Today was a pretty normal day full of lessons. Right now, I'm finished for the evening, but I'm enjoying listening to Mike and his student Alaina singing in the next room. Alaina is taking guitar lessons, but right now they are playing piano and guitar AND singing together. It really sounds great! Is this the best job in world, or what???
It was a day full of great progress. Kurt is getting ready for a mission trip to Syria and he is taking his fiddle along with him. We talked about how to transpose written music, and we are going to work on that some more when he returns. Kurt plays both by ear and by music. His tone is great; you can really tell that he works on his bowing and intonation (playing in tune).
Dolton is working on Duelin' Banjos and Shuckin' the Corn on his banjo. His wife is learning guitar, so they practice together. That is really a great way to spend part of your practicing time. Learning to play together can be really hard when both people are beginners, but it has the wonderful benefit of both people not minding practicing the same thing over and over again. Dolton and I were talking about his progress since the beginning. He is able to memorize so much more than when he first started, and he learns everything much faster than he did in the beginning. This is actually a normal progression of learning, but it is really great when you start to realize your progress for yourself.
Now that I'm talking about practicing, let me just state a few tips regarding practice.
1. Play vs. Practice - First of all, there is a difference between practicing and playing. When you practice, you will probably be working on the same thing(s) over and over again. When you are playing, you are more likely to go through the song(s) once or twice, and what you play should be fairly good.
2. Speed - Make sure you practice slow enough that your technique and clarity of notes is good. Once you can play the song with only occasional mistakes and good technique, you can start speeding it up. A metronome works very well for this. The way to work with a metronome is to start at a speed that is easy for you. After you play through the song once, then speed up by 5-10 notches. Play the song again at this new tempo. Then speed it up again 5-10 notches. You should be able to do this about five times. By the fifth time, you should be making lots of mistakes and be barely able to keep up. Then cut the speed back 10-20 notches and play the song again. It should be easier. Record (write down) your starting speed so that you know what speed to start at next time. When you get to where the fifth speed is pretty good, then you need to "up" your starting tempo.
3. Mistakes - Everyone is going to make mistakes. The most important thing is to keep going. Only worry about wrong notes if you make the same mistake every time. If you make the same mistake every time in the same spot, then you need to focus your practice on that one spot to fix the problem. If you play LOTS of wrong notes, then you are probably playing too fast, or maybe you are just having a bad day. It is also possible that the song is too difficult for you. You should be able to tell the difference between these if you think about it.
4. Practice Time - The best time to practice if you take lessons, is to practice on the day of your lesson AFTER you have had your lesson. This will allow you time to forget a LITTLE of what you learned and then remember it again while it is still pretty fresh. This will really help cement your learning for that lesson. Although long practice times can be very helpful, they are not absolutely necessary. In fact, more frequent, smaller time periods are preferable. It works on the same theory as practicing on your lesson days. It allows you a little bit of time to forget what you worked on, and then have to remember it again later. You are also fresher when you start your practice session.
When I'm practicing hard on a song, I might practice that one piece 100-200 times in a row. It has always been amazing to me how I can do that, and then the next day I can't seem to remember the song. It's always faster learning it the second time around, though, and it won't take me long to get it back in my head.
Too much practice on the same thing can put you on brain overload so that you start getting worse instead of better. When that happens, either work on a different song, or stop practicing for a little while. I usually spend the first part of the my practice time working on my new songs or licks. That is actually the majority of my practice time. Then I will do some playing. Playing is when you enjoy what you are doing the most. It involves just going over the songs you already know how to play pretty good. You might find something to practice among your playing songs, especially if you haven't played a song in a long time, but you should be pretty good on your playing songs. Playing will keep your songs fresh in your head so you won't forget them.
5. Make a List - Make a list of all the songs you know how to play. A songlist will help you with your practicing because you won't forget to play or practice all the songs you know. It is also helpful for when you play with other people, because then you know what you can play. It's funny how you can know 30 songs, but when someone asks you to play something, you can't seem to think of any. If you have a list, you can just look at it.
Once you have a long list of songs that you can play, you won't be able to get through them all in one practice session. I try to make sure that I go through the songs I know at least once every two weeks. That might be only 10 songs for each practice session before I've covered them all. That's not too bad.
