Learning curve
When you learn songs you expect you get better with every repetition, don't you?
I've noticed that sometimes my performance get worse and worse. Have you noticed anything like that?
Also - sometimes I notice that when playing becomes almost automatic, and then I start to think - "how did I just done that?", that will break automation and I cannot play it at all.
Also - the song which I havent' played for a while, say few weeks - it's like I have to relearn it again.
Harmonica takes heaps of time and effort to practice, and then I don't see even smallest progress, it frustrates me.
When you say your performance gets worse, possibly it sounds that way to you because you are expecting close to perfection or having zero mistakes? Don't be too hard on yourself. If it truly is worse - go back and practice those bad areas slowly and try again. You will get better with hours behind you - keep that harmonica in your mouth! As to playing a song that you haven't played in awhile and forgetting it or having to relearn - that happens to me as well. (I've been playing about 2 1/2 years.) I don't have a good answer for this. The other day I had to take out sheet music and play several verses very slowly over and over so that I could remember how it was supposed to sound. And yet, this was a song I could belt out a few months ago from memory. Don't worry about that either - If you have the time go over your favorite songs at least once a week to keep them fresh in your mind. Good luck to you - Don't give up!
I have the same problems and I try to fight them by following the next two rules:
- At any cost, I try to avoid mistakes, because if I play something wrong repeatedly, I learn it wrong. In bad days, when I am less concentrated and make more mistakes, I slow down excercises to the point I can play them just fine. In even worse days I rather don't practice at all, but it happens very rarely, about once a month.
- I noticed that when I can play something too easily, my concentration goes down and I start to make mistake. To avoid that, I quickly switch between something I know very well and something what is more difficult, or I speed up excercises I can play easily in notated tempo.
I think what you are experiencing happens to all or most of us. Its two steps forward one step back. Some days are better than others. Enjoy your practice is my moto. As you say it takes practice but I look back at where I started and I can’t believe the progress. Its a very incremental process.
Good Luck