I have a million tunes to learn, and I just can't seem to find the time to learn them, what would be your tip for the fastest way to learn a new tune! Thanks!
There are fast ways, but fast ways are not good. You can't really learn tunes well that way. You need to learn tunes the best way, so you will play them well and you will be much better off.
Narrow your focus to a few tunes. Do this one at a time. LIsten to the tune over and over (either on a recording, which is the easiest and most accessible) or with another musician playing it for you (which is a bit harder to arrange.)
Sing it back, out loud. Sing along with the recording; sing it walking your dog, taking out the trash, brushing your teeth; all the time listening to it in your car, during lunch, etc.
Then take out your instrument and find the notes. The tune must be in your head and in your ear before you can begin to learn it well. Then play it over and over.
You can't do this with millions of tunes; only a small number. But you will play that small number well, and you can then begin to add more, one tune at a time. Good luck to you.
PS- to add to my above post- the exact opposite way to learn tunes is to print out the music notation into a looseleaf binder, bring it to a session that will allow this, prop the binder on your knee, find the tune in the book if you happen to hear the title, and struggle playing along with the others. If you do this at home, you will play every tune in the book from beginnng to end- but you will be playing the notes in a very sterile fashion. It's like eating fast food; no nutrients are left.
This is one of those questions that's going to start a big storm. As a positive suggestion I'd try putting the tunes you're learning into sets rather than learning each one in isolation.
Do you play at sessions? A lot of these tunes you're learning might soon be forgotten if you don't play them pretty regularly. That's what's happened to me anyway, but I still keep learning stuff that I like just for fun.
A can't read music so I learn everything by ear - it gets easier with more practice. A lot of people I know learn from the dots - but they wouldn't sit in a session with their nose in a script book. Oh... You can also slow down MP3's with Windows Media Player, then gradually increase the speed as you get more familiar.
For what it's worth - To add to the benefits of playing the new tune over and over:
I obtain a recording, preferably a solo instrumental, of the tune.
Then I run it on my CD walkman, over and over and over, driving, on the job, whatever.
And I lilt it over and over and over.
In short, I just burn it into my brain till I am hearing it in my sleep.
About this point in the learning process, I will usually encounter it at a session or party, and find that I have been working on the wrong version for my needs.
I did that once- I learned a very obscure version of Geese in The Bog; called it at a session; started the tune and brought everything to a crashing halt.
What i do to learn a new tune is draw out the 4 lines E- A- D- G and then write the tune in numbers .0 on the A string then 5 on the Dstring and so on until ive got the whole tune down and then i draw a line down from the Estring to the G STRING in between each of the numbers .This helps the brain pick out the next note much quicker .So you get to play the tune faster and i then find im up to speed a lot sooner on the tune Des
If you play with other people, try having them teach you tunes that they play - in person - by ear. The more you do that, the better you will get at it. And eventually, you will develop your brain into a state where you can learn tunes by listening at sessions, and you'll be playing tunes that you didn't know you had learned...
But the other thing I would mention is to not feel threatened or inferior because of the number of tunes you don't know. You'll never know them all. You should worry about playing the ones you *do* know well, rather than worrying about the tunes you don't know.
My method is grab the mandolin when you first wake up in the morning (the fiddle's more difficult when lying down!). Ignore the protests from anyone who might be in the vicinity - this is far more important. Force, absolutely FORCE your brain to remember the most recent tune that you are learning. Don't get up until you've captured it. This might require a certain amount of noodling. That's it - once you've got it, it's there permanently.
Des, there are a number of reasons why your method is not great in the long run. You should be using your ears as the primary source.
You should be training yourself to hear notes and intervals and your fingers go to where they are on your instrument because your brain makes the direct connection. You are learning visual paterns that merely represent the sound. It's an extra step that is redundent.
What do you do if someone plays a part a little different to you? What do you do if someone plays the tune in a different key?
If you can't seem to find the time, nobody can help you to learn.
My advice is this: decide what you want to do with your life; you only get one shot at it. If you think other things preferable to music, well that's OK. The more time you spend on music, the less time you will have to do other things. And vice versa.
Dear Dialed
You're young [obviously]. You should have all the time in the world to learn tunes and fiddle -- if you don't now, or don't know how to MAKE the time [less TV, less soccer, less online chatrooms, less computer time, stop going to Church, etc], you surely will not have the time when you are an adult because time is finite, and to get some you simply have to make choices NOT to do other things no matter how much you might like to do them...in other words, this isn't a music question, it's a life question. You need time management skills, not music learning advice.
I see you're from Ontario. Now, we all know that unless you live in Toronto, there is simply nothing going on in the rest of Ontario. It's a big blank. Especially Markdale! ;)
Dialed4Life, I'm afraid if you paste here you need to learn how to duck.
If you haven't grasped the gist of the comments above, I think they boil down to don't try and learn everything now. If you don't already frequent one, find a session with people who aren't too jealous of your youth. Listen to what they play. Learn a tune by listening to it, maybe record it so you can listen more. Utilise the advice above to learn it by ear. Then learn another tune.
I cant Agree more with - Greg the Piano Tuner,,,
When I was young -[ couple of years ago - lol. ]
I tried to learn 6- reels or jigs etc a week --
Now if I can remember even 2 of those I'd be Happy,,
An old guy said to me then -- If you can lilt or Whistle
the tune right - then you start to learn it -- '' If its in your
head - you'll be able to play the tune '' -
Dear Dialed
I'm having you on a bit there...but I still contend you should have all the time in the world to learn tunes if you live in Markdale!
learn only the ones you *particularly* like that your mates play [hence going to a session/tune circle]. You can't go wrong that way. You'll learn tunes faster and retain them better if you really, really, really like them. As opposed to ones you only learn out of "duty'. Which sometimes happens.
also, move away from Markdale as soon as feasible.
Here's what works for me:
Play with people who know the tunes as much as possible. Listen (don't noodle) if you don't know the tune.
Record said people playing said tunes.
Put the files on your iPod or whatever you plug into and listen until you can lilt them. (See above)
Pick up your fiddle or whatever every chance you get and play what's in your head.
Repeat as necessary.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how fast your repertoire grows.
I'm hoping this will be helpful to someone that can truly sympathize....
