Here’s a question I get from a lot of readers:
“Adam, I can’t seem to get through a piece without making mistakes.”
Well, neither can I!
There are a few tips and insights I can give you though – on how I practice and “problem solve.”
If you want to do a “perfect performance” like CD playback, that may NEVER ever happen. It is a false concept that performances are mistake-free.
CD’s are edited to perfection.
Here are 8 tips to help you solve the “making mistakes” problem:
1. Get into a Flow & Groove.
I have noticed that many students are not “down in the pocket” enough, and this actually can be the very cause of a mistake.
Once you are deeply in a flow, the top layer of details often sorts itself out because
you are playing in an entirely different “zone”.
You think “no mistakes” make it perfect, but the audience thinks “groove and melody” make it perfect. š
2. As you practice, Slow it WAY down.
If you are running head first into a wall over and over, using your head as a battering ram, it’s time to check “where is the doorknob?”
Doing something VERY slowly can uncover the solution, like a knot that kinda undoes itself.
3. Someone else’s solution may not be your solution.
If you can’t play the exact fingerings that someone else does (on the sheet music), that’s ok.
My entire repertoire is based on a process of:
- Discovering what is easy for me
- Eliminating what’s impossible for me
I still try to practice things out of my “comfort zone”, but to make a piece
bulletproof for the stage – I make it a “custom fit” for me.
4. Check your “form” and basic technique.
I check myself for “good form” all the time. If you are not sure about what makes good form and technique, grab a few lessons with a good player (perhaps classical) in your area so she can spot-check your playing.
For example, I mess with different hand positions all the time, different angles, to see what abilities each position “unlocks.”
Maybe a fix to a problem is due to an overall technique adjustment.
5. Can you SING what you are trying to play?
This should probably be #1. Usually, if I can sing something I can play it.
Muscles understand the musical intention and obey. If you don’t understand what & why you are playing something, you are WAY more likely to screw it up.
6. Try a new fingering.
I spend most of my time searching for better-sounding and easier fingerings.
For example, if there is one note you are not playing right:
- Try different LH fingers – 1,2,3,4 on your left hand
- Try all RH fingers p, i, m, a
- Can you hammer or pull off instead?
- Try the same note on a different string
- Or try it on the same string…
- Play it with a downstroke or upstroke?
- Play it as a harmonic?
- If it’s a chord can you leave notes out or add notes to make it easier?
- Can you change the note or notes which lead UP to mistake, to set yourself up better?
- Do you understand the harmony?
7. Are you playing too quietly?
Playing too quietly means you are not getting enough of “a piece of the string” under your finger. It’s like sports – you have to find just the right amount of force.
When you play too lightly, the physical confidence is greatly diminished.
Often people tell me I play light. In some of my early videos I did, but now I really pull the strings right to the point where they sound good, and it feels more “sure” on stage. I’m still learning.
8. How do you react to your mistakes on stage?
Can you let go of beating yourself up about it?
Can you let go and stay in the flow?
It’s over…let go of it.
A mistake for you is like riding a bike over a bump. It is immediately over. No one even knew it happened.
Just smile, don’t show your frustration.
Mistakes are your warning signs, so you know what to practice & investigate – tomorrow in your practice room.
In Conclusion
A student recently told me “Adam, you played ‘Get Back’ flawlessly on the concert!”
Well, no I didn’t!
But here’s how I put the 8 tips to use…
- I stayed in the groove and flow
- I work on where the bottom is in the groove every day
- I work on a good right-hand position where bass & melody sound clear
- I am willing at all times to change fingerings to an easier solution
- I listen to the difference in sounds between each finger on the RH
- I know that “mistakes” fly by quickly so I don’t go crazy when I make small mistakes
- I keep practicing the piece – It’s never done.
Hope this helps you in uncovering solutions and being forgiving to yourself. Enjoy the process…we are all on the journey together…
Have an idea or tip to share? Please comment below!
RELATED: 10 Tips for Healthy Guitar Practicing
Ready to take the next step in your guitar journey?
Learn fingerstyle guitar from a world-class guitarist and teacher. Let Adam guide you and show you exactly how to improve your guitar skills. Grab the rarest opportunity to Study With Adam FREE for 14 days, right now!
Some good tips here Adam. Thanks
Thank you Ken!
