Productive practice routine suggestions

[nancymae]

Sorry Belgium Waffle...did not know you were not LE....thank YOU too!

Nancy

[FJohnSharp]

I have found an interesting thing. I took out my George L. Stone 'Stick Control" book to start getting ready for a few drumming performances I have coming up, and started working through the exercises, which are really boring, really repetitive sticking exercises that you do 20 times each and then move to the next one without stopping. While my drumming did improve, as it always does in just a few days, I swear that my whistle playing felt a little more in control, that I could play smoothly at a slightly faster tempo.

Contrary to appearances, stick control is in the fingers and not in the wrists, so it makes sense that if I'm working the fingers my whistling will benefit. But I'm not really working the same fingers in the same way so I'm still a little baffled and tiny bit skeptical of my experience.

[Infernaltootler]

e)


by L.E. McCullough — feadaniste@aol.com
© L.E. McCullough 2006


First, thanks to Mike Reagan for suggesting this topic. I would have loved to have been party to this discussion when I started playing Irish music. I managed to figure it out, anyhow, by stumbling along and getting incredibly lucky in meeting a wonderful assortment of musicians who generously shared their music and knowledge.

However, I can only speak for me. I can only tell you what I did to end up playing the tinwhistle the way I do. Someone else may have other ideas, so laissez les bons temps rouler.

Know This: there are no shortcuts, no one-strike magic bullet fixes. You’ll need to put in many hundreds of hours of listening and practicing alone and playing with others in small groups and in big sessions.

Irish traditional music is deceptively simple. Yes, the melodies aren’t that complex and, no, the whistle isn’t a physically demanding instrument. But to play it in a manner acceptable to the members of the tradition, you have to master a fair amount of technical nuance and stylistic subtlety that goes deeper than just tooting out the notes in time.

Learning music is like learning a spoken language. You memorize the basic syntax and vocabulary, then you have to immerse yourself among native speakers in everyday environments. You might end up occasionally getting on the wrong bus or being mis-directed to the lavatory facility of the opposite gender, but you’ll learn eventually what sounds “right” in what context and how to make those sounds.

Hopefully, you’re already doing most of what’s listed below, and one day — literally, one fine day when you least expect it— you’ll hear yourself and realize you can play Irish traditional music on the tinwhistle really well.

1) Decide to play the instrument the absolute best you can. Commit yourself to making the tinwhistle sound as good as any other instrument you’ve ever heard. NO excuses. No “well, this isn’t a complex instrument so I don’t have to be in tune. . . or have a clear sound. . . or use correct ornamentation.” Think like that, and you’re doomed to mediocrity. Learn every single type of ornament possible, even if you later decide not to use them. See if you can play into the third octave — just because it’s there. Dream that you are standing in the middle of the UN General Assembly and the fate of world peace hangs on your ability to play “Si Bheag Si Mhor” so beautifully that every delegate will weep and vote to suspend all war for all time. LOVE THIS INSTRUMENT WITH A COMPLETE AND TOTAL PASSION. It is your voice, your soul, your communication with the universe. Any less, and you’ll always be a beginner.

2) Decide specifically what (or who) you want to sound like — be they whistle player, flautist, fiddler, piper, accordionist, whatever. Usually when starting out you’ll hear a player or two whose playing really excites you. Imitate them slavishly, try and play tunes exactly the way they’ve recorded them, copy every single variation and idiosyncrasy, become a veritable and unapologetic Musical Clone. Then – with all that floating in your brain – ignore it and do your own thing (see #6). Imitation isn’t just the sincerest form of flattery, it’s the best way to truly ingest fundamentals of style and technique and learn how the music works. . . while acquiring the perspective to eventually create your own style.

3) Be omnivorous and voracious. Read every Irish music book, magazine and tutor you encounter, listen to every Irish traditional music recording you can beg, borrow or download. I see people on the forum asking “Which tutor should I start with?” Answer: ALL OF THEM!!! Each was written from a unique perspective of an author who had a unique set of learning and performing experiences and very likely represents a unique niche along the big wide Irish Trad Style Spectrum you need to become familiar with in its entirety. Tutors are also written at different times and places and for different publishing/commercial purposes, so don’t deprive yourself of any potential knowledge contained in what might seem an out-dated or limited-scope tutorial. Remember, the greatest players of Irish music didn’t necessarily learn from other great players. . . they took in all they could and added their own individuality to create genius.