6. Play with Others - This is the most important thing you can do for yourself. There are many ways this will help you. It will keep you steady in your rhythm, and will also help you find the weak spots in your playing. Plus, it's fun! When you play with other people, you will find people your own age that are doing exactly what you are doing, and you will have someone to share your music with. You never know who you might inspire! Someone else will see you learning and they will decide that they can do that, too! Remember -- it doesn't matter how good you are. If you are a rank beginner, sit on the edge of the jam session, make sure you are in tune, and play quietly. You may be lost the first several times, but YOU WILL GET IT! We all started there, too.
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Tuesday's Jam - Rain, Rain, Go Away - Violin vs. Fiddle
Tuesday's jam was another good one. Attendance was down slightly due to the rain. We had about 20 pickers and several more listeners. Several folks ran into very bad rain, lightning and wind on the way here. It seemed strange, because we had nothing more than a little bit of rain in New Athens. We were pleased to have newcomer, Jack, with us. He is a great singer and guitar picker. Ken is another newcomer that showed up. Ken and his daughter are taking guitar lessons from Mike. Larry was back; it had been several weeks since he had been able to attend. Terry played the infamous Celito Lindo on his banjo; better known as The Frito Bandito. That's a really cool song. Kelsey lead a song on her fiddle for the first time and did so well! She played Amazing Grace. No dobros -- which reminds me to make mention of Ben's father. He had a quadruple bypass earlier this week and Ben asked for us to keep him in prayer. Last I had heard, he was stable but not out of the woods.
I've been adding books to the website again this week. I plan on putting all of our normally in-stock items there, but I'm only able to do it a little bit at a time. Just remember, we can special order any Mel Bay or Hal Leonard (including Home Spun) items you would like! I'm still looking for a source from which to purchase bluegrass CDs for resale. If you've got any ideas, let me know!
It's another rainy day here. I think it's supposed to rain all day. Yesterday, I had the doors open all day because the temperature has been so nice. It's very humid, though. I kept having to tighten the hair on my fiddle bow all day.
I've been thinking about fiddle strings with this humid weather, and now seems like a fine time to discuss the topic. Many people ask me what is the difference between a fiddle and a violin. There are several differences in setup, but there's no difference in the actual instrument itself. Usually, folks who play classical music will refer to the instrument as a violin, and those who play country, folk and bluegrass will refer to the instrument as a fiddle. Here are some of the differences in setup:
1. Strings - Classical players usually prefer perlon strings, which mimic gut. Gut was what was always used in the past, but it is very expensive and much more subjective to the weather. Perlon strings are still more weather sensitive than steel, but since most classical players don't play inside, outside, inside, outside, in the sun, etc., that's not too much of an issue. Since perlon strings stretch so much, most classical players do not use four fine tuners either. They don't need them with perlon strings because the amount of stretch in the strings allows them to tune from the regular tuning pegs at the top of the instrument. There will be one fine tuner for the E string, which is usually steel. Perlon strings blend more with other instruments and are slightly more mellow. Dominant is the most popular of this type of string.
Bluegrass, folk and country players usually prefer steel strings. Steel strings don't stretch as much, aren't as subjective to the humidity and temperature, and are generally louder and more cutting. This is important because the fiddle is playing acoustically and needs to be able to be heard above the other instruments when taking a break (lead). Since this type of music is generally played all over the place, indoors, outdoors, etc., steel strings are more suitable because you don't have to tune so much. Steel string players will generally have four fine tuners on the tailpiece because steel strings don't have a lot of stretch in them and the fine tuners are needed to get the strings in tune. Popular string choices are Super Sensitive Red Label on the low end, then Prim, Pirastro Chromcor and Wondertone. Some "cross-over" players like Helicore.
2. Bridge - In general, classical players don't play as many double-stops (two notes at a time) as fiddle players, so they prefer a more curved bridge. A curved bridge makes it easier to play one string at a time. This is also the preferred bridge shape for beginners, regardless of style. A flatter bridge makes playing double-stops much easier. I've seen some old time fiddlers' bridges that looked almost completely flat! Just a note on bridges: bridges are usually cut to the curvature of the fingerboard, then refined based on player's preference.
3. Tone - The classical violist is looking for a tone that will blend well with the other instruments; something that is slightly more mellow than what a fiddle player would be likely to choose. A fiddler is looking for an instrument that will be able to stand out in an acoustic jam session. Once again -- these are just generalities and everyone will be looking for their own particular desired tone and volume.
4. Shoulder rests and Chinrest pads - I've noticed that all styles of players use shoulder rests about the same percentage-wise. Shoulder rests not only help hold the instrument, they also relieve neck tension, promote good left hand position (because you are not holding the instrument with your left hand so it is free), and helps to teach muscle memory to the right arm because the instrument will always be at the same angle, so the bow arm "learns" how high and what angle it needs to be to play each particular string.
