-
Last edited by christianm77; 10-09-2016 at 12:55 PM.
-
10-09-2016 12:52 PM
-
Interesting, thanks for posting!
-
There is no doubt that some people are just gifted. I am not one of them and I need to practice. A Lot!
-
Agreed. I am not one of them and I also have to work very hard to get just a little bit better. The crazy thing is, I keep flogging it, even when folks I play/study with move forward 27 leagues in the time it takes me to cover a half. But I need to play guitar. Crazy.
Originally Posted by artdecade
BTW, I totally agree with the notion of practicing with the guitar in my head; my teacher got me doing this and I get a lot of time in on the virtual instrument, figuring out voicings, arrangements, chord subs, etc. during downtimes, when cooking, while listening, etc. I think it is great practice to always be thinking about the instrument.Last edited by ah.clem; 10-11-2016 at 01:40 PM.
-
Everyone's different for sure. I have noticed though that there is such a thing as practicing the guitar too much for me. Originally Posted by ah.clem
Sometimes my playing is freer after a bit of a holiday....
On the other hand I have definitely noticed that there is also such a thing as not playing enough.:-)
-
Because of my hectic schedule and family duties I can't play nearly as much as I would like. When I haven't played regularly for awhile and then start back up again, sometimes I feel rusty and awkward. But sometimes I find I can actually play better or in a completely different direction than before.
This is a weird phenomenon I have observed in many areas of life, including foreign languages, sports (raquetball and golf for instance), even medical skills.
I can't explain it--while I think steady practice is important and is certainly the key to getting started and maintaining skills, interruptions sometimes are helpful in freeing the mind and allowing a fresh start.
I know Zappa for one said he never practiced in between tours or recording. He just started up playing. He wasn't a technical master, but his inventiveness was something to behold.
-
Have you read this article? Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Why the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight - The Bulletproof Musician
-
@Doc, I have also experienced that.
-
Me as well. I think that it is a very common need for artistic types to get away from their work for a while. When on a treadmill things can become very precious and it can be difficult to let them evolve.
Many years ago I had a professor for a 3 hour studio type of class. He came in at the beginning of the class and assigned a visual exercise on paper media that we had to complete before he returned at the end of the class. We did it and when he returned he used different dramatic techniques to ruin each of our works. Very powerful lesson about the preciousness of a work created from nothing. We were taught to objectively evaluate what we do periodically and not to be afraid of scrapping a concept.
-
I just read it--good food for thought. Originally Posted by christianm77
-
It seems if their work&life is all about music and playing and all that, then its realistic that in the idle time they spend thinking about that stuff a lot and get the skills improved like that. If its just a hobby or a mundane job even, this doesn't happen at all. I mean, whatever we're really interested in, gets its boosts while not actively doing it but if the interest doesn't last or gets "cut off" like "ok, 3 hours practicing done, time for doing something better now" is just um.. eh.. you know.. sad way of doing it
Like.. one time, for months I had this idea for writing an etude of a certain type. Din't do it, just had the nagging wish of how it would go and sound like, how it would be played like. Then one day I sat down and just wrote it down.. It took 2 very easy evenings and it was exactly what I'd been imagined. The easiest 2-3 pages of busy notes ever for me.
So I totally agree that you can play little, think a lot and get improved with the instrument. Just that it can't be pushed, it has to nag you.. the wish for good playing.
-
I listened to the recording and I think there is something quite deep about what Tal has to say. Ultimately, artistically, what matters is what you have to say, not the various technical boxes you can tick. My $0.02 ...
-
But technical abilities is necessary to be able to say what you have to say. A certain minimum practice time is needed to keep up muscular strength, stamina, agility and finger callouses. Originally Posted by Bill C
Freddie Green would not have been able to play like he did without a daily practice routine. His son has told that he carried a tennis ball with him all the time so he could do finger workouts even when not being with his guitar.
Dizzy Gillespie once left the trumpet at home when he went on a one week vacation with his wife. It turned out to be a bad idea on the first gig thereafter - he couldn't hit the high notes.
