Does anyone else have extreme playing abilities day to day?

This is my out there post of the week.

Right brain mainly controls left hand coordination and visa versa. Right brain is spacial, left is communication and more disciplined tasks among other things.

I am a lefty that plays right handed, but the right hand is the backbone of your overall playing. It controls the rhythm and feel.

If I spend the day socializing and doing left brain activities, I have total control over my right hand when I play later than night.

If I spend it mainly doing computer related tasks (job) that requires rapid fire multitasking subconscious activities, when I play at night, I have much less control with my right hand (my off hand). I did very little left brain activity and it being so important to playing, and it also being my weaker hand leads me to believe that I have a varying degree of communication with it, which can become somewhat disconnected if I let it

This may sound crazy but it's true. And I would think it would effect lefties who play right more because of how important the right hand is when playing,

My left hand is always consistent, just the right varies. So if I was a righty that played right, then I would just start out slow, but if your right hand is like a brick, what can you do? I set it down.

Just food for thought. Any comments other than I am nutts appreciated.

Edit: wanted to add that people have varying degrees of flow between the hemispheres, many to the point where none of this would apply.

I don't seem to have a problem with left hand right hand coordination from day to day as long as i warm up a little.

I do have days where everything I play sounds boring and not creative, you know you resort to old tired licks. When that happens I

play a little than put it down for a while and come back to it. When I warm up I don't play scales I just do chromatic runs up and down the neck

on all strings. If I start playing this scale or that scale I end up using scales to much and not creating any real music. I just pick a spot and try

to go in a different direction that I normally do and hope something musical comes out, usually a fifty fifty shot at coming up with something

that pleases me. It's the same live with me, I get pissed of with my playing if I resort to often to tried and true licks, Sometimes I screw up

just to find something different or push myself to be creative, but when it works it makes me happy inside.

Cool Beans

Gene

zzzdat said:

Cool Beans

Gene

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Yeah, your overall mood can play a big part. Sometimes I can get to the point where I spend all my time trying to find the right sound, the next day it sounds perfect. Your advice to set it down, if possible, is the best thing to do. Maybe listen to something that kick starts your creativeness. If you're not inspired, you aren't going to get inspired listening to yourself!

And yes, with a chromatic you can get your chops and ear back (all those semitones).

I go up and down a bunch, when I am practicing(not just playing) it is a little more stable from day to day, but when I am just playing regularly it can really fluctuate.

keep "show" tunes simple, you can always play more when you are having a good night and they are still good on a not-so-great night

I'm stuck in a rut where I can sound like a wizard on a recording and pedestrian live. I'm hoping this is because I've really only done studio stuff for four years but haven't had an active band in six. I feel like the biggest hack in the world lately, and it is a bit depressing.

I must be no-brained, because both my hands suck at playing.

FGJ said:

I must be no-brained, because both my hands suck at playing.

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I'm with you.

LucSulla said:

I'm stuck in a rut where I can sound like a wizard on a recording and pedestrian live. I'm hoping this is because I've really only done studio stuff for four years but haven't had an active band in six. I feel like the biggest hack in the world lately, and it is a bit depressing.

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You're not alone: It's called "impostor syndrome" among other things. I read an interesting post about it the other day.

I've noticed that some days everything is perfect. The amp sounds great. The hands are playing almost with a mind of their own. Then some days or weeks it's a struggle to make things work.

I found the best thing to do in this case is to buy another guitar.

Nate - stop hacking Crimsontider's account.

I would imagine there are exercises for both sides of the brain - maybe it's as simple as doing some mental calisthenics to sort of re-initialize your synapses. I never thought that having parts of my brain in sort of a dormant mode for extended periods before playing may have any effect.

Good, I need more things to think about that revolve around guitar /emoticons/default_smile.png

Maybe I'll look around for some sort of dexterity builders or brain stimulation and give it a try.

For me, a medium Peete's coffee usually gets everything working.. but that's for gigs.. a coffee a day would take away from my equipment budget /emoticons/default_smile.png

Thanks for making me think more.. just what every musician needs.. hehehe..

Only extreme playing IN-abilities, here... day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute...

ETA: to answer your original question, yes, my inabilities seem to vary widely day to day, though I've never attempted to correlate changes in function with how I've spent my day. There's likely a doctoral dissertation there if someone wanted to pursue it!

I'll add that I tend to play better after a long day of transcribing. Not necessarily better technique, but better note choices and better phrasing. Too many variables to consider, could be I'm listening better, could be I'm playing in the style I was transcribing,and that makes it "better" sounding to me at that time, could be coincidence.

Great post's, with good humor as always. That would be a good dissertation, one of those pseudoscience papers that can't really be absolutely disproved!

Dr. Crimsontider.

Thorn said:

I've noticed that some days everything is perfect. The amp sounds great. The hands are playing almost with a mind of their own. Then some days or weeks it's a struggle to make things work.

I found the best thing to do in this case is to buy another guitar.

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This.

Not only is Thorn's assessment of different days equally different results accurate, but his cure is spot on too!

I'll do it!

One Ultimate, coming up!

never thought of my playing abilities as extreme /emoticons/default_tongue.png, but do notice variability day to day , I think its mostly in my head , boredom with myself . seriously I think Thorn has a point , and thats why own several guitars & amps , to overcome ( or at least work around ) self boredom

Jakeboy said:

Thorn said:

I've noticed that some days everything is perfect. The amp sounds great. The hands are playing almost with a mind of their own. Then some days or weeks it's a struggle to make things work.

I found the best thing to do in this case is to buy another guitar.

Click to expand...

This.

Not only is Thorn's assessment of different days equally different results accurate, but his cure is spot on too!

I'll do it!

One Ultimate, coming up!

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Here, here! Kudos to Dr. Thorn, his assessment and his prescription!

Yeah.....somedays I go from bad to worse!

sixesandsevens said:

LucSulla said:

I'm stuck in a rut where I can sound like a wizard on a recording and pedestrian live. I'm hoping this is because I've really only done studio stuff for four years but haven't had an active band in six. I feel like the biggest hack in the world lately, and it is a bit depressing.

Click to expand...

You're not alone: It's called "impostor syndrome" among other things. I read an interesting post about it the other day.

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I'm very familiar with imposter syndrome. It may be one of the most common anxieties you see among college profs; I certainly went through it when I had my first class that was totally mine. I guess ironically due to what made you think of it, guitar is possibly the only thing I at which I don't feel like a phony at the moment (not a great week on the job hunt front). I'm just frustrated and struggle with impatience.