I've played violin (was playing fiddle tunes for a while, but some would still argue it was violin) for over 21 years... started at 9 and I'm 30 now. IF you're still young, your brain can still make some hardwire connections that will be easier than doing this as an adult set in your ways already.
Anyway, I'm trying very hard to learn to play this music without relying on reading the dots all the time. Very difficult, especially if you live a lifestyle, have families, etc. that don't offer you as many opportunities to practice uninterrupted for any length of time. My biggest hurdle is mental in this respect: I can play anything with music (and it sounds decent, don't listen to all those who say people that use "dots" suck completely). To memorize one song could take me up to 6 motnhs or a year. That can be frustrating. I say be happy if you can internalize one song. That is an accomplishment, and don't let anyone make you feel small because it takes you longer.
1,000,000 tunes!
If there are that many (duplication?) I still think you have to start with that great Zen state of mind. Find a session(s) . . . listen . . . take your time . . . enjoy the tunes . . . get to know your mates.
Cheers!
I don't know how fast this is, but my method is to learn one phrase at a time. Whether from written music or a recording, I learn a phrase by memory and then work on that phrase until I can play it at will, without having to consult anything to remind me how it goes. Then I go on to the next phrase. Repeat as needed until the tune is learned.
To keep this from being a boring or tedious process, when I learn a phrase, I go on to other tunes I know well, and then come back to the phrase. After an hour or so of doing this, I've had fun playing tunes, whilst drilling myself on playing the new phrase (or phrases as one phrase builds on the one before it).
Get creative - throw the phrase in as part of a set of tunes, or even use it as a lead-in to a similar tune. Try different ornaments as you learn the phrase so that you are not playing by rote, especially if you are learning from written music.
A really, really good tip is to learn reels as a hornpipe. The rhythm of hornpipes is more pronounced and they are played more slowly than reels (usually), so while you are playing the tune slowly, you retain the feel of the tune better than a reel played slowly. IMO, when reels are slowed down, they lose much of what made me wan to learn them in the first place. Playing them as hornpipes makes the process of learning the tune slowly more fun, and when you have the tune down, switching gears to reel time feels very exhilarating.
I have a life outside of Celtic (sorry to confess my sins in public). I don't have time to learn just by listening. I can read sheet music so I break things down this way.
1. Look at tune and confirm tune type (jig, reel etc). That helps determine tempo.
2. Read through the tune focusing only on the rhythm, humming or "tuh"ing one note throughought. Get the "feel" for the timing. Do that a few times.
3. Read through again, this time holding your instrument and hand finger the notes as you read along. No playing, just hand fingering and again reinforcing the tempo "tuh"ing one note throughout.
4. Now play it through slowly to reinforce a) the tempo and b) the notes. Repeat until you get a comfortable pace going.
5. Now play say, 2-4 measures or a logical phrase. Stop and try to do that again without looking at the sheet music. Repeat a few times. Do that with next phrase/set of measures. Now tie them all together. Ta dah! Another tune mastered.
Repeat the tune regularly (at least daily) for a good while (months) to ensure it's hardwired. I'm keeping a master list of tunes I've learned and go through that list daily whenever possible to reinforce things. I have the first three notes of the tune documented as a memory jogger.... after that I'm normally able to run with it.
Enjoy the learning journey, that's half the fun of doing all of this. If you're stressing over it, then what's the point?
"Repeat the tune regularly (at least daily) for a good while (months) to ensure it's hardwired"
That's comparable to me wanting to visit you up North, but then traveling there by boat via the Kamchatka Peninsula. If you start by listening to the tune, it's already hardwired
I'm just thinking that this website permanently archives your opinions, and you might change your mind someday. Then what if you run for president of your Comhaltas chapter or something and someone digs up these posts and suddenly they're all over the Northwest's ITM tabloids?
Ailin ... Oh horror of horrors, please don't, please please don't play reels like hornpipes. Please please pretty please I beg you. Don't do it.
Carol ...
I'm confused as to how you mark time. You say it takes you months to learn a tune, even if you play it daily? I just can't believe you don't realise that your system is hopelessly failing you.
You say you don't have time to learn by just listening, and yet you have time to repeat tunes daily? You're daft.
Please please try what a lot of people above have suggested. Listen to a tune, listen again. Listen until you know it back to front in your head. Do this without touching your instrument. Listen until you can sing the tune, until you know it. Then you can play it. I absolutely guarantee you'll be playing quicker and better than your current method.
Yes indeed; life is too short to stress over how to learn music
To the following news I can only exclaim, "Fascinating!"
step 1 ~ tune type helps determine tempo . . .
step 4 ~ Now play it through slowly to reinforce a) the tempo
Bless you Michael. This shows how slow witted I am.
At 1st I could not suss why you said to young Ms. Whitaker,
"I'm confused as to how you mark time." I finally realized the obvious.
Carol, rhythm & tempo are sometimes used interchangeably. They are different aspects of timing. More important though, Michael's response to your post, "Please please try what a lot of people above have suggested. Listen to a tune, listen again. . . " It is excellent advice. So much so that it may be helpful in other genres.
airport, I shudder to ask. Are ITM tabloids for real? I mean there are no photos on the session.org What sort of demented person would read a tabloid with only words? Especially my words.
Cheers!
My technique for learning tunes on whistle and flute is to bash away
painfully at the fiddle. Then when the tunes are rattling around in my
head, I can learn them the Llig way on the whistle and flute - effortlessly.
The thing is, if you check out the older tunes , learn them, then you build upon this foundation , this is how the repertoire itself was constructed.
Something Dow said about tunes reflecting and paying homage to other older tunes struck a chord wit me as I have recently been learning a bunch of tunes that all have reflecting motives, and structure. They are all old, I mean some were classed as very old 200yrs ago , Highland pipe tunes Such as
Tullochurum,
The reel of Tulloch ,
Moneymusk,
Cripple Malcolm in the glenn,
The black haired lad,
The red haired girl of Tulloch.
These tunes are built up out of simple phrases that are repeated in an almost predictable way . They almost play them selves .
Hmmm... , perhaps they were written by the same person?
Anyhow, Some great little tunes all very easy to learn because they have simple memorable phrases that are positioned in obvious places. I can ABC and upload any of these tunes if requested.
Restrain the inclination to complicate these tunes at least at first, their beauty is in their simplicity and can lose effect and momentum through baroque additions and flourishes.
some tunes are "sticky" some aren't.