Thanks Adam. That was awesome. You’re a great teacher!
Thanks for the tips Adam! I think you’re totally right about being able to sing the pieces. Darn it – Why haven’t I thought about that already? š It just makes sense that It feels uncomfortable playing the melody of a song you can’t sing.
Andy yes, music is 360 degrees – not just hands & head!
I just love to listen every single line you are talking with Sir. I have great time to it. Please do more. thank you Sir
Thank YOU!
awesome article Adam! š
Tnx Adam!
Thank you!
Adam, You’re the n1 !
Thanks Emilio!
Hi Adam,
great post, as always. I have a question regarding point 1 though. Tommy Emmanuel gave the advice for learning a new tune: Just play the one tune until you get it under the fingers and do not worry about the repertoire you built up to that point; it will be still there, when you come back to it.
I find it difficult to get “in the groove and flow” after a certain time of practicing the one tune only. Simply because I am sick and tired of it..at least for a while
Often I progress fast up to a point, where I have left 1-2 spots that make some trouble, but do not have the motivation anymore to work on this problem spots. It just does not flow anymore.
Maybe there is a point of diminished return?
What your opinion about this?
Best regards
BERND
I know what he meant. When you learn, you burn it into your mind. It is hard to go back and improve it after.
2 kinds of practice – NEW tunes, and OLD tunes. Each needs a different process –
AR
Hey Adam, thanks for the down to earth reminder. Perfectionism is always the enemy of progress. Good for me to remember. And congratulations on launching the Teaching With Adam site! Looking forward to checking it out.
Jesse
Thanks Jesse!
Great tips. One of the best things I did for myself (I was a classical guitar major years ago where mistakes were not allowed) was change my attitude when I made a mistake. Instead of beating myself up in the middle of the piece, which did no good, I actually started to see it as a funny event. To get me in that frame of mind I would laugh out loud during practice when those mistakes came. When I perform and make a mistake now it’s a happy event and doesn’t upset the rest of the piece. … Just a little change in attitude…
There ya go – thank you Kenny!!!! AR
wow, adam.
you`re a great teacher, not only for guitarplaying.
your thouhts about mistakes fit exaktly to my whole life,
we are really on our way home.
thanks and bless
andy
Andy, super!!! AR
Adam,
You are SPOT ON here…and it’s always good to hear GREAT reminders! I tell fingerstyle players to imagine that a piece of music is 24″ long, and if you make a boo-boo at the 9″ mark & the 20″ inch mark, but you were able to convey actual MUSIC to the listener, all is forgiven and probably appreciated!
I once heard Manuel Barrueco say in an interview (after someone addressed his ability to play so fast) that in his mind it’s NOT fast. That, in fact, he practices the pieces so slowly as he’s learning them (while maintaining control) that they were brought up to speed so gradually that his perception is that it’s always been like that. Of course, we aren’t all blessed with his abundant technique and dedication. I agree 100% with your observation that we all need to understand our own “comfort zone” and not try to imitate the Tommy Emmanuel’s or the Richard Smith’s, but that it’s okay (like Chet said) to steal from anyone/everyone to round yourself out.
Even if 2 people read from the same sheet of music, or copy off an Adam Rafferty arrangement from youtube (which I have)…neither one is going to sound exactly like the other…and that’s a GOOD THING!
Keep on keepin’ on…Joel
Adam, I’m at a point in my playing where I will not benefit much at all from your tips here as all pretty much confirm and reinforce what I already know and feel, but I love ya brother. I watched that whole video smiling and hanging on your every word. If I had a mirror I would assume I had a stupid look on my face. Scared to say maybe even like some teenage girl watching a boy band . Lol
Forget about your huge talent; you are a great conveyor of guitar playing knowledge. You are taking your time to hand off guitar playing to the next generation that will take guitar to who knows what levels and styles. To me that’s the main gig. It’s about enjoyment first but then your level that raises guitar to the next levels of players.
Now to all you guys and girls reading this. This dude Adam is what guitar playing is all about and I’m not talking about his style. Take full advantage of this what this guy is selling.
This has been an unsolicited unpaid Ad for what I see as one of the greatest thing in guitar to come along in a long time. Don’t waste way too much time my friends. Life is scary busy and scary fast (as in shit where did the time go). Grab it by the balls and rock it. Don t turn around 30 years later and say “i could have”.
