Re: Is there such a thing as "too much" practice?

On 2005-10-12 14:47:03 -0700, "kjs" <kjsguitar@xxxxxxxxxxx> said:

Now much more then 30 minutes and it's fuzzy fingers, so I always put
it down even if just for a few minutes and stretch. There is definitly
a danger in "over doing it".


What does "fuzzy fingers" mean?

When I still thought I was invincible, I actually messed my hand up
working on Joe Pass Solo guitar transcriptions. There were certain
chords I wasn't playing with the proper technique, just kind of
slopping through them. It was compounded by the fact that I was using
13's and kind of high action on a big box with a 25 1/2 inch scale. It
took three years for me to regain the strength in my hand. I now use
12's on a shorter scale and action as low as I can get it. I'm now 44
and very careful.

As you illustrate there is good practice and bad practice. That which fatigues the hand, as a result of poor posture, inappropriate stretches, "toughing it out" through pain and much else--that's bad. One shouldn't fatigue themselves overly from non-stop play either, even if you're not pushing the envelope. It's another kind of fatigue, and "working through" seuch fatigue can also be detrimental.

So if you are going to put in massive hours, my advice would be to use
proper technique and always listen to your body.

Also listen to a teacher when they instruct you regarding what is and isn't proper technique. One of the important things to learn from teachers, especially by those who "don't need a teacher" are just such non-musical things a student may not notice. Many of us who came up with a low-slung guitar and our thumb lolling over the top fo the neck began to have significant problems getting any accuracy out of our pinky. A teacher can identify those kinds of impediments easily.

Many studies have indicated that 30-40 minutes of play time separted by 10-15 minutes off is the best way to practice. This applies to learning information (not just musical). I assume that would include an ideal performance situation as well, depending on the type of music it is.

As with all athletic activities, it's important to warm-up more slowly, to stretch and loosen up muscles. This becomes more important as one ages--and I still don't do it by the way, to my eventual detriment, no doubt.
--
Thank you and have a nice day.

.

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