If you can remember bits of a tune the next day, get it all learnt.
If you can't remember any of it, it will take longer, so work out if it is worth it.
It sounds more like a personal discipline/time management issue. Not being critical, just an observation.
You have to look at your schedule if you have sooo much going on and find regular times. And don't waste the in between times. The big ones are the commutes. If you are driving- stick a CD of your current project in player (you can isolate one tune on itunes and burn it. Slow it down in audacity if you like). Or if you ride public transportions, everyone listens to an Ipod od CD player.
I expanded my day and now get up "with the chickens" as some freinds say. Quiet so you can focus. Some here told me also to play a bit in the evening (they had kids so they said something about doing it when the kids shuffled off to study or go to bed in the evening)
If you want to learn, you will find the time.
Technique
1. play the tune over and over and over and over until you can't stand it anymore. Then play it again.
2. sing it. if you don't have the tune so you can sing it, you will never play it. If you drive/commute, no one can hear you no matter how crummy your voice is.
3. I sit down and try to write out the spots. I have train commute of 25 minutes. So I write out one phrase one day and the second the next. Then check it against a good recording and a couple of versions of spots like those here, Foinn Sessiun, or O'Neills. (They are all different generally btw so it is a great way of seeing how the tune is developed and how variations/ornament can be added once you have it)
4. Then make it the focus of your practice. One phrase at a time. Slow. This part actually gets quicker once you get efficient at it.
5. I hope this doesn't sound like heresy, but don't play it in a session until you have it at 85%. session players can be tolerant. once. But don't kill your credibility by getting a reputation of 'practicing' at a session.
Carol--- I like your idea of jogging your memory by writing the first few notes down of a song. As someone who has relied overly much on the dots, from former years and years of training to that taboo subject of my short term memory loss, I find that when learning a tune, even if I can eventually "sing" it in my head or aloud, that first note or so trips me up.
I still say, though listening is preferred, to do what works best for you. Although one system might work for the majority, there are those few people who don't fit the mold and might have to find a method that works for them.
I think sometimes, as either beginner musicians, or experience musicians switching genres and style, it's easy for the really experienced muscians here to think their advice is the best way. More times than not, it probably is, for most people. I find I have to listen, consult the dots, sing in my head and memorize. My brain doesn't always cooperate if a tune isn't stored in long term. Memorization is sometimes the key for me. It's a taboo word, but if it gets the job done, and no one knows how you learned the tune, 9/10 they don't know the difference in how that tune was learned. I say, take the advice above, but with a grain of salt. Take what works from the advice, but don't use it always as the Bible. I find that it creates a lot of pressure to live up to a standard or others' expectations, and that can take the fun out of the process altogether.
Speaking of learning tunes.... I'm still looking for some people to play with... not necessarily a session (I'm not ready for that), but someone to work with on tunes and my issues with the dots, etc. Anyone around Central Pennsylvania interested in taking on the challenge of a classically trained violinist hopelessly in love with Irish and Scottish music? This relearning how to play my instrument stuff isn't easy alone.
Llig.... I've been reading these discussions for a number of months now..... I'm guessing your life revolves 100% around nothing but Celtic stuff and fiddling, and you've got all the time in the world to sit and listen. I'm happy for you. But for many of us out here, that's not the case. I have a full time job. I have family/community responsibilities outside of work. I have to respect my other family members/friends and limit when I can listen/play/practice. For me it's great fun.... for them, it's nice for a while, but gets old/irritating... that takes away potential opportunities to play/practice/learn. Celtic is not my life's priority, it's a hobby, among others, so that takes away more time. I have a few CDs and listen to them in the car, but they're expensive. I don't have an iPod or other source of portable music, so where can I find free, quick/easy-to-access sources of well played whistle music? Listening to YouTube is OK but it doesn't let me target a particular tune I want to learn. So, sheet music is another alternative. I can have it by my side and grab a few minutes here/there and keep working on adding another tune to my library. Bottom line..... I'm learning tunes, and I'm darn proud of how many I've been able to learn given everything else I'm doing. I bet there are many of us out there in similar circumstances taking incremental steps at moving forward with this genre..... good for us! High five! Well done! Go for it! We don't have to stick to a purist approach to learn/play to enjoy this stuff..... give us a break!
I work, I have two small children. I hardly ever get my fiddle out in the house, no time. I toot my whistle while watching the kids in the bath. I play once, occasionally twice, a week down the pub with my mates. And I learn tunes by listening to them.
Don't be such a bloody martyr.
Come on, give it a go. Try learning a tune, one off one of your CDs, by just listening too it. Open your ears.
Carol, Don't take llig too much to heart, his bark is worse than his bite. If sheet music is one tool you use to learn, that is fine, as long as it is not the ONLY tool.
Enjoy!
I'm being facetious you eedjit. There's no such thing as knowing a tune 100%. You can never ever know all there is to a tune. That's one of the reasons this thread annoys me. People bleating on about how to learn tunes, when not having the sense to know that you can never really learn a tune.
Tunes are like people. You meet them, get introduced, friend of a friend etc. You make an effort to appreciate first impressions. If you like them and they like you, they may well become friends. Or even best of friends. You can get to know them very well. But even your best fiends can surprise you.
zippy no offense but the figure of speech, "play the tune until you cannot stand it." is one I find odd.
I play music for fun. When I am learning tunes, & this may just be me, the more I play them (*play* being the key word) the more I enjoy them.
Al, Carol; once again no offense but listening & using your ears is not a beast of burden. Listening 1st is the most immediate way to get a tune (sound vs. visual) into one's head. It seems difficult because over time sight reading becomes second nature. I do know this because I learned to sight read at a relatively young age. When I 1st started into Irish music I used sheet music because I could. I find no fault with anyone who is able to read.
However, the best thing about the tunes is that anyone can learn them from listening. If you must read music please do not stop because of anyone on the forum. Though I still recommend listening to each new tune (primary source) before looking at the sheet music (secondary source).
Carol the fact that you are a sight reader is grand. Hopefully you will become come to curious with this questions, "My ears are usefully for wearing hats . . . but can they help me in some other way?
Cheers!
