What do you do on days when you're playing bad?

[Lauri]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

I usualy start tweaking my guitar if im playing badly, but it seems that tweaking has worse effect what i regret on the next day [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] but im past that now..

[micha]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

@ninja; I think we're discussing two questions right now.
I somehow didn't read anyone write something about "beeing serious", "wanting to be a professional" or a "touring or session musician", and noone said they only play in magical moments. just a couple of us said they stop if they don't feel like playing on a day.
I think that's a difference.

and to be honest, I'm not really thinking about getting employed as a guitarist.
I'd not have started my studies in pedagogy if I wanted to be a professional.
believe it or not, but there's a few of us who play for fun. as a hobby. and those guys (me included) take the luxury to do something else or play less than usual if they are having a bad time, day or whatever.
I like to play guitar. and I'm not really worrying much about my muscels if I lay my guitar down on a day.
if I want muscels I go to gym instead.

you gotta consider there's not only pros and wannebes here...



(I'm not provoking here, I just think you talk about something else. it's not wrong what you're saying, but your goal and motivation behind playing guitar seems to be a bit different... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

[Ninja Guitar]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

The original poster of this thread never specified between playing for fun and playing as a career.

Plus, if you can follow and understand how pros practice and keep themselves in shape, especially through sucky playing periods, then surely you can take such methods and tone them down to the hobby guitarist level.

I realize many people here only play for fun. But, ya know, this is a guitarist forum, so why not give info handed down from the pros? [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

On days when I'm playing bad and being a lazy-ass, I go eat danishes while sitting in the garden with the trees and birds, and watch stupid b movies on a portable tv. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Snow007]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

All sorts of great ideas, I sometimes push through and continue practicing but at a slower pace or I work on different easier material.

It'd be great to be a pro musician, but I really believe I started too late in life (Just turned 20, I've been playing guitar about 15 months, but I do practice 3+ hours a day) and it would be too risky for me to try to become a professional musician when I'm at University. Doesn't mean I won't try to get somewhere in music or I won't practice hard, but it's not my #1 priority in life.

[Ninja Guitar]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

Starting 20 isn't too late. Not too late at all.

[micha]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

seems I got you wrong there ninja... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
you sounded like a practise free day would make a lazy ass out of me....

sure I apreciate professional tips and training methods, myself I like the streching exercises from the petrucci rock disziplines very much for example.
it doesn't happen THAT often I quit playing, this day gotta really suck somehow...
usually if I feel uninspired or something, but got nothing else to do, I practise these brain-smashing stupid endless exercises. doesn't need much concentration, and I got the feel to do something useful at least.

from time to time I even combine your mentioned b-movies with playing guitar.
mangas are cool for that stuff also...
it's a great way to make an easy time if I have an exercise that's fuckin boring but I have the feel it needs to be done...

[Ninja Guitar]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

Reading or watching something is good while doing an exercise over and over again. It keeps one from getting bored, and slowly gets them used to playing the exercise without even having to think about it.

I'd read more Manga myself, but damn so much of it is crap these days.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

either put it down or play something fun. If you are working on apiece of music or building technique that can get tiresome, burn one and improvise for fun, play a cover tune that gets blood going. If none of that works, put it down for a while.

[BennyD]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

[ QUOTE ]
Starting 20 isn't too late. Not too late at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, don't let all the bs you read in articles about how "-insert random guitar hero here- started at age 8 and played constantly everyday for the rest of his life" discourage you. We all have lives, and our guitar heroes have lives too, the media just doesn't want you to know about it ><

[kmanick]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

When I'm having an "Off" day which is pretty common for everyone, I go back to just jamming with some Cd's that I know inside and out, you know stuff I learned years ago that I know in my sleep Zep early VH, old Aerosmith, etc and just jam out. It's difficult to try and get better everytime you touch a guitar, sometimes it's beter to just let loose and wail.

[jwoods986]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

Well this just happened to me last night! I hadn't played since Friday for various reasons and went downstairs around 10:40 to practice. Usually, I would rock out until about 1 (and be tired at work the next day-lol) but I just wasn't playing that great and after about a half hour, I put it down and went to bed. But I still got a 1/2 of practice in!

[kmanick]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

Hey John,I bet you'll get a couple of hours of playing in tonight! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[metallicarocks]

Re: What do you do on days when you\'re playing bad

Ditto Jackson1! Glad I'm not the only person that gets off task. Just this morning I did it and burned my breakfast. And now, I'm distracted, yet again. Had to see what's up on the board. The original plan was to check one thread that I'd created, but you all know how it is. I don't think any one of us has stayed with the original plan so far!

Anyway, what I do on days where I sound like ass: I usually plug in a Metallica CD (go figure) and jam to that. At least I can get some excercise in. If you don't learn anything new, you ought to at least play a little bit, even if it's fifteen minutes out of that day. Your skill may be around, but God in Heaven, if your muscles aren't, you will sound like ass. I didn't play too much over this past summer (to busy working), and now that everything has slowed down a bit, I cannot play like I used to. I've finally got through Master of Puppets again. Used to not bug me too much, but God my arm gets tired after all the downstroking! (guitar that is) I'm almost back where I was. Also, if you're still working on stamina, it couldn't hurt to read up on some theory when you're too tired to practice.