wife that, at this pace, I might finish it in another year or so.

Anyway….

In my “Back To Basics” post, I mentioned that I needed to work on technique for a bit because I was stuck in a rut and needed to change my practice formula.  Last weeks obstacle was focusing on one song and forgetting the others.  At one point I was saying to myself, “You’ve been playing for 20+ years and you can’t play shit!”   (insert primal scream here).  Just a bit of unnecessary negativity to keep me from playing my best but I’m better now.

Moving on…..

So fresh off of my trip, I come back more relaxed and with a fresh head.  I decided to write down all of the songs that I’ve been working on the last 6 months.  Next thing you know, I had ten songs on that slip of paper to prove that I just might might be able to play this guitar I was cursing last week.   I’m now using this list as a guide for my practicing, treating it as a kind of set-list of sorts.  After finishing the list, I feel a sense of accomplishment and I’m more focused and don’t ignore the other songs.

Lesson Learned?

I’ve read and been told many times to keep a journal of your practice and structure it so this revelation is nothing new.  I used to be able to keep track of everything I do in my head and it was easy but as I grow older and have more things to keep track of, my mind is beginnings to let me down.  I try with the best intentions to keep a log/journal of my playing with bit of success but always fall back into the same old bad habits.

Will this be the start of a continuing good habit or will I be like a dieter falling off the wagon who binges on doughnuts and milkshakes? I can’t say, knowing me, I’ll improve a bit and then stop and have the idea all over again.  We’ll see, but now I’m craving doughnuts.

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Guitar Meditation

My thumb on my left hand has been really hurting lately, probably because I’m gripping the guitar too tightly when I’m playing, so stepping away from the instrument help me re-evaluate some technique like I vowed in a past rant, “Back to the Basics.”  Anyway, I just picked up the axe this evening and it felt good!  Didn’t really worry about how well I played because I broke a nail last week and still getting used to picking with skin instead of nail.   I did become aware that I’m contorting my thumb a bit behind the neck which is possibly contributing to my problem.  I read somewhere that when you play, you should keep your thumb in line with your index and middle fingers.  For a better analogy, act like you were holding a piece of paper between your fingers.  What I was doing was moving my thumb way out of place putting a strain on the muscles.  That along with gripping so tight, I did a little bit of damage but I’ve had these issues before and must have fallen into bad habits again.  Yet another reason why I should start taking lessons again.

So the mantra this week is to play relaxed, play relaxed, breathe in, breathe out…….. Ahhhhhh…… much better.