuff pretty much on the money every time. Perhaps I'm being daft and should just enjoy what I do, but it's probably the more frustrating part of playing the damn thing!!
Thanks
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
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I put it down to not being in a band or jamming with others and also caring not a joy because I am happy just makingusic and learning new stuff.
When I was in my teen years and played/practiced with others I did have stuff nailed ... as did the singer, keys player and drummer ... stuff just worked and we just got on with it.
Bottom line for me is that playing now is purely for the joy of music and keeping my brain active and creaking bones/joints from seizing up completely.
Not sure of your circumstances but if you haven't got a project or a deadline or a targeted reason then just enjoy it and don't beat yourself up.
I'm sure you'll get beyond this though
I'll keep playing of course and I love doing so it's just the frustration
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
Yeah I thought that's what would get it, but I can literally put in hours and hours and it's never quite right each time... One day maybe
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
It's a less brutal subset of "practice until you can't get it wrong".
And don't confuse practice with performance - break a piece down into sections. I spend time doing repeats of just one shift at times.
Like I can cycle say D, C, G chords open and play a decent strumming pattern for 4 bars, however by the time I get to the third cycle I'll have fluffed something, I think my brain just wants me to do it differently. Obviously I keep playing and striving and I get better, but this is still the one thing that eludes me.
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
One of the reasons why I rarely try and play other people's stuff accurately - I'm not good enough and it can rob emotion and personality - I aim to get the entry and exits on point, maybe a few key phrases in the meat of the thing, but otherwise take the pressure off and do what works for me. It's more fun, creative and takes a lot of the pressure off.
I never play my own stuff identically and I don't do covers work where punters are expecting facsimiles of the recorded track, so I just interpret stuff my way - for better or worse.
Don't get me wrong though - If I'm in a position to nail stuff and it flows naturally, it's brilliant - I'm just not technically good enough to do it usually.
me too... quite often the recorded version is made easier for live interpretation, or even forgotten...
is it crazy how saying sentences backwards creates backwards sentences saying how crazy it is?
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
'Flowing' is probably what describes the best feeling for me when playing - has nothing to do with any specific thing, but you just know when you are - that's also when you can take risks and pull them off.
But you also know when you're not flowing at all, then it's back to basics, aim for the pocket and don't let anyone else down - some might notice you being more awesome than usual they'll definitely notice the other way.
taught him the solo but every time he went wrong he went back to the beginning of the solo to start again but then kept going
wrong ! I told him t break it down into sections and learn each section then put it all together he didn't do it and still has
problems. The thing is doing things in sections means if your playing live and something goes wrong you just pick up at the
next section because you won't get the chance to go back to the beginning. Hope this make sense and helps !