I have noticed that classical players use chinrest pads far more frequently than fiddle players. At first, I could not figure this out, but after some discussions with a few other folks, we decided it is probably due to the fact that many orchestra pieces can be as long as 10 minutes or more, and the chinrest pad would be much more comfortable. Fiddle tunes generally do not last that long unless you are playing square dances, and most of the time the melody is passed off to other instruments so the fiddle player is not playing for 10 minutes solid.
Those are the major set-up differences that I can think of at this time. If I've missed something or you've got something else to say, feel free to comment.
I've been adding books to the website again this week. I plan on putting all of our normally in-stock items there, but I'm only able to do it a little bit at a time. Just remember, we can special order any Mel Bay or Hal Leonard (including Home Spun) items you would like! I'm still looking for a source from which to purchase bluegrass CDs for resale. If you've got any ideas, let me know!
It's another rainy day here. I think it's supposed to rain all day. Yesterday, I had the doors open all day because the temperature has been so nice. It's very humid, though. I kept having to tighten the hair on my fiddle bow all day.
I've been thinking about fiddle strings with this humid weather, and now seems like a fine time to discuss the topic. Many people ask me what is the difference between a fiddle and a violin. There are several differences in setup, but there's no difference in the actual instrument itself. Usually, folks who play classical music will refer to the instrument as a violin, and those who play country, folk and bluegrass will refer to the instrument as a fiddle. Here are some of the differences in setup:
1. Strings - Classical players usually prefer perlon strings, which mimic gut. Gut was what was always used in the past, but it is very expensive and much more subjective to the weather. Perlon strings are still more weather sensitive than steel, but since most classical players don't play inside, outside, inside, outside, in the sun, etc., that's not too much of an issue. Since perlon strings stretch so much, most classical players do not use four fine tuners either. They don't need them with perlon strings because the amount of stretch in the strings allows them to tune from the regular tuning pegs at the top of the instrument. There will be one fine tuner for the E string, which is usually steel. Perlon strings blend more with other instruments and are slightly more mellow. Dominant is the most popular of this type of string.
Bluegrass, folk and country players usually prefer steel strings. Steel strings don't stretch as much, aren't as subjective to the humidity and temperature, and are generally louder and more cutting. This is important because the fiddle is playing acoustically and needs to be able to be heard above the other instruments when taking a break (lead). Since this type of music is generally played all over the place, indoors, outdoors, etc., steel strings are more suitable because you don't have to tune so much. Steel string players will generally have four fine tuners on the tailpiece because steel strings don't have a lot of stretch in them and the fine tuners are needed to get the strings in tune. Popular string choices are Super Sensitive Red Label on the low end, then Prim, Pirastro Chromcor and Wondertone. Some "cross-over" players like Helicore.
2. Bridge - In general, classical players don't play as many double-stops (two notes at a time) as fiddle players, so they prefer a more curved bridge. A curved bridge makes it easier to play one string at a time. This is also the preferred bridge shape for beginners, regardless of style. A flatter bridge makes playing double-stops much easier. I've seen some old time fiddlers' bridges that looked almost completely flat! Just a note on bridges: bridges are usually cut to the curvature of the fingerboard, then refined based on player's preference.
3. Tone - The classical violist is looking for a tone that will blend well with the other instruments; something that is slightly more mellow than what a fiddle player would be likely to choose. A fiddler is looking for an instrument that will be able to stand out in an acoustic jam session. Once again -- these are just generalities and everyone will be looking for their own particular desired tone and volume.
4. Shoulder rests and Chinrest pads - I've noticed that all styles of players use shoulder rests about the same percentage-wise. Shoulder rests not only help hold the instrument, they also relieve neck tension, promote good left hand position (because you are not holding the instrument with your left hand so it is free), and helps to teach muscle memory to the right arm because the instrument will always be at the same angle, so the bow arm "learns" how high and what angle it needs to be to play each particular string.
I have noticed that classical players use chinrest pads far more frequently than fiddle players. At first, I could not figure this out, but after some discussions with a few other folks, we decided it is probably due to the fact that many orchestra pieces can be as long as 10 minutes or more, and the chinrest pad would be much more comfortable. Fiddle tunes generally do not last that long unless you are playing square dances, and most of the time the melody is passed off to other instruments so the fiddle player is not playing for 10 minutes solid.
Those are the major set-up differences that I can think of at this time. If I've missed something or you've got something else to say, feel free to comment.
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