If you have trouble picking up tunes by ear, then resorting to sheet music will never get you anywhere near being even a half decent player of this music. That's not opinion, it's plain fact. And I'll tell you why:
The amount of information contained in the sheet music is a pitiful percentage of what the music is. All it is is the order of some of the main notes. And the order of the main notes is the easiest bits of a tune to pick up by ear. The rest, the articulation, the rhythm, the phrasing etc, is harder to pic up. So if you can't get the order of the main notes with just your ears, what chance have you with the rest of it?
Albrown..... thanks! Llig's just not a realist. Yes, listening is a critical part to the learning, but it's not the only way to learn. He winds me up with his purist mantra!
I agree with llig, but I'll make a further point. When you've learnt how to listen and to learn a tune by ear, then, and only then, will you get any benefit from learning a tune from the dots on the rare occasion when there is no other source for learning the tune - like when a 200-year old tune surfaces for the first time in a newly discovered manuscript.
When you've really learned to listen then you'll be in a position to assimilate the style and apply it to that 200-year old tune, and then you'll be spending the few weeks/months making friends with it (in llig's wonderful metaphor) until it's your own.
There seems to be a belief that to play in session it is imminent to learn the most # of tunes in the shortest time.
The Red Queen spoke of a country where, "it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place."
I am not convinced the queen can enjoy a good session. & while I recognize the efforts of tune collectors, thank you very much,
I quite enjoy hearing & playing.
For the rest of you ~ If it's sight reading you want then you deserve to have some.
"Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop”
Perhaps a poor choice of words. I was being a bit flip because, especially in the context of the thread, our freind is looking for a process.
Granted with more experience, the learning comes more quickly so the reps needed to burn things in are fewer. However, my comment was aimed at someone embarking on using a process. And, earlier on, a person will listen to something over and over and over and over.
Ilig makes an excellent point. Spots only reflect a small portion of what a tune is about-which is why its important to get the skill of learning by ear. But that's why people call them 'the bones'
They are a communication device at a very basic level. But it would be impossible to use them to reflect the myriad of variations, expression done in the playing of the tunes.
Cheers, Zippy! Thanks for following through. No, worries.
Those poor choices of words are just a part of these wonderful internet ramblings we all seem to be pecking away at.
The (guilty) reason I enjoy sharing the dots, & abcs, bones, full scores, tunebooks . . . & all with people (strangers included) . . . is to load them up. Hopefully, with enough weight on their music stand it will finally collapse.
At which point (sheets all across the floor) there is no choice but to play.
It's fun that way. Trust your ears! In the mean time ~ sure, I''ll give you all the sheet music you ask for. Frankly, I think giving someone what they ask for is the best way to get their attention. The local curmudgeons are grand though. Someone should be there to tell us we don't know what we are on about.
Llig, I do both. I listen when ever I get the chance and read.... and by doing both, I'm learning tunes faster. Each works off the other and each brings value to the end result. Not a martyr... just stating the fact that it's harder to access good quality whistle playing to listen to so that's done less.....
Carol, you missed the vital point of what I'm trying to say:
The order of the main notes - the bit in the dots - is the easiest bits of a tune to pick up by ear. The rest, the articulation, the rhythm, the phrasing etc, - the stuff not in the dots - is harder to pic up. So if you can't get the order of the main notes with just your ears, what chance have you with the rest of it?
I think you have your priorities all wrong. Stop being in such a rush. Learning tunes fast is not going to help you to learn the music. Slow down. Surely, learning the music is what we should be doing.
Come on now, give it a go. Learn a tune with your ear alone. What have you got to lose? Other than it might slow you down a bit.
As someon who came to the music many years after giving up classical violin, there are two keys for me. Okay, three. A good teacher, a comfortable session, and listening. I work full time and have three small kids. So I listen in the car, at work, while doing housework, while in the garden. Sometimes a CD, sometimes a Care FM Trad podcast, most often my $10 mp3 player. I have a playlist that I am currently working on, no more that 5 tunes; a review playlist, of songs I've learned but don't want to lose, and a wishlist of songs that I love and hope to tackle someday. I switch between them depending on my mood. When I have the chance to actually get out my fiddle, I am often suprised at what I already know, even on songs I haven't officially tackled yet.
Most of all, I enjoy my stolen moments. When you feel that most of your energy goes to others' needs, it is like a soul masssage to give yourself that little gift.
Tips for learning tunes
Tips for learning tunes
I have a million tunes to learn, and I just can't seem to find the time to learn them, what would be your tip for the fastest way to learn a new tune! Thanks!
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Dialed4Life
Re: Tips for learning tunes
You're asking the wrong question.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by David Levine
Re: Tips for learning tunes
There are fast ways, but fast ways are not good. You can't really learn tunes well that way. You need to learn tunes the best way, so you will play them well and you will be much better off.
Narrow your focus to a few tunes. Do this one at a time. LIsten to the tune over and over (either on a recording, which is the easiest and most accessible) or with another musician playing it for you (which is a bit harder to arrange.)
Sing it back, out loud. Sing along with the recording; sing it walking your dog, taking out the trash, brushing your teeth; all the time listening to it in your car, during lunch, etc.
Then take out your instrument and find the notes. The tune must be in your head and in your ear before you can begin to learn it well. Then play it over and over.
You can't do this with millions of tunes; only a small number. But you will play that small number well, and you can then begin to add more, one tune at a time. Good luck to you.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Tips for learning tunes
PS- to add to my above post- the exact opposite way to learn tunes is to print out the music notation into a looseleaf binder, bring it to a session that will allow this, prop the binder on your knee, find the tune in the book if you happen to hear the title, and struggle playing along with the others. If you do this at home, you will play every tune in the book from beginnng to end- but you will be playing the notes in a very sterile fashion. It's like eating fast food; no nutrients are left.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Tips for learning tunes
This is one of those questions that's going to start a big storm. As a positive suggestion I'd try putting the tunes you're learning into sets rather than learning each one in isolation.
Do you play at sessions? A lot of these tunes you're learning might soon be forgotten if you don't play them pretty regularly. That's what's happened to me anyway, but I still keep learning stuff that I like just for fun.
A can't read music so I learn everything by ear - it gets easier with more practice. A lot of people I know learn from the dots - but they wouldn't sit in a session with their nose in a script book. Oh... You can also slow down MP3's with Windows Media Player, then gradually increase the speed as you get more familiar.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by d0tter
Re: Tips for learning tunes
For what it's worth - To add to the benefits of playing the new tune over and over:
I obtain a recording, preferably a solo instrumental, of the tune.
