Does This Happen to you??

[Mike239]

I notice when i play the guitar, or when i play tennis for a while and then don't play it for a few days or even a week, i seem to be able to play just that little bit better like, i can chage chords faster or even get a riff that i thought i could never get, just simple things. So does this happen to anyone else?, leave something and when you get back to it your slightly better at it or you can do something that you thought you'd never be able to get the hang of. This doesn't have to apply just for the guitar it can be anything. Any comments

[ibanezdiehard]

i'm the opposite, i have recently started making sure i play guitar for atleast 2 hours a day and i'm noticing i'm getting alot better than when i used to only play guitar at practise and gigs.

[Davey]

Yeah it happens to me with a lot of things. Strangely enough, snooker is a top one

When I don't play for a week or so and I pick my guitar up, my fingers feel much more... umm.. co-ordinated? that's probably the best word.

[kennydoe]

When i stay away from Tennis for a week, my timing goes out the window

[TongueShredder]

When I dont play guitar for a week, my fingers get stiff. It takes about 1 hour of practising before they get back to normal.

[mi2tom]

Happens to me too, I rest for a few days and everything is just perfect, maybe when we practise too much our brains get tired and all.

[crevis]

Our brains remember long term better than short term.

[mi2tom]

Which means?

[crevis]

There was a thing on TV before where they tested peoples long and short term memories and the people remembered things better after a long period of time. So if you're learning a song and keep forgetting bits as you're trying to play it, you'll probably remember it better after a few days.

[Axeshredder]

ive always notice that you can struggle with something for hours and wait a few days and it soaks in and is easy again...regular breaks ive found are good for that and keeping your creativity fresh

[Rekuss]

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. Like if I'm having a problem with a song. I'll give it two days and it's right as rain!

Reece

[bikeman]

I'm the same too. I try to play as little as possible before a gig as I feel fresher, more relaxed and more energetic with my playing if I'm not "all played out".

[bobby simcox]

Yup yu yup, all the time!!!>

it's called Recovery,well, at least it is for me!!!

i play all the time professionally, and my hands get pretty beat w/ all the hours i put in, so before a "Big" show, i'll usually take a day or 2 off, if possible, to let the muscles in my hands recover!!!

OH, and to avoid too much fatigue, i actually do most of my "practicing" in my head!!!>

[guitar_chick]

I have had this happen a lot, where I improve after a hiatus. My running improves 10 fold after some time off. The key for me is not too much time off, especially with the guitar. If I go more than a few days, I do play better, but I forget the songs that I have memorized and have to relearn them.

With the guitar, I will struggle with a certain technique for a while, like pull-offs, and then after a little break I do it just like I'm breathing. Maybe thinking about things too hard is a self-defeating road block.

BTW-I'm having a hard time pulling-off and not catching the string below. Can anyone give me any tips on how to avoid this. Pulling off the bottom string is obviously not a problem.

[bobby simcox]

Yo,Guitar Chick!!!
sounds like You need to work on Yer string muting!!! if i'm doing pulloffs to open strings, i'll mute the unwanted strings w/ the fingers of my right(picking) hand!!! if i'm doing pulloffs to non open strings(scales or arpeggios) then i use a combination of palm muting, left hand muting,and right hand finger muting, whichever seems natural at the time!!!

OR, You might try a guitar w/ a wider neck!!!

the electric guitars that i play have the string spacing of a classical guitar!!!
this gives the fingers more room so Ya don't cramp up so much, and also helps me to avoid unwanted muting fr my stubby lil paws!!!>