To Those Who Are Unsatisfied With Their Playing . . .

[Delbert Blackketter]

All,

 

If you are interested, please participate in the poll, and send me a message here.

 

NOTE: If you are interested in participating as mentor or student, please drop me a line and I will find a way to bring us together.

Also, for players of other traditional music or styles, please note that in a reply, as I did not provide for that in the poll.

 

One of the on-going discussions here revolves around how best to learn, and also how we can collectively help and support others as they/we learn. As an (I think) reasonably skilled guitar player of country, folk music, etc. I find myself surprised to continually learn humility at the hands of this passive little box before me. 'Thinking' musical thoughts does not result in musical sound. My practice time is frequently used to simply relax, and not to actually advance my skills. I waste my practice time.

 

My learning is progressing along the path of:

 

a. Exposing myself to as much of the music I enjoy as possible

b. Identifying the tunes/songs I would play, given the development of skill

c. Attempting to play the tunes, starting from left-to-right, one measure at a time.

d. Repeating a through c above. Usually completing the A part, and then moving on to something else.

 

I have not, as yet:

 

a. practiced playing or learning scales (I should do this)

b. practiced non-musical elements, to develop finger-dexterity and button-memory (should do this)

c. addressed 'just one key' so I could master that key (should do this)

d. taken one tune end-to-end and up-to-speed (agggh!)

 

I believe this second set of points represents a major hindrance to advancing my learning. I keep waiting to be approached for a reality-television series to determine 'can this bloke ever learn to play a tune?' So far, no calls.

 

What do you/we already know you should change, but have not yet changed?

What do you/we know that you simply do not apply?

when are you/we going to take steps to really progress?

 

I say now. Let's form a short-term, structured alliance to grow musically. I mean with names, with a plan. For one month. If it works, repeat the process, up one notch on the difficulty scale. If not, we can just talk about what we would like to achieve 'someday.'

 

Let's agree to encourage each other - let's make some structured commitments in time, music, practice. Let's set some common goals, and chase them.

 

Because we are at different levels, this may not appeal to some of you. But if you are beyond the learning stage, then sign yourself up to mentor some of the rest of us. Doesn't have to be a major commitment, just a serious commitment.

 

And even without one or more mentors, I believe most of us already know what we need to do - we just need to do it.

 

Well?

 

Del

Edited March 15, 2007 by Delbert Blackketter

[Robert Booth]

Del:

I like the concept, but how do we do the feedback part?

[Delbert Blackketter]

If you are interested . . .

 

Robert,

 

I did not realize the poll would be anonymous, so I thought names would accumulate as people voted. For now I would collect the names of those such as yourself who raise their hands.

 

Open to suggestions. I propose: If someone is interested, send me a note, your vote preferences (Anglo beginner song style, etc), and contact information. I can then follow-up. If I get swamped, I would probably send a mailing to those who responded and organize some helpers.

 

For example, what would you like to see, or recommend?

 

Thanks a lot

 

Del

[John Wild]

The poll lists 3 categories for beginner English: Irish, song style or classical. That misses out a lot of what I play, including English/Scots/Welsh traditional music, and light popular tunes.

 

- John Wild

[Delbert Blackketter]

The poll lists 3 categories for beginner English: Irish, song style or classical. That misses out a lot of what I play, including English/Scots/Welsh traditional music, and light popular tunes.

 

- John Wild

 

John,

 

Your point is well taken. I would have used 'traditional' rather than 'Irish' as a better choice.

 

Del

[Gary]

Hello, this seems like a good idea and also a good time to let you know how I'm getting on learning the English concertina.

 

I've been learning since November 2006, but before I purchased my Jackie, I did loads of research. I especially spent ages on this site and forum following links and gathering great information.

What appealed to me was the fact that the English was fully chromatic and I would in my view have to learn to read music. Months before I even bought the concertina I discovered a program on the Internet that flashed up a note on the stave and you had to guess what it was. It also allowed you to add sharps and flats.

So by the time I got my concertina I had a better understanding of reading music.