Then I run it on my CD walkman, over and over and over, driving, on the job, whatever.
And I lilt it over and over and over.
In short, I just burn it into my brain till I am hearing it in my sleep.
About this point in the learning process, I will usually encounter it at a session or party, and find that I have been working on the wrong version for my needs.
Good luck.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Piece
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I did that once- I learned a very obscure version of Geese in The Bog; called it at a session; started the tune and brought everything to a crashing halt.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Tips for learning tunes
What i do to learn a new tune is draw out the 4 lines E- A- D- G and then write the tune in numbers .0 on the A string then 5 on the Dstring and so on until ive got the whole tune down and then i draw a line down from the Estring to the G STRING in between each of the numbers .This helps the brain pick out the next note much quicker .So you get to play the tune faster and i then find im up to speed a lot sooner on the tune Des
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by DES RYNNE
Re: Tips for learning tunes
If you play with other people, try having them teach you tunes that they play - in person - by ear. The more you do that, the better you will get at it. And eventually, you will develop your brain into a state where you can learn tunes by listening at sessions, and you'll be playing tunes that you didn't know you had learned...
But the other thing I would mention is to not feel threatened or inferior because of the number of tunes you don't know. You'll never know them all. You should worry about playing the ones you *do* know well, rather than worrying about the tunes you don't know.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Reverend
Re: Tips for learning tunes
My method is grab the mandolin when you first wake up in the morning (the fiddle's more difficult when lying down!). Ignore the protests from anyone who might be in the vicinity - this is far more important. Force, absolutely FORCE your brain to remember the most recent tune that you are learning. Don't get up until you've captured it. This might require a certain amount of noodling. That's it - once you've got it, it's there permanently.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by RichardB
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I don't understand why you wait for me to wake up in the morning before grabbing the mandolin?
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by GaryAMartin
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Des, there are a number of reasons why your method is not great in the long run. You should be using your ears as the primary source.
You should be training yourself to hear notes and intervals and your fingers go to where they are on your instrument because your brain makes the direct connection. You are learning visual paterns that merely represent the sound. It's an extra step that is redundent.
What do you do if someone plays a part a little different to you? What do you do if someone plays the tune in a different key?
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
If you can't seem to find the time, nobody can help you to learn.
My advice is this: decide what you want to do with your life; you only get one shot at it. If you think other things preferable to music, well that's OK. The more time you spend on music, the less time you will have to do other things. And vice versa.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by gam
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Dear Dialed
You're young [obviously]. You should have all the time in the world to learn tunes and fiddle -- if you don't now, or don't know how to MAKE the time [less TV, less soccer, less online chatrooms, less computer time, stop going to Church, etc], you surely will not have the time when you are an adult because time is finite, and to get some you simply have to make choices NOT to do other things no matter how much you might like to do them...in other words, this isn't a music question, it's a life question. You need time management skills, not music learning advice.
I see you're from Ontario. Now, we all know that unless you live in Toronto, there is simply nothing going on in the rest of Ontario. It's a big blank. Especially Markdale! ;)
...what's the issue?
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by skin&bow
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Dialed4Life, I'm afraid if you paste here you need to learn how to duck.
If you haven't grasped the gist of the comments above, I think they boil down to don't try and learn everything now. If you don't already frequent one, find a session with people who aren't too jealous of your youth. Listen to what they play. Learn a tune by listening to it, maybe record it so you can listen more. Utilise the advice above to learn it by ear. Then learn another tune.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by greg sheils
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I cant Agree more with - Greg the Piano Tuner,,,
When I was young -[ couple of years ago - lol. ]
I tried to learn 6- reels or jigs etc a week --
Now if I can remember even 2 of those I'd be Happy,,
An old guy said to me then -- If you can lilt or Whistle
the tune right - then you start to learn it -- '' If its in your
head - you'll be able to play the tune '' -
HE WAS RIGHT ---- jim,,,,
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by FIDDLE4
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Dear Dialed
I'm having you on a bit there...but I still contend you should have all the time in the world to learn tunes if you live in Markdale!
learn only the ones you *particularly* like that your mates play [hence going to a session/tune circle]. You can't go wrong that way. You'll learn tunes faster and retain them better if you really, really, really like them. As opposed to ones you only learn out of "duty'. Which sometimes happens.
also, move away from Markdale as soon as feasible.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by skin&bow
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Here's what works for me:
Play with people who know the tunes as much as possible. Listen (don't noodle) if you don't know the tune.
Record said people playing said tunes.
Put the files on your iPod or whatever you plug into and listen until you can lilt them. (See above)
Pick up your fiddle or whatever every chance you get and play what's in your head.
Repeat as necessary.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how fast your repertoire grows.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Michele Sims
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I'm hoping this will be helpful to someone that can truly sympathize....
I've played violin (was playing fiddle tunes for a while, but some would still argue it was violin) for over 21 years... started at 9 and I'm 30 now. IF you're still young, your brain can still make some hardwire connections that will be easier than doing this as an adult set in your ways already.
Anyway, I'm trying very hard to learn to play this music without relying on reading the dots all the time. Very difficult, especially if you live a lifestyle, have families, etc. that don't offer you as many opportunities to practice uninterrupted for any length of time. My biggest hurdle is mental in this respect: I can play anything with music (and it sounds decent, don't listen to all those who say people that use "dots" suck completely). To memorize one song could take me up to 6 motnhs or a year. That can be frustrating. I say be happy if you can internalize one song. That is an accomplishment, and don't let anyone make you feel small because it takes you longer.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Tips for learning tunes
1,000,000 tunes!
If there are that many (duplication?) I still think you have to start with that great Zen state of mind. Find a session(s) . . . listen . . . take your time . . . enjoy the tunes . . . get to know your mates.
Cheers!
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I don't know how fast this is, but my method is to learn one phrase at a time. Whether from written music or a recording, I learn a phrase by memory and then work on that phrase until I can play it at will, without having to consult anything to remind me how it goes. Then I go on to the next phrase. Repeat as needed until the tune is learned.
