Many guitar cover problems start before your hands fail. The riff may be masked by vocals, bass, synths, or a dense master, so you cannot clearly hear what you are trying to play. Repeating the whole song will not solve that listening problem. A better first move is to make the guitar easier to hear, then loop only the few seconds where the riff enters.
Choose one buried riff, not the whole song
Pick one 4-8 second moment where the guitar disappears. A verse, full solo, or entire chorus is too wide for a ten-minute session. Ask whether the riff is hidden behind the vocal, blurred by the bass, or confusing because the first note arrives earlier than expected. That small diagnosis tells you what to listen for.
Build a practice mix instead of a listening mix
Use Jium part mixing to lower the vocal or other competing parts and bring the guitar forward enough to study it. This is not about making the prettiest mix. It is about creating a working balance where your ear can identify the notes, rhythm, and entry point of the riff.
Loop the seconds before and after the riff
Do not cut the loop exactly at the first note. Include one or two seconds before the riff, the four to six seconds of the riff itself, and the next beat or chord change. That short window teaches your hand when to prepare, when to enter, and how to recover into the following section.
Use score and recording as checks
Listen first, then open the score or tab only when you need to confirm a position or rhythm. In a logged-in Jium session, record one quick take and listen back immediately. You are not judging whether the cover is finished; you are checking whether the first note, rhythm, and transition are clearer than they were ten minutes ago.