Originally Posted by: maggior

One last thing...don't worry about exact replication of strumming patterns, rhythmic phrasing, sometimes even note selection. If you strive for exact replication, you will be paralyzed and make little progress. You want to be close and capture the overall idea for sure. For example, if you decide to play "Hard to Handle" for somebody, don't beat yourself up if you miss some of the funky rhythm or slop up a few notes in the solo. You don't want to be sloppy...but you don't need to parrot the original recording either. If you watch some players, you'll find that even they don't always replicate their own original recording exactly. So cut yourself some slack there :).

This is some great advice !