Anyone have thoughts on this? Its above my paygrade.
Some of the thoughts, but not all: Use a metronome, Got to get into a groove, Sing with playing, Flow. Its how you play it, not what your play.
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Ken
Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 08/11/2026 14:32:38
If you can make your instrument “sing” like a human voice with all its dynamics, nuanced phrasing, and sliding notes you’re “there”. Chet Atkins often mouthed the lyrics to his song instrumentals,, Glenn Gould , like Oscar P, would vocalise and grunt.
Edited by - chuckv97 on 08/11/2026 15:35:13
I try to think it as I play sometimes--a lot of times the phrasing on mine is built in as I wanted the expression --sometimes when I know it like the back of my hand--i quit giving the beat and timing any attention at all and start looking more for clarity and dynamics --I do catch things that way
Ah yes.... "eventually" and "you will be able to.... ." 
I play clawhammer dance tunes and I am so connected to "words" from my folk guitar background that I make up words for fiddle tunes, trying to get the title of the tune as soon as possible into the wording so when someone calls out "Jaybird" I am thing thinking in my head "Jaybird, Jaybird, yells and screams...." And of course keeping the beat is paramount with fiddle tunes. But in songs and usually solo I bend timing much more freely to suit the banjo and myself. FWIIW .banjered.
It's been my observation that accomplished musicians can play their instrument, and, at the same time, think or do something else. Their unconscious mind plays, and their conscious mind thinks. I think that "flow" is associated with the unconscious part. Thinking of the syllables of the lyrics at the time they would be sung seems like a good exercise to begin to learn that multitasking skill.
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