I just don't get it

One day I can change chords pretty good, feels almost flawless then the next I can't fret anything. It's like I never touched a guitar before in my life. This is getting very frustrating. Feels like I'm making progress then it all goes away.

Originally Posted by: joesef

One day ......I can't fret anything.

Don´t fret so! Sorry pardon the pun. First thing, check the condition of your body. How do your hands feel? Warmed up sufficiently?

I always warm up before playing. I do this certain routine then I begin the lessons. It's just like my fingers don't wanna cooperate. Last night I was doing great and today playing the same stuff I'm total crap. Lol. I won't give up but man does it get frustrating.

Playing guitar is a life long experience. You will go through many up and downs. One day at a time my friend.

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it. Now tonight I played so much better with the chord changes but my fretting hand is way too tense and tight. I'm squeezing way too hard and it makes it harder to change chords. I'm not trying to make excuses but I can't wait to get an upgrade of a guitar and get it set up properly. I'm sure that will help some.

Here's a link to a reply about touch and grip:

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/thread.php?p=311434

You're not holding on for life, just a chord so no need to strangle it. Loosen up and just play.

Thanks for the link. I just checked it out. It's one of those newbie things, I know in time it will get better but I have to tough it out. Just like driving stick shift. At first I got frustrated but now I can do it without thinking about it. It just comes naturally as will guitar.

joesef, I am going to give you an early Christmas gift, practice is a learning art, A few minutes of non-stop practice is all it takes to completely annihilate the muscles you use to play guitar. Once that happens, you lose the ability to effectively coordinate your fingers.[br]Any practicing you do after that will be a total waste, because you won't have any accuracy. And if you practice without accuracy, you're just asking for bad habits, and awful sounding playing.[br]Bottom line: Long non-stop practice sessions will probably SLOW DOWN your progress more than help.[br]You see, it's easy to forget that half the battle with learning guitar is PHYSICAL.[br]Yet those strings each have 15-20 POUNDS of tension in them (for steel strings). That's over 100 pounds of tension, your little fingers have to compete with.[br]What's worse... if you have a junk guitar, or a badly setup one...[br]It'll be so hard to press down on the strings, you'll probably NEVER be able to learn on it.[br]At least not properly, or quickly, or effectively, or without developing tons of bad habits.Here is how to do it: 1.[br]Practice for 30, 60, or even 120 minutes[br]2.[br]In ONE long, daily session[br]But most importantly…[br]3.[br]Make "pit-stops" every 5-10 minutes to rest for 1-5 minutes, minimum[br]And always remember, if your hands feel rigid and stiff, stop playing immediately. They are destroyed and need to recover. You won't practice accurately with tired tense fingers, I guarantee it. And that is all there is to practice correctly, do this and you Will see results like you never have before. I suggest you start your practice routine with 30 minutes and over time you can build up to those higher minutes as your fingers adjust and get stronger. Stay motivated, practice everyday, and above all have fun doing it. Let me know how you are doing

Perhaps I'm unique in this regard, but I find I have days where I am just "on", and other days where I just feel uncoordinated. There are days where I feel like I can play anything and it's so easy, and others where I think "I used to know how to play guitar".

There are times where I felt this "on" sensation after practicing dilligently. At other times, it's been after a week of not playing much. It follows no rhyme or reason. I can come up with reasons...but they are inconsistent.

After playing for 35 years and still experiencing this, I don't think it's gonna change any time soon. I chalk it up to the fact that in general...some days are better than others.

When practicing and this happens...I've learned to just walk away and come back the next day. I've tried "plowing through" and that almost never works. Better to step back and attack it another day.

Play chromatic octaves for about 10 minutes when you start out to strengthen your left hand and develop control. This is a classical guitar exercise. Put 2nd find on 2nd fret of D string and move chromatically staying in 1st position up to high A on 1st string. If this is unclear search YouTube. There are examples.

Thanks for all od the great ideas and responses. I truly appreciate them! I still have my bad days but I've gotten much better over time. I saw a video where the man said if you're plsying along and you mess up, so what just keep going. Don't beat yourself up over it. Concentrate on the positive things, not the negative. And that seems to be working out for me.

Now, in this thread, is a good time for my semi-annual plug for [u]Zen Guitar[/u]. It's a short book, a quick read and can be had for way cheap if you buy it used. I know no one who ever regretted reading it (although I know there are some out there somewhere ). The writing really applies to this thread and can be quite a boon to any guitar player. FYI, it is [u]not[/u] a writing about religion.

Do a ""zen guitar" forum search and you'll find quite a bit of discussion and support/recommendation from members and an instructor or two.

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Guitar-Philip-Toshio-Sudo/dp/068483877X

Zen Guitar is a great book. Though I think that there are some guitar players out there who would disagree that guitar playing isn't a religion. :)

Jeff

Originally Posted by: john of MT

Now, in this thread, is a good time for my semi-annual plug for [u]Zen Guitar[/u]. It's a short book, a quick read and can be had for way cheap if you buy it used. I know no one who ever regretted reading it (although I know there are some out there somewhere ). The writing really applies to this thread and can be quite a boon to any guitar player. FYI, it is [u]not[/u] a writing about religion.

Do a ""zen guitar" forum search and you'll find quite a bit of discussion and support/recommendation from members and an instructor or two.

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Guitar-Philip-Toshio-Sudo/dp/068483877X

Which means it's probably time for my yearly read of this book :). I believe you had turned me onto it.

I highly recommend this also. It describes a frame of mind and a way of thinking that is quite helpful in keeping a positive outlook...which can be half the battle sometimes.

Originally Posted by: maggior

I highly recommend this also. It describes a frame of mind and a way of thinking that is quite helpful in keeping a positive outlook...which can be half the battle sometimes.

Amen!!

Originally Posted by: joesef

Thanks for all od the great ideas and responses. I truly appreciate them! I still have my bad days but I've gotten much better over time. I saw a video where the man said if you're plsying along and you mess up, so what just keep going. Don't beat yourself up over it. Concentrate on the positive things, not the negative. And that seems to be working out for me.

Remember, pros with ridiculous skills mess up too. You just never notice. You never hope to get to perfection until you go through the valley of improvement.