Robin, I hope that you don't misinterpret what I'm saying about practicing technical stuff. I do agree that it is very important, just I don't think that once some technical accomplishment is made, making music and having fun with it seems like the next step. We all have to practice a lot(what was that, 10K hours?)to progress and maintain. I have been working a lot to recapture some amount of right hand skill myself. Seems like my hands used to work better, more freely, more free from aches and pains. So yea, I have to work to re-figure out how/ what to do. I sort of let my technic slide when I was working with Hartford, mainly because I was thinking more about what to play instead of how to play it. Not thinking about both. So once I woke up and realized I'd been acquiring bad habits, it was/has been really hard to unlearn them. No, I'm not blaming it on John. Just I stopped watching what I was doing.
Wendy Castillian On Mar 4, 9:51 am, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> wrote: > Fun - what's fun? > > Actually I think I may be giving the impression that I'm spending all my > time on technical exercises - I do quite a lot of them I agree, but they > don't take up that much time.. Also they can be done while half asleep after > lunch! I do agree that it's not the most creative thing, and when I really > learn something, it seems like it is a time when I'm not really expecting to > - in other words, I pick up the instrument just to play a little and > discover that I have an idea and then work on it till it comes out. > > That means that your comment, Steve, about just discovering stuff > accidentally is really the way I do it too - and possibly the only way - of > course if you are working on a particular tune then that is what you are > doing, but when noodling, I often discover that suddenly something I'm > playing reminds me of 'Careless Love' or something and then I start working > on that and that brings in other ideas... > > I guess also, with not much time to practice, I get the idea that I have to > keep up technique, or it'll go. Also, I have only just got any kind of a > handle on tremolo, which has meant many hours of irritating noise until it > got better, although actually the thing that made it get better, was a > better understanding of it due to listening not playing... > > Anyway, thanks for the responses.. something to think about as I head > through the windy Castillian plain! > Robin > > On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 3:39 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > I think you and I could learn something from each other, Robin. My > > biggest problem is my tendency to do FAR too much noodling without any kind > > of structure. All of my discoveries have been accidental and I think my > > improvement in terms of technique has been slowed because of the lack of > > focus. Lately I've been making a very concentrated effort to examine what > > I'm doing and account for shortcomings--even on things like grip, theory, > > movement of my fingers on the fretboard...just to bring things into focus. > > It sounds to me like you have that part of in spades...but just need some > > noodling, or the "looking for good sounds" Mike described. I think if we > > both tried to balance things out we'd be in the right....but hey, that's > > just my two cents. I haven't been at it long enough to offer too much > > helpful. > > Steve > > > -------------- Original message from mistertaterbug < > > [email protected]>: -------------- > > > > Robin, > > > After you play all those exercises...so many exercises, my God...after > > > you spend most of your time working on technical issues, do you have > > > any time left for FUN? I think your plan is imbalanced, though your > > > dedication is very admirable. I asked all the instructors at the > > > Symposium one year what they practiced, how they practiced, and why. > > > The best, IMHO, was from Evan Marshall. His is more or less balanced > > > in three areas. I don't remember the exact percentages, but he > > > basically told me that he spends about 1/3 of his time doing technical > > > exercises, about 1/3 maintaining the material he knows, and about 1/3 > > > learning new material. So, only 1/3 of his time is spent on exercises. > > > The other 2/3 is spent playing, but with a specific focus. One of the > > > things that his evil twin Mike Marshall said was that what he > > > practices doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what he has on > > > the set list. Radim Zenkl told me that one of the things he does is > > > spend time "looking for the good sounds". That sounds like Radim. Don > > > Stiernberg told me that the things he practices that are in exercise > > > form are what he called "mindless" things that he could play watching > > > television because in his way of looking at it, they're just meant to > > > teach coordination skills between the right and left hand and for > > > nothing else. Dawg said, in true Dawg fashion, that he plays whatever > > > he wants. > > > > So, really, I think you've come up with this regimen because you feel > > > you need to practice scales. A lot of people do. I practice them > > > sometimes. But mainly what I practice is new material and the > > > technical challenges that come with each one such as how to play > > > slides that sound like fiddle turns or which voicings to use or what > > > key, etc. Are all the tortures you put yourself through paying off? I > > > mean musically, of course.... > > > Specula-tater > > > > On Mar 1, 4:03 pm, Robin Gravina 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. 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