TOPIC: HERE'S MY PROBLEM!

I guess most of you know that I've been taking mandolin lessons too. I have no problem playing the leads at home when I'm looking at my book. I don't really have to "follow" the tablature, but looking at the song "reminds" me of how the melody goes...(for the mandolin). In class when the banjo or guitar starts I can not remember for the life of me my mandolin lead (unless I can look at my book)and let me add that this doesn't happen to me with the guitar. How do those of you that play more than 1 instrument remember? Guess being new to Bluegrass doesn't help either.....

I remember by hearing. At home I can hear every note I play and every note I miss. In the group setting I have trouble hearing what I’m playing and end up missing notes or playing the wrong notes and not being able to play the lead, even if I know it by heart.

Try humming it. I only play guitar but, I hum and visualize my leads all day long (as long as my concentration isn't required on something else) I find the best time is when I'm driving. And keep the music handy at all times just in case a mental note drops off. Get it..."mental note".

Good tip, that was one of Jens' points -- if you can't sing / hum your music, you don't know the music, you're just making mechanical movements. He challenged me to sing or hum a couple of simple banjo leads, and he was right - I couldn't do it. I've worked more on learning and "internalizing" the music to make it come out of the fingers better.

I can humm the tunes and I can sing the lyrics, but if I don't get the correct finger on the right string at the proper fret, it just doesn't work. And that's just machanics.

Oh!!! The mechanics! ...firm believer in hitting the right strings. This has been (working on was) my major problem when I joined Fretmentor but I have been playing [the G scale] a lot and that has improved my problem. I implore you, play the G scale, leard it up and down(first position((meaning top of the neck))). Play it every day. You'll find yourself playing it faster (about 2 weeks of playing it every day for me). One day you're going to feel something that will put a smile on your face. Your fingers are moving more fluidly and your picking hand is following them!!!