To keep this from being a boring or tedious process, when I learn a phrase, I go on to other tunes I know well, and then come back to the phrase. After an hour or so of doing this, I've had fun playing tunes, whilst drilling myself on playing the new phrase (or phrases as one phrase builds on the one before it).
Get creative - throw the phrase in as part of a set of tunes, or even use it as a lead-in to a similar tune. Try different ornaments as you learn the phrase so that you are not playing by rote, especially if you are learning from written music.
A really, really good tip is to learn reels as a hornpipe. The rhythm of hornpipes is more pronounced and they are played more slowly than reels (usually), so while you are playing the tune slowly, you retain the feel of the tune better than a reel played slowly. IMO, when reels are slowed down, they lose much of what made me wan to learn them in the first place. Playing them as hornpipes makes the process of learning the tune slowly more fun, and when you have the tune down, switching gears to reel time feels very exhilarating.
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by Ailin
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I have a life outside of Celtic (sorry to confess my sins in public). I don't have time to learn just by listening. I can read sheet music so I break things down this way.
1. Look at tune and confirm tune type (jig, reel etc). That helps determine tempo.
2. Read through the tune focusing only on the rhythm, humming or "tuh"ing one note throughought. Get the "feel" for the timing. Do that a few times.
3. Read through again, this time holding your instrument and hand finger the notes as you read along. No playing, just hand fingering and again reinforcing the tempo "tuh"ing one note throughout.
4. Now play it through slowly to reinforce a) the tempo and b) the notes. Repeat until you get a comfortable pace going.
5. Now play say, 2-4 measures or a logical phrase. Stop and try to do that again without looking at the sheet music. Repeat a few times. Do that with next phrase/set of measures. Now tie them all together. Ta dah! Another tune mastered.
Repeat the tune regularly (at least daily) for a good while (months) to ensure it's hardwired. I'm keeping a master list of tunes I've learned and go through that list daily whenever possible to reinforce things. I have the first three notes of the tune documented as a memory jogger.... after that I'm normally able to run with it.
Enjoy the learning journey, that's half the fun of doing all of this. If you're stressing over it, then what's the point?
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by CW
Re: Tips for learning tunes
"Repeat the tune regularly (at least daily) for a good while (months) to ensure it's hardwired"
That's comparable to me wanting to visit you up North, but then traveling there by boat via the Kamchatka Peninsula. If you start by listening to the tune, it's already hardwired
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by airport
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I'm just thinking that this website permanently archives your opinions, and you might change your mind someday. Then what if you run for president of your Comhaltas chapter or something and someone digs up these posts and suddenly they're all over the Northwest's ITM tabloids?
# Posted on June 25th 2009 by airport
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Ailin ... Oh horror of horrors, please don't, please please don't play reels like hornpipes. Please please pretty please I beg you. Don't do it.
Carol ...
I'm confused as to how you mark time. You say it takes you months to learn a tune, even if you play it daily? I just can't believe you don't realise that your system is hopelessly failing you.
You say you don't have time to learn by just listening, and yet you have time to repeat tunes daily? You're daft.
Please please try what a lot of people above have suggested. Listen to a tune, listen again. Listen until you know it back to front in your head. Do this without touching your instrument. Listen until you can sing the tune, until you know it. Then you can play it. I absolutely guarantee you'll be playing quicker and better than your current method.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Yes indeed; life is too short to stress over how to learn music
To the following news I can only exclaim, "Fascinating!"
step 1 ~ tune type helps determine tempo . . .
step 4 ~ Now play it through slowly to reinforce a) the tempo
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
(I was going to pic up on those, but I was trying to be nice)
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
and you are doing very well
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Some seem to think that memorizing the notes means you've learned the tune. Time's a-wasting, must learn as many tunes as humanly possible!
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by kennedy
Re: Tips for learning tunes
...as fast as humanly possible...
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by kennedy
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Bless you Michael. This shows how slow witted I am.
At 1st I could not suss why you said to young Ms. Whitaker,
"I'm confused as to how you mark time." I finally realized the obvious.
Carol, rhythm & tempo are sometimes used interchangeably. They are different aspects of timing. More important though, Michael's response to your post, "Please please try what a lot of people above have suggested. Listen to a tune, listen again. . . " It is excellent advice. So much so that it may be helpful in other genres.
airport, I shudder to ask. Are ITM tabloids for real? I mean there are no photos on the session.org What sort of demented person would read a tabloid with only words? Especially my words.
Cheers!
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
My technique for learning tunes on whistle and flute is to bash away
painfully at the fiddle. Then when the tunes are rattling around in my
head, I can learn them the Llig way on the whistle and flute - effortlessly.
Sigh.
I _am_ improving on fiddle though.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Hup
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I agree greg.
The thing is, if you check out the older tunes , learn them, then you build upon this foundation , this is how the repertoire itself was constructed.
Something Dow said about tunes reflecting and paying homage to other older tunes struck a chord wit me as I have recently been learning a bunch of tunes that all have reflecting motives, and structure. They are all old, I mean some were classed as very old 200yrs ago , Highland pipe tunes Such as
Tullochurum,
The reel of Tulloch ,
Moneymusk,
Cripple Malcolm in the glenn,
The black haired lad,
The red haired girl of Tulloch.
These tunes are built up out of simple phrases that are repeated in an almost predictable way . They almost play them selves .
Hmmm... , perhaps they were written by the same person?
Anyhow, Some great little tunes all very easy to learn because they have simple memorable phrases that are positioned in obvious places. I can ABC and upload any of these tunes if requested.
Restrain the inclination to complicate these tunes at least at first, their beauty is in their simplicity and can lose effect and momentum through baroque additions and flourishes.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by piobagusfidil
Re: Tips for learning tunes
some tunes are "sticky" some aren't.
If you can remember bits of a tune the next day, get it all learnt.
If you can't remember any of it, it will take longer, so work out if it is worth it.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by geoffwright
Re: Tips for learning tunes
It sounds more like a personal discipline/time management issue. Not being critical, just an observation.
You have to look at your schedule if you have sooo much going on and find regular times. And don't waste the in between times. The big ones are the commutes. If you are driving- stick a CD of your current project in player (you can isolate one tune on itunes and burn it. Slow it down in audacity if you like). Or if you ride public transportions, everyone listens to an Ipod od CD player.
