Do you practice too much?

[Dave Grafe]

Oh yeah Nic, I hear that one, when I was playing classical bass it took hours a day on the instrument just to keep my fingers strong enough to get good tone, if I missed one day of practice it could easily take three to catch up to where I was the day before. While the PSG does not require maintaining such muscular prowess it does involve a great deal of subtle precision from the hands, to stay accurate and fluent requires plenty of maintainance as well...

[Steve English]

Seems like most of my "practice" time is spent learning new songs each week. Wish I had more time to dedicate to actual practice.

There's always someone waiting for their share of attention too....



This pic was taken last night between getting home from work, and heading out to the gig.

Don't sacrifice the quality family time. It's especially true the older you get.

[Paul Sutherland]

I once read a quote attributed to a pro athlete that went as follows:

"An 'amateur' practices until they get it right. A 'pro' practices until they can't get it wrong."

It makes sense to me.

[Ken Pippus]

This article, which intuitively I think makes a lot of sense, relates directly to a fad of a decade or two ago which ran under the title "Inner Game {X}", where X= tennis, or golf, or in this context, hot steel pickin'. The theme was that one could get better at any activity by just thinking about it and envisioning the activity.

I suspect many of us have gotten comfortable with an instrument to the point where you can hear a lick, or a melody, and visualize where on the instrument you could find it. I know others, like myself, will occasionally be half asleep and hear melodies, and see how you would approach playing them. The interesting thing stemming from this article is that the passive act of listening to the object of your attention, even while actively thinking about something else, reinforces your ability to "do it right."

You can't get away without practising, but it turns out that if you spend enough time to get the lick "under your fingers", listening to it lets you do it better.

I had intended to listen to some Herby Wallace backup tapes while driving my flyrods to the river tomorrow, and it turns out that's probably the right thing to do.

KP

[Dave Grafe]

it will probably help your fishing too, ken....

[Larry Allen]

Hi Dave..long time no see!.....When I was a trombone major at the university my brass prof had us do a certain exercise to be able to play up to a high G...it was 20 minutes, 4 days a week all school year and then NOT play it for the summer (3) months..when you tried it in the fall you had it!!..Had to do with the lip muscles developing away from the exercise...on the PSG I find myself thinking certain songs/pedal/lever combos in my sleep..usually I can get up and play them.....my wife hates my knees and feet goin all tho...LA

[Edward Meisse]

I go in spurts. For long periods of time I will practice for every spare minute. Then a day will come where I can't even stand to look at the guitar. I have learned to give in to these feelings. During the several weeks that this feeling stays with me, I actually improve. I come back to the instrument with greater facility and even more improvisitory inventiveness.