Now I know the arguments for and against the use of dots, but personally speaking it was a black art that I thought I couldn't do. ( A bit like fly tying!)

Then I wanted to know how to play it, but that really isn't the question, the question is how to practise, how to make the most of your time.

Being in my late thirties I like to make the most of the time I've got. I asked questions about practise and searched this great forum and I discovered different views on practise and learning. From scales to breaking tunes into chunks etc.

The ABC tune-o-tron is amazing, in fact the whole ABC thing is fantastic.I would pick a song I liked, say Dark Island and print off the pdf and listen to the midi in fact I would find two or three tunes with their midi and copy the midi onto disc and have all my learning materials together in a folder with the track info written on the pdf printout.

I would try to choose tunes in different keys so as to get my fingers moving, but because of the scales practise, my fingers and ears understood what was going on. I play just single notes with no decoration or chords yet, but that may come with practice.

Basically that is what I do just now, I love music in all forms and I'm lucky that I live on the Isle of Skye because there's a great tradition of music here.

But and it's a big but, the English concertina has directed me to other traditions of music, I love the Morris tunes and if you search for eastern European tunes in ABC you get a chance to use flat and minor keys, this can only improve your playing.

I play blues harp in a local blues band and I understand the joy of playing with other people and that brings me to playing the concertina in what is generally called a session.

How do you do it if you're a beginner, a learner or a newbie. After visiting a lot of forums I discovered you have different levels of sessions, some open to beginners some not.

If you're lucky enough to have friends who are learning an instrument what ever it may be, even if it doesn't fit into the common traditional genre, just get together and have a go.

Also I discovered a great site that sells CD backing tracks at different speeds, very slow to begin with and building up the proper speed with the instruments joining in. This gives the learner a chance to get the feeling of playing with a group.

Well that's where I am, I can play one or two tunes but need the music in front of me but after following the advice in this forum I will try not to sometimes. I have also learnt from speaking to other musicians that traditional music just doesn't revolve around Irish and Scottish tunes, do a bit of searching and you'll discover some beautiful stuff out there on the net.

One final word on learning to read music, I always wanted to learn to play the bagpipes, firstly I have to learn the practise chanter, and because I can read those nine notes already a huge part of learning is already covered.

 

Kind regards

 

Gary.

[m3838]

Music tutoring is one-on-one process. Together we can only play in a band, "after" we learned the part. I don't understand the idea of "lets get together for a month".

I'm thinking it'd be better for advanced players to offer correspondence course and charge for it. Then they can even have a virual recital, where all of their pupils play at different levels, and the video of it could be published here. But we all have lives to live and it's difficult to step forward with initiative. Untill that time, I'm afraid, there is not much more we can do

[Joachim]

Hi Del,

 

this is an interesting idea for me. I play a 20key Anglo since about 1.5 years and enjoy it very much. I started to play Irish music together with friends but still make to much mistakes so that I returned to my guitar when playing together.

 

I feel myself in a similar situation like you described it. I practice a tune which I like, make quickly progress, play it a hundred times, think "now I got it". And the next day when I repeat it I make one mistake after the other. I think this is because I have not the right way to practise the essential parts of the tune or the links between the parts of the tune.

 

If you should start this common practise I think the success depends on the mentor who has to be able to find the right tunes with enough but not to much challenges. How would you manage this ?

 

Regards,

Jo

[m3838]

Hi Del,

 

this is an interesting idea for me. I play a 20key Anglo since about 1.5 years and enjoy it very much. I started to play Irish music together with friends but still make to much mistakes so that I returned to my guitar when playing together.

 

I feel myself in a similar situation like you described it. I practice a tune which I like, make quickly progress, play it a hundred times, think "now I got it". And the next day when I repeat it I make one mistake after the other. I think this is because I have not the right way to practise the essential parts of the tune or the links between the parts of the tune.

 

If you should start this common practise I think the success depends on the mentor who has to be able to find the right tunes with enough but not to much challenges. How would you manage this ?

