By Aditya Shukla, Guitarist & Psychologist
Based on the science of learning
The guitar is laid out "spatially" as a layout of notes. Finger muscles get aligned to those. By not looking while playing, you maximize understanding the layout at a physical level.
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Once you learn a finger pattern and rehearse it, find something dramatically different to practice in the same session. This tells your brain that fingers needs to be optimized for many things.
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Automatic finger movements develop after a lot of repetition. But playing opposing finger movements can interfere with that repetition BEFORE the brain consolidates those movements.
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Sometimes fingers need to be trained to work independently without being associated with picking. This improves dexterity in complex guitar phrases.
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The more consistently you do something with your fingers, the more automatic it becomes. A little bit daily allows the brain more time to automate than a lot of practice for just 2 days.
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A lot of guitar movements happen mindlessly because attention is fixated on a few things you practice - like timing, or sequences. Visualizing brings attention to things you may miss.
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Those who play sports know this - shadow movements are a routine. Guitar being a physical craft like sports, shadow movements benefit the same way - by engaging the brain to process the movements more without fatigue.
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Gain insight into the physical structure of your hands, fingers, and arms to understand what is happening. This knowledge helps in troubleshooting why there are no gains through practice.
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