TOPIC: playing without always looking at fretting hand

I,m trying to learn how to stop watching my left hand while I'm playing. I have heard that playing in front of a mirror can help with this problem, does anyone know if this works or is it just for practicing stage present? I'm open for suggestions:unsure:

Seems like a good idea -- I tried it and found myself trying to watch what the right and left hands were doing in the mirror, (reversed image in the mirror) and ultimately confusing myself in the process...so it didn't seem to work too well for me.

I tried looking at myself in the mirror while practicing my fiddle...seems that my bow doesn't want to go "straight" and almost poked my eye out ....Needless to say....I scratched that routine... On the guitar...if I know the song well enough and the fingering is not too intricate I don't have to look at it....I've noticed musicians performing, tend to do the same .

I realized one day that even though I was looking at my hands and fingers, I wasn't even able to focus on them. Put my glasses on and just about scared myself - where did all those strings come from?!

I was praticing one of the tunes, and i had the Military channel on. I found myself looking at the TV while i was practicing the chord progression. I thought this was cool, so i started praticing this on purpose. Certain shapes are easier to finger without looking, Like D to A, G, Em. Others, like Dm, and some of the 7ths, are harder, only because i don't play them enough. Repitition works the best, and i do better when i'm not thinking about it or trying too hard.
A mirror would totally confuse me, everything is backwards in a mirror, it would likely be more of a distraction than the Military Channel!

Seems like the "shape thing" works for me... 2 frets apart and changing strings makes a rectangle ( G-A-C-D), right? Take that and try to keep it simple:huh: but, seems like my recent posts aren't so simple:dry: I've tried to practice w/out looking and found that once I get the mechanics down I just have to keep practicing without looking to get over having to look.