I expanded my day and now get up "with the chickens" as some freinds say. Quiet so you can focus. Some here told me also to play a bit in the evening (they had kids so they said something about doing it when the kids shuffled off to study or go to bed in the evening)
If you want to learn, you will find the time.
Technique
1. play the tune over and over and over and over until you can't stand it anymore. Then play it again.
2. sing it. if you don't have the tune so you can sing it, you will never play it. If you drive/commute, no one can hear you no matter how crummy your voice is.
3. I sit down and try to write out the spots. I have train commute of 25 minutes. So I write out one phrase one day and the second the next. Then check it against a good recording and a couple of versions of spots like those here, Foinn Sessiun, or O'Neills. (They are all different generally btw so it is a great way of seeing how the tune is developed and how variations/ornament can be added once you have it)
4. Then make it the focus of your practice. One phrase at a time. Slow. This part actually gets quicker once you get efficient at it.
5. I hope this doesn't sound like heresy, but don't play it in a session until you have it at 85%. session players can be tolerant. once. But don't kill your credibility by getting a reputation of 'practicing' at a session.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by zippydw
Re: Tips for learning tunes
5. Bloody heretic. Don't play it in a session until you have it at 110%
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Carol--- I like your idea of jogging your memory by writing the first few notes down of a song. As someone who has relied overly much on the dots, from former years and years of training to that taboo subject of my short term memory loss, I find that when learning a tune, even if I can eventually "sing" it in my head or aloud, that first note or so trips me up.
I still say, though listening is preferred, to do what works best for you. Although one system might work for the majority, there are those few people who don't fit the mold and might have to find a method that works for them.
I think sometimes, as either beginner musicians, or experience musicians switching genres and style, it's easy for the really experienced muscians here to think their advice is the best way. More times than not, it probably is, for most people. I find I have to listen, consult the dots, sing in my head and memorize. My brain doesn't always cooperate if a tune isn't stored in long term. Memorization is sometimes the key for me. It's a taboo word, but if it gets the job done, and no one knows how you learned the tune, 9/10 they don't know the difference in how that tune was learned. I say, take the advice above, but with a grain of salt. Take what works from the advice, but don't use it always as the Bible. I find that it creates a lot of pressure to live up to a standard or others' expectations, and that can take the fun out of the process altogether.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Speaking of learning tunes.... I'm still looking for some people to play with... not necessarily a session (I'm not ready for that), but someone to work with on tunes and my issues with the dots, etc. Anyone around Central Pennsylvania interested in taking on the challenge of a classically trained violinist hopelessly in love with Irish and Scottish music? This relearning how to play my instrument stuff isn't easy alone.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Llig.... I've been reading these discussions for a number of months now..... I'm guessing your life revolves 100% around nothing but Celtic stuff and fiddling, and you've got all the time in the world to sit and listen. I'm happy for you. But for many of us out here, that's not the case. I have a full time job. I have family/community responsibilities outside of work. I have to respect my other family members/friends and limit when I can listen/play/practice. For me it's great fun.... for them, it's nice for a while, but gets old/irritating... that takes away potential opportunities to play/practice/learn. Celtic is not my life's priority, it's a hobby, among others, so that takes away more time. I have a few CDs and listen to them in the car, but they're expensive. I don't have an iPod or other source of portable music, so where can I find free, quick/easy-to-access sources of well played whistle music? Listening to YouTube is OK but it doesn't let me target a particular tune I want to learn. So, sheet music is another alternative. I can have it by my side and grab a few minutes here/there and keep working on adding another tune to my library. Bottom line..... I'm learning tunes, and I'm darn proud of how many I've been able to learn given everything else I'm doing. I bet there are many of us out there in similar circumstances taking incremental steps at moving forward with this genre..... good for us! High five! Well done! Go for it! We don't have to stick to a purist approach to learn/play to enjoy this stuff..... give us a break!
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by CW
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Give you break? Ha.
I work, I have two small children. I hardly ever get my fiddle out in the house, no time. I toot my whistle while watching the kids in the bath. I play once, occasionally twice, a week down the pub with my mates. And I learn tunes by listening to them.
Don't be such a bloody martyr.
Come on, give it a go. Try learning a tune, one off one of your CDs, by just listening too it. Open your ears.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I sleep with my Ceol Rince na hEireann under my pillow, then whistle the tunes to my chiropractor.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Toppish
Re: Tips for learning tunes
"where can I find free, quick/easy-to-access sources of well played whistle music?"
Here ya go, Carol:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tradlessons&view=videos
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by oldstrings
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Carol, Don't take llig too much to heart, his bark is worse than his bite. If sheet music is one tool you use to learn, that is fine, as long as it is not the ONLY tool.
Enjoy!
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by AlBrown
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Ilig
Us mere mortals can only dream of 110%
Besides, going in at 85% keeps one humble.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by zippydw
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I'm being facetious you eedjit. There's no such thing as knowing a tune 100%. You can never ever know all there is to a tune. That's one of the reasons this thread annoys me. People bleating on about how to learn tunes, when not having the sense to know that you can never really learn a tune.
Tunes are like people. You meet them, get introduced, friend of a friend etc. You make an effort to appreciate first impressions. If you like them and they like you, they may well become friends. Or even best of friends. You can get to know them very well. But even your best fiends can surprise you.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
zippy no offense but the figure of speech, "play the tune until you cannot stand it." is one I find odd.
I play music for fun. When I am learning tunes, & this may just be me, the more I play them (*play* being the key word) the more I enjoy them.
Al, Carol; once again no offense but listening & using your ears is not a beast of burden. Listening 1st is the most immediate way to get a tune (sound vs. visual) into one's head. It seems difficult because over time sight reading becomes second nature. I do know this because I learned to sight read at a relatively young age. When I 1st started into Irish music I used sheet music because I could. I find no fault with anyone who is able to read.
However, the best thing about the tunes is that anyone can learn them from listening. If you must read music please do not stop because of anyone on the forum. Though I still recommend listening to each new tune (primary source) before looking at the sheet music (secondary source).
Carol the fact that you are a sight reader is grand. Hopefully you will become come to curious with this questions, "My ears are usefully for wearing hats . . . but can they help me in some other way?
Cheers!
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Ben Steen
~
. . . Hopefully you will come to be curious with this question . . .
just a quick post. I'm digging up a new garden spot.
catch you later.
