how long before you have 'it'

[Jayhawk]

rama - Personally, I find it pretty cool that I'll be reaching retirement age just about the time I've mastered my Dixon (factoring in another 10 years for both the Dixon and Kansas handicap)!

Seriously though, I'm very close to getting my new Seery...which I bought for the extra weight of the slide - too many folks kept getting up when I'd whop them with my Dixon....

I'll now return to my previously scheduled coma.

Eric

[Loren]

Not sure how much I'll be around a computer from here on out, so here's the magic number: 5000 repetitions

This explains why I've never become an accomplished musician, I can't sit still long enough to practice anything that much.

Loren

[rama]

What would be considered 1 rep in fluteplaying?

[Loren]

In simplest terms, practicing a B roll once would be 1 rep.

Learning a tune is a different thing, requiring less repetitions, because in essence you are simply stringing together combinations or pieces of techniques/patterns you've already learned, rather than having to train an entirely new neuro-muscular response. Make sense? It's not entirely that simple, but that's the basic concept.

Loren

[rama]

So one B roll is one rep for that exercise or technique
and one A roll is one rep for an entirely other technique
and one cran is one rep for still another technique
and one glottal stop is one rep for that technique
blah blah blah....is this right?


and for combinations :
an A roll followed by a B roll is one rep for that combo
an A roll followed by an E roll is still another combo, blah blah..

and for tunes:
Playing a tune thru once is one rep

does this seem right?

[Loren]

Yup, that's it, more or less.

Of course it goes without saying that it takes 5000 CORRECT repetitions.....

[rama]

Fun x (Correct form + consistent practice) = essentials of progress

[Ben Shaffer]

you are of course referring to someone who is in the process of going from learning an instrument to being able to play effortlessly.
The one way I would say you have it, is when you can think of what your going to eat for dinner, or looking at the person across from you as you play...in otherwords you are on auto drive and no longer need to think about playing.
It is alittle Zen like, if your thinking about what your doing you're not there , when the instrument plays you, you have arrived.
When does it happen? thats hard to say, you need to play constantly...

[rama]

A Zenlike story:

Buddha happened upon a hot dog vendor on the street. The vendor asked Buddha " What would you like?"

Buddha's response was: "Make me ONE with EVERYTHING"

It's a true story.

[Ben Shaffer]

A Zenlike story:

Buddha happened upon a hot dog vendor on the street. The vendor asked Buddha " What would you like?"

Buddha's response was: "Make me ONE with EVERYTHING"

It's a true story.

Not what the Vendor expected!
Here's another Zen thing apropos to learning the Flute...

I was waiting for the train at the station. The trains kept coming by and I would miss them, but I kept waiting. Got fed up and left the station, it was dark and I got lost. I saw someone and asked where I was...he said " You're on the Train of course!"
This could be a true story!
some people will never get to the station, still others should use different transportation, still others should never leave home...

[Whistlin'Dixie]

Here's a blast from the past that I thought would be fun to bring back ~ and lots of good advice to be had for Newbies as well as Oldies.....

See how long some of us have been at it, and still tickin'

so, how have some of you come along since your original posts to this thread?


M

No real reflection on the current threads, but I have REALLY been enjoying reading over older posts lately....... just a thought

[Anstapa]

Since my original post it has gotten much better, alas I will never play Carnegie hall but in our sessions and small gigs, I play a decent enough flute, nothing fancy but that is okay. It's the music and my friends who I play with that counts more.

The above is true for the last three years but the last three months have been a bummer. I had a complete mouth make over with oral surgery and even with weekly adjustments to both plates, my embouchure isn't were was before the surgery, it's coming but it is almost like being back at the beginning.

How are you doing?

Oh by the way Anstapa = MarkB

Anstapa

[crookedtune]

Not trying to be flip here, but I'll never "have it", because the bar gets raised all the time. What I have are satisfying moments given whatever my level is at the time. Competency is, to me, a very relative thing.

Great necrothread. I just skimmed it, but I think Nano summed up my take on this very well. I feel like I've progressed a lot in my first year of serious fluting, but I'm equally dissatisfied with my sound. That's the fun of it. If I "got there" there would be nothing left to strive for!

[cocusflute]

You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

[beowulf573]

so, how have some of you come along since your original posts to this thread?

I've come a bit, but still don't have 'it'. One issue is that my goalpost keeps moving farther out the more I play. Which is probably natural.

Getting married, moving, and changing jobs has impacted my practice schedule over the past year and half - two years, I'm just now getting back into my groove.