Dave Wirth
Guitar is full of technical challenges. Grasping a technical problem and solving it with effortless ability is not as difficult as it should be. I have observed this countless times as a teacher, and I think that the method described here might make sense to try if a technical problem rears it's ugly head (it often does, and it still does for me, years of playing notwithstanding).
There are two ways to approach any technical challenge. The first is the most common way: With excess tension. The second is a far more enlightened approach in my opinion: Allow mistakes to come and welcome them while feeling loosey goosey. Why?
The result of responding to any technical challenge with more tension is, well, more tension. Do we need more tension? I think not. Especially if we are planning upon playing with other people and/or performing. The pressure of playing music with and for others adds enough tension already! We don't need more of it. The result of responding "Loosey Goosey" to any challenge is that we see and accept our bodies failing to do what we really want them to do in the short run, but learning to adjust to play in a way that really works later on. This means trusting ourselves to get where we want to later.
I am fond of looking at the second way because it means, in a nutshell, that I trust my body to do what is best, eventually, to beat the challenge. The real trick here is how to accept mistakes, and allow yourself to feel really really awkward until the challenge is mastered, effortlessly. Accepting mistakes however? I realize that this is not something we are looking to do, but guitar offers important challenges, just like any other persuit.
Once again I'm reminded of the ever-quotable Miles Davis: "Do not fear mistakes. There are none."
