stuff that trips you up

[jazztele]

hey all--

i was thinking of my musical shortcomings, and i thought i'd post them here, as a way of having a place to look to as i'm attempting to get "better" at them. feel free to post your own so we can do the whole "support group thing"

for me it's:

sightreading in keys with sharps.

playing faster ascending lines that require use of all four left hand fretting fingers.

wes style octaves (they are a bee-yatch, eh?)

and my number 1: not playing with my thumb over the top of the neck while attempting to teach proper technique!

[BigDaddyLH]

Originally Posted by jazztele

and my number 1: not playing with my thumb over the top of the neck while attempting to teach proper technique!

I once had a dog who would mooch at mealtimes by putting his head on my leg and looking up with them big puppydog eyes. But if I saw him coming I could stare at him and he would stop in his tracks. But no matter how vigilant I was, my eyes would wander off him and without ever seeing him move at all, there he would materialize, with his head on my leg, looking up with them big puppydog eyes.

My left hand thumb is like that. If I keep my eyes on it, it's positioned correctly, but if I look away *zip* it's hooked over the neck.

[Stevie 202]

Originally Posted by jazztele

hey all--

i was thinking of my musical shortcomings, and i thought i'd post them here, as a way of having a place to look to as i'm attempting to get "better" at them. feel free to post your own so we can do the whole "support group thing"

for me it's:

sightreading in keys with sharps.

playing faster ascending lines that require use of all four left hand fretting fingers.

wes style octaves (they are a bee-yatch, eh?)

and my number 1: not playing with my thumb over the top of the neck while attempting to teach proper technique!

Ummmm.....besides sucking generally? uh...yea all that stuff too

[EdgarHF]

I will have the give the ones that bother me the most since I have to many weaknesses to list.

1. Chords needing long stretches for the fingers without muting other strings. I can usually hold the guitar classical style to make them, but would like to be able to make them with the guitar just flopped across a knee.

2. I need to develop a better ear. I can usually get the key and the progression, even the melody. It is the details.

3. Get better on electric guitar. I am mainly an acoustic player. Many people don't realize they are closely related, but different instruments.

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by EdgarHF

Many people don't realize they are closely related (electric and acoustic guitar), but different instruments.

boy, ain't that the truth! I play SO differently on a guitar with acoustic properties than on a straight up electric. I'm much more prone to wanting to use open strings in voicings on an acoustic flattop or archtop--i think i'm probably a more interesting player that way, but also probably more prone to piss the rest of the group off!

[brokenjoe]

What trips me up?
I Do.
It's all about staying focused.

[klasaine]

My right hand (picking hand) is slower than my left. I really need to work on that.

I've always been better at reading notes than rhythms. Another note to self.

I always forget the tunes I know the heads to. Forget as in I can't remember which ones I know.

I don't know - all of it. I'll quote Jack Sheldon for the umpteenth time. "I'm just tryin' to get good".

[smsuryan]

right now its trying to learn to play lap steel....so different than my esquire.....

[emu!]

When I'm practicing my right hand picking...alternate and hybrid...there's a vast difference in my ability during live gigs. For some reason, sitting in my living room makes it easier to pick faster...

Go figure.

[jefrs]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLH

I once had a dog who would mooch at mealtimes by putting his head on my leg and looking up with them big puppydog eyes. But if I saw him coming I could stare at him and he would stop in his tracks. But no matter how vigilant I was, my eyes would wander off him and without ever seeing him move at all, there he would materialize, with his head on my leg, looking up with them big puppydog eyes.

My left hand thumb is like that. If I keep my eyes on it, it's positioned correctly, but if I look away *zip* it's hooked over the neck.

Get a 5-string banjo, there's a dirty great knob sticking out of the 5th fret that will soon get you out of that habit ;-)

[Leon Grizzard]

Well, I could write a book of the stuff I have trouble with, but one of the more annoying is not being able to play ascending lines as quickly or smoothly as descending lines. On descending lines, I can kind of drag the pick upwards smoothly across the strings, but cannot do a similar sweep downwards.

[boneyguy]

Well I don't wanna sound like a know it all but I used to have most of the problems you guys have described until I perfected my technique. Now it's flawless.

Here's how I solved all my technical problems. You can do it too. I promise.

1) Get a real loud amp, a distoriton box and a pointy guitar.

2) Turn everything all the way up to where there is an unholy amount of chainsaw sustain.

3) Now go louder.

4) Play


I think you will readily notice that all those pesky little technical stumbling blocks that may have plagued you for years have quickly become mere memories of a more naive time in your life.

