How do I break (myself of) the habit of looking at the neck while playing? Thanks & take care. Bob
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Breaking A Bad Habit
- Thread starter Robert Spencer
- Start date
I practice by ear in the dark. Turn some music on, turn the lights out and jam. Been doing this since I started playing. That way I train my ear to understand where my fretting hand is and vice versa.
Simple, stop looking 
Or, as we do in my band, we slowly reduce the amount of light in the room little by little until it's almost black, this helps reduce the visual dependency. You might be surprised at how much your fingers already know where to go! Of course, do this with more familiar tunes first, it's rather hard with something you're playing for the first time.
It's one of my pet peeves that I still do, it makes it really hard to engage the audience when my eyes are glued to the fingerboard, getting better and better every day!
Or, as we do in my band, we slowly reduce the amount of light in the room little by little until it's almost black, this helps reduce the visual dependency. You might be surprised at how much your fingers already know where to go! Of course, do this with more familiar tunes first, it's rather hard with something you're playing for the first time.
It's one of my pet peeves that I still do, it makes it really hard to engage the audience when my eyes are glued to the fingerboard, getting better and better every day!
gnjpowell
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- Nov 12, 2010
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That's what I do sometimes, also trying to feel where the actual physical frets are works well but it's easier if you have a low action.
Using the mirror is a great way to practice as well as keeping you facing forward it let's you see your over all technique.
Part of the problem of looking at the neck is rooted in the fact that the player does not know the fretboard. Sure you may be able to work out the notes but you do not know them, so you are not really sure where you are on the fretboard so you look.*
What you are looking at is position rather than note, you see the fret and the position but you do not know the note as such but you play it using all this information as a reference.*
As you practice take time and say the individual notes and their fret positions so you know where all the notes are and more importantly the notes you play. If you read tab or SN you will find it improves the reading skills, because if you are reading you cannot be looking at the neck.
Point in fact what notes are on the A string 9th fret and D string 15th fret?
Now did you know, work it out in your head or did you have to go and look?
Part of the problem of looking at the neck is rooted in the fact that the player does not know the fretboard. Sure you may be able to work out the notes but you do not know them, so you are not really sure where you are on the fretboard so you look.*
What you are looking at is position rather than note, you see the fret and the position but you do not know the note as such but you play it using all this information as a reference.*
As you practice take time and say the individual notes and their fret positions so you know where all the notes are and more importantly the notes you play. If you read tab or SN you will find it improves the reading skills, because if you are reading you cannot be looking at the neck.
Point in fact what notes are on the A string 9th fret and D string 15th fret?
Now did you know, work it out in your head or did you have to go and look?
I was looking at the fretboard in the beginning, but after a while it just went away
I also think it will help a lot if you learn the fretboard.
I also think it will help a lot if you learn the fretboard.
+1 playing in the dark. It will sound horrible at first, but just keep doing it. You will get the hang of it pretty fast.
I think you also have to take in consideration of technique, if you're just playing standard 2 finger style then sure, there's no real reason why you have to look at the fretboard, but if you're doing more advanced techniques like say slap with chordal work incorporated that's when it become difficult not to look away as you're left hand has to be very precise to avoid fret buzz, at least for me anyway.
I practice a song looking the whole time at the fret board, then I close my eyes and try to play it again. I do this over and over again, it helps. Heck even the best players in the world look at their fret boards at least once every song. A lot of times if you have a anchor point on the fret board and don't venture constantly up or down the fret board much it's a lot easier too.
I like to turn the lights off, and practice that way at night. The red, blue and green leds from various bits of equipment look pretty
I like all the suggestions but depending on how long you've been doing this it may not be as simple as looking away or turning out the lights, etc. (and even though it may not be that simple, there is of course also the possibility that it IS that simple in which case... you're done, problem solved!). If this is something you've been doing for years, once you turn the lights on, or remove the mirror etc., you may find you've quickly reverted to that habit without even knowing that you're doing it.
I'm trying to brain storm here (maybe give this a try if the other suggestions don't work)... I'm thinking maybe find some kind of easily removable sticker or covering and cover all of your fret inlays but also put them on the spots where there are no inlays. This will do two things...
1) It will render the visual aid of the fret inlays useless
2) When you look at your fret board you'll see something VERY out of the ordinary and that will serve as a visual reminder that you're looking at the fret board. Hopefully that visual cue will help interrupt that muscle memory that causes you to automatically look.
Cheers, Joe
I'm trying to brain storm here (maybe give this a try if the other suggestions don't work)... I'm thinking maybe find some kind of easily removable sticker or covering and cover all of your fret inlays but also put them on the spots where there are no inlays. This will do two things...
1) It will render the visual aid of the fret inlays useless
2) When you look at your fret board you'll see something VERY out of the ordinary and that will serve as a visual reminder that you're looking at the fret board. Hopefully that visual cue will help interrupt that muscle memory that causes you to automatically look.
Cheers, Joe
I like to turn the lights off, and practice that way at night. The red, blue and green leds from various bits of equipment look pretty
This fills me with fuzzy feelings like a hot cup o cocoa. It's been raining hard here in Norcal and I think killing the lights, hearing the rain fall, and playing to the glow of my EQ sliders is just what I need right about now.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Sight-reading is a great cure for looking at your left hand while playing. 
BTW, an occasional glance is fine.
BTW, an occasional glance is fine.
Well I have been making progress in this. I collected photos of beautiful basses and put them into my smugmug galleries. Now I watch the slideshow as I play. It holds my interest quite well. You can see it here:
Bass - robert's Photos
Thanks for the encouragement. Take care. Bob
Bass - robert's Photos
Thanks for the encouragement. Take care. Bob
