I've basically got my first song project finished (Good Golly Miss Molly). I know what I want to do in every section and I can mostly do it, but there is one place where I have to slow way WAY down because otherwise my fingers often end up being placed inaccurately. I'm wondering how to get this down and, in particular, whether I should be using the thinking part of my brain or should I just be doing the same couple of bars over and over at a slow enough pace that I'm not making mistakes but not really thinking about it (e.g., not looking at fretboard and saying to myself, "OK, 3rd fret 5th string, now quickly slide your 3rd finger up to the 5th fret and look at your 1st and 2nd fingers to ensure that they land in sequence on the 4th and 5th frets of the 4th and 3rd strings respectively...). I know that initially you have to think about what you're doing and later, when you get good at it, you barely need to think of it at all. When should I make the transition? Can you sabotage your progress by holding on to conscious effort for too long? Is there a point at which it's helpful to back off with you're conscious brain because it's actually getting in the way? If so, what are the indications that that time has come? Although I'm struggling with a specific part of a specific song, the question is really a fairly general one having to do with learning strategies.

Thanks,

Dave