4) Get small and tight. Play frequently with one or two people at your level who are also interested in improving and exploring the tradition in depth. Mass sessions are good for getting new tunes, but you need the intimacy of a small group you can analyze material with. I mean, really analyze: listening to recordings in detail, discussing obscure technical details, comparing different tune versions.

5) Hang with older players. Even ones who don’t at first glance seem too smooth or accomplished. It’s tempting in our celebrity-saturated culture to focus on the most popular players, the most virtuosic players, the players who dominate the festival and concert circuit and who the media brings to our attention. And certainly, they’re worth listening to. But I can only say that some of the best things I learned starting out, I learned from players who were not well known or virtuosic. They maybe just had some one small thing in their style or repertoire that appealed to me and which I absorbed and may possibly even now be unconsciously passing along to somebody else. I guess that’s the way the traditition stays alive.

6) Learn how to make variations. Variation is a major element of a melodic-based music like Irish trad. Yes, you need to learn what the “standard” way of playing a tune is. . . then learn how to vary it within the tradition’s boundaries. Variation in Irish music is learning how to get really deep in the tune so that you can keep bringing out new facets that make the tune seem interesting. Variation is what makes you a unique player and enhances your ability to grow because you learn how to manipulate the structure of the tune. Variation isn’t improvisation, though some good variations can happen spontaneously. Sometimes a variation comes to you as a mistake that you correct and refine till it works. In fact, you can mark your progress as a player by the easier it becomes for you to make a variation as you play a tune, say, at a session.

Looking back on my first couple years of playing Irish music on the whistle, these are the things I now see made a big difference in my development. I sincerely hope they prove of some benefit to you.

Best wishes,

L.E. McCullough

In reply to this no doubt good advice I'd say, " Crikey, who in the heck has the time to get this obsessed?"

[Mick Down Under]

People who go on to be professional players and musicians perhaps?!


Mick

[walrii]

Or people who just want to play well. Nothing L.E. advises requires hours and hours of effort each and every day. If you put in 30 minutes a day, you don't get there as fast but you still get there.

[Fidget]

I like slow airs. Probably partly because slow suits my learning process and slow melancholy tunes appeal to me more than the bright and fast tunes. I thought that this was good, because a slow tune should be easier to play (for a beginner), but I found that I was really murdering my slow tunes in practice and feeling that I was not getting anywhere.

I heard a few of the tunes that I was attempting on low whistles and thought that these suited the mood. So I bought an Alto G and used this. The result has been very welcome. My playing sounds better (to me and my victims) and I am enjoying my practice much more.
Several tunes I try don't suit the low whistle, for these I use my high D, so it's not a either/or choice.

[NicoMoreno]

Sorry in advance for the length!

Shatfield:

There are actually a few lovely players down in Florida. Where exactly are you? You might look into Michael Stribling (Tallahassee) or Justin Murphy (Orlando), both fantastic musicians in the irish tradition.

More and more I do think a teacher can help facilitate learning in a way that you can't always do on your own. I've met many people that simply can't hear things until they're pointed out, but also a teacher can substantially speed up the learning process by breaking things down and explaining what's going on.

(Full disclosure: I have never had whistle lessons. I did have piping lessons when I started, several years after the whistle, and it made a huge difference to both instruments.)

A while ago, I came to the conclusion that when learning to play irish music as a total beginner (ie, not from another instrument), you're actually trying to learn three things at once:
1) The instrument
2) The music (ie the style or sound)
3) The tunes (the individual reels, jigs, or so on)

...When I first started I was so focused on the ornamentation that I was neglecting the basics... At some point I'm sure that ornaments will be important. Just not now.

...I'm trying hard to stay away from ornamentation right now...

