#1
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How many of you dedicate a night or two to tough things
I usually practice about 5 songs a practice session, with repetition given to sticky parts. I have a few tough things I want to iron out and I'm wondering if a couple, or three nights I should forget about playing through whole songs and just do the tougher sections until my fingers fall off.
I'm thinking that might get me where I want to be sooner. Any thoughts?
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Barry Youtube! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#2
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Barry, whenever I'm learning something new, whether a lick or a whole progression, I don't stop until I can get it down pretty well. Then by the next day I pick it back up, it comes much easier. Muscle memory is key at first then remembering comes next for me.
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Dump The Bucket On It! |
#3
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I find this to be true. I grind it til I can’t take it, then the next day it is way easier. So rewarding to finally nail a tough song.
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#4
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Quote:
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#5
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This has been my mantra for working through tough pieces and songs. It's the 5 penny rule.
https://youtu.be/MNShGGvVb1Y
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2003 Froggy Bottom H-12 Deluxe 2019 Cordoba C-12 Cedar 2016 Godin acoustic archtop 2011 Godin Jazz model archtop |
#6
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This has been my mantra for working through tough pieces and songs. It's the 5 penny rule from Rich Severson.
https://youtu.be/MNShGGvVb1Y
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2003 Froggy Bottom H-12 Deluxe 2019 Cordoba C-12 Cedar 2016 Godin acoustic archtop 2011 Godin Jazz model archtop |
#7
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I work on my challenging stuff 90% of the time I sit down to play but I balance the session with some material that I have down that I either want to stay polished on, maintain, or enhance. The main thing for me is to set reasonable milestones for the challenging stuff so I don’t feel like I am beating my head into the wall.
I’ve been working on JT’s Secret O’ Life and there are some challenging grips/transitions in the 2nd half of the verse. I finally made enough progress after about 2 months of work to move on to the 2nd half of the song last night and that felt pretty good. Fingerstyle, I usually have at least 4-5 that I am working on simulataneously and currently about 15 songs I try to play at least once a week to keep them up to speed.
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Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple) Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco) Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR) Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa) Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber) Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon) |
#8
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I shoot for working on tough stuff every time I sit down to play. Life gets in the way sometimes, so I probably don't succeed at my 100% goal, but it's certainly a very high majority.
I've played almost all my life and never stopped, but I think I spent decades doing the same old stuff when I picked up a guitar. So, I try not to do that now... I try to challenge myself every time. Just makes it more interesting to me. |
#9
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Tough stuff
I find that if I break my practicing into two sections, possibly hours apart, it's best for me. I constantly need to go back and practice songs I already know or I tend to forget how to play them. A separate time for working on new/tough stuff seems to allow me to concentrate better. But, that's probably just me.
Jim |
#10
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Unlss you're in some sort of race or competition, I think the MOST important thing is to be sure you're enjoying yourself, having fun... even with difficult pieces that may prove tough to master...
When you're having fun with it, you relax more... being relaxed will allow your hands, arms and fingers to cruise and enjoy the ride! It's easy to become obsessed with learning a certain passage, but relaxing yourself and letting the piece "come to you" is a really good way to learn. There is a book called "Effortless Mastery", written by a jazz pianist and composer named Kenny Werner, and I would highly recommend checking it out thoroughly... although Kenny's a pianist, the book is really about making the best use of WHATEVER skill set level you hold, and how to let that skill set go as far as it will take you.
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"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman |
#11
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Quote:
If some things are tough, they are a tough for a reason, so it's important to have identified the underlying root cause of the problem before working on it. If your fingers do fall off, make sure it was for the right cause! Quote:
Most importantly, structuring the practice to make it as enjoyable as possible. Mixing it up too (lots of difficult things to work on), so as not to get compulsive about it. There are lots of different ways to approach a problem you might be having. Some of it might not be so obvious, i.e. like repeating a passage slowly until you can play it faster. That may intuitively seem like the right thing to do, but not always. Some things work better than others so it's important to keep more than one tool in your practice box.
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Best regards, Andre Golf is pretty simple. It's just not that easy. - Paul Azinger "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so." – Mark Twain http://www.youtube.com/user/Gitfiddlemann |
#12
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I like the penny method. I do something similar practicing putting. I have a carpet marked off in 1 foot intervals for 8 feet total. I try for 3 made before advancing to the next distance and if I miss I go back to the shorter distance.
This could be done with a metronome for guitar. Start at a slow tempo, maybe 40 BPM or wherever you can play clean. Play 3 times clean before changing the metronome to a faster speed. Bump it 2, 5, or 10 bpm depending on your skill or comfort level. If you make a mistake drop the tempo back down. Remember to relax. As you get closer to the final try before advancing there is a tendency to feel pressure to perform. Remember that the pressure is only there if we want it to be. The worst that will happen if you mess up is you will have to play it again. It's not the end of the world so relax and focus on the process instead of the result. Keep it fun. |