While discussing playing and practicing one drummer once told me : "If you can't imagine it, you can't play it.".
This was a very good observation which I never really thought about as an aspect of playing performance/practicing.

To further go into it: the idea would be that when practicing if we find a lick we are having trouble nailing a fresh approach would be to stop for a moment and just try to play the lick in our mind. Can you do it? Basically, you should try to play the lick exactly as you would on the guitar but only in your head, imagining the playing. If you can play it in your head, that means that the problem with playing it on the guitar is most likely related to the technique. But, if you can't really imagine it and play it in your head, that means you are having problems with the lick itself, the timing of it, the notes etc. Essentially it means that you have not internalized it. We always prepare what we are going to say in our mind before we actually say it. Same thing can be applied to the guitar I would guess?

What is useful with this approach is that you can actually practice the guitar anywhere
Just try to imagine playing a specific solo or lick. Slow it down etc. Our mind can do wonderful things when we focus.
If you get the lick/solo going on in your head, it should be much more easier to perform it on the guitar then.
Essentially, our mind is the one doing the playing. Our fingers and technique are just the way to get the music out of our head.

What do you think about this approach?
Have you ever tried it?

Yet another great reason to listen to LOTS of different kinds of music.

A lot has been said on the power of visualisation, from sportsmen and women to performers in all aspects of life. To first create the possibility, or even the certainty, in the mind is to increase your chances of nailing it physically.

This is very real for guitar, I think "musicianship" is the key word here.

If a melody can't be grasped as a usable sentence (at least for me), the mechanics loose it gravity seriously, its THE moment when someone has no idea of what he's doing while playing guitar

Computers do help, like slowing it down-easy repetition for listening etc. but one has to find his nature accepting it to fit in his musicality.

I remember sometimes breaking them and using the parts and toy with them making variations., the usual divide and conquer!

I always do it, without any exception and the first way of getting it out there, is through my voice. I hear it, sing it and then play it

The certain way to nail anything on any instrument!

Excellent Bogdan!

This will help me a lot

Me too if I can't sing it, I'm not 100% on the actual notes in my head

It's amazing how accessible our voice is to us as musicians and it's also amazing how many people choose to ignore this absolutely amazing instrument.

I often hear the 'I don't have a good voice' - compared to what? Compared to Whitney Houston? I don't have a great voice either, in that case but hell man, I can use my voice and I can sing - but I can, because I trained my voice and there's one more crucial aspect: Your ears.

If you can hear something and replicate it with your voice, from that point on, it's just a matter of exercising. Just like with any other instrument.

How many of you guys sing or use their voices for making music in any way?

Great thread Bogdan! I don't remember when I started doing this, maybe many years ago when I read some articles by Steve Vai. It can sound weird for some students here but this approach is so powerful and effective. Start trying it and you will notice amazing results...

this video has been shared many times at the forum but this thread deserves it...

But one more time is never too much

I think that these videos, just like certain books, should be reviewed often - we humans tend to forget important things more often than we would like to admit..

That's true Cosmin, I have a series of weight lifting technique videos by Ben Pakulski and I try and watch the relevant exercises before the workout session I use them, so the technique, application and intention is in the front of my mind rather than floating in the back of it somewhere.

We should do similar things for our practice sessions

Definitely! Can you think on a guitar video that could have a similar effect in you like the Ben Pakulski's videos?

I generally like to watch guitar videos that encompass essential knowledge based on musical common sense, stating the important ideas that really matter if you want to become a real player, such as this one