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Any tips on concentration/eliminating stupid mistakes?


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I make mistakes... like most people, though maybe more. I know the tunes, but my fingers go astray. Of course it happens more at gigs, unfortunately. A 'note perfect' performance, or close to it, is what I'm after. Any tips would be welcome.

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I make mistakes... like most people' date=' though maybe more. I know the tunes, but my fingers go astray. Of course it happens more at gigs, unfortunately. A 'note perfect' performance, or close to it, is what I'm after. Any tips would be welcome.[/quote']

 

If you want to be good at whatever it is when under pressure you need to prepare better. If the right notes are no mystery, practice playing them more. The mind wanders sometimes, no matter how good you are, and it's the reps and the muscle memory of having played something many times that will get you through a loss of concentration, or a bit of a panic. If you are improvising, you have to practice using of the tools that allow you to do that just the same.

 

So basically-yup, practice harder. :)

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Practice has its place, no argument, but practicing harder isn't always the answer... Practicing smarter may hold more promise. Endless hours of robotically reproducing a set pattern to train muscle memory is fine as long as it's tempered with emotion. There are plenty of popular examples of emotionless automatons precisely and perfectly nailing each note in a piece yet ultimately leaving one feeling less than inspired. I agree with rock violin that the right notes are out there but that's only because there are no wrong notes, only our inability to see a large enough pattern to understand how they fit into it. Playing a note perfect performance is a worthy destination indeed, but note perfect execution pales in comparison to the communication and sharing of ones passion, despite the chosen tool, from one consciousness to another.

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Not knowing the situation fully makes it tough to give pertinent advice. From what you've posted it could be that you're having a bit of anxiety. Understandably too, you've set yourself up for a relatively impossible task from the beginning and I'm not even sure if the perspective is a healthy one. Perfection being such an undefinable concept between two individuals anyhow, eh? It isn't like there's enough stress before a performance without us adding to our own internal struggles, so we pile on more! For some, this works... High stress situations can bring certain personalities into a state of heightened awareness that can be beneficial, while for others it can literally be physically crippling.

 

Again, not knowing you, your personality type, your defense mechanisms and such, it's near impossible to draw valid conclusions about your behavior and how to best influence it in a positive fashion. The limited info I have leads me to wonder if your personal goal isn't the very thing keeping you from progressing? Beethoven said music should strike fire from the the hearts of man and brings tears from the eyes of women. Note by note perfection doesn't strike fire or bring tears, it satisfies logical thought. Imperfection, impulse, subtle manipulation of time, pitch and timbre, and the spaces between the sounds... These make it human... These give life to the cadavers that at are so regularly dissected by the followers of rhetoric and repetitious monotony. Striving for the unobtainable is a valiant goal and I admire the dedication, but I can't imagine the levels of frustration and stress it could cause, maybe if you tried focusing on a different primary goal, say the ability to express your emotions, whatever they may be at the time, in that moment, to even one person... ( not as easy as it sounds yet an attainable goal), then work up from there... ?

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Voltan, I agree with much of what you say, except, man, that must be like some kinda jazz or something. No wrong notes??? :D

 

There are still a few classical musicians in the world. I was one for a while. We strive for perfection knowing it's unattainability. The repetitive nature of the practice eventually is what frees one to think about higher things like phrasing, emoting, entertaining, all of which would be a cart before the horse in a effort littered with wrong notes, or overwhelming concern about playing the right notes.

 

I've no difficulty thinking of great names that know what it is to practice all day while they watch baseball, or their goldfish. ( And when something comes up that requires more thought, they think through it.) They can also play with incredible passion when the time comes.

 

Nobody likes a ham handed performance, or a boring one.

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Agreed RV, but I still insist, no wrong notes... But in line with the idea that randomness does not exist, only patterns too large for our finite minds to understand... In that light, no wrong notes... Ever... Now, personal perception of such is an entirely different can of worms...

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Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Some deep stuff! No wrong notes, eh? See that's the problem, I'm in a bar, trying to play the solo on 'Just What I Needed' by the Cars, and I get some of the notes wrong, though I know them. I dig there's a deep philosophical point here, but there are definitely wrong notes, as far as the audience and my bandmates are concerned.

