I Used To Hate Here, Now I Love Her.. An encouraging word

[Pikalot]

For those struggling with a certain technique, trick, etc, I'd like to offer the following observation as encouragement lest you give up hope.

Some of the most difficult mando acrobatics I have tried and practiced (and cursed), once mastered, are now some of my favorite things to play, and are considered old friends.

For example, I remember a thread where a few others and I bemoaned the act of hitting an upstroke one string up from a downstroke, an act not natural to most humans it seems. With much cursing and practice, it's now something I most enjoy and welcome the move when I come across it now in my mandolin travels.

If you are discouraged because you can burn up an entire song.. except that one little part... Take courage, you may come to call that move a friend in time.

Peace

[Ivan Kelsall]

Many of us who've been playing an instrument for a long time,occassionally come up with something 'unusual' from time to time & incorporate it into our 'bag of tricks'. Some of the things i've stumbled upon in 48 years of picking Banjo took a while to get ironed out & feeling natural to do,but as you so rightly say,these little bits of our own 'individuality' are well worth fostering. Very often that's how we recognise some of the top players,because they've incorporated a lot of their own bits into their style,'bits' that we've come to recognise as 'them',
Ivan

["Umm, fish?"]

I agree. The crazy little turn-around halfway through the A section of _Choro Negro_ with the half-step-then-jump bit used to give me fits. Now I love it. In fact, now I play the whole song faster just so I can play that bit fast.

[Coy Wylie]

I am with you on this. Whether its learning something from a recording, paper or something you came up with on your own, the key is isolating the tricky part, slowing it down, looping and looping it and gradually building it to full speed. After a while muscle memory takes over and you don't even think about it anymore. This does two things for me. First, it is a rewarding accomplishment. Second, it takes my technical ability to another level. The next difficult piece I try to play won't be as difficult.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Coy - "The next difficult piece I try to play won't be as difficult." That's very true. Everything we learn is another stepping stone to the next one,& so on,
Ivan