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
If you have trouble picking up tunes by ear, then resorting to sheet music will never get you anywhere near being even a half decent player of this music. That's not opinion, it's plain fact. And I'll tell you why:
The amount of information contained in the sheet music is a pitiful percentage of what the music is. All it is is the order of some of the main notes. And the order of the main notes is the easiest bits of a tune to pick up by ear. The rest, the articulation, the rhythm, the phrasing etc, is harder to pic up. So if you can't get the order of the main notes with just your ears, what chance have you with the rest of it?
# Posted on June 26th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Albrown..... thanks! Llig's just not a realist. Yes, listening is a critical part to the learning, but it's not the only way to learn. He winds me up with his purist mantra!
# Posted on June 27th 2009 by CW
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Not a realist? My advice is utterly and completely based on mine and others' real personal experiences. It's profoundly practical.
# Posted on June 27th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
.. and unless you are willing to try it, you'll never get any better.
# Posted on June 27th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
I agree with llig, but I'll make a further point. When you've learnt how to listen and to learn a tune by ear, then, and only then, will you get any benefit from learning a tune from the dots on the rare occasion when there is no other source for learning the tune - like when a 200-year old tune surfaces for the first time in a newly discovered manuscript.
When you've really learned to listen then you'll be in a position to assimilate the style and apply it to that 200-year old tune, and then you'll be spending the few weeks/months making friends with it (in llig's wonderful metaphor) until it's your own.
# Posted on June 27th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Tips for learning tunes
There seems to be a belief that to play in session it is imminent to learn the most # of tunes in the shortest time.
The Red Queen spoke of a country where, "it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place."
I am not convinced the queen can enjoy a good session. & while I recognize the efforts of tune collectors, thank you very much,
I quite enjoy hearing & playing.
For the rest of you ~ If it's sight reading you want then you deserve to have some.
"Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop”
O'Neill's Music of Ireland
"The 1850"
http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/oneills/1850/F/
"Waifs & Strays of Gaelic Melody"
http://www2.redhawk.org:8080/irish/oneill/waifs/Intro.html
"WORLDTRAD - Tunes"
http://www.worldtrad.org/Resource/rsrc_tunes.htm
# Posted on June 28th 2009 by Ben Steen
?
not sure what the red queen would say.
my waifs & strays link(s) take you nowhere.
# Posted on June 28th 2009 by Ben Steen
. . .
not to worry. about 1900 tunes here;
http://www.norbeck.nu/abc/
# Posted on June 28th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
random_notes
Perhaps a poor choice of words. I was being a bit flip because, especially in the context of the thread, our freind is looking for a process.
Granted with more experience, the learning comes more quickly so the reps needed to burn things in are fewer. However, my comment was aimed at someone embarking on using a process. And, earlier on, a person will listen to something over and over and over and over.
Ilig makes an excellent point. Spots only reflect a small portion of what a tune is about-which is why its important to get the skill of learning by ear. But that's why people call them 'the bones'
They are a communication device at a very basic level. But it would be impossible to use them to reflect the myriad of variations, expression done in the playing of the tunes.
# Posted on June 29th 2009 by zippydw
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Cheers, Zippy! Thanks for following through. No, worries.
Those poor choices of words are just a part of these wonderful internet ramblings we all seem to be pecking away at.
The (guilty) reason I enjoy sharing the dots, & abcs, bones, full scores, tunebooks . . . & all with people (strangers included) . . . is to load them up. Hopefully, with enough weight on their music stand it will finally collapse.
At which point (sheets all across the floor) there is no choice but to play.
It's fun that way. Trust your ears! In the mean time ~ sure, I''ll give you all the sheet music you ask for. Frankly, I think giving someone what they ask for is the best way to get their attention. The local curmudgeons are grand though. Someone should be there to tell us we don't know what we are on about.
# Posted on June 29th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Llig, I do both. I listen when ever I get the chance and read.... and by doing both, I'm learning tunes faster. Each works off the other and each brings value to the end result. Not a martyr... just stating the fact that it's harder to access good quality whistle playing to listen to so that's done less.....
# Posted on June 29th 2009 by CW
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Does it have to be whistle playing to listen to ? Are they 'whistle tunes' or 'tunes'. Loads of stuff on the internet.
# Posted on June 29th 2009 by David50
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Carol, you missed the vital point of what I'm trying to say:
The order of the main notes - the bit in the dots - is the easiest bits of a tune to pick up by ear. The rest, the articulation, the rhythm, the phrasing etc, - the stuff not in the dots - is harder to pic up. So if you can't get the order of the main notes with just your ears, what chance have you with the rest of it?
I think you have your priorities all wrong. Stop being in such a rush. Learning tunes fast is not going to help you to learn the music. Slow down. Surely, learning the music is what we should be doing.
Come on now, give it a go. Learn a tune with your ear alone. What have you got to lose? Other than it might slow you down a bit.
# Posted on June 29th 2009 by ...
Re: Tips for learning tunes
Carol, why do you need to learn tunes so quickly? What's the hurry all about? Why is it the most important thing for you?
# Posted on June 30th 2009 by kennedy
Tips
what david_h said ~ loads
# Posted on June 30th 2009 by Ben Steen
Carol Whitaker
give this a listen;
"The Golden Eagle" played by Donncha O Briain
http://www.rogermillington.com/tunetoc/goldeneagle.html
# Posted on June 30th 2009 by Ben Steen
Re: Tips for learning tunes
"i'm being facetious you eedjit"
Ha ha - brilliant!
# Posted on June 30th 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Tips for learning tunes
As someon who came to the music many years after giving up classical violin, there are two keys for me. Okay, three. A good teacher, a comfortable session, and listening. I work full time and have three small kids. So I listen in the car, at work, while doing housework, while in the garden. Sometimes a CD, sometimes a Care FM Trad podcast, most often my $10 mp3 player. I have a playlist that I am currently working on, no more that 5 tunes; a review playlist, of songs I've learned but don't want to lose, and a wishlist of songs that I love and hope to tackle someday. I switch between them depending on my mood. When I have the chance to actually get out my fiddle, I am often suprised at what I already know, even on songs I haven't officially tackled yet.
Most of all, I enjoy my stolen moments. When you feel that most of your energy goes to others' needs, it is like a soul masssage to give yourself that little gift.
T
# Posted on July 4th 2009 by tracywag