Largely about anxiety, I guess. Maybe if I can let go of the fear of wrong notes, I can relax into a more accurate performance.

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Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Some deep stuff! No wrong notes, eh? See that's the problem, I'm in a bar, trying to play the solo on 'Just What I Needed' by the Cars, and I get some of the notes wrong, though I know them. I dig there's a deep philosophical point here, but there are definitely wrong notes, as far as the audience and my bandmates are concerned.

Largely about anxiety, I guess. Maybe if I can let go of the fear of wrong notes, I can relax into a more accurate performance.

 

There's a big difference between, "I think I've got it...should be alright" and, "There ain't no way I'm not nailin it to the wall tonite!"

 

And sometimes it's not so much the Indian or the arrow-- it's the target with lots of arrows sticking out of it... from any angle you please.

 

I had some serious anxiety issues at a certain point. For...A...While! People would say things to try and help, "Everybody just wants you to do well..." blah.gif. I had to convince myself though. What eventually worked for me was practicing/preparing harder. And I felt smarter when I realized that. smiley-wink.png' alt='16x16_smiley-wink.png.ac1518ec0dabe458f31c1303ed9ec588.png' alt='smiley-wink'>.png'>

 

To feel secure I had to know that I'd done everything I possibly could to be at my best. I learned to take care of myself like an athlete and I became much more conscientious with regards to staying ahead of the curve and always being prepared. A bad night out is expensive far beyond the next sunrise, and it can take a lot of work to recover lost confidence. Some people never do.

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Everybody makes mistakes. Period. Get over it and take a breath. When you become perfect you cease evolving, stop growing. Boring, squidward, very very boring... Rather it's about taking that mistake and turning it into gold. I get it that you're playing in a cover band and yeah, a signature solo can be a deal but in a bar band we're talking about note by note perfection? That's a high maintenance low return prospect at best, frustrating... funny, I've usually found that people that point out someone else's mistakes are trying to keep theirs from being noticed...

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Everybody makes mistakes. Period. Get over it and take a breath. When you become perfect you cease evolving' date=' stop growing. Boring, squidward, very very boring... Rather it's about taking that mistake and turning it into gold. I get it that you're playing in a cover band and yeah, a signature solo can be a deal but in a bar band we're talking about note by note perfection? That's a high maintenance low return prospect at best, frustrating... funny, I've usually found that people that point out someone else's mistakes are trying to keep theirs from being noticed... [/quote']

 

You could just grab a mic and read some of this to 'em the next time they complain, slideroni. :D

 

I had to listen to the song to bring to mind the guitar solo. I don't play guitar, but it sounds like it could be tricky. In light of the fact that nobody else in the band has to play anything close to as hard in that song...they could be patient with you at least. But, I don't know how bad your clunkers are, or for how long you've been playing them.

 

I think the words *note perfect* set off alarm bells. It's probably not asking to much though, really...an effort to simply play the right notes doesn't have to be opportunity for your head to go up your a**. :lol:

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Seems like the Classics need to be played a certain way. I like to hear them that way.

 

Yeah, if you're a band trying to cover a song and you've embraced the original version of the song in every way, but then the guitar solo comes and it's like the original except for a note here and there, and people know how it goes all too well, but there's spots where it isn't right. The notes that aren't right aren't placed with any courage of conviction either. Fumble.

 

But then there's the Power Station's version of "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" for instance.

 

If you make it yours and you like -*totally send it*- the differences can be rather drastic and people accept what you've done, and may even like the difference.

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Knowing when and where the notes should go and physically being able to play them all can be two separate challenges. Working the mind without the hands and hands without the mind can do wondrous things to expand your capabilities.

 

What's always worked for me is to first tab the notes out myself, Not download a copy already tabbed out for you. There's something about tabbing it out yourself that builds the part in your mind in blocks of measures. Its the blocks you memorize, not the individual notes.

 

In order to be able to play it trouble free, First your hands have to be able to run circles around the parts you're playing. I have a number of hand exercises I use. Many of them would be tongue twisters if they were words being spoken, but in this case they make you develop automated physical response and forces you to think ahead, detached from focusing on individual notes.

