Have I Murdered This Tune?

[PeterT]

Frequently an "AHAH!! I get it" will come faster after the break as the new information gets digested than working into a frustrating "Why isn't it coming?".

yesterday I got so fustrated I nearly chucked the concertina across the room...but I have more self control than that. But it gets so fustrating when I see people find music so easy and I find it such a struggle.

Been there; almost done that too. It's normal! The first few months are the worst, but once you get past this stage, you'll look back and wonder what the problem was .

[Simon H]

I've found the learning stages of concertina fascinating in all sorts of ways. Feeling parts of your brain actually straining to draw together sound memory, knowledge of the buttons, tempo, and tactile memory is something amazing. You can almost feel the plough in your brain making new mental furrows for the seeds of knowledge to be planted in.

 

Another thing that is strange for me is the feeling of "trust" that you have to put in yourself that the next note in the tune is going to be the right one. It is a kind of unfounded trust because for me this type of knowledge is so abstract, unlike learnt knowledge of any other type, I can't seem to identify the part of the brain it comes from so have little confidence or feeling of control when running through a tune. The moment I try to think too hard, it slips away from me. So tenuous.

 

I still find it hard to play in front of others and my worst moments are when I tell my wife I've learnt a new tune and try to play it ! I applaud you for playing through a tune on video, I've tried that a few times and always end up making mistakes.

 

I use a variety of teaching aids to make the process enjoyable, software (ABC, MIDI, slow downers etc.) Tutor books, scales, metronome, playing along to YouTube videos. I get weekly lessons too, and would really recommend that.

 

Whatever you do make sure you enjoy starting out on concertina. I suspect you do. It is easy to be discouraged.

[m3838]

A nice little (or even nicer bigger) metronome, used sparingly, will do a world of difference. You'll notice peculiar behavior from it: it will change tempo at will, while you'll be keeping perfect rhythm. Follow the "wrong" one.

There's a metronone on garageband on my mac..but I turn it off coz I find it distracting and it never goes the same speed as me.

Forget about Mac. It's too much for just a metronome. Get a metronome from piano store, it's easy to vary tempo and stop it, turn it on again. It's small, so it follows you, not you follow your Mac.

Set the tempo to the speed of your fastest notes, and play slo-owly a few times through. So you'll get the feel of the tune. And build from there. Because as it is now, it sounds as though you play a tune through slow part at fast tempo, then slow down fast part to your slow tempo, and it sounds as though you all of a sudden slow down 50%. This you need to avoid. And don't worry, the tune is very simple, you'll get it to full speed sooner than you think. Just don't dwell on it, and start learning a few more tunes. They will help each other. I'd say, good 5 tunes at once, and another 5 tunes a few weeks later. So in a year you'll play 10 tunes at full speed, but perhaps not so expressively. Speed of tunes comes from practice and expressiveness from talent, can't be practiced, except for very little bit.

Your main goal is to get the rhythm going.

[LDT]

Another thing that is strange for me is the feeling of "trust" that you have to put in yourself that the next note in the tune is going to be the right one. It is a kind of unfounded trust because for me this type of knowledge is so abstract, unlike learnt knowledge of any other type, I can't seem to identify the part of the brain it comes from so have little confidence or feeling of control when running through a tune. The moment I try to think too hard, it slips away from me. So tenuous.

It does take a lot of concentration from me. As soon as I stop concentrating and let me 'instinct' take over I make a mistake..or most commanly invert the notes. (is it possible i'm musicly dislexic?)

 

I use a variety of teaching aids to make the process enjoyable, software (ABC, MIDI, slow downers etc.) Tutor books, scales, metronome, playing along to YouTube videos. I get weekly lessons too, and would really recommend that.

 

Whatever you do make sure you enjoy starting out on concertina. I suspect you do. It is easy to be discouraged.

 

Tell you what a I did last night recorded myself playing then played it back and 3x speed...actually sounded ok...so I just need to speed up by 3x when I play. lol!

[fidjit]

Before I drove myself and everyone at home slightly nuts playing twinkle little star and frere jaques over and over again....I tried another tune.

