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Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing
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rombsix
Posts: 7815
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon
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 Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing
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First of all, does any of you guys take a break from playing every now and then? For example, do you take a week off every year and not even look at the guitar?
Being a medical student, I have not been having as much time as I used to have on my hands, so I have been forced to take breaks every month (when I have a heavy load of exams like anatomy and biochemistry) for about three days or so without even touching the guitar (plus my practice time has diminished).
The thing is, when I am done with the set of exams, and go back to "normal studying hours," I grab my guitar and play. And when I do, I feel like my playing has improved A LOT after this three-day break. The question is:
a- Does taking such breaks actually have a scientifically-proven positive effect on one's playing (like studying for an exam, and sleeping well, then waking up the next day with the information being "digested" and more understood)?
b- Or do I feel that my playing improves simply because I missed the guitar due to the three days of not playing, and thus going back to playing makes anything I play feel great and uplifting?
Let me know what you think.
Ramzi
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Date Nov. 2 2006 19:17:33
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Miguel de Maria
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
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RE: Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing (in reply to rombsix)
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That's a great question, rombsix, but I'm not aware of any sort of studies on it. The only studies I've read about skill development, by Ericsson and Charness, don't mention that (at least what I've read).
Of course, I have noticed this phenomenon too. I think it's very likely that there is a beneficial aspect of taking breaks for most people. One, it gives the hands a break. I tend to get a little tense and work them too hard, and it's good to let them heal and get strong from resting. Two, much of the learning occurs during sleep or "off-time", not while you're grinding at it, so if you spread out your sessions you will notice the improvement more. Three, if you're not playing, you might be thinking about playing and listening to music, things that are going to help you put it all together.
Recently, I was watching this thing called a "K-drama", basically a Korean historical soap opera, and it is really addictive. Probably for 3 weeks I was hardly practicing at all as between gigs and watching this thing for hours a day, there was no time. It helped heal up some niggling injuries and I feel the better for it!
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Date Nov. 2 2006 20:33:55
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musicalgrant
Posts: 188
Joined: Oct. 21 2004
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RE: Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing (in reply to rombsix)
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Hi Rombsix
That is a very interesting question, I have not heard of this theory of practice being scientifically proven. But I did have a friend who was telling me about a teacher who believed that most learning is done in a state of rest between study times....and these rest times are more important than the study times...
That studying and studying doest always bear fruit faster, whereas taking breaks between study time, like you said sleeping does.
A bit like not being able to see the wood for the trees.
And I can say by my own personal experience as a guitarist, I've been playing for 26 years now, that yes I believe it does work like that too. Buy hey tell that to a performer who has a tricky piece to play at his next live performance and I think he would disagree and pratice like mad before hand, and yes experience burn out, like I have done :(
When I was doing my performance degree with flamenco guitar, they expected me to have a different repertoire at each assesment. And hey if I didnt study I would have failed big time, as for rest I didnt get any lol I would practice a minimum of 2 hours a day, and usually 6 hours a day. As I often practiced all night too..It was the only way I could memorize new pieces and meet the performance deadlines.
And yes I had burnout, my hands would sieze up in performances to the point where i coudn't even hold down a Emajor chord :( I later found out that i suffer from Cerviacal spondylosis in 1st and 4th vertabrea and this effects my hands and eyes too.
Recently:
I spent a long time trying to get faster picados, and practiced picado every day for 20 mins a day, and they did get faster, but not fluid as my muscles were tired.
But when i took a break and when back to picado I found that I could play them so much faster, with feeling and a sense of security in the technique that I didnt have when I was learning.
Ricardo said it "Burnout" and he is quite right too, there is only so much our muscles can take and not to mention our brains too...
Well thats my 2 pence worth,
:)
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Date Nov. 2 2006 23:07:20
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Miguel de Maria
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
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RE: Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing (in reply to rombsix)
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Romerito,
no studies. Anecdotally, though, have you ever heard of a virtuoso who started late?
On the other hand, have you ever heard of a 28 year old who didn't have to work, didn't have kids, didn't have no worries, didn't have a wife, and could practice 10 hours a day?
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Date Nov. 3 2006 3:28:56
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Ricardo
Posts: 14833
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: Taking Breaks from Guitar Playing (in reply to Guest)
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About young learning, yeah it is true. If young kids don't learn how to speak properly at a certain age, they can't really be fluent later. I am sure it applies to a lot of other things too, as of yet not understood. For guitar and music, I dont' know, I think you CAN learn later. You can develop rhythm and stuff if you dont' pick up when young. But speed? I have not met anyone that is really fast that did not get that speed when they were around 12-16 or so. I developed speed at that age, though not controlled, and with a pick. I switched to fingers in college, and sorry, it aint gonna happen. I will never catch the picking speed I had at 14 and still have today, with this new picado technique I started working on in the mid 20's. Frustrating, but I am sure it is related to the same principles as the language thing.
Good news is, I did not have good timing at all as a teenager, and started to develop that in mid 20's, and it still showing improvement in that area. Other aspects of music improve with age as well.
Ricardo
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Date Nov. 3 2006 6:28:37
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