 

Regards,

Jo

 

I guess you would be better off learning at slower rate and playing many tunes. Then you'll probably develop a pattern and will be able to apply it to the similar tune or to fill in if you forgot some part. Some suggest to learn the same tune in many different keys. I myself find it to be very boring.

[Delbert Blackketter]

this is an interesting idea for me.

If you should start this common practise I think the success depends on the mentor who has to be able to find the right tunes with enough but not to much challenges. How would you manage this ?

 

Joachim,

 

As I hope to be mentored, and not to be a mentor at this time, I hope to be asked 'what do you want to learn?' And then to be presented with some small steps to help me get there from someone who has been there before me.

 

If no mentors volunteer themselves, then I would submit that we will become our own mentors for a month.

 

I would then ask you 'what do you want to learn?' Oder vielleicht 'Na, was hast du vor?' Was willst du spielen koennen?'

 

I admit that I already know most of the answers for myself. Now I need to apply that knowledge. I also believe many others here are in similar circumstances. If so, let's work together. For one month.

 

Where m3838 prefers another approach to learning, I do agree in part, but learning is not the same as beng taught. To learn is to participate - mitmachen.

 

Great questions,

 

Del

[m3838]

Where m3838 prefers another approach to learning, I do agree in part, but learning is not the same as beng taught. To learn is to participate - mitmachen.

 

I just don't understand the media in which this one month workshop will happen.

Working together is better in a band, but the virtual band idea didn't pick up.

To learn is to hear and replicate, so the playing/listening is essential. This forum is not a real "community", just a place where people hang out with no obligation, so it shouldn't be overestimated.

But I'm all for it, if it works, and will be happy to participate.

 

So, how do you see this working?

I didn't get practical levers from your initial post.

 

BTW. Nobody yet stepped forward and offered correspondence classes. It'd be rather sure additional income, but no takers...

[Tootler]

The poll lists 3 categories for beginner English: Irish, song style or classical. That misses out a lot of what I play, including English/Scots/Welsh traditional music, and light popular tunes.

 

- John Wild

 

John,

 

Your point is well taken. I would have used 'traditional' rather than 'Irish' as a better choice.

 

Del

 

I play Anglo in largely melody only but do not consider my style, such as it is at this early stage, as Irish as I mainly play English with some Scots and Irish tunes but don't particularly aspire to learning Irish style decoration.

 

I suggest that "Mainly Melody" or something similar would be better than "Irish" in the sense of being broader in scope for both Anglo and English concertinas

[Anglogeezer]

Those who feel happy with distance learning may be interested in this page offering tuition for the English concertina by Simon Thoumire.

lessons

 

As for myself, I occasionally attend a weekly session aimed at introducing beginers (of all types of instrument) to the idea of playing in a group. Those of us who know a little more, help and advise those who know a little less. It's informal but it works OK.

Last year I lent a young chap a 20 Button Anglo to see if he could get on with it and he's since bought his own.

All-together there are 5 sessions/clubs every week in a 2mile radius where I live so there's no excuse for any musician not being able to get advice!!

Once you've found out about them that is!!

 

Jake

[yfried]

I use a Mac with a video camera and iChat. I have often wondered how it would work to have lessons on the Anglo concertina using this technology. I have video discussions with my family frequently. I would like to try doing an iChat video conference with someone who has a Mac and who plays concertina. I think that it could actually work out quite well for purposes of teaching and learning.

 

Yvonne

[Robin Harrison]

I see Pauline de Snoo gives on'line lessons with a webcam..............which sounds very interesting.

Concertina Academy

Clikck on Tuition/Downloads and then Online Tuition.

Robin

[Leo]

Some additional information on Pauline de Snoo:

http://www.concertina.nl/

 

Thanks

Leo

[Delbert Blackketter]

All - For those who are interested in participating, please contact me via PM or EM on this forum, and I will get us together.

 

I have no access to see who is 'interested' as a student or as a mentor, so please let me know.

 

Thanks to all of you who participate in the poll - I find it very interesting to see how it is changing a little each week.

 

Del