 

 

after 3 days practicing

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...2&Path=null

 

 

You're doing fine. As you know already that it's going to take a lot of time. (Years!)

 

My questions are

 

Are you reading the notes and playing?

 

Or

 

Have you got the tune in your head?

 

For me as I don't read.

I think that with the tune in your head comes the timing and the speed. (Er, and the mistakes, but they will go away).

 

Chas

[LDT]

Before I drove myself and everyone at home slightly nuts playing twinkle little star and frere jaques over and over again....I tried another tune.

 

 

after 3 days practicing

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...2&Path=null

 

 

You're doing fine. As you know already that it's going to take a lot of time. (Years!)

 

My questions are

 

Are you reading the notes and playing?

 

Or

 

Have you got the tune in your head?

 

For me as I don't read.

I think that with the tune in your head comes the timing and the speed. (Er, and the mistakes, but they will go away).

 

Chas

 

I get the 'tune' from my head (I play the tune o tron version first to familiarise myself) but where my fingers should go from the page (R1, L3 etc. its from a tutor book). So what to play written down but how to play in my head...I think that makes sense.

[m3838]

I get the 'tune' from my head (I play the tune o tron version first to familiarise myself) but where my fingers should go from the page (R1, L3 etc. its from a tutor book). So what to play written down but how to play in my head...I think that makes sense.

So you don't read then.

It's a good idea to start reading as you start playing.

Reading with Anglo in home keys is piece of cake, worth investing time into.

It may feel overwhelming in the beginning, when all you want is simply play a tune, but after a very short time the fog will dissipate, as you'll find your routine. You don't have to do all at once.

It actually helps if you are natural with push/pull. If not, perhaps English will do better, but you may find it a bit later.

Still, never late to change and the time spent on learning is not lost.

[wntrmute]

You're doing fine. For my first few weeks (that's plural) I didn't even try playing anything, I just went through doing flashcards that I had drawn up with the note on one side and then the name of the note and the fingering on the other, just to nail down exactly what note was what button. I also did scales, over and over, which is even more boring sounding than Twinkle, Twinkle, Mary's Lamb. Or whatever.

I did work out the Marine Corps hymn at one point. But I would go back to doing the cards and scales. Weeks of that. Only then did I start with the tutors. I still stink in some ways, but I can play a couple of tunes with no or little ornamentation at speed now. The point where you get frustrated is when you should take a break, go back to it in five to ten minutes.

There's free tutors at www.concertina.com for the Anglo. And there's all the tunes here on the tune-o-tron.

[LDT]

managed to get a bit faster

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...3&Path=null

[m3838]

managed to get a bit faster

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...3&Path=null

Ah, now we're talking!

Now next challenge, make it sound continuously, without large gaps between notes, especially on push/pull. Kind of hold the note playing a little longer, than you feel necessary, it'll be just right.

And start working on other tunes, this one is almost done for now, I think.

[LDT]

And start working on other tunes, this one is almost done for now, I think.

 

another one I've been working on

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...3&Path=null

[Mark Evans]

Hey, that was good!

[LDT]

Hey, that was good!

Thank you

 

It took me 8 days of about 30min-hours practice to learn that up to that point. (is that slow or fast learning wise?)

[Steve_freereeder]

And start working on other tunes, this one is almost done for now, I think.

 

another one I've been working on

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...3&Path=null

Brilliant! I'm glad you've posted that. I know that you've only been learning a month. You are really starting to improve now! Keep it up.

[Mark Evans]

(is that slow or fast learning wise?)

 

Fast...without a doubt.

[Leo]

(is that slow or fast learning wise?)

 

Fast...without a doubt.

Hi LDT

 

A fine tune done well! Pretty quick for me too.

 

Thanks

Leo

[LDT]

(is that slow or fast learning wise?)

 

Fast...without a doubt.

Hi LDT

 

A fine tune done well! Pretty quick for me too.

 

Thanks

Leo

 

 

For me now the proof of if I've really learnt it will be if it stays in my head when I learn another tune...or disappears from my memory.

[Simon H]

I wish I had made that much progress in so short a time, my first 6 months were painful for all concerned. Everything about your playing has improved enormously since your first post. Well done.

 

Simon