How many new tunes do you work on at once

larryb · #1 02-05-2010, 06:51 PM

How many tunes do you tend to work on at the same time? I find myself switching between working on 3 or 4 new tunes. Spend around half an hour on one, then go to another, then to another. Then maybe back to the others. I'm curious if others in here approach learning tunes the same way, or do you work on one until you've got it down, and then move on. I find that after struggling with one tune for 30 or 40 minutes, I need a break from it and then work on something else. Or is it better just to bear down, get one playable, and then move on?

Losov · #2 02-05-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larryb

I find that after struggling with one tune for 30 or 40 minutes, I need a break from it and then work on something else.

I think you're on the right track there.

SimplyLuo · #3 02-05-2010, 07:31 PM

I find that if I try to learn more than two at a time, I get overloaded and can't sit down and focus on learning. Like I will keep switching between the two without giving each some quality time. Piano is my main instrument, and I'm usually working on at least three at a time, so my brain is constantly at work

Minotaur · #4 02-05-2010, 09:22 PM

I'm like a kid in a candy store. I have too many I want to work on. I have exactly 65 in my current song book collection. I might juggle 3, 4 or even 5 at a time (including learning bass). And that's mostly if I have a couple of really easy ones in there, 3 or 4 chord I IV V types (I do rhythm).

stuartb · #5 02-06-2010, 08:20 AM

I am working on about 20 songs in my repertoire. They are solo fingerstyle, some easy moderate, some moderate, some moderate to difficult, some difficult, crossing about 7 tunings.

II will work on 4 or 5 in a given session, and choose certain excercises and scales that help me learn the fretboard, how to read music, scales etc.,

I have added songs over the past 4 years, very slowly, only adding songs I really want to learn. I am trying not to add any more for a period, as there are 5-7 that I am still working through, and some are very challenging. I have not dropped a single song. As my dynamics slowly improves along with left hand right hand skills, these songs get closer to a finished product.

I'm lucky, in that I seldom hear a song that really blows me away, such that I'd want to learn it. Also have very little interest in learning pop tunes as such. Each of us have our own interests of course. Mine is old time music, some country blues, and some celtic.

Today I tuned three guitars in to Drop D, worked on three songs, rotating through guitars, to compare and contrast strengths of the guitars. I then switched over to a strange tuning F A# D F C D# and played the Simon Fox Song "Smithy's Porridge", on three different guitars, first with no cappo, then on 2nd cappo, then on fourth cappo, to compare and constrast, once again each guitar's strengths and weakenesses.

Also working on Kettle of Fish by Simon Fox, which I find very hard.

Recording of this amazing song found on Simon's site.

http://www.simonfoxguitar.com/recordings.htm

I often mix up my approach.

Stuart

Laird_Williams · #6 02-06-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larryb

How many tunes do you tend to work on at the same time? I find myself switching between working on 3 or 4 new tunes. Spend around half an hour on one, then go to another, then to another. Then maybe back to the others. I'm curious if others in here approach learning tunes the same way, or do you work on one until you've got it down, and then move on. I find that after struggling with one tune for 30 or 40 minutes, I need a break from it and then work on something else. Or is it better just to bear down, get one playable, and then move on?

I like to work the same way you do - but it sort of depends on where I am with the tunes I am working on at the time.

If I am working on individual sections and have yet to paste things together, then I can actually spend more time on a tune - going from one "trouble spot" to another as the "gear-change" I need in order to keep my concentration up. If I am integrating or polishing, however, then I have to have other things to work on, since the opportunities to change gears while working on the same tune are reduced.

I also work in 5-10 minute stints of technique exercises between sections of time working on new songs. Most of the time, the exercises are related to something I am doing in the tunes. But sometimes, they are just there to help my fingers stay sharp. Sort of the fingerstyle version of "push-ups and situps" and in some cases "mile runs", only on a smaller physical scale.

I also take breaks to keep some of the songs already in my reportoire fresh enough that I can pull them out and play them. Just playing through each one once every couple of days will do the trick for me. Doing those can also break things up during a practice session - and it reminds me of why I play in the first place...for the joy of playing something that I want to hear that is also challenging enough that it feels like and accomplishment when I "get it".

ewalling · #7 02-06-2010, 11:00 AM

Yes, I've become a bit of a juggler, too! I was more disciplined around 10 years ago when I used to work on only two pieces at any one time. I do think for me it's better to have this kind of focus, but these days there's just so much great stuff around it's too tempting to take on one too many. Part of the issue is, as another person has said, when you start using different tunings. I like playing in dropped D, open D, open G, and DADGAD, as well as standard. That does tend to increase the learning load, too.

ljguitar · #8 02-06-2010, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larryb

How many tunes do you tend to work on at the same time?

Hi lb…
As many as I need to...I work with students on lessons, with Worship Team on new music, and my gigging partner with new pieces.

Hack Amatuer · #9 02-06-2010, 01:02 PM

I find that if I work just on one, I will learn it better and quicker. But I too usually work (like now) on a couple at once.

Losov · #10 02-06-2010, 06:33 PM

Well, we all work our own way based on our own personalities which are in turn based on God knows how many conscious and unconscious influences.

Some people are plodders, linear thinkers who go one step at a time, A to B to C. Those people tend to become Supreme Court Justices. Me, I'm impatient. If it doesn't happen right away, or pretty soon anyway, I lose interest. People like me tend to become Process Servers.

Consequently, I always have several songs in development, sometimes for decades. I've been working on a solo fingerstyle arrangement of "Goldfinger" since the Johnson Administration. But every now and then one of these works in progress percolates to the top and I've got a new song!

To me, that's a fun way to work, and I'm doing this to have fun, after all.

sayheyjeff · #11 02-06-2010, 08:44 PM

If I am making sufficient progress, I can get 2 new songs to work on in a lesson (an hour very other week). Then I work on a couple of songs from Flatpicking Guitar Magazine (an issue every other month). Having recently found someone to play with on a fairly regular basis (2 or 3 times a month), another new song or 2 comes up to work on. Thus I can have quite a few. Can take a few months to get them up to (my best) speed. Does give enough to work on so that I have relatively few occasions where I get bored with what I am working on.

jeff

Hack Amatuer · #12 02-06-2010, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Losov

" since the Johnson Administration. But every now and then one of these works in progress percolates to the top and I've got a new song!

To me, that's a fun way to work, and I'm doing this to have fun, after all.

Ha ha, there's an old tune that my grandfather played on the fiddle, I transposed it to "G" for the banjo back in the 80's, switched back to the guitar in open G tuning. And it just recently "percolated" to the top.