Productive practice routine suggestions

[SteveShaw]

Bumping up the thread has exhumed some pretty bad advice that could best have been left interred in the archives for ever. The first of the two posts of November 25 is yet another example of the shaky stuff that frequently emanates from the keyboard of its author. Suffice to say that beginners looking for advice need to be very careful with regard to whom they listen to, and that the issues in his post have been well addressed in more recent threads in the Traditional Irish Music forum.

[walrii]

The first of the two posts of November 25...

LOL - there were no posts in this thread on November 25.

[SteveShaw]

Yes there were!

[highland-piper]

The first of the two posts of November 25...

LOL - there were no posts in this thread on November 25.

Maybe it depends on the time zone?

I wrote a post on November 24th, and Will also wrote on that date.

There are many approaches to practice. Many of them are poor. It's a shame so many in the Irish music community close their ears when it comes to the accumulated knowledge of so many people who have put so much effort into studying how to learn music. I'm definitely not one of those people, but their findings are out there for anyone to read.

You can put in countless hours of practice and still be a crappy musician. Why not spend the same amount of time and become good instead? Or alternately, why not become good sooner instead of later?

[SteveShaw]

Time zones. That was it. Puzzle solved.

[Denny]

sometimes Steve forgets that he lives in the future

[benhall.1]

The future is bright. The future is ...

OMG! Gobirons! Run for your lives!

[Denny]

and leave me bunker

[fiddlerwill]

Do all of this a lot, I mean, like lots and lots. Play every day. EVERY day without fail, even if only for 5 min. make it such a habit that you would really feel missing something in your life if you forgot.

I practice pipes pretty much every day. Recently I noticed tendinitis in my left arm, and the medical advice is to stop cold whatever you're doing that's causing it until it heals.

Man it's hard.

move over to a different instrument1 thats what I do, means I can keep at it all day , switching between guitar GHB UP fiddle, banjo, whistle not instead of, as well as.

[highland-piper]

move over to a different instrument1 thats what I do, means I can keep at it all day , switching between guitar GHB UP fiddle, banjo, whistle not instead of, as well as.

But they all involve twitching the fingers on the left hand, which is were my problems lie

I could work on singing though!

[fiddlerwill]

Yes, I feel for you and thought that almost as I posted.
Yes singing, its surprising how many trad musicians dont have a few session pieces. Shame really. An understanding and experience as a singer is IMO an important part in getting to the roots of the tunes. All the ornaments and stuff can get in the way of the most essential aspects of the music, phrasing. A simplified approach , with little ornamentation concentrates the focus on phrasing to sound good with the bare bones. Telling a story through the tune. The way the words and phrases of the songs falls is a good introduction to the phrasing of the tunes. So its not a repetitive bunch of notes with frilly bits added, but an open expression of humanity through the medium of the tunes and your instrument.
A lot of people make a fundamental mistake in this music of assuming that the superficial technical aspects are enough , but they are not. No serious trad musician is going to be impressed by technique to exclusion of Duende'' and vice versa, little technique but plenty of Nyah and everyone is delighted They might not no why. . A class example would be Micho. His technical command of tunes and instrument is not the heart of his playing. Its why young folk listen and think' well hes not so hot'. because they dont know what they are hearing. The focus on technique to the exclusion of Spirit is something that seems much more prevalent these days. Micho was so respected not for the superficial material aspects of the music, but through his heart felt connection, he was the essence, heart and soul of the music personified. RIP Give me a plain and simple tune , played with spirit over a hundred young bucks trilling and rolling their way through the tunes. All busyness and no soul.

[SteveShaw]

Truly we have been parachuted into cloud-cuckoo land.

[Mockingbird]

Haha! Shame on me!

[swizzlestick]

Mockingbird, I withdraw my earlier statement. This has proved very entertaining.

[Denny]

I'll keep to the bunker fer a couple more....