Technique practice

[Bobby Timmons]

When I'm practicing technique, be it my 5 finger patterns, trills, or riffs intended to focus on technique, my fingers feel retarded like they're hardwired in some irregular mangled posture, the rest of my body feels tense, and I have anxiety controlling my mind and I can't ever fully relax and focus. Wtf?

[pamosmusic]

Worth an edit to find another way to describe how your fingers feel.

[Bobby Timmons]

It's hard to control them precisely but not only that, it feels like their natural state is this writhed, crooked posture, rather than just symmetrical.

[pamosmusic]

Great so maybe edit your post and put that description in there instead of what you have in there now.

[Bobby Timmons]

Figured I'd leave both since it's hard to describe. 2 goofy explanations is more effective than 1.

I'm goin Pebber Brown and gonna start doing consistent hardcore technique practice. I never understood how important technique was until I joined the forum. It was Reg talking about technical skills and I had a duh moment.

[Mick-7]

Same issue, isn't it, Jimmy? (relaxed playing)

Donna Lee fingering for speed

[Bobby Timmons]

No, I can relax while playing. At this point it's building control of my fingers, which requires effort and some tension. They don't want to friggin act normally. My right hand isn't bad but is still latently re. My left hand is the worst so I'm working on it. A lot of it I think is caused from bass being my 1st instrument. It has those claw asymmetrical fingerings developed and wired in. Like my ring finger is completely retarded from being skipped in the lower positions, thumb is retarded from not being used, pinky is retarded cuz it's the pinky, and pointer is kind of slow from not executing rhythms as much. So I'm like wtf, the whole hand is retarded? I'm putting the kibosh down and gonna work technique every day. Peter from Open Studio said piano technique can be divided between speed, power, control, and dexterity.

[Mick-7]

I see... sometimes it's necessary to reinvent one's playing technique.

I knew a guy who played cello in the San Francisco symphony. He injured his left hand and so could no longer play much of his classical repertoire. To rehabilitate his hand and learn different playing techniques, he stopped playing classical music and began playing jazz. Took a while, but eventually he was able to develop the facility to play difficult classical pieces again, but with a playing style that was radically different than his former one. Sometimes we are only given two choices: adapt or quit.

[Bobby Timmons]

Yes, I'm definately reinventing my playing technique. I didn't even understand technique was an important facet of being able to play well until I joined the forum. 2 decades into being a musician lol. So I have to play catch up. I'd be thinking why can't I play these blues riffs? 'Hmm.. I know the theory, it must be my ear. No, my ear's fine too, I can hear and conceptualize how it should sound. Ohh.. it's technique!'