The pleasure of "messing around" on the guitar

I'll admit it.  Messing around on my guitar is not exactly what I had in mind when I came up with my new year's resolution to work on specific guitar skills (i.e. in all the time freed up by not practicing orchestra stuff).  I have excuses though.   For instance, resting my tennis elbow, going on vacation (I just got back from 2 weeks in the UK), "remembering" the things I used to be able to play, etc.     I know, I know, getting better involves that 4 letter word beginning with "W" and ending in "K," but I play for pleasure and I wanted more of it😉  PLUS the satisfaction of improving.  So rested and refreshed (albeit somewhat jet-lagged) it's time to take stock and come up with some specific goals.

Jack the poodle...one big softy

So in between noodling around, what have I been doing that I said I would?   Admittedly  I've been doing much less practicing than usual in favor of dog walking (see pic), exploring, visiting relatives and organizing phones and computers for the electronically-challenged.   In the limited time devoted to guitar, I did continue working through an easy book trying to sight read,  came up with an initial plan for how I want my "work' pieces to sound, and even recorded some of my efforts (fortunately deleted).  Darn, it's so much harder when you're trying for a specific sound - can you believe it didn't sound the least bit like I thought it did?!  Visualizing scales/ intervals turns out to be an excellent way to get to sleep though, if perhaps not so good for learning the fingerboard 😑. And I've been trying to learn a fun blues piece.  So I'm hitting the right things, just not a lot of time invested. And I've had FUN!  And this WILL continue, but to keep me honest, this is what I already know I need to do ...


 (Bach)
- SLOW DOWN (use the metronome), record sections and not speed up until they're solid enough to play 3? 4? 5? times in a row without mistakes and hearing the dynamics I want.
- work specifically on left hand positioning, particularly for ascending slurs
- If still not able to stop the mistakes, check the right hand fingering is consistent.
- Don't forget the legato
- Figure out (from the recording) if you want the last part damped. (maybe not)?
- Oh yes, play it all the way through every day (did I actually do that at all?)

 (Sor)
- Continue to work on keeping the bass quiet.
- What in the world has happened to the tone? watch the right hand again.
- Continue to practice the shifts and right hand fingering
-  I tend to want to reverse the dynamics in some places - record both ways and decide.

And noodle around having fun of course😄