Dave Wirth
I love the book "The Inner Game of Tennis." It captures many of the subtleties about sport performance, and the book will make an impact even if you don't like tennis and want to play guitar instead. There is one concept that I want to point out, and it has to do with how to approach change. W. Timothy Gallwey, the author, describes how just about anyone can narrow down what problem they have when it comes to tennis, but only a small percentage are able to change it for the better. For example, a tennis player may be able to identify a problem in a swing, but might be trying far too hard to fix the mistake. Therein lies the issue, and I couldn't agree more: We can try to change an old habit by forcing change (ie, changing a bad habit), or we can start a new habit altogether.
Take this into consideration: If a chord progression, let's say A to D, is giving you trouble, you may already assume you know what is going on. You may assume that it's "just not fast enough," and push harder to make the chord transition. While such a way to do this might work to some degree, it's also responding to a challenge on the guitar with more tension. What about less tension? What about playing "loosey-goosey?" What about letting the body come up with it's own solution that didn't really occur in our heads first?
On a logical level, this makes sense. On an emotional level, it understandably conflicts with that need to be in control. Forcing change from an old, bad habit is like responding to a guitar problem with more tension (not so good). However, allowing the body to start a new habit without tension, and have it solve the problem naturally is way kosher. It's just the letting go that's hard.
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