It definitely is most important to have good rhythm, phrasing, lift and covering the holes properly, but it is also important to have the ornaments there, as they are a key to phrasing the tunes properly, separating notes, emphasizing the rhythm, and developing the irish sound or style. These days, a lot of irish musicians have taken to referring to these things as articulations rather than ornaments, as that generally describes their function better. At any rate, trying to put a ton of ornaments or articulation in right away isn't a good idea. To that end simplifying the ornaments to some basic things (a cut here or there, maybe a tap or two) at the beginning is really important. But until you've got a solid grasp of the music, you won't know which ones to leave in and which ones you can leave out... Another argument for a teacher!

Without ornamentation, a whistle can quickly resemble a recorder, and all the rhythm in jigs and reels are lost without them. Triplets are essential!

I don't agree at all. Listen to Micho Russel. Very sparse ornamentation, but the perfect irish sound. Triplets are not essential, but they are useful and fun.

there is no right or wrong

There most certainly is right and wrong! Like most things musical, you know it when you hear it.

Practice with a metronome. First, it will teach you to listen to the rhythm while you play. Second, it will make you play exactly with the rhythm.

That's not true. What a metronome will do is teach you to play at a steady tempo. It will not teach you irish ryhtms and can in fact make you sound, well, metronomic! A metronome can be useful, but you should always keep in mind its limitations. A better solution is to practise by playing with people or at least along with good recordings. That will teach you to listen to the rythm and will help you play with good rhythm! It will also help with the pulse or lift, phrasing, and timing of articulations, something a metronome can actually interfere with.

Spend some time practicing scales and arpeggios. It is mindless and boring and not musical.

The great thing about irish music is that the tunes are just as good, if not better, than exercises like scales and arpeggios And they have the added benefit of (eventually!) sounding musical!

First and foremost is finding some time daily to practice...
The second thing is to learn ... tunes because you like them, not just because they're in the book/tutorial.

Agreed 100%!! The LE McCullough quote is also very good, with one caveat: I very much doubt I will ever wake up one day and "when you least expect it— you’ll hear yourself and realize you can play Irish traditional music on the tinwhistle really well." I know I'm a lot better than I was even a year ago, and I also know I'll be better still in another year. I don't think any really good irish musicians ever look back and say "oh, ok, now I'm a great irish musician". All the really good musicians I've ever met have all been constantly learning and improving. I doubt LE meant it like this, but the quote did make me think he was saying that at some point you'll realize "you're there". Hopefully, if that ever happens, then shortly afterwards you'll realize you're not, and then you'll keep improving!

Wyobadger also gives good advice, as does skipjack. I'd like to add that in my experience, 15mins a day is pretty much needed just to maintain your level. The more playing, the better, imo!

In reply to this no doubt good advice I'd say, " Crikey, who in the heck has the time to get this obsessed?"

First, thanks for reposting the quote, I hadn't seen it the first time! Second, I'd say that if you want to be any good at all, even a little, it takes a fair amount of obsession. To play irish music well takes a lot of time, effort, practise, and especially listening.

I like slow airs. Probably partly because slow suits my learning process and ... a slow tune should be easier to play (for a beginner)

Slow airs (at least the proper sean nos type of slow airs that most irish musicians mean when they use the term) are very very challenging. Many irish musicians do not play slow airs because of this, while happily playing reels and jigs and everything else. I do think they are deceptive, because, as you say, slower tunes should be easier. But, getting them right, at least to an experienced musician's ear, is very challenging! Come to think of it, just like polkas...

On the other hand you have to start somewhere...

[Liam]

I know I haven't been active lately, but I figured I would jump in...

Sorry in advance for the length!

Shatfield:

There are actually a few lovely players down in Florida. Where exactly are you? You might look into Michael Stribling (Tallahassee) or Justin Murphy (Orlando), both fantastic musicians in the irish tradition.

More and more I do think a teacher can help facilitate learning in a way that you can't always do on your own. I've met many people that simply can't hear things until they're pointed out, but also a teacher can substantially speed up the learning process by breaking things down and explaining what's going on.

I will second the recommendation about getting lessons if you can. Besides Nico's point about breaking things down, I think having a tutor also serves to motivate a player to keep up with their practice; particularly in the early stages when you get frustrated easily.