Get more accomplished. You will never never ever regret becoming a much better player even if you never leave your couch at home. Here is a top notch dude who is making it possible to not be living near him and still get world class educated in playing.
On a personal note my wife is headed for surgery at Sloan Kettering on December 5th. I’m accepting all the good vibes that all of you can send her way. I believe in the power of good thoughts and I believe players of music have a special connection to a higher power. We feel it when we play.
Thanks adam for the post……Great
Thanks Francesco! – AR
Excellent advice here (as always!).
To elaborate on the “practice it slowly” tip, there is a physical and neurological reason for this. When you repeat a motion it gets “burned” into parts of the nerves, so that learning is physical as well as mental. If you play fast and make the same mistake, that’s exactly what your body will learn, even though your mind understands that it’s wrong. There are some things that I’ve played so much that I don’t even think consciously about them, but I didn’t start out that way.
Great point about groove and being “quiet”. I have forgotten who first said it, but making music is about spreading the joy of the music to your audience – not about *you*. When you stop worrying about *you* (did *I* make a mistake), you will be free of the burden of being perfect, and your audience will “get it”.
Jim, great insights, thanks! AR
Very good tips. I play keyboard and guitar. These tips will help me with my keyboard playing as well. Thanks Adam!
Thanks Michael! AR
Thanks a lot, Adam!!!:)
hey Adam In your critic on my playing Blue Moon you were wondering why I was taking lessons from you well my man these kinds of posts is why!! Loved this one will copy and paste it print it out and read it everyday! Thanks Jean
Just read the chat about “mistakes” and found it so helpful and enlightening. Thanks everso Adam, it is going to change my perspective alot and open up my playing heaps I’m sure.
m
I’m not sure what you mean by this:
I work on where the bottom is in the groove every day
Can you elaborate?
Hi Adam, thank you so much. Real good and usefull tips. Groove and Flow, wow! I work allways hard to be gentle with myself š
May the music play in each moment of your life! Matthias
Thanks for the great tips for learning guitar. It makes sense that I need to slow down my practices a lot, instead of trying to play it full speed. I just got a new guitar, and am trying to learn it myself, but it’s hard.
“Can you let go of beating yourself up about it?
Can you let go and stay in the flow?
Itās overā¦let go of it.
A mistake for you is like riding a bike over a bump. It is immediately over. No one even knew it happened.
—>Just smile, donāt show your frustration.”
I’m putting this up on my bedroom wall!
Thanks Adam.
These 8 tips are really helpful and they are matching exactly all the major issues I faced. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Always useful tips. THANK YOU!
Sing it before you try to play it….was inclined to think this for a long time. First time I’ve seen it mentioned.
Great. And I think a lot of stuff would have sounded better if people had done more thinking first! Too easy for fingers to fly all over the place. In fact perhaps it should be a thinking business first and foremost, but sometime you got to hit the frets. Useful reflection! And the slowly stuff. Good to hear of others’ frustration.
Thanks
I liked what you said about fiddling around with the fingering. I play piano and I’ve been teaching myself how to play guitar, but I never really thought about how the fingering rules could also apply here. I have always tried to find the easiest fingering to play different pieces of piano, but never thought about it for the guitar. I will start figuring out the piece I’m working on once I get home.
Fingerings are everything! well almost…
Very good Tips Adam. Thank you.
Thanks Michael!
Thank you for posting, very useful and inspiring
Thanks Mustofa!
Thank you for the great tips! They are organic and usable to me, I like the flow and groove part best. I guess if you are playing something in the right groove you are already halfway there. And I am a bit more confident now to do things my own way as opposed to some perfect formula! cheers
Joachim, yes the groove gets you 1/2 way there, yes yes!!!
AR
I’ll keep this on the note, I’ve been practicing fingerstyle and doing a lot of mistakes I hope this will make progress in my playing, Thanks!
Excellent Bill, thanks for commenting!
Hey Adam,
Like all your instructions, this is so valuable. Thank you so much for taking the time to share
Hi Adam,
That was a very useful set of tips. I recognize them to be true as a semi-professional percussionist and drummer used to the stage. It is a wonder why I have not thought of them in learning and playing the guitar š