Playing scales in note order from the root may be great for technique but will have almost no use for making "musical" music.
Here's a scale practice technique that I have found very useful for making up musical sounding lines on the fly. That technique is to practice scales in intervals; specifically thirds which sound very musical to my ears. so instead of playing your C scale like this: C D E F G A B C and back down play it like this: C E D F E G F A G B A C and back down Try it you'll see what I mean...you can then take little snippets of that and make up some nice little lines. You can also play the scale in fourths; a little futuristic sounding; think of that "D" section of "Scrooge" (did Monroe mean that to sound like Christmas future?) There's some other great ways to practice scales like starting on different notes beside the root; in modes etc... "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine is chock full of good ideas; not just for jazzers Perry On Mar 4, 5:32 pm, Nelson <[email protected]> wrote: > I have to admit that I don't get the chance to practice nearly > enough. When I do get the mandolin out, the time flies by. > > I do some stuff that I would call technique work/studies, I suppose, > but I make it up. I'll play scales, then play them in different > phrases, working up or down, seeing how fast I can go and throw in > some closed runs to get my pinky where it should be. > > Most of my practice time is spent working on tunes. To me, that is > where there is the most opportunity to learn. They allow me the > opportunity to see how melodies are constructed and basically just > become acquainted with the vast vocabulary of bluegrass/old time > mandolin. I like to take a book of old-time melodies and try to play > the melody while adding harmony within the chord position. > > The rest of my practice time is spent noodling, which I could do for > hours on end. During this time, I pay alot of attention to seeing > what sounds good. I'll take something I already play and move the > position I play it in or vary it to using no open strings, just play > around and explore the neck a bit. > > On Mar 4, 4:17 pm, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> wrote: > > > No not at all - Any comments from a goodhearted person are good, and I'm the > > kind of person who can get too focussed on minutae. I just know that for me, > > playing very little, I need to get my tone and coordination up by doing > > exercises before I can even make the mandolin sound like anything that I'd > > like to use to express myself. Also, as you know, I need to get some basic > > techniques down before I can even think about expressing myself. Actually > > I'm getting there with that according to my very kind band members, and that > > is all being creative - I made myself not practice solos and just try and > > hit them, but without the technique there would be no way.... > > > I guess it's all a balancing act, and as with everything in life, the > > pleasure comes with doing the thing you want to do, and doesn't always come > > from where you expect it. > > > Time for some football and beer! > > R > > > On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 9:27 PM, mistertaterbug > > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > 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 > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. 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