Ever sit down to practice and EVERYTHING is aweful!?

[Todd_FindingMyWay]

That was last night for me....GRR!..
Last night there was NOTHING that I could play right. I usually warm up with scales and open chords but even those..
After about 15 mintues of running up hill in mud, I said screw this and put the guitar down, and walked away.

I came back an hour later (because I felt guilty not practicing) and worked on Hammer Ons and Pull offs and that seemed to click a little better.

Its wierd but there are some days where I am Alex Lifeson and seem to play like a rock god or just get something that I have been struggling with and I run around the house doing a victory lap, arms in the air wooping it up (I really do! My wife and girls roll their eyes which encourages me MORE! ;-) )

But then there are other days where I can't tell G-strings apart! :flute:

I bet a ton of it is psychological or maybe I am just pyscho...who knows?!

 

[MOBirds]

Happens to me now and again. I refer to them as "off" days as nothing sounds right, nothing flows right, nothing feels right. The most important part of me walking away and avoiding playing at all is that I've made the mistake of blaming the gear a couple of times - and you can't get it back when things "click" again 2 days later. More frequently I'll just delete a track I've recorded previously because it doesn't sound right that day. Then I'll listen to the bounced copy elsewhere and realize there was nothing wrong with the track at all. Again, can't get the deleted track back. I think it's basically stress, the days that I've been under a lot of work or personal stress I play fine, then a couple days later I'm just "off", then a couple days after that I'm fine again. That's the weird thing to me, it's after the stressed out day(s), not during.

 

[garrett]

I've noticed that I get into ruts. Sometimes leaving the guitar alone for a few days (even weeks sometimes for me) is the best thing to do. I come back fresh and feel a lot better about my playing.

Another thing for me is to make sure my strings are good. When they get old, the intonation goes out and everything sounds off. Sometimes just stopping to change strings makes a big difference.

 

[László]

The ups and downs of one's body chemistry affect mood, cognition, dexterity, and how we perceive. There are days it just isn't workin'. Happens to everyone.

 

[Jon van derlim]

in brief, yes every time I play

but I am improving..............................slowly

 

[Boogie]

Yep. That's when you walk away, cut the yard, take a shower, open a beer (you should have been drinking a couple while cutting the yard), and then try again.

 

[Rider1260]

Happen to me. Sometimes a guitar change works for me or just live to fight another day

 

[maxtuna26]

It's just like bad hair days. When the "hair" doesn't cooperate, they never will for the rest of the day.

Then on somedays, you just wake up from the bed with the perfect hair! :rofl:

 

[jfb]

More frequently than I like to admit.

 

[Dancing Frog]

Yeah. I have something wrong with my sinuses that causes my hearing to go a bit wonky when the weather changes. There were times in the past when I couldn't even hear pitches well enough to tune until I got my ears solidly pitch trained. And now with slight arthritis that acts up at the same time, there are days when nothing feels or sounds right.

It is on those days that I go for starting with something easy and fun, maybe a jam track. And, I don't focus on what I am playing, but why I am playing. Fun. Then, things start to loosen up after about hour.

 

[tiboy]

Happens to me often. I discovered that a 20 minute power nap helps considerably. Of course the fact that I'm able to nap probably means I was too tired to be good at anything anyway.

 

[carpincowboy]

Nearly every day. Which is proberly my naff playing.

 

[Perry]

Happens to me too. I play/practice purely by jamming along to backing tracks. This means if I am in the wrong frame of mind, or tired, or just plain Mr. grumpy pants, then I don't connect with the instrument at all. Leave it for 2 days and the mind rests and allows you to return with a fresh approach.

 

[rugerpc]

There are days when it is supposed to work and sound good? :FACEPALM:

 

[sergiodeblanc]

With guitar... not so much. Singing on the other hand is a different story and those days make we want to give up.

 

[justmund]

Yeah I'm pretty consistent these days, possibly because I don't really have any goals except to have fun playing, and just play what I wanna play.

I'm about to start some singing "lessons" (I'm trading guitar for Estill voice training) so I can forsee some very frustrating sessions coming up.

 

[RiserGrease]

"I booted up my brain this morning and the Music Performance program wouldn't open. What should I do?"

"Have you tried turning your brain off and back on again?"

"No, I'll give that a try. Thanks." Zzzzzz.....

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I'm about to start some singing "lessons" (I'm trading guitar for Estill voice training) so I can forsee some very frustrating sessions coming up.

I seriously gotta stop being a wuss and sign up for some lessons too.

 

[vchizzle]

For some reason, it happens most often when I try out gear. I forget songs, parts - you name it. It's pretty easy for me to know when the gear is right for me, if I start rockin' it like I own it already - good chance it'll go home if I need it.

 

[geese_com]

Happens to be every once in a while. I either take the day to set up my guitars or gear or I listen to music that I don't usually listen to for a fresh perspective. Also, taking a couple days off doesn't hurt.