 

The whole trick is, to develop enough control that you aren't focused on each individual note. Instead you're focused on the flow of notes as if its a wave or flow of notes. Your mind is thinking well ahead of what's coming up and your hands simply relax and play the parts at a slower pace.

There may be times during breaks or changes where you have to stop and wait for cues with the rest of the band, but you don't linger, you think ahead and anticipate what's coming up.

 

The minute you stop anticipating what's next, you lost it. You're going to be two steps behind everyone else playing catch up and make all kinds of stupid mistakes. The hands need time to react and unless you're thinking ahead of what you're playing you cant get the rubber to meet the road.

 

Its like driving a car fast, if you know what's coming up on that next curve, you can accelerate into that curve before you get to it. Breaking comes before the curve, not when you're already in it. If you're already in a curve and brake, you loose control. When you power into a curve, you can get through that curve twice as fast as coasting because the forward momentum carries you through.

 

This is not that much different then performing. You have to be a pace or two ahead all the time. You cant do that if you cant walk and chew gum at the same time. If you're just hanging out grooving with the waves, your head isn't in the right pocket. Grooving to waves is for the fans, not the performer. They are the passengers, you're the engine pulling them. They don't even react to what you do until its already done.

 

I've said nothing here about learning the notes yet. I've mentioned tabbing it out which goes a long way, getting your hands in shape by going well beyond what the song calls for, and then getting your mind focused ahead of the music.

 

There are two things I recommend for learning the actual notes. Put the song on a CD or MP3 player, so it plays in an endless loop over. Put a good set of headphones on and take a nap with the music playing. Tell yourself before you drift off that you'll know every note by the time you awaken. When you wake up, pick the guitar up with the tab and play it through. Chances are you'll not only know it twice as good but you'll also have the playing style nailed.

 

*** Note, I only recommend this method for limited periods. I don't suggest you sleep with headphones on every night. Sleep depravation is a nasty illness and you don't want to make yourself ill in the process.

 

This method does work well when you understand it. The reason for it is you develop a good aural image in your mind when you're in the mind is totally relaxed. No matter how pumped up and awake you get after that, that image will still be there, like a dream you can never forget.

 

The only trick to it is you have to sync the playback speed of the aural memory with your current awakened state. You get that by playing the tune a lot. You still have to practice the song with the band, but the difference is you'll be hearing the notes in your mind before you get to actually play them. how well depends on the individual. It may be a cluster of notes at a time, and then a void which you have to slug it through, then another cluster or wave you can ride, as though you're playing along to the album.

 

None of this is easy and it takes practice but I can say its worked well for me for the past 50+ years. I have songs I can play note for note I learned gong back to my childhood note for note.

 

The other benefit is how much faster you learn tunes hearing them the first time through. Last band I was in my buddy would bring a song in I never heard before and play it once. He couldn't believe I knew 90% in the first pass. I explained to him if you learn how to learn, most pop music is kindergarten stuff. you may not capture the exact style without some study but the notes themselves aren't very hard, especially if you work out well doing good scale reps that work your fingers well, many times in the most uncomfortable motions.

 

One other thing that involves the way the band practices. I've been in allot of bands that work material through till someone makes a mistake, then the band stops like a train wreak and begins again. This is one of the worst things a band can do because it imbeds those same issues and mistakes into the music, often times permanently.

 

Its what can be called "shocking the monkey" when you get to a point in the song, you're waiting for that train wreak to happen, and 9 times out of 10 it does.

 

You'll learn the song together much faster by plowing through the mistake an then evaluating the issues with the song when its over. Of course this may require some homework on the part of the players. If you have real men playing in the band and not Klingons, (players who hide behind others and make them tow the weight) people will go home and learn their music. When you come to rehearsal, you have to be prepared.

 

Same for gigs. Its too easy to think you know music permanently so you don't bother listening or practicing to it. Its a constant battle to force yourself to listen to the music you'll be playing before a gig, but its something you need to do. I used to stick all the songs on a CD in the order of the sets we'd play and give them a run through. Its so much easier to recall something you just heard an hour before then it was a week or a month ago. Its sets the pace with your current mindset in the here and now, not something hazy you'll hope develops.

 

You'll be surprised ho it also influences the other players as well. When you're on your toes, they don't have time to be letting their minds roam around. if its an easy song, they should have their minds out there in the audience putting on a show, not being some slug hiding at the back of the stage waiting for the show to end. That's the difference between a winner and a looser. A winner is out front, a looser is in a dream world of his own just sitting there watching the world go by.

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Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Some deep stuff! No wrong notes, eh? See that's the problem, I'm in a bar, trying to play the solo on 'Just What I Needed' by the Cars, and I get some of the notes wrong, though I know them. I dig there's a deep philosophical point here, but there are definitely wrong notes, as far as the audience and my bandmates are concerned.

Largely about anxiety, I guess. Maybe if I can let go of the fear of wrong notes, I can relax into a more accurate performance.

 

Say this is literal. Seems there's a headroom issue going on or more specifically an issue of competence. Basics upon basics till it can stand alone is what gets you there and through it all. Of course once you have an overview you may start wondering if you really want to be doing it. Reference to Rock Violin; passion etc...

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Say this is literal. Seems there's a headroom issue going on or more specifically an issue of competence. Basics upon basics till it can stand alone is what gets you there and through it all. Of course once you have an overview you may start wondering if you really want to be doing it. Reference to Rock Violin; passion etc...

 

-"Basics upon basics till it can stand alone..."

 

Yup. If you have a meeting at noon in front of the saloon with Wild Bill, it's the countless hours in your backyard shooting up the place, bustin Little Joe moves, and experience, that are going to give you a prayer. If you actually have to concern yourself with aiming...well, might as well take those boots off.

 

Many other analogies come to mind-because it's the same with other skilled walks of life. Cooking soufflés, makin free throws,.."practice makes perfect".

 

"Don't think...feel." ---Bruce Lee

 

Some things have to be second nature for that to happen. That's coming from someone who knew how to train, or practice.

 

So how's it goin slideroni? If it's not too late....play it 50 times in a row without screwing up and call me in the morning. If you make a mistake you have to start over. And, very important, be absolutely certain you have the right notes to begin with. ;)

 

 

 

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Wow, 50 times... well I just did it 10 times correctly.

It's really about the headspace, anxiety. Like that thing where you can walk across a 2x4 on the ground easily, but if it's 50 feet up it makes you nervous. Or 'red light fever', where you can play something, but when you're recording, it makes you nervous and you screw up. When I saw 'Just What I Needed' on the set list I would have a physical reaction, tensing up. Gotta get over that. I practice a lot, and then when it comes up at a gig, I remind myself of all the times I practiced it. But ultimately I shouldn't have to do that.

This is the first time I've played in a poppish cover band. Lots of 3 minute songs where you have to play the part like the recording, more like a recital than other, more improv-based bands I've played in. Also a LOT more profitable.

Thanks again for the replies.

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50, 100...1000. Till you can play it easily. Till you can play it even when your knees are knocking, your heart is pounding and your mind is racing. Till you can play it behind your back, between your legs, with your teeth. Till instead of apprehensive, you are eager. Whatever it takes. Don't give up. The only way I know of to conquer fear is to face it and crush it.

 

Meditation helped me quite a bit, btw.

 

You're welcome! smiley-happy

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The only way I know of to conquer fear is to face it and crush it.

 

 

So, to that end, if it were me, especially because something was said-- I'd be able to play that solo '8 ways from Sunday'. Double time and half time too. Since I've been a bit spooked, I'd turn the tables. I'd walk into the next gig and go straight for the set list, and if "Just What I Needed" isn't on there I'd ask if we could add it. As we play it, I'd have an extra smidge of my attention on the band checking carefully to see if there's anything they've been doing to throw me off too.

 

Probably it goes well. Maybe by some fluke I still missed something. Either way, better to feel good about showing some initiative and a bit of courage than to live in fear, stalked by a guitar solo.

 

 

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