Is it just me, or does anyone else suffer days when your fingers feel a bit stiff, and just wont do what you want them too? Today i had a rubbish practise day, hitting wrong strings, bum notes…ugh! Could be tiredness too i guess.
Tell me i’m not the only one…otherwise i’ll get ma coat.
Rubbish practise day today
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It’s a normal regular occurrence…for most everyone.
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Yeah, though it happens more with my workout than music…
Its’ defo not just you it happens to everyone and not just in music it happens in every activity and the best thing to do it put it down make a brew and then come back to it.
I play a lot of snooker to a decent level i.e 128 break is my highest and somedays i struggle to pot a ball and then others days i cant miss and its mainly down to technique
Keep going all will be good…
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I think I tend to beat myself up sometimes over it because I say to myself, come on you know this, you played this well yesterday or last week, so what the heck is going on with the bum notes and missed strings today! 
Also you watch @BanjoBen and other players on YouTube who never seem to make one mistake and that adds to my frustration that I’ve dropped back a few steps again. 
Think I’ve just hit a frustration wall at the moment, so I’ve slowed right down to see if I can correct my muscle memory again.
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Of course they make mistakes and catch strings etc so don’t beat yourself up pal i bet @BanjoBen has a load of bad takes in his recycle bin… 
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Thanks Lee. 
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That’s cuz they don’t post the videos with mistakes. There’s people who might watch your videos (or mine) and get discouraged because you never seem to make a mistake. We all have off days, we just don’t tell people about it usually which leads to people feeling isolated.
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It is at these low times I think it would be sooooo helpful to be in a JAM of encouraging players who dismiss the flubs and offer kind words to bolster the newer players.
Instead, lonesome practice is just left with an empty space… upon completion.
As I have said, it is in these moments I just listen to the simplest sounds of my instrument to enjoy the timbre and sound… just for the sake of the sound itself.
Nothing can take that happy feeling from me.
Otherwise, I listen to a favorite artist who can gently remind me why I like the sound…
BTW… I sooooooo enjoy when I see artists smile to others playing… like @BanjoBen does often with visiting musicians who sit-in for a lesson at the cabin.
It is awesome how this non-verbal medium can invoke such responses… laughter, sorrow, force, melancholy, drive, ambition… just feeling.
Yes, life is good here in the best forum and I feel privileged to share the connection with y’all… Daily!
So grateful and proud to be a LIFER @BanjoBen!
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Oh yeah, I have one of those goin’ on the last three days now. It’s really creepin’ me out.
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@Dragonslayer hit the nail on the head.
Last Christmas I posted a little 3 minute video of me playing Joy to the World. That 3 minutes took me about 10 hours to produce. So many retakes.
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Glad I’m not the only one then Mark, that makes me feel a bit better. I was starting to think I was going backwards on my technique. 
I’ve set myself some strict practise routines of playing some songs really slow to try and concentrate on accuracy, even tone, and timing. Hopefully it will pay off.
I also find it really difficult to move my right hand closer to the neck and not keep hitting the head. The strings are obviously much lower there so it’s even more problematic to tap the head with the picks.
Any of you found any good tips on helping to correct this? Maybe @BanjoBen has a good tip for this. 
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Most technique issues like this can be overcome through slow , methodical exercises.
I’d suggest going back through some beginner-type right-hand exercises very slowly while paying attention to how you’re attacking the strings.
Songs are great…but isolating specific sections where the problem occurs should help you solve the issue quicker.
Are you “swinging” at the strings in a arc or coming across with a straight strike?
Are you simply using more pick than is necessary to sound the string?
Are you playing harder than necessary to pull volume rather than a good clean tone?
I’m not just throwing advice at you
With 40+ years of playing different instruments under my belt, I am myself going through exactly the same problem-solving experience right now with a flatpick. I recently acquired a mandolin and I keep hitting the fingerboard with my pick.
I’ve decided on putting thirty days into incorporating one of Ben’s’ beginner exercises into my warm-up time…after only a week I’ve seen fair improvement in not only pick control, but speed and relaxation as well.
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That’s good advice.
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Great insight from @Mark_Rocka, @Jono, @Fiddle_wood.
I have a tendency to beat up on myself when I’m not “getting” something as quickly as I should. It feels a bit better, when folks are candid, and share that they sometimes experience the same.
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My rut of late has been not taking on any new songs. I have spent several hours unlocking the fret board with Alan Mundy. I’ve got the concept of walking the minor chords to major chords but now I’ve got to figure out how to fit it in somewhere.
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