Sometimes, you just need to put it down.

Last night I was noodling around with When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge.
I couldn't play a b flat chord to save myself.
All muddled and sloppy.
Before I became too frustrated, I put down my flea and went to read a book.
This morning I played right through the tune with crystal clear b flats.
Has anybody else experienced such streakiness?




(my hands were a bit battered from too much time in the shop, but still......)

So true.... sometimes a break of an hour can do wonders. Also, yesterday I tried to play a song that had a difficult passage that I kept stumbling over a few days ago....hadn't played it for three days, but suddenly after a three day break I could play it straight through..no problems....I have to remember to step back more often....

yes lots of times but now i know that when i get to mad trying to remember a song or trying to learn something new to just but it down before i get to mad

There's got to be a Life Lesson in there somewhere

Amazing what playing the uke will teach you... all the right things!

keep uke'in',

I have no idea how I get better. When I compare my early playing to my current playing it is somewhat hard to imagine that the things I find easy now used to be difficult. It wasn't like I had any major breakthrough and could point to a specific change where things got easier/I got better. But somehow I did get better. Then again, I'm still a beginner...

csibona said:

I have no idea how I get better. When I compare my early playing to my current playing it is somewhat hard to imagine that the things I find easy now used to be difficult. It wasn't like I had any major breakthrough and could point to a specific change where things got easier/I got better. But somehow I did get better. Then again, I'm still a beginner...

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I agree!
sometimes have to walk away...I'm still waiting for that to happen with e just can't do it... grrrr
Thanks for sharing...

There's scientific evidence indicating that while one sleeps, the brain processes and responds to the stimuli it's been receiving. It has something to do with the development of new neural paths, I think, and this may be especially relevant where one is trying to teach an appendage (like a fretting or strumming hand) to do something without your having to think about it. My own learning curve has looked less like the upward slope of a roller coaster and more like the upward slope of an electrocardiogram. It was frustrating at first, but now that I know that there are going to be jumps, plateaus, and backslides, I try to plug along through the plateaus, tolerate the backslides and look forward to the jumps.

mds725 said:

My own learning curve has looked less like the upward slope of a roller coaster and more like the upward slope of an electrocardiogram.

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Yes, my playing ability ebbs and flows; thankfully the overall regression equation is positive.

When my fingertips get numb, it's time for a break.

It's evidence of cognitive learning theory -- our practice leads to a change in our brain. Neurons make new connections, we acquire and develop new knowledge and skills (sometimes called finger memory among musicians). Reprogramming the brain takes time, which is why we sometimes experience a lag between the practice and the development of the skill.

Encouraging, ain't it?

Uncle Rod Higuchi said:

There's got to be a Life Lesson in there somewhere.

keep uke'in',

Click to expand...

The lesson is: when life hands you lemons, lay down and let it pass.

Then make lemonade when it's still there when you wake up.

CK, I notice the same thing and it can be frustrating. I mostly play just for fun and know about 30 songs from memory but almost always mess up at some point in a song even though I've been playing some of these songs for a year. Some days are good days and some days are bad days but I'm not sure what makes them that <g>. It is frustrating for me, but then I've only been playing about 1.5 years and haven't played another instrument for 40+ years so I just chalk it up to age and lack of experience. But playing music is so relaxing to me that I have a hard time putting the uke down even when I'm missing chords/lyrics (I'm talking about playing and singing from memory here not playing while looking at music). And just like you said, then the next day I'll play perfectly, just one of those mysteries I guess but I'm sure that practice makes me improve. For those of us that are "result-oriented" rather than "process-oriented" letting things be less than satisfactory or lack of consistency once you have mastered something, can be difficult. g2

One other thing I have found:
Sloppy chords sometimes means it's time to trim your nails.