Bad Habit List For Beginner

[RustyH]

As I live in a remote location and am learning Anglo (and maybe soon English) via cd/dvd tutors, there is often reference to the dreaded "Bad Habits". As well I have looked into camps and seen various instructors like to get beginners before they develop "Bad Habits".

 

Can the 'concertina.net collective' list and define what I shouldn't be doing in the beginning throes of learning. So I can attempt to not develop BH's.

 

Thanks

[wntrmute]

Bad habit #1: spending more time on C-net than practicing.

 

At least that my worst habit, I think.

I think this is a good idea.

[Jody Kruskal]

Hi Rusty,

 

When I started out, I phoned up my brother Tom and asked him what I should do. He told me two things which were invaluable. These both relate to playing the Anglo, harmonic style and will not be much help if you aren’t working on the finger twisting process of learning to play melody and accompaniment at the same time. If you are though, here is what he told me:

 

• Never learn a tune without learning how to play the chord patterns that go along with it.

 

• Play the right hand melody notes long and the left hand accompaniment notes short.

 

To these, I would add a few pieces of advice that work for any instrument.

 

• Start off very, very, very slow and practice playing evenly, without pause; even if it’s just a measure or two of music played beautifully over and over again.

 

• Rhythm and pulse trump all other factors.

 

• Stay relaxed and don’t use any muscles you don’t need. Check yourself in a mirror while playing to see if you are doing anything unnecessary.

 

I’m still working on all of these issues after 30 years of playing and having a wonderful time. Good Luck

.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Jody Kruskal

[spookymatchbox]

had mine for two weeks and i have the tendency to hold it at an angle instead of upright like it's supposed to be, so until i realize it i'm straining my wrists lol.

[Dave Prebble]

As I live in a remote location and am learning Anglo (and maybe soon English) via cd/dvd tutors, there is often reference to the dreaded "Bad Habits". As well I have looked into camps and seen various instructors like to get beginners before they develop "Bad Habits".

 

Can the 'concertina.net collