Skill/ Patience declining??

[Donovan]

Hmm. Something is frustrating me as of late. I usually try to put in a few hours a day of practice and have for many years. Lately however it seems that I am having trouble playing accuratly and remembering stuff. I seem to be missing strings with my left hand and picking has gotten sloppy. My hands feel well, old like the movement doesn't come naturally. Something recent also is my arms and hands sometimes ache in the morning or feel numb.I'm also having a really hard time remembering stuff and seem to have no patience to sit and learn like I used to. I try to focus but I feel distacted or I can't focus.
I haven't talked about this before as I've tried to ignore it and pass it of as lack of concentration and focus. However It doesn't seem to be getting better. I wonder if I should just put the guitar away for a bit? Come back to it fresh? I'd like to take lessons again but my work schedule is rediculous.
What I'm wondering is if any of the folks that have been playing for a while have ever had something like this happen to them and what they did about it??
Thanks,
Donovan.

[the_drip]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

lay off the pot. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jackson1]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Originally posted by donovan:
Something recent also is my arms and hands sometimes ache in the morning or feel numb.I'm also having a really hard time remembering stuff and seem to have no patience to sit and learn like I used to.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sounds like your body and mind need diversion and or rest. Do you stretch regularly? How is your level of fitness training if you don't mind me asking? My concentration stamina is low when i'm in bad physical shape. Maybe i'm talking outta my a** but are you taking good care of yourself?

/Henrik

[Donovan]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Well I'm not a fat ass but I don't exercise like I would like to. I work so much that I have little time to do much else.
I'm worried that I have arthritis (sp?) or something. I have it a bit in my elbows [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] and it sucks.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

You may just be super stressed, or depressed, and not even realize it. Or, you may have a health problem. Have you had a general checkup lately?

May be a thought to talk with a doctor a bit to make sure that you can rule that stuff out.

[Tetsuo]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Originally posted by Cleveland Metal:
You may just be super stressed, or depressed, and not even realize it. Or, you may have a health problem. Have you had a general checkup lately?

May be a thought to talk with a doctor a bit to make sure that you can rule that stuff out.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">agreed... Take care of yourself first

[mm2002]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

I agree too, take care of the 'ol bod. If you'll do that then [img]graemlins/band.gif[/img] you won't have to cut down on the pot!!!

[guitarsjb]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Please go to the doctor, have your bloodwork done, and ASK him/her to check your thyroid levels. I had some of the same symptoms, and my thyroid was burnt...I have been on medication for 1 1/2 months and my memory has improved, I have lost a bit of weight, and the numbness, stiffness in my hands/forearms is fading. It's worth checking into.

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Do you have a desk job or repetitive movement? Stress will make the focus fade and if you have loss of feeling, that could be carpal tunnel. Also, if you treat your balls like a speed bag too much, that could lead to blindness. J/K. get checked out asap.

[JacksonConcept]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Sounds a bit like depression, I went through it, but you may just be stressed. If something has me stressed out, my guitar playing suffers for it. I can try to play scales or riffs and its like I have all thumbs but if I leave it alone until I'm no longer stressed, I can tear it up again, no problem. Just listening to loud metal music usually kickstarts me and gets the inspiration juices flowing again. Get in your car and just drive with your favorite cd cranked and maybe that'll help, or go see a live band. Does it for me. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

If nothing helps and your problem worsens, go see a doctor about depression.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Originally posted by donovan:
Lately however it seems that I am having trouble playing accuratly and remembering stuff. I seem to be missing strings with my left hand and picking has gotten sloppy. My hands feel well, old like the movement doesn't come naturally. Something recent also is my arms and hands sometimes ache in the morning or feel numb. I'm also having a really hard time remembering stuff and seem to have no patience to sit and learn like I used to. I try to focus but I feel distacted or I can't focus.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Definitely go see a doc and talk about this.

That said I developed something similar a couple of years ago when my professional commitments pushed up in the neighborhood of 90-100 hours/week for over a year. I had most of the above, blurred vision, & insomnia (nothing sucks quite as much as working 2-3 days straight through then not being able to sleep when you finally get home).

I was eventually able to swing a few weeks off for vacation and came back good as new. If you can swing it, spend a little less time at work and/or take a vacaction. Definitely put the guitar down until you really want to pick it up again (and you will, soon) as it's probably just one more thing that's adding to your stress.

[Donovan]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

Whoa! Thanks for the help. I'm glad to know it's not just me. I was on meds for depression for a time but they had some side effects that I didn't like. I'm going to ask about the Thyroid thing. My Mom had her's removed it was so out of wack. I need to take a vacation for sure, Hey a good surgery should get me a few days off eh? [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[jackson1]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

The JCF doctors (the respected JCF Quack Panel) did it again. There's nothing we can't handle. Scratchy 5-way selectors, cardiovascular surgery, psychotechnical disorders - you name it, we got the answers. We've been there - done that! We can't recommend self-inflicted damage as a way to vacation, though [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Good luck donovan, bro, i hope you get some time off, so you can clear your mind and go see that doctor.

/Henrik

[Newc]

Re: Skill/ Patience declining??

You've already answered your own question in your original post - it's your current work schedule.
Sudden changes to any routine or schedule that we as humans grow accustomed to over time generally result in lesser performance in some area of our lives; something gets sacrificed, be it the job in question, our family lives, social lives, or even hobbies. In Autistics, these interruptions/changes to a learned routine seem devastating, because it's the one thing to which they've been able to get a permanent grasp. See Rainman for a clinical textbook example.

Now, whatever career you have (be it Doctor, Lawyer, Grave Digger or Garbageman, ANY change in your work schedule (an increase in workload, especially) WILL affect at least one and perhaps several other areas of your daily life - you may find you have a shorter temper than you used to, are less tolerant of petty annoyances (children speaking or laughing, loud music, whatever - even the neighbor's car door slamming shut).

None of this is cause to rush to a Doctor to get loaded up on prescription dope, you just need to identify the root causes of the problem. In some cases you may need to ID the specific problems, or the core problem to all the other problems - is your work schedule toast because of something YOU did, or didn't do properly, and is it within YOUR ability to get it straight, or does your employer need to hire more bodies to help with the workload to get it running smoothly?
Work Smarter, Not Harder. Hard work makes a person old quickly. Smart work makes a person efficient and valuable to an employer.

You don't need a new drug or a shrink or a bottle of booze - you need objective, analytical thinking. View your entire daily life from a 3rd person perspective and be open and honest with yourself about everything - is the job you have that pays your bills REALLY what you want to do with your life, or do you have it because it pays the bills and what you REALLY want to do does not pay the bills? Job dissatisfaction is a leading cause of depression, which of course affects everything you do. As people approach "middle age", they reflect on their lives and many begin to count up lost opportunities to pursue their dreams of youth (rockstar, President, Doctor, Lawyer, etc) and begin to dwell heavily on their current situation (job, wife, ex-wife, kids, house note, car note, in-laws, etc) which often-times leads to a depressed state of mind.

Life gradually evolves into one big bundle of problems and concerns, but if you can sort them individually like physical objects, you can get a handle on each one and see the best way to manage each one.

And you need a trip to the local Health Foods shack - no, don't go with Tofu burgers and veggie pizza, but definitely get those essential nutrients and vitamins that men lose as they get older. You body's internal batteries do go dry over time if you do not follow a strictly nutritious diet your entire life, and these internal systems collapse after years of wear and tear. Nutritionists and herbalists have known for years which natural herbs help with everything from eyesight to memory to muscular elasticity, and the natural items have no side effects like Prozac, Zocor, and all that other crap.

Newc