Practicing:What's Different Now That I Stay Home

[Randy Stein]

We live in interesting times.

It's not that I didn't have a regular and healthy daily practice routine but now the music I needed to learn and perfect for my various performance groups seem to have less purpose since pretty much every gig has cancelled through September. And no studios are doing anymore recording.

So I stay home. I get to practice more than I did previously. I'm  practicing more of the violin etude studies by Mazas and Wolfhart. Playing through the Django Fakebook. I've revisited previous arranged pieces, reworking some. Learning a few new tunes and experimenting with some of the recording apps. One collaborative app I found is Soundtrap. My band Ein Lanu Z'man is working on and recording a new piece using this app. My friend Jim Besser started a FB group that has thousands around the world recording themselves and introducing us to great music and acoustic traditions new and old.

Weather permitting, I sit on the small hill across from my condo complex and play for those sitting on their balconys. 

I read more. Walk the dogs so much that they run into the other room and hide when I grab their leashes. I spend much more time with my wife. We miss our friends, and have dinner and drinks with our kids and family members via Zoom.

We live in interesting times.

[Bill N]

With no sessions, dances or gigs on the horizon I feel like I've gotten off the "just good enough" repertoire treadmill.  I've been focusing on technique and phrasing, and tunes that I like but that aren't likely to catch on as session or band staples.  And with my wife now working from home I'm practicing in the cellar or out on the deck so as not to provide a soundtrack to her video conferencing!