Robin, that 10,000 hours thing is beginning to seem like an urban legend, I heard the same idea about 2 months ago and worked out that if I worked 4 hours a day then I would be ? old by the time I made it, but then, I will be that old anyway unless the alternative that you can't say no to comes first. ha
It did cause me to lift my game a bit and it did pay off, seriously, for me a least. Your practice routine sounds very methodical and there are useful idears there. linda On Mar 2, 9:03 am, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Taterfolks > > I just read an article in our Sunday press about how some researcher has > figured out that talent needs 10.000 hours of practice time: they talked > about the Beatles and about Bill Gates, and how doing the thing they loved > for that enormous time got them to where they could start being original and > successful - ie the Beatles playing live for 8 hours a day in Hamburg, and > Gates programming for even more hours on a loaned computer. > > Anyway, to the point, at present speed I have 2000 weeks until I get there, > which means that at age 89 I will be ready to take the world into a new era > of mandolin music. I'd rather get there quicker, and I thought I'd like to > know what everyone does as regards practice in order to make the most of > their time: I don't get a lot of that stuff- as well as a wannabe musician I > am a full time worker and commuter, husband, father, cook, mechanic and dog > owner and I figure there are those amongst us in a similar position, as well > as people who can dedicate lots of hours,and as those who make a living from > music. > > So, here's my practice scheme at the moment: would love for others to say > what they do > > Weekend - between an hour and two each day: all with metronome > > working on tone: > > 1. right hand exercises (do using only downstrokes, then doing down-up, do > at different places on the string) > -play single strings 1 per beat, 2 per beat, 3 per beat, 4 per beat > -play GD GA GE GA GD.. DA DE DG DE DA and so on > -do rolls like GDA GDA GA GDE GDE GE GAE GAE GE and so on > > 2- do some LH exercises - off the Mike Marshall dvd - on any string and then > across the strings. up down and downstrokes. 2345432 2346432 2356532 2456542 > and so on (this is like one of those logic tests) > > 3. do some aonzo scales, but separate the scales each time by a semitone, > then a tone, then three frets... > > 4. work on tremolo - set the metronome lowish (for me that would be 84 and > work up to 96 or 102) and work on 4 time, three time in its various rythmic > forms, tremolo - open strings, single strings, sliding double stops. Think > about pick angle, arm position, listen to the different sounds, play some > tremolo tunes, listen to Monroe, feel that I am not getting anywhere. > > 5. work on my taterhomework tunes and things I need to learn for our band > > 6. play what I feel like > > 7. If I get some time, work on a new tune, like the TOW monroe ones from the > Comando list > > If I get time midweek, I tend not to warm up, but to just try to play > something without metronome and as I feel like. Also late at nights I stick > tunes I am working on into the windows media player, put it on super slow > and annotate the sheet music with the phrases, and accents. It seems to go > in while I'm sleeping and often I find that it goes through my head during > the day so that I find I play it better when I pick up the mandolin again. > If I get actual playing time midweek, then I do stuff like working for 20 > mins on sliding doublestops, or counting tremolo beats > > Also, every couple of weeks we have band practice, and I always try to > incorporate what I am working on- usually realise that practicing on your > own is different from playing with people, and that what I can do in the > greenhouse is not ready for practical use. > > Ok, enough information - don't want to be a bore, but I do think that great > attention to detail is important here. More ideas please! > Best > Robin > > . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
