The past couple of weeks have been nothing out of the ordinary practice-wise. Some days I hang out in the music room and play a scale for 30 minutes, other times I sit on the bed with the guitar in my lap while watching a film, making silent chord changes and practicing finger relaxation.
I think I mentioned this before, but my initial reaction to the Andreas book was disappointment. The ideas were simple and the exercises even simpler. I could not see how any of it would help in even a small way. I decided, however, to give the exercises a chance, and oddly enough, I discovered that they altered my playing for the better. I would not have believed that placing the fingers on the strings without pressing the strings down would be very effective, but it teaches the fingers and the body to remain relaxed while playing. Soon after beginning the exercises I noticed an improvement in how my fingers move around the fretboard. So every session I practice the "light finger" exercises, moving them around slowly without depressing the strings.
Yesterday while practicing I noticed an improvement in overall skill - I was playing scales faster than ever, my picking hand was not missing as many strings, and the looseness of my fretting hand made me look in wonder, not knowing how I was doing it. It appears that after 5 months of consistent daily practice I am beginning to feel the first sensations of familiarity and comfort with the guitar. I was confident this day would arrive, I just did not know when.
