Ever have one of thse days when you just suck

[kmanick]

Man I am so bumbed out today. I finally got my new Avatar cab on thursday and today the wife and the kid went out all afternoon so I could Jam and record some stuff and wouldn't you know it , I just plain out suck today.
For some reason I am just stinking out the place, stumbling and sloppy.
M*ther F*cker it had to be today?????

[axeman81]

yep I have those days, but usually after grinding it out for maybe an hour or so it will fall into place, and the next couple of hours will be more up to par. just try and relax...it will come back to you.

[VitaminG]

constantly. A lot lately. Partly because I busted my 1st finger on my left hand playing basketball a couple of weeks ago. The swelling still hasn't fully gone down, the joints are stiff and movement is restricted.

But I find it happens most when I am most excited about tearing off some vicious licks. Like your situation above, the wife and kids will go out and I'll have an opportunity to really fool around with my gear, so I'll crank everything and...... **flub flub....flub.....fuggit**

I put it down to a lack of warm up in those situations. When I'm playing normally, I'll run scales, riffs, technical exercises, all that technique type stuff so I'm well warmed up before I get to just wailing solo stuff. When I get an opportunity to just jam (even with friends) I forget about all that other stuff & go straight to the wailing! And then wonder why my technique sucks.

sometimes it helps to approach it as I do when I'm feeling flat on the basketball court. Starting taking shots from right next to the hoop to make the shot as easy as possible. Break my shot technique down to basics & really concentrate on all the mechanics of the shot. Gradually work my way back from the bucket until I'm hitting regularly at full range. Then start to increase the difficult of the shot (off the dribble, off a spin, fading away from the basket). Before I know it, my technique is all together and I'm playing well again.

I don't know how helpful that analogy might be, because even when all your technique is working for you, sometimes you still feel like you're having a flat day. Sometimes then you just have to put the ball/guitar down and grab a beer.

[MichaelLitvak]

happens to me too.. what i do to get over it is play the stuff i know really well and can play any time.. gives me my confidence and music creativity back

[nateb]

Everytime I step into a guitar store.

-Nate

[Crusher]

Yeah, everyday

[axeman81]

I can relate to what Vitamin said because I play basketball as well...to me that analogy translates to playing easy stuff, just strumming chords here and there and then gradually taking it up a notch to more technical stuff or the stuff that I really want to play. Just extend the warmup time, actually.

[Soap]

Yep

[jeff300]

Everytime I step into a guitar store.

-Nate

Yeah, what the hell is with this? Happens to me too. I can play anything, in front of people who are better than me, in front of signed pros, but in a music store I can't play for shit.

[shredmonster]

Don't sweat it. Guess your human. Other things happen too. Some days you may find a lack of motivation. Some days no inspiration - find yourself playing the same shit all of the time. Some days your picking hand may be slow. Some days your fingers tired. Just part of the nature of the beast - bio-rhythms or something. Some days you can't find the right notes. Some days all of your bends are off. Some days you can't jam very well. Some days your phrasing sucks.
Put it aside for a while and come back or get pissed off and practice through it. Those are the two options as I see it.

[Nazgul]

happens to me too. And then I think of selling all my gear, because I just wasn't made for playing guitar. And there are the days when I think I can play any lick I want and I made a huge improvement in my technique...

[nateb]

Yeah, what the hell is with this? Happens to me too. I can play anything, in front of people who are better than me, in front of signed pros, but in a music store I can't play for shit.

I think the 14 year olds trying to play eruption and these wannabe punk players make my thinkbone hurt. God these people fucken suck. They have the look of the typical rockstar with absolutely no talent. It's not like I am the greatest player in the world. But... damn... I just want to clobber them over the head with the instrument that they are holding rather then play. God I can hardly wait tell the guitar store opens up with sound rooms to play in.

-Nate

[GWARGHOUL]

ALL THE FUCKIGN TIME!
Sorta comes wiht that whole bi-polar disorder thing too...

I haven't picked up a guitar in 3 weeks now.

[JZ06]

We all have them!

I had my worst when I went to get my ferrari red san dimas charvel recently. It's as though my ex had a voodoo doll of me, and kept freezing my hands! I couldn't play for squats!!! Then there are days when you play and EVERYTHING is smooth, clean, no string buzz to interrupt your shredding. I wish more of those days would visit me

[FSU_Seminoles]

when that happens I just pick up some guitar stuff to read ... magazines or internet stuff ... and go back after and it's fine