Having Fun and I Don’t want mess up

I'm midway thru fundamentals 2 and been on this journey for over a year bouncing around from online lessons to in person lessons etc. I realized one of the things that I struggle with is when I learn a new riff I tend to tense up a bit as I don’t want to mess up and am relieved once I’m done. I kind feel like I’m walking on a balance beam! Have any of you experienced this and how to you deal with this?

Originally Posted by: dashe09

I'm midway thru fundamentals 2 and been on this journey for over a year bouncing around from online lessons to in person lessons etc. I realized one of the things that I struggle with is when I learn a new riff I tend to tense up a bit as I don’t want to mess up and am relieved once I’m done. I kind feel like I’m walking on a balance beam! Have any of you experienced this and how to you deal with this?

Yep, loosen up. Lighten up. Ever heard the saying 'dance like nobody's watching'? Play like nobody's listening. Sure, you do want to eventually get it right but that never happens the first time out...No matter how long you've been playing. Even when something is within your skill, it still takes time.

I always give examples from my own experience. I mean, I've been playing a really long time and I'm comfortable that with enough practice, I can get something down. A good example was just last night. I was in the mood to learn Peter Frampton's 'Baby I Love Your Way'. Not a super complex song but the verse chords are also not exactly normal. In that you're only striking the 5th string and the 2nd string on the descending riff. Not hard but not something I've done much in that coinfiguration. So, in strumming through it, it sounded pretty clangy and not spectacularly clean since you have to mute the 3rd and 4th strings in between.

On top of it, I had a pinched tendon a few weeks ago that I'm now just recovering from...my wrist and hand have been through it a bit in the last year....But does challenge my fretting notes and chords for the time being.

Moral of the story is; I just kept on strumming on through until I felt comfortable. I didn't care that it sounded like a kitchen full of tin pans at first. I was getting used to playing the riff/figure and not aiming for perfection off the bat. Just gettin' it down. I pretty much did. I'm not peforming it for anyone so I just wanted to hear it clean to my ears.

So when you're learning something new, just don't worry about it. You'll get comfortable playing it at some point.

[u]Alter your mindset[/u]. No one actually cares ...except you.

Acquiring competency with guitar is neither a competition nor a 'race' unless you choose to make it one. If you're feeling as you describe, then you can't be finding the pleasure you should in the journey to accomplishment. And considering how much time we are all going to spend there -a lifetime, that's not a wise strategy. Perhaps the more salient question is: Why are you spending time doing something causing you dread instead of bringing pleasure?

Be introspectively honest with your motivation, and change its focus if necessary

JeffS65/manXcat- Thanks for your feedback. I had an interesting weekend. Spent heads down repeating the excersises and I noticed that the more I grinned away the eaiser it became. I just need some small victories! I'll keep with it as long as I continue to enjoy it.

Thanks Again

D

Thats the way. Break it up into small chunks so you keep reinforcing success, and don't forget to congratulate yourself along the way.

When you have a less successful session, and we all do, don't beat yourself up about it. Put the instrument down, and come back again later. Nothing quite beats that elated feeling when persistence is rewarded.

I LOVE the grinning technique! That is brilliant. Grinning actually releases neurochemicals in your brain that are associated with pleasure. So that is definitely a win-win.

id also suggest, when you’re working on some music and you notice there is a part where you tend to tense up, isolate that part and practice it by itself slowly, WITH incorporating a a calm slow breath as you play the riff.

it feels a bit like adding another ball to the juggling act, but a slow deep breath while you are playing counteracts the body’s inclination to tense up. The tensing up will certainly restrict the musical flow of the hard parts. See if you can consciously incorporate a breath into th process to let your body experience the fact of playing the riff while in a more relaxed physical state.

hope this helps - Lisa