As with everything else, artistic work consists of 20% inspiration and 80% transpiration.
-
It's doing the technical practice required. Freddie played a guitar with strings like suspension bridge cables and an action of around 3.7 kilometers, so the tennis ball thing totally makes sense. Originally Posted by oldane
Trumpet is a very high maintenance instrument. Trumpeters are like racehorses, especially if they are into high notes. A couple of days and your lip goes.
In terms of Tal, well she plays a modern bass with lightish strings so the technical warm up side of it can easily be condensed down in 30 minutes if that. Also, she's not really a shredder at least not to my ears.
Most modern guitar players ought to be in the same boat.
If you are playing lots of gigs on top of that, should be sufficient. I know plenty of players who gig heavily and don't really practice. I know others who do... Just when you think you've found a general rule, there are always exceptions.
Myself, I like to warm up at least an hour before a gig. I like to spend a few hours a week learning tunes and so on, but a lot of this might be listening to recordings rather than actually playing.Last edited by christianm77; 10-14-2016 at 11:34 AM.
-
Ha, trumpet is one instrument you can't get away without playing every freaking day! I got so frustrated with it, I could hear the music, read fine, my fingers work fine, but... after about 10 min my lips are done, I can't play! Of course it doesn't help to start learning the instrument in a tender age of 40. I gave up for a sec. But I'm gonna get back to it, it's just such a great instrument!
Guitar, if I play many gigs there's no problem with just doing warm ups... But I'm still the same way as I was when 15 years old- I like to play it for fun, sometimes after a gig is done!
I can play all day, not necessarily jazz, I can jam along with Metallica or AC/DC, play over blues backing track, or soloing on easy GJ tunes for 1000th times... I'm not learning anything new, just enjoying playing what I already know, with somewhat guilt creeping in that I'm not spending more time learning new jazz related stuff. Self discipline is something that don't come naturally for me.
-
As a student, many years ago, I knew a piano student who used to sit in the library for four hours, just staring at, say, a Beethoven sonata. He'd do this every day for five days, without playing a note on a piano. Then he would go and play it perfectly from memory, no score in the room. And beautifully too. I couldn't do that. I need the tactile feel of the strings under my fingers. That's as much a memory thing for me, what I search for when I start to play. Something physical. I'm glad we are all different.
-
I don't like warming up on the gig if possible. I want to be straight out of the gate. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
I can get away without it. But then I read that Kurt and Pat warm up for 3 hours before every gig (!)
It does help. If I warm up properly and loosen everything up and get it nice and floating and relaxed, it really helps. It's easy to lock the f*ck up on gigs, become hyper tense.
-
Well there's a thing. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
I'm sure one could develop the capacity for that strong musical visualisation through practice.
You can also visualise the tactile elements of the instrument, as well.
Anyway this, and what Tal said, reminds me of this article:
Practice and Performance Goals | Hal GalperLast edited by christianm77; 10-14-2016 at 03:59 PM.
-
Well, that's exactly why I love warming up. To eliminate tensing up. Unfortunately, it's not always possible. It often ends up being just drinking a few beers before the gig. Originally Posted by christianm77
That's said, 3 hours seem too much? You need to save most energy for the actual show I'd think... Unless you play 3 hours earlier in the day, but not RIGHT BEFORE a gig.
-
I've read about "instrumentless practice". Of course, first you must have mastered your instrument, but one of its benefits is to avoid repetitive stress injury. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
-
True. Many pianists suffer from RSI. I often wonder what became of this pianist. Unfortunately I forget his name. He was a loner, and spoke to no one.
I used to get the bus between Edinburgh and Glasgow, about 70 minutes or so, to attend the Royal Scottish Academy, and very often would spend that hour looking at scores, but not for memory purposes. More likely to analyse the harmony, work out rhythms, etc. It helped a lot, and maybe did help with memory. But I still prefer to feel the instrument reacting to the music in my hands.
Reply With Quote
Seeking
Today, 03:50 PM in For Sale