(Full disclosure: I have never had whistle lessons. I did have piping lessons when I started, several years after the whistle, and it made a huge difference to both instruments.)

A while ago, I came to the conclusion that when learning to play irish music as a total beginner (ie, not from another instrument), you're actually trying to learn three things at once:
1) The instrument
2) The music (ie the style or sound)
3) The tunes (the individual reels, jigs, or so on)

I would say, to a certain extent this is true even if you do play Irish Music on another instrument. You may the tunes, but then again, you may find that the tune has to be adapted considerably to fit your instrument. Lady Anne Montgomery is a good example. The version played by fiddles and boxes goes several notes below the lowest octave available on a flute or a whistle. In addition, the style of the music can change from instrument to instrument -- part of this is based on the inherent qualities of the instrument but part is based on the fact that certain instruments were originally popular in different regions of the country... A concertina player is more likely to play in a style reminiscent of County Clare and a B/C box player in a Galway influenced style. These are certainly not hard or fast rules... but as a box and concertina player who is getting interested in the whistle (again), it would be folly for me to assume that I simply needed to know the technical aspects of playing the whistle to play the whistle in a properly Irish style since I already know how to play the concertina and box in Irish styles.

...When I first started I was so focused on the ornamentation that I was neglecting the basics... At some point I'm sure that ornaments will be important. Just not now.

...I'm trying hard to stay away from ornamentation right now...

It definitely is most important to have good rhythm, phrasing, lift and covering the holes properly, but it is also important to have the ornaments there, as they are a key to phrasing the tunes properly, separating notes, emphasizing the rhythm, and developing the irish sound or style. These days, a lot of irish musicians have taken to referring to these things as articulations rather than ornaments, as that generally describes their function better. At any rate, trying to put a ton of ornaments or articulation in right away isn't a good idea. To that end simplifying the ornaments to some basic things (a cut here or there, maybe a tap or two) at the beginning is really important. But until you've got a solid grasp of the music, you won't know which ones to leave in and which ones you can leave out... Another argument for a teacher!

Ah ornamentation.. this is where religious wars get started . A good teacher will probably teach you how they ornament a tune when they teach it to you. However, it is probably best to learn the tune both with and without the ornaments; you will want to vary your ornaments through the course of the tune. Overall though, if you are interested in playing with other players, it is better by far to have a good grasp of the tune than of the ornaments. At a session, I have never heard anyone complain about someone playing the tune straight... In group settings the ornaments tend to get drowned out by what everyone else is doing (There are exceptions... a box or concertina playing chords or octaves can definitely make itself known...).

Without ornamentation, a whistle can quickly resemble a recorder, and all the rhythm in jigs and reels are lost without them. Triplets are essential!

I don't agree at all. Listen to Micho Russel. Very sparse ornamentation, but the perfect irish sound. Triplets are not essential, but they are useful and fun.

A less is more philosophy is a good one. Triplets and rolls are fun, and I would say in some tunes, they are virtually necessary (At least on concertina and box... not sure about whistles). I would say that for solo playing, a few well executed ornaments in a tune are far better than a bunch of ones that are not executed cleanly.

there is no right or wrong

There most certainly is right and wrong! Like most things musical, you know it when you hear it.

I would say that there is no right.. but I agree there is definitely wrong.

Practice with a metronome. First, it will teach you to listen to the rhythm while you play. Second, it will make you play exactly with the rhythm.

That's not true. What a metronome will do is teach you to play at a steady tempo. It will not teach you irish ryhtms and can in fact make you sound, well, metronomic! A metronome can be useful, but you should always keep in mind its limitations. A better solution is to practise by playing with people or at least along with good recordings. That will teach you to listen to the rythm and will help you play with good rhythm! It will also help with the pulse or lift, phrasing, and timing of articulations, something a metronome can actually interfere with.

I think playing with a metronome is a good idea, but lets be clear, it teaches one to keep tempo, not rhythm. Practicing with a group can help you with the rhythm but unless the group has a good sense of timing, it might wreck your ability to play at a steady pace. Whats worse is, a single person, particularly if they are playing with a box or a banjo can speed the whole group up... likewise though, a good box or banjo player can keep the entire group in time.