P.S. Should you encounter anymore technical difficulties you may need bigger, louder stuff.

[Kingpin]

My kids shoes - which are always strewn about every room in the house - tend to trip me up.

[Telesavalis]

drummers that can't keep a constant tempo...ugh.

[warmingtone]

"flams"

When I haven't played for a bit...like right now...the first thing that goes is the timing between the left and right hands. A Howard Robert's book helped me identify the problem, but the effect is very tiny, just the synchronicity between the beat and the coordination of the hands...while trying to think, remember or read at the same time.

Melodic sequences and stuff seems to help a lot to pull me back into sync...but always the first thing to go.

Otherwise, there are so many things...trying to over play, creating parts that have too much in them is another dilemma, soloing on auto and suddenly finding I have no idea what I am trying to play (hahaha) and kind of "blanking out", very irregular playing and practicing schedules, loosing my motivation to have a more systematic approach to practicing and just playing (which is not the same thing)...ohhh, so many things...and a lot i suspect i know the answers to addressing them...so the big one is procrastination!

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by klasaine

My right hand (picking hand) is slower than my left. I really need to work on that.

I've always been better at reading notes than rhythms. Another note to self.

Exactly the same with me. It's funny. When I start to play for the first time in the day, or after several hours away from the guitar, my right hand is not reliable for quick, syncopated stuff. After 1-2 minutes, it gets up to its normal state. One thing that has helped me in being able to pick up the guitar and just play, without starting off slow or fragmented, is using a rubber donut hand squeezer. If I am driving somewhere to play, I'll use it on the way there. That really helps me be able to jump right in.

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by Leon Grizzard

but one of the more annoying is not being able to play ascending lines as quickly or smoothly as descending lines. On descending lines, I can kind of drag the pick upwards smoothly across the strings, but cannot do a similar sweep downwards.

yup me too. but my problem's in the left hand.

isn't this healthy!

[JosephB]

frets.

[klasaine]

Originally Posted by JosephB

frets.

That's cutting to the chase!

[slowpinky]

Time....................

[Tim Bowen]

I guess I'd fall into the all of the above category, for the most part. There's so much stuff that trips me up that it sometimes befuddles me to call myself a musician by trade. I guess that one's standards become higher as time goes on. It's my job to identify, isolate, analyze, and hopefully alleviate musical weaknesses (for myself and others), so I do know exactly how to proceed.

That said, we're all built from different DNA, and we all have inherent physical limitations. We can push the envelope as much as we'd like, and we'll likely benefit from such. However, we still have inherent limitations. If this weren't true, every individual on the planet that is 5' 7" tall should be able to dunk a basketball on a regulation-sized goal, just like Spud Webb. Unfortunately, this isn't the case, because only Spud Webb is Spud Webb. An argument could be made that anyone that's 5' 7" tall that has loads of desire and has extreme discipline and a strong work ethic could win an NBA slam dunk title. Still not so. Hard work is a factor for sure, but so are the factors of DNA and, dare I say it, talent.

I recently found myself in a conversation with some associate teachers as to what constitutes the "personal style" of a musician. I quickly maintained that limitation and weakness were among the most pervasive elements of style, even above the considerations of personal strengths, and moreover, that it was the combination of such that defines "style". I went on to say that only sheer musicality, taste, knowledge of styles and musical history, perseverance, focus, curiosity, experience, and a willingness to exploit strengths while continuing to chip away at one's weaknesses, is the combo that keeps the lifer musician's contributions valid, and ultimately moving forward. Very much to my surprise, my peers agreed.

_________________________________________

As to the question.

Thank God for a strong fretting hand. If I had to pay my bills with my right hand, I'd be out of work.

I always have to retrain myself at mic'ed "strummy" acoustic guitar sessions. I'm such a percussive player by nature. For live, I anchor with the pinky, and I do all sorts of percussive nuances with the right hand. For playing a really pristine acoustic rhythm part, I have to go against my nature and keep the right hand free-floating. It's not really a problem to do so; it's just that it's the last thing that I'd naturally do in a live setting.

Speaking of which, the recording environment often presents revelations that the astute individual will take note of in ways that no other setting will present or suggest. Usually, it's about articulation and nuance. You hear it back and realize that it didn't "pop" because the accents, hammers, pulls, or other various articulations needed to be presented in a different way. The beauty of the recording environment for the individual with discerning ears is that one can have another go at it. The downside for the individual whose musical experience is exclusively that of the live performance variety is often that adrenaline rush shadows the imperfections of nuance. My opinion is that a musician should both perform live and record. There's a certain marriage of variables there that one or the other can't replace.