I feel like I have been playing awfully for weeks...I haven't had a lesson for 4 weeks (got one on Friday) due to Easter holidays but usually I can sustain myself for that long and actually quite like being able to sort everything out before the next lesson.

Does anyone have any wonder-strategies for when you feel RUBBISH?

Not sure this is a wonder-strategy but works for me. I'd just stop playing the pieces for a day or two and just sightread through a bunch of things, play pieces I haven't touched for a while, or play fun things like pop/jazz/musicals. Sometimes you're just too focused on making progress and taking a step back/away from whatever you're learning should help, I think.

I don't know if this would work for anyone else and no doubt the really knowledgable people here will disagree with me but still... When I feel like that, and it happens at least once a term, I stop playing for a few days, maybe upto a week if it's the holidays and there isn't anything I really need to work on. I might listen to some recordings of other people or concentrate on other instruments, I just won't play my violin unless I feel like it. After that time I'll only play things which I feel inspired to play, until gradually I believe that I start to sound alright again and can summon up the energy to play what I 'should be'.

As I said, it's probably not reccommendable, but it works for me.

Also, I'm sure you don't SOUND rubbish. Hope you feel better soon.

thanks for the suggestions both of you! I took them on and yesterday and the day before I only played really easy old stuff. I've just gone back to the Handel piece I'm working on and it sounded the best it's ever sounded...even the two bars I ALWAYS mess up! I'm going to go and try Praeludium and Allegro in a second though...eek.

THAT seems to work for me too!

With the usual caveats as to whether this would work for you.....

Sometimes I sit down with the guitar (my primary instrument) and nothing seems to come out right. When that happens, I make a decision to not try for anything spectacular that day but just to look for one good note. Just one. No more.

Usually I find it. I might spend five minutes playing just that one note. Varying the vibrato, the plucking technique, the length of the note, whatever.....

Then I find another one because you always need to find another to go with it.

After a while they seem to be springing up all over the place.

Sometimes these can turn out to be the best practices.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Matt.

PS. Even with the above strategy which works so much of the time, sometimes I have to say, "Time for a couple of bottles of Hobgoblin Ale. It's just not working at all today." but don't give up. There's always tomorrow!

Owing to being away for 3 weeks and unable to do more than a couple of scales on a viola in a shop whilst away all that time, I haven't had a lesson for more than 4 weeks either and getting into prac again is not that easy! I dread to think what I'm gonna sound like when I get back into proper lessons etc! Not that I'm worth listening to in the first place at my level. Still, I know it'll be OK once I do get back into it and now I have exams to work for as well......

Just stick with it, Rosie and you'll see improvement. No doubt your teacher today will have some useful ideas and suggestions.

It was a great lesson, thanks. the break was clearly what I needed.

cool new piece

Good luck with getting back into it, Elizabeth!

I TOTALLY EMPHATISE WITH YOU!!!!!

I feel the same way right now!

I just can't play!!!

I haven't had a lesson in 2 months

Hmm... I'm feeling a bit like that at the moment but oddly as soon as I read your post, i_love_stripey_things, my mind was saying 'You CAN play!!'

I'm sure you can. It's hardly surprising you're doubting yourself after 2 months without a lesson. It might be because you aren't really seeing any marked progression whilst working by yourself. Perhaps you could record yourself playing this weekend and then listen to it again in a month? You'll probably see a difference.