fid kid said: I heard a bluegrass guy say once that the way to get good on banjo was to be out of work for six months.
I reckon another way is to have a broken heart. Pick up your instrument instead of the phone, or sending an email or doing a silly drive by of the ex's house.
Ha! I'll admit my blues playing got a whole lot better when I went through a divorce. But truthfully, the answer is simple: If you want to get really good, get obsessed.
Pick it up first thing in the morning. Play it before going to sleep. Take it to work and play on your lunch break. Listen to music all the time. Play music with (and learn from) musicians who play better than you.
Having heartache might give you inspiration, unemployment gives you time to practice, but nothing beats showing up to play every day.
I've found my greatest strides have come after periods of not playing all that much. During these times I'm listening to music & I am paying attention to the little details which I might not be putting into the music. I find recording myself & working on those details that I'm not happy with works wonders too. There's many factions of obsession.
Snakefingers has got it in one. obsess. Practice, listen, think, every waking moment. Mind you, I wrote some great country songs the year my wife left me, the dog died, the car got stolen and some B ASTARD pinched my Michael Coleman CD!
It's very easy to become good on your instrument. It's enough to be very talented, dedicated and structured, and devote most of your time to practicing and performing for an extended period of time since an early age. Works every time.
Another way is to be avoiding something else.....like painting the fence, cleaning out the garage, doggy doo scooping. I get very obsessive in my fiddle practice when there's something else pressing I REALLY don't want to do!
Another simple way to get really good is to practice leaping from a shallow puddle, and gradually increasing the depth of the hole till you can jump from chest deep water onto dry ground. Wait. Crap, that’s for kung-fu. Sorry.
I started playing the mandolin whilst at university, 'studying' electronics and music. The time I made for myself, by avoiding writing lab reports and essays and practising piano, gave me plenty of opportunity to sit on my halls-of-residence bed playing jigs and reels. Of course, once I'd dropped out, I didn't have anything to avoid anymore. Perhaps, if I'd stuck out my course to the end, I'd be a better player. Still, the workshop I am now avoiding building in my house is working wonders to improve my fiddle playing.
Having Noisy Neighbours:
a few months i ago was living in a cheap bedsit with thin walls.
on one side of me was a guy who played the guitar and sang soft rock songs REALLY LOUD.
On the other side was a keyboardist who enjoyed playing god awful jazz solos REALLY LOUD.
they inspired me to play Banjo constantly in an effort to drown them out.
DubChieftain - ha! I bought a practice mute after I discovered that my neighbours didn't enjoy listening to me play fiddle at 7:30 every morning. I now practice at that time, with the mute, in the bedroom, which is on the west side of the unit, adjacent to the deaf neighbours. It's sufficiently far from the east neighbours, and I assume they can't hear me. The floor is insulated, so the downstairs neighbours should be ok. As for the upstairs neighbours - well, after what they put me through at, no lie, 3:30 every single morning (moving furniture? bowling? I'm pretty sure it's not sex. If it's sex, they're doing it wrong)...well, I've half a mind to play loudly and out of tune outside their door every day.
Topic: yes, obsession is key.
-TD&M, who hasn't touched a fiddle in a few hours and is starting to twitch
I have been getting better at harmonica lately than any other instrument I play--the reason is that I have a long commute on mostly empty roads, and the harmonica is the only instrument I can play one-handed. So instead of struggling to squeeze in practice time, I have plenty of dead time to fill with practice.
I also use commuting time to sing songs I know to make sure I still remember the words. This is especially important as St Patrick's Day grows near, and the time comes to sing all those old chestnuts that you don't sing much during the rest of the year.
I broke my leg - best thing that ever happened to me. Months bedbound going ffffffff, ffffffff, into a flute when suddenly it went 'toot'. Highly recommend a carefully judged accident to improve playing.
Ways to get good at your instrument
Ways to get good at your instrument
This is an off shoot of another thread.
fid kid said: I heard a bluegrass guy say once that the way to get good on banjo was to be out of work for six months.
I reckon another way is to have a broken heart. Pick up your instrument instead of the phone, or sending an email or doing a silly drive by of the ex's house.
Other ways?
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by TheCurvyFiddle
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Ha! I'll admit my blues playing got a whole lot better when I went through a divorce. But truthfully, the answer is simple: If you want to get really good, get obsessed.
Pick it up first thing in the morning. Play it before going to sleep. Take it to work and play on your lunch break. Listen to music all the time. Play music with (and learn from) musicians who play better than you.
Having heartache might give you inspiration, unemployment gives you time to practice, but nothing beats showing up to play every day.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by Snakefingers
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
I've found my greatest strides have come after periods of not playing all that much. During these times I'm listening to music & I am paying attention to the little details which I might not be putting into the music. I find recording myself & working on those details that I'm not happy with works wonders too. There's many factions of obsession.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by Mad Baloney
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Snakefingers has got it in one. obsess. Practice, listen, think, every waking moment. Mind you, I wrote some great country songs the year my wife left me, the dog died, the car got stolen and some B ASTARD pinched my Michael Coleman CD!
