So, you have been working on a piece for quite some time but it's still not working properly, and now you feel frustrated, stuck with what seems like no way out. I'm here to tell you that it's not the end of the world. You are not alone in having this experience. Everybody goes through it at one point or another. While it may be comforting to know that this is not a problem that applies only to you it still doesn't answer the question of "how do you fix it?" I will be going over the steps of the process that will get you out of that rut.

First, what you have to do is... are you ready for this?... Grab your head and run around in circles as if your hair was on fire! Okay, I was obviously joking, but this does lead us on to our first point:

Take a Deep Breath

As strange as it may sound it's often good to take a deep breath and walk away from the problem for a short while. This is because resolving problems often requires fresh thinking. If you have been pounding away at your problem over and over again, you are most likely not in the state of mind needed to work things out. Go out for a short walk, concentrate on other materials or do something that takes you completely away from thinking about it. Now this may not always be possible because sometimes you need to learn material fast, but even a couple of minutes of disengaging from your problem may be beneficial.

Check The Sheet Music Again...

Next you should check the sheet music. Obviously, I'm talking here about both hands as well as the placement of the notes on the fret board. If the fingering isn't noted for the part that giving you problems, then take a look at the fingering you've come up with and to make sure that it is workable.

Break Down The Parts

You should break down the problem and find exactly what the root of it is. Is it a transition problem, as in not being able to change positions and chord shapes fast and secure enough? Is it a fretboard hand problem? Is it a plucking hand problem? Maybe it's a problem combining the fretboard hand with the plucking hand. What you need to do is break it down until you find the exact causes for your problem, the core. For example, if it is a transitional problem, if the fretboard hand cannot make the changes from one chord shape to the next, you may want to investigate further and see which finger is causing the problem, or to put it another way which finger is late to the "party". If the trouble comes from your plucking hand then note the finger/fingers that are causing the problem. For example, is the "a" finger getting lost too often and not hitting the right notes?

My point is that you should drill down until you find the absolute root of the problem. It's about being exact here, not general. Usually it's a finger that's not performing just right, or maybe a certain combination that's giving you so much grief. No matter what it is, it's a safe bet it won't be resolved until you actually identify it.

Here are some techniques to help you break things down

- Isolate the trouble spot to the smallest degree possible. Or, in other words if your trouble area is located in a specific measure, make sure you concentrate and examine that and not the whole section. But if it is a just a couple of notes, or one chord switch that's giving you problems then concentrate on that.
- Play the problem measure with ONLY your fretboard hand. Play it exactly as if you were playing it with both hands in tempo. It may help you to mentally hear the music and mime the left hand along with it. Does it work? Can all the fingers play the right notes at the right time without any difficulty? Now, how about ONLY the plucking hand? Play the problem area only with your right hand. This, at first, may seem a little hard because most guitarists concentrate their attention on the fretboard hand and therefore when the fretboard hand is taken out of the equation they become totally lost. If you find yourself a bit disoriented play the problem measure with both hands and memorize the right hand, then try to play it only with a plucking hand. Ask yourself: is it working or does it feel as if you're stuttering and tripping instead of having a smooth execution? Maybe it's a speed barrier that you're facing if playing slow seems to work.

Now that you've hopefully located the problem area it's time to work it out. Once you know what you're aiming for you'll easily be able to get over those problems and find that your playing instantly gets better.

About the author:

Ben Dressen has taught and performed classical guitar in the US and Europe. He currently heads the classical guitar sheet music section and classical guitar tabs for RezZonator. Visit us for Asturias Free.