Muscle Memory

Hey,

I know just what you're talking about. Before starting guitar about 1 year ago (I'm 35 today), I had been beating the heck out of my hands with karate for 20 years. I really think improvements in speed and agility in my fingers is so in coming because of that.

I stretch my hands, wrists and finger all through the day. It si helping, I see improvement all the time. I'm sure you'll lots more info soon, from all the wiser folks here...

1st

What sort of bad habits did your teacher identify?

there is no secret to quick muscle memory.
it takes practice and time behind the instrument.

however, the great attitude you show will help keep you at it.

bad habits are hard to unlearn. some of mine havent gone away.
now, I call them distinguishing personal assets.

Try to bend your fingers like 1st Act said. I do it when I am bored and before practicing. It might not take a week but overtime if you keep correcting yourself you will get it.

I started kinda late at 18. I had these same problems, but never really thought of it as unusual. I think every guitarist has this problem at first.

Even today, if I am learning some new chord, especially if it has very difficult fingering, I just use this exercise:

I simply finger the chord. Then I pick up all my fingers and try to place them back on the chord. I just do this over and over again, maybe 30 times, maybe even more. And over the next few days I will repeat this exercise.

Then I will try to go from another chord to this new chord. I go slow, and just really try to fret the new chord properly. I will go between these chords over and over again. As I get good at it, I speed up.

And you are correct, it is a memory thing. I try to pay attention to how my hand feels with a new chord, or even the motions my hand and fingers have to go through to fret it. So, I try to memorize the feeling.

Hope this helped, this is how I've always done it.

started late at 18?????
What about us nearly 40s??

this is something i try to impress on one of my own students, just what Wes said. He is taking my class for high school credit so he can graduate, and seeing as my school specializes in kid's with no motivation, he hardly practices at home. So i sit there with him and i make sure he fingers the chords correctly, then i have him take them off and finger them again. and again. repeat 20 something times. Then i have him finger it, and i get him to apply pressure tothe strings, and relax. he repeats this a few times as well. it really is helpful to make your fingers understand where to go. as a black belt in martial arts, i did the same thing with my body learning how to do kicks and blocks. now, even after 2 years of not training, i am still able to do these things just because the constant repetition has made it a part of my brain and my muscles will never forget where to go when my brain tells my arm to block my head. it just happens with no thought. it's all about practice and repetition, baby.

Exactly, it's like falling off a bike or something ;)
Once people learn to ride a bike, your muscles don't forget, only practice can build muscle memory.
Not very coherent but I've had a bottle of red wine whilst watching the Yankees at the Red Sox and it's 2:20 am here ;)
I have just tried and I can still do the intro to 'Riff Raff' and it isn't my brain doing that :D

I teach chords exactly the way Wes describes - I call it 'landing' chords.

Muscle memory is a combination of several things - first you have to learn your chord/scale/whatever, and then you have to practice until the movement becomes automatic. Whether you call it 'muscle memory' or 'neural path programming' or whatever, it's basically... well, habit! It's the point where you've repeated a motion enough times to eliminate the need for the conscious thought of "the second finger goes on the fifth fret of the fourth string" stuff.

One other thing that helps is context. A chord isn't going to make the song - it needs other chords to do that. So after you've practiced 'landing' the chord, practice the changes into/out of it, too.

In response to the bad habits that my instructor identified, the two big ones that were affecting alot of my playing are bad posture (I play an acoustic guitar and had been wearing it like a low-slung electric), and incorrect left hand position in regards to the back of the neck (my thumb moves to about every conceivable position including sometimes just hovering in space, unconnected from the guitar without a care in the world). Also, I had been teaching myself the odds and ends of chords and scales, but without developing any sense of rhythem (the true white man's burden) to go along with what musical information I had learned. Also, as far as developing hand dexterity, strength, or cordination, what do any of you think of those Gripmaster gadgets? Are they worth getting? Thanks for all of your enthusiasm, it is refreshing to know that others have been here before me and are willing to help those who want to develop a new means of expression to persevere.

In response to the bad habits that my instructor identified, the two big ones that were affecting alot of my playing are bad posture (I play an acoustic guitar and had been wearing it like a low-slung electric), and incorrect left hand position in regards to the back of the neck (my thumb moves to about every conceivable position including sometimes just hovering in space, unconnected from the guitar without a care in the world). Also, I had been teaching myself the odds and ends of chords and scales, but without developing any sense of rhythem (the true white man's burden) to go along with what musical information I had learned. Also, as far as developing hand dexterity, strength, or cordination, what do any of you think of those Gripmaster gadgets? Are they worth getting? Thanks for all of your enthusiasm, it is refreshing to know that others have been here before me and are willing to help those who want to develop a new means of expression to persevere.

Hmmm....for the most part, the only time my thumb really stays in a single position is when doing barres.....for other sorts of cords and notes my left hand moves around when and how its needed....

My teacher (a classical guitar teacher at a local university) says that is normal...in fact, he even admits that the "thumb over the neck" position is not necessarily a bad thing....the situation dictates the need.

As far as the rythm goes...I use a metronome while practicing scales and strumming cords.....IMHO every beginning guitarist should use one to develop timing....

When I'm learning a new chord, it is rare that there aren't at least two strings that form it that don't require the same fingering as another chord I already know. I've found it is easier to initially "pretend" I'm playing a part of the chord my fingers already go to easily, and then focus on hitting the other strings of the new chord. This way, instead of forcing my hand into a position with 4 strings, it may only seem like 2...

I'm not sure that makes sense. Works for me though.

Hmmm....for the most part, the only time my thumb really stays in a single position is when doing barres.....for other sorts of cords and notes my left hand moves around when and how its needed....

My teacher (a classical guitar teacher at a local university) says that is normal...in fact, he even admits that the "thumb over the neck" position is not necessarily a bad thing....the situation dictates the need.

As far as the rythm goes...I use a metronome while practicing scales and strumming cords.....IMHO every beginning guitarist should use one to develop timing....

I may not have described the thumb issue as it affects me most - I am a large guy with a small (relatively) guitar (OM body style) and when I play I can't seem to keep the fingerboard in one place; when I go to change chords, I somehow jerk the guitar so that the fingerboard is in a new position and my fingers will "land" the chord at about the same frequency as complete planetary alignment (well, maybe not quite THAT bad). The worst part is that I have discovered varying sources for the dreaded jerk, it might be too much pressure from my fingering hand so that my thumb will push the guitar forward/down/up, or it could be a heavy-handed strumming technique that's jerking the whole guitar, or some hellish combination of the two. Did anyone else have this problem as they began? Are there any techniques or exercises to help someone lighten up but still allow them to clearly sound the notes? As I write this I think about just slowing everything down, but I even jerk the guitar when I try to play really slow (although the source of the jerk when playing slow is almost always my left thumb/hand moving the fingerboard out of position). I really appreciate all of the help.

Sounds like you have identified your problem...ask your teacher what he/she thinks is the best way to go about correcting it. In my case, I was pushing down on the strings far to hard...once I paid close attention to the situation, I was able to adjust for it. Also, its very important to practice/play in a relaxed state, tension is a killer when trying to learn or play anything complicated, or anything simple for that matter. Jamie Andreas book "The principles of correct guitar practice" has techniques for correcting tension. Being aware of the tension is the first step to correcting it.