Mmmm, maybe that's why she left?
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by woops
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Yep. Because gosh, it was the dog, the car and the Michael Coleman CD that she married you for!
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by TheCurvyFiddle
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
It's very easy to become good on your instrument. It's enough to be very talented, dedicated and structured, and devote most of your time to practicing and performing for an extended period of time since an early age. Works every time.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by EastPole
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Another way is to be avoiding something else.....like painting the fence, cleaning out the garage, doggy doo scooping. I get very obsessive in my fiddle practice when there's something else pressing I REALLY don't want to do!
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by TheCurvyFiddle
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
obsession with music, however, has gotten me repetitive strain injury.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by Kheelch
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
ive given up watching telly.
i think this has helped.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by DubChieftain
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
I've also found that turning the volume down on the television and practicing during football games is helpful.
Herself:
1. Hates football so she stays out of the room minimizing chit-chat and honey-dos,
2. Tolerates my accordion because at least it's not a twentysomething blonde and she knows where I am at.
3. Gives her a good excuse to go shopping or take long walks with her dog.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by zippydw
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Another simple way to get really good is to practice leaping from a shallow puddle, and gradually increasing the depth of the hole till you can jump from chest deep water onto dry ground. Wait. Crap, that’s for kung-fu. Sorry.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by fidkid
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
"Another way is to be avoiding something else..."
I started playing the mandolin whilst at university, 'studying' electronics and music. The time I made for myself, by avoiding writing lab reports and essays and practising piano, gave me plenty of opportunity to sit on my halls-of-residence bed playing jigs and reels. Of course, once I'd dropped out, I didn't have anything to avoid anymore. Perhaps, if I'd stuck out my course to the end, I'd be a better player. Still, the workshop I am now avoiding building in my house is working wonders to improve my fiddle playing.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by granama
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Play it in the bath.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by nicholas
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Spend less time reading and posting on the Mustard Board and more time practising. But I just can't help taking a "quick" look every now and then
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by bowburner
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
another way to get better:
Having Noisy Neighbours:
a few months i ago was living in a cheap bedsit with thin walls.
on one side of me was a guy who played the guitar and sang soft rock songs REALLY LOUD.
On the other side was a keyboardist who enjoyed playing god awful jazz solos REALLY LOUD.
they inspired me to play Banjo constantly in an effort to drown them out.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by DubChieftain
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
this is in turn, inspired the girl upstairs to bang her foot against the floor REALLY LOUD
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by DubChieftain
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
Did she bang in the Quebecois style or single footed?
Ok, back to practisng again....
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by bowburner
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
DubChieftain - ha! I bought a practice mute after I discovered that my neighbours didn't enjoy listening to me play fiddle at 7:30 every morning. I now practice at that time, with the mute, in the bedroom, which is on the west side of the unit, adjacent to the deaf neighbours. It's sufficiently far from the east neighbours, and I assume they can't hear me. The floor is insulated, so the downstairs neighbours should be ok. As for the upstairs neighbours - well, after what they put me through at, no lie, 3:30 every single morning (moving furniture? bowling? I'm pretty sure it's not sex. If it's sex, they're doing it wrong)...well, I've half a mind to play loudly and out of tune outside their door every day.
Topic: yes, obsession is key.
-TD&M, who hasn't touched a fiddle in a few hours and is starting to twitch
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
I have been getting better at harmonica lately than any other instrument I play--the reason is that I have a long commute on mostly empty roads, and the harmonica is the only instrument I can play one-handed. So instead of struggling to squeeze in practice time, I have plenty of dead time to fill with practice.
I also use commuting time to sing songs I know to make sure I still remember the words. This is especially important as St Patrick's Day grows near, and the time comes to sing all those old chestnuts that you don't sing much during the rest of the year.
# Posted on January 22nd 2007 by AlBrown
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
tall dark and mysterious
Normally, I would not disrespect this wonderful forum by posting jokes.
BUT. here is one that applies to your situation. As a box player...it is of course aimed at accordion afficionados.
Q: My spouse has threatened to move out due to my practice schedule. I usually play from 3:00 to 5:30 AM. How can I save my marriage?
A: You can't. You really should be practicing for longer than that. We would suggest starting earlier, perhaps about 1:00 AM
# Posted on January 23rd 2007 by zippydw
Re: Ways to get good at your instrument
I broke my leg - best thing that ever happened to me. Months bedbound going ffffffff, ffffffff, into a flute when suddenly it went 'toot'. Highly recommend a carefully judged accident to improve playing.
# Posted on January 23rd 2007 by jeandegingins