The only option, really, is to do both.

Spend some time practicing scales and arpeggios. It is mindless and boring and not musical.

The great thing about irish music is that the tunes are just as good, if not better, than exercises like scales and arpeggios And they have the added benefit of (eventually!) sounding musical!

I am not sure about that. Some great players have recommended that I start practice with at least a brief period spend on scales.

Well, I think I have added enough of my opinions here... Take them for what they are worth .

--
Bill

[walrii]

Practice with a metronome. First, it will teach you to listen to the rhythm while you play. Second, it will make you play exactly with the rhythm.

That's not true. What a metronome will do is teach you to play at a steady tempo. It will not teach you irish ryhtms and can in fact make you sound, well, metronomic! A metronome can be useful, but you should always keep in mind its limitations. A better solution is to practise by playing with people or at least along with good recordings. That will teach you to listen to the rythm and will help you play with good rhythm! It will also help with the pulse or lift, phrasing, and timing of articulations, something a metronome can actually interfere with.

I think playing with a metronome is a good idea, but lets be clear, it teaches one to keep tempo, not rhythm.

Good point, Liam. I actually meant tempo, not rhythm in my original post.

[highland-piper]

I'm relatively new (for the second time) to whistles, but I play bagpipes fairly well.

According to the scientific literature, it should take somewhere on the order of 1000 hours of determined practice to reach a level of reasonable competency. That's an hour a day for three years, or 15 minutes a day for 12 years. If there is such a thing as talent, it does not reduce the need for determined practice to achieve competency.

As a highland piper, we focus on technique and unison. They're hard skills to learn, so efficiency in practice is necessary, but it pretty much boils down to two key notions, the first of which has already been covered:

1) Never practice making mistakes (or you'll get really proficient at making mistakes!). Work on things as slowly as necessary to play it properly.

2) Work on whatever your weakness are. Don't wast time playing through the parts you can play, but instead focus on the parts you can't.

So here's a practical example. I'm wanting to play Morrison's Jig, and the setting I have starts on a roll on E followed immediately by a roll on B. Instead of playing through the tune 12 times and probably botching the roll on B every time, I start off playing the roll on B slowly, making sure to articulate each of the notes, cuts, and strikes. If that's going well, then I play the roll on E into the roll on B, slowly. If that's working, then I speed it up. If I can get it going up to speed, then I try to put it into the tune and see if there are any other spots that need similar work.

One other key thing about practice that science has told us is that it's most effective only after you sleep. So if you're not getting something after a few tries, then set it aside and work on something different. It will probably be better tommorrow.

[fiddlerwill]

If you make a mistake, start again. Till you can play the tune with no mistakes, repeat, 3 times. If you make a mistake... start again! .

Certainly IMO avoid ornaments at first when learning the tunes. IMO the first couple of years even. Totally straight. at the same time practice your ornaments intensively separately from the tunes. Also practice scales, patterns ABC,BCD,CDE,ETC arpeggio. At some point you will find yourself putting your ornaments in naturally with no disturbance of rhythm or even conscious thought.
Practice with a metronome double time, ie 1/8th note per click. as well as without metronome.
Jam along with other people in other styles, guitarists songs etc.
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. If going to bed you realize you haven't practiced, get up. you dont need to blow down a whistle to practice. Did I say If you make a mistake, start over?

[walrii]

Highland-piper makes a good point about starting with the spots you know will need work. Another technique is to learn the tune from end to beginning. No, don't play it backwards. Learn the last few bars. When you've got those down, learn the next few earlier bars and so on backwards through the tune. The advantage of this approach is, when you play the tune, you are moving into material that you've practiced more. In other words, the tune gets easier as you play into it.

[Mockingbird]

Just bumping up to read when I'm more awake.

[swizzlestick]

Mockingbird, this is a shared environment and some people might consider it bad form to bump a thread just for personal reasons. You can use bookmarks in your browser to keep a list of topics you want to revisit. Not trying to hammer you, I just want suggest less obtrusive ways to review old conversations. Glad you are finding some of the good stuff in the older threads.

[highland-piper]

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.