Personal Experience Programming New Muscle Memory for Guitar Players

In this video I discuss the three phase of programming muscle memory and share my own personal experience developing a new movement, the steps I went through, and the frustrating process it took in doing so. I would encourage anyone who wants to go through this process to stick to it. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

The 3 steps in developing muscle memory:
1. Cognitive (your head is in it). Doing a motion while thinking about what it is you're doing and forcing yourself to do that motion. This is the most frustrating and you're not making much progress. Analogous to a car trying to climb an icy hill and it's constantly sliding back to the bottom.
2. Associative where you can associate this new movement with success. The car finds dry pavement and gains traction and you're able to feel, see, and hear progress.
3. Autonomous (your head is out of it). Movement becomes natural and you don't have to think about it. It becomes completely integrated in all parts of your playing - sitting down, standing up, jamming, performing on stage, etc.

Major steps:
1. Self awareness. Recognition there is something you want to change and then identifying what it is you want to change. Find a role model and watch that person (a lot).
2. Identify a single movement you want to develop and practice that motion in front of a mirror. This is part of the "Cognitive". Try using new motion in a song and in different modes of play (sitting, standing, jamming, performing).
3. You start to feel success (Associative) and want to practice and play more.
4. You no longer have to think about it. It's completely integrated (Autonomous)