Mine will be to learn all of the tunes in Comhaltas Books 1&2. I have a good few from Book 1 and some from Book 2 but I want to get them all so I can play in the session properly.
Yes indeed, this is my plug to exhort everyone to give some consideration to trying out yoga in 2006. I tried out yoga about four years ago in an effort to fight the enveloping lethargy and depressiveness of the dark dog days of winter, which here in Chicago can be cold, mean and brutal. I never expected to stick with it like I have. Yoga is hands-down one of the best things I’ve done for myself in my life and I’d be pleased if I got even a few people here to give it a whirl for themselves.
You see, yoga is for everybody: tall or short, fat or thin, male or female or androgynous, cool or totally un-hip, young or old, in shape or out of shape, etc. But I especially recommend yoga for musicians, and double-especially for whistle/flute players. Through yoga I have gained a level of strength, focus and breath support that has tremendously improved my flute playing. Moreover, as paradoxical as it may sound, I’ve come to believe that one the greatest factors to consider in improving your playing is to give some consideration to what you’re doing when you’re *not* playing or otherwise involved with the music.
So what is yoga all about? Well, I’d say sign up for a class and find out for yourself. Here’s a couple things to keep in mind in looking for a yoga class. First, be sure to sign up for an introductory class geared specifically toward raw beginners. Yoga is not really hard, but it could be frustrating if you’re all the sudden thrown in with a group where the teacher already expects people to know some of the basic poses and lingo.
Second, sign up for a Hatha Yoga class. There are many different types of yoga out there, and I have nothing against the other types. But all the various types of yoga have evolved out of hatha yoga and thus for a beginner I’d say take a hatha yoga class and later on, if you like, try out other varieties.
Third, be mindful that the experience you have--whether good or bad--will depend considerably on your teacher. I was lucky in that in my intro class teacher was really experienced, down to earth, patient, had a sense of humor, and enjoyed teaching beginners. See if you have any friends or acquaintances who do yoga and find out who they’d recommend; or at least look over the teacher’s bio and see what they’ve been doing.
Finally, stick with it for at least two or three months before you decide whether it’s for you. At the beginning, chances are that it will at times feel weird, awkward, painful, and infuriating. However, that’s to be expected. Over time and through steady practice resistance—both physical and mental—will lessen and the benefits of yoga will slowly but surely manifest themselves.
So that’s it. There’s my plug. Now go to it. And happy new year!
My New Year's Resolutions:
My New Year's Resolutions:
1. Learn to play bowed triplets d-u-d and u-d-u with equal facility. Right now I’m mostly a d-u-d.
2. Learn all the tunes on the first three pages of members>tunebook that I don’t know. There’s more than a few of them.
3. Be more forgiving of hijackers, impersonators, excitable flamers and name-changers.
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by fidkid
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
1. Not to make any resolutions . . .
Damn!
KFG
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by KFG
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
To play my instrument/s every day and learn some new tunes. Simple!
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by Aberandy
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
To spend an hour a day on the fiddle, an hour on the box and an hour on the pipes. (stop drinking, working and having the odd fag aswell).
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by tlittlewazzock
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
My resolution is to start smoking.
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by Phantom Button
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
Mine will be to learn all of the tunes in Comhaltas Books 1&2. I have a good few from Book 1 and some from Book 2 but I want to get them all so I can play in the session properly.
# Posted on December 27th 2005 by 52Paddy
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
To practice more and otherwise to houl' my whisht.
# Posted on December 28th 2005 by Innocent Bystander
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
to stop eating chocolate!
# Posted on December 28th 2005 by fiddlejen
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
Why stop eating chocolate? I've heard it's surprisingly good for you.
# Posted on December 28th 2005 by fidkid
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
Another resolution: be a better enabler.
# Posted on December 28th 2005 by fidkid
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
To practice more.
To be able to sit through a session of an eve and accompany (Fairly) profficiently on the geetar. lovely
to go out a lot more.
to be more adventurous
to be FAR more organised
to save some money for the first time in my life.
to waste less time
to become more educated
# Posted on December 28th 2005 by mikethebow
Re: My New Year's Resolutions:
Practice nightly.
# Posted on December 30th 2005 by dirk
Need a New Years Resolution? Consider trying Yoga
Yes indeed, this is my plug to exhort everyone to give some consideration to trying out yoga in 2006. I tried out yoga about four years ago in an effort to fight the enveloping lethargy and depressiveness of the dark dog days of winter, which here in Chicago can be cold, mean and brutal. I never expected to stick with it like I have. Yoga is hands-down one of the best things I’ve done for myself in my life and I’d be pleased if I got even a few people here to give it a whirl for themselves.
You see, yoga is for everybody: tall or short, fat or thin, male or female or androgynous, cool or totally un-hip, young or old, in shape or out of shape, etc. But I especially recommend yoga for musicians, and double-especially for whistle/flute players. Through yoga I have gained a level of strength, focus and breath support that has tremendously improved my flute playing. Moreover, as paradoxical as it may sound, I’ve come to believe that one the greatest factors to consider in improving your playing is to give some consideration to what you’re doing when you’re *not* playing or otherwise involved with the music.
So what is yoga all about? Well, I’d say sign up for a class and find out for yourself. Here’s a couple things to keep in mind in looking for a yoga class. First, be sure to sign up for an introductory class geared specifically toward raw beginners. Yoga is not really hard, but it could be frustrating if you’re all the sudden thrown in with a group where the teacher already expects people to know some of the basic poses and lingo.
Second, sign up for a Hatha Yoga class. There are many different types of yoga out there, and I have nothing against the other types. But all the various types of yoga have evolved out of hatha yoga and thus for a beginner I’d say take a hatha yoga class and later on, if you like, try out other varieties.
Third, be mindful that the experience you have--whether good or bad--will depend considerably on your teacher. I was lucky in that in my intro class teacher was really experienced, down to earth, patient, had a sense of humor, and enjoyed teaching beginners. See if you have any friends or acquaintances who do yoga and find out who they’d recommend; or at least look over the teacher’s bio and see what they’ve been doing.
Finally, stick with it for at least two or three months before you decide whether it’s for you. At the beginning, chances are that it will at times feel weird, awkward, painful, and infuriating. However, that’s to be expected. Over time and through steady practice resistance—both physical and mental—will lessen and the benefits of yoga will slowly but surely manifest themselves.
So that’s it. There’s my plug. Now go to it. And happy new year!
# Posted on December 31st 2005 by Brendan