Practice Strategies

[Jim Besser]

I've raised this topic before, but still have a hard time dealing with it.

 

To wit: what strategies do people use for effective practice, and particularly for maintaining tunes you've already learned while acquiring new ones.

 

The problem for me: I have learned so many new tunes in recent years that the neurons must be getting overloaded. I forget the ones I've learned a while back, I squander time learning a tune and then forgetting I ever heard of it, etc.

 

A function of old age, no doubt, but I suspect I'm not alone.

 

So how do people organize practice, in a way that helps them maintain the things they've learned while learning lots of new things?

 

How do you all organize playlists so they help organize practice?

[JimLucas]

So how do people organize practice...?

 

*Organize* practice? Sorry. Can't help you there.

 

(Actually, I wish I could.)

[Tom Hall]

Practising concertina is the last thing on my mind, due perhaps, to the rigors of childhood piano lessons. However, I do play as often as possible. Since my primary goal is to use the concertina to accompany the songs I sing, I probably take a different approach than most.

 

It usually takes me a very short time to figure out tha basic concertina part for a song. Once I've managed to coordinate voice and instrument, it just a matter of working them enough to feel comfortable. Once I've gotten to the point where I feel comfortable about an informal performance, its just a matter of repetition to smooth out the knots and build on the basic accompaniment.

 

The most difficult thing to me is to work up both the song and the concertina part together. I'm currently working on "The Death of Bill Brown." The song has been floating around in my head for about 45 years and I've almost learned it a couple times. What is making it more difficult is that I'm trying for the sound achieved by A.L. Lloyd and Alf Edwards. But I do hope to have it down before the "season of the year' ends -- Tom

[bellowbelle]

A function of old age, no doubt, but I suspect I'm not alone.

I'm 43, that's old to some, I guess...

 

Anyway, I am still working on building up my repetoire for voice and concertina, and I am not much of a traditional-type player, but....I have nonetheless faced this problem.

 

It was my old accordion teacher that came to memory while working on this, or, something he said. He pointed out how over-whelming and ominous a simple piece of music can seem, but it becomes easy if you just 'shrink' it. Meaning, sectionalize it into gradually smaller parts. Like, the chord progression of the song (if you happen to pay attention to that).

 

I would usually have music that was JUST a 'cheat sheet' or a lead sheet -- only the chord progression to follow. (This really helped my ear for progressions.) I basically learned to play just by ear.

 

Now, any composition I can't seem to 'hold onto,' I break it up into a chord progression and write a lead sheet for it. The melody falls into place if I have the chord progression in front of me.

 

If you don't bother with chords or trying to hear them (though you probably do 'hear' them), maybe try other guidelines like using the solfeggio syllables (do re mi, etc.) for the melody notes, or find lyrics that fit....maybe use your own code words for phrases that move up and ones that move down.

 

Or, maybe you'll find some other way to notate a simple framework to sort of 'plug in' and use.

 

Me, I've tried to become a sight-reader but I think I'll just always play by ear, but writing out my chord progressions.

[caj]

Hi,

 

Best thing I did to improve my practice was to get a metronome and use it. I play scales against the metronome when I practice, in jig and reel rhythms, keeping track from day to day of the speed at which I can steadily play them. This has helped my playing enormously.

 

Also, a journal really helps. I keep track of when I practice, what tunes I learn, what tunes I been practicing, and what I got at what speed. Keeping a tune list, as well as a record of what's been practiced and what needs practicing, helps to keep tunes from disappearing.

 

Caj

[Henk van Aalten]

The problem for me: I have learned so many new tunes in recent years that the neurons must be getting overloaded.  I forget the ones I've learned a while back, I squander time learning a tune and then forgetting I ever heard of it, etc.

Jim

 

As I have been playing tunes on tin whistle, fiddle and concertin for more than 30 years, I recognize your problem. I learn new tunes, but from the previous ones a lot dissapear under the dust and may pop up every now and than.

 

My method is that as soon as I master a new tune or rediscover an old one, I plug the microphone in the PC and record it as a WAV or MP3 file. After some time I put everything on a CD.

 

This works great for me, except for those tunes that my fingers remember to play, but my brain forgot everything about the title.

 

Henk

[Rhomylly]

Tom and Bellowbelle,

 

When you accompany singing (mo co-goal, along with learning to play for morris), do you prefer to play the tune as another unison voice, play chords, or both/combination?

 

 

Rhomylly

[Tom Hall]

I almost always begin by using the basic tune as accompaniment. This makes it easier to establish the tempo, if any. I also play chords as part of the tune. As I get more comfortable with the song, I tend to ease off on the tune and fill in with chords. This is always easier if I have a competent guitarist working with me; he/she can keep the tempo going, allowing me to be a bit more creative on the concertina.

 

For this reason, I really enjoy accompaning other singers. i can do a lot more if i don't have to pay attention to both my singing and playing at the same time -- Tom

[Michael Reid]

When I find a tune I want to learn -- usually from hearing it at a session or on a CD -- I try to locate an abc version of it. If I can't find one I might create the abc code myself. It's not important to me that the abc correspond note-for-note to how I want to play the tune, because I use the abc only as an "outline" and reminder of how the tune starts. I convert the abcs to pdf using the Convert-a-Matic tool on this site.

 

I keep all these pdf files in a folder on my computer (one tune per file, rather than multiple tunes per file). When I feel like practicing, rather than just playing whatever strikes my fancy, I'll open up the folder, sort the files so the ones most recently added are on the top of the list, then work my way down.

 

Of course, sometimes I have to dip far down into the list to work on once-learned-but-since-forgotten tunes.

 

Another thing I'll do when learning/practicing a tune that's on a CD is to rip an MP3 copy, then load that into Transcribe! software so I can play along at a slowed-down tempo. I highly recommend Transcribe!, available for both Windows and Mac OS from Seventh String Software.

[bellowbelle]

Tom and Bellowbelle,

 

When you accompany singing (mo co-goal, along with learning to play for morris), do you prefer to play the tune as another unison voice, play chords, or both/combination?

 

 

Rhomylly

I LOVE harmony. So, if I'm singing along (which is my goal, these days) I want my concertina to play a combination of chords and harmonic (simple) embellishments.

 

However, I can really only do this half-okay with my own original stuff or with old songs that I really know by heart. The traditional songs are mostly new to me, and I don't embellish them at all.

 

Can only do so much in one lifetime -- I have decided I prefer to work on my own composing.

 

And, as far as what I'll actually 'write out,' there's no way I'm going to write out every note I play...anymore....just a basic lead sheet!

 

I used to sing and/or play the melody of a song only by ear, years ago when I would play in church, with or without my piano-accordion teacher. I only was given the chord progression on paper. This wasn't hard, since we sang the songs over and over.

 

Learning the way I did, then siging harmony in the choir, I really got some practice picking out progressions.

 

I would be really lost, though, trying to play any morris type of stuff. I suppose if I were around it more, I'd pick it up.