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... after a day or two break? Last week I took about 3 days off from playing and then picked up the guitar and totally killed it. I've been playing for like 2 hours daily this week and my playing keeps getting more and more sloppy especially speed wise. Maybe fingers need a day off from heavy playing? what do you think?

Some of the best songwriters put thier guitar down for months! Dave Mustaine would put it down longer for a year!!! Can you believe that? I think sometimes a break is good, I get the itch after a two days and my Les Paul seems like it calls to me.....it say......I can hear it now......MY PRECIOUS......one guitar to rule them all....one guitar to SPITE THEM! ahahahaha....C ya.

I think it's just that after a lot of playing we get a heightened awareness of how much we suck. After a 2 day break or so the muscle memory is still there but the experience of playing is a little new so it almost feels like we're better than we are. That my theory anyway.

NOOOOO, never put the guitar down!!!

Rest is a critical part of any practice routine.

yeah, i guess i binge practice. I'll go for 2 or 3 days without playing, then on a thursday night ill practice for 5-6 hours while cruising the forum, same thing friday, then saturday ill do a weekend warrior marathon jam from 12 noon, to 9pm!

whenever im not playing the guitar im either listening to music or playing piano or thinking about playing guitar.

If I have a heavy practice, recording and show schedule I like to take a break for a week or two when it fits in. I notice that after breaking I usually come up with something new and different and the newest stuff I've been playing is more natural to get through. Sometimes it helps to stop listening to my usual music and deal with what anyone around me puts on, regardless of how much I hate it.

i switch between guitar and bass, as well as string guages..

i'll go for about a week with 12's in standard tuning (not even slinkys, i love the feel of them), then switch back to my strat loaded with 11s.. fingers fly in ways i wouldnt be able to send them normally

tom


Originally Posted by Impi switch between guitar and bass, as well as string guages..

i'll go for about a week with 12's in standard tuning (not even slinkys, i love the feel of them), then switch back to my strat loaded with 11s.. fingers fly in ways i wouldnt be able to send them normally

tom

Switching to accoustic for a few days and back to electric helps too. The change in style is great for finger strength and picking. Once you're back on the electric it's time to fly.

When my dad died, I actually put my guitar away for more than 2 years. My guitar and my dad were tied together in my head due to his and my love for guitars and music.

when I came back into it, I came back in strong.

With my job and the traveling, I often am forced to go without playing for a few days. Coming home is just that much more special, looking forward to playing.

to the question :

yes I play better. as i matter of fact, i have a theory. you see when I lived with my parents, I used to drive racing sims all day long on the PC, and my laptimes were stuck and I just didnt know how to go faster, so fortunately I left my parents house to go to university and only come back every vacations ( junes and decembers..) so I have six month breaks betwen my sim racing. and eveytime I get there and start driving again, about 3 days later Im smoking my old lap times. Its amazing how much faster I can go. last december about 2 weeks before I got back to my parents and started driving again, I analized a replay of a lap on a certain track (I have the sim with me, but I dont have steering wheel or pedals,so I dont use, or just use it to see replays.) and I was like quot;whoah I can go through there without using the brakesquot;. Ive never realized that until then. its like, if you are so focused trying to do something, your mind will close other options and you wont see other ways..

And it happened to me with the guitar last december, since I got an EX shape, its hard to put in the plane so when I go to my parents for xmas or summer, the guitar stays where im living, so I stop playing for the vacation period, its a pain in the ass because there so much free time and I have to spend it doing something elese instead of imrpving the guitar. ok so last december I left my EX in my house and stop playing for a month or so, and when I got back I felt like I could learn a technique easier or something.

My theory is, that if you are trying to play something and just cant get it done after a month trying (being a month a big amount of time), if you are stuck and you cant improve your sweep picking hehe or something like that, give yourself a break and let your brain see and feel other stuff for a while, let it take a quot;bressequot; and take your time and try again a month or 2 later and see if you can nail it with a different perspective.

whoa! i'm exactly the same lol - coming back to old N64 games and thinking 'what the hell?! i spent 4 weeks trying to do this when i was 12, and failed!'

gawd, memories

tom

I don't get better, but when I'm not playing I still think about guitar (that's normal, right?) so when I play again I have some new ideas to keep me going.

i usually find lyrics come easier when i havnt played guitar in a while, the two seem exclusive of each other hehe


Originally Posted by Impwhoa! i'm exactly the same lol - coming back to old N64 games and thinking 'what the hell?! i spent 4 weeks trying to do this when i was 12, and failed!'

gawd, memories

tom

lol I encountered the same a while ago

i havent played my guitar excessively for over two months now.. actually.. ever since my GP died out on me around 3 months ago (or was it 4?) it's been a long time.

I don't feel like my chops improve but my ear is definitely more attuned. When I come back I hear things better (both in terms of distinguishing timbre and picking parts out) and find it easier to create.

No, I try to keep my chops on their game at all times.
I am constantly buying new music, so I don't worry about not getting fresh ideas when the time comes. I DO worry about not being able to pull off certain solos, tho.
My practice time is very focused, because my time is limited, so I make sure to do a certain minimum every day, regardless of whether I'm tired, sick, hung over, whatever.