Been playing nearly 3 years and trying to nail down changing between strumming chords and playing a riff. I can “get it” if I practice a song for long enough but If I try something new, my muscle memory seems to go out the window and I’m always 1 string “out” with my right hand. I’ve been trying for about 2 years now to get this but I didn’t expect it to take this long. I play for 2 hours a day and properly practice swapping between strumming and picking a string (with a 'nome) for 2 x 10 mins per day (more than that and the boredom starts to become crippling). Any ideas are welcome regarding exercises and drills I could use to move past this sticking point?
EDIT: Thank-you for all your answers. I guess the main comfort is in hearing that my timeframe for learning this is not unusual - so that’s reassuring. Managing expectations is such an important factor in maintaining motivation. Some good suggestions here that I will adopt into my practice routine and see where I am in a month.
When you’re practicing this with a metronome, are you playing at a slow enough speed that you never make mistakes, or are you making lots of mistakes when you practice?
Usually, yes - no mistakes. Then I’ll do a quick burst of about 10 seconds or so at a faster speed and back to the regular rhythm… I’ll get really good at whatever it is I’m doing then it resets the next day and I’m back to square 1. Very disheartening…
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding, but if it resets the next day, then when you start your practice, you are making mistakes … right? I’d find a speed where you can pick up the guitar fresh, put on the metronome and play the exercise with no mistakes.
I’m doing something similar right now where I’m combining a difficult chord shape for one bar, then going straight into a tremolo picking exercise for the next bar and repeat - each time with the tremolo picking on a different string. I’ve taking this down to a pace where I can play it with no mistakes from the get go. I’m then very slowly upping the tempo but only a couple of bpm per day. If I get to a speed where I can’t go straight in then I’ve gone too far too fast.
Personally I find a lot of issues come from physical tension, and playing outside my comfort zone adds tension. I try and practice at a speed where I’m fully in control and relaxed. I would avoid the speed bursts for something like this, I think they can be helpful if you are trying to shred, but this feels like a different situation).
Switching between strumming and picking individual notes like a riff (but could also be licks thrown in between verses of a song) is one of the harder things to get on top of. It probably took me about 2 years of trying to learn it to get to a state that I am more or less happy with. So first recommendation is not to get frustrated, that will only slow things down as you tense up. This is difficult and takes time to master.
The second thing I can think of that could make a difference: do you anchor yourself anywhere on your guitar? And do you anchor yourself in different places depending on whether you play individual strings or strumming chords? Muscle memory is so nuanced and goes beyond your fingers.
I used to anchor my pinky just below the strings when playing individual notes, a habit I had picked up when practising scales. Strumming on the other hand was a free flow midair of the elbow pendulum without any anchor. I found both were unhelpful in the end because the pinky anchor is too rigid and hard to get in and out of for struming. I only really made progress in the chord-notes switching once I had found an anchor point that is the same for individual notes and strums, and that is always in the same place. Then the muscle memory can work out exactly where the arm needs to go to play a chosen string.
For me finding that anchor point that works for both techniques has come by by accident really - I wanted to get better at playing while standing up and started practising always with my guitar strapped in as if I was standing (even if I was practising sitting down). When I am playing standing up my arm just underneath the elbow rests lightly on the (acoustic) guitar top. I can still operate the elbow pendulum, but with a constant contact point to the guitar body, which then is the same place where I put my arm for playing individual notes.
Long story short: look at if and where you are anchoring on your guitar and find an anchor place that works for both strumming and playing notes and then keep that consistent. It should make a difference over time as your muscle memory recalibrates to the new, shared reference point.
One very simple piece of advice, don’t practice mistakes - only play at a speed where you don’t make ANY; when you can consistently play with zero mistakes try moving the tempo up by perhaps 5 bpm, and don’t go any further until it’s perfect, carry on that way until you get to the desired tempo. If you practice mistakes consistently then they will stick and be a lot more difficult to get rid of!
That is an excellent explaination Molly. I struggled for many months to find the right anchor point for strumming, which also helps hold the guitar in a good position effortlessly and reduces tension. Using my pinky lightly for an anchor when playing fingerstyle seemed impossible at first. My short pinky seemed to put my hand to close to the strings and felt uncomfortable, though it did improve my accuracy in picking the right string. Now the pinky anchor feels much more comfortable. Like so much of learning guitar, it’s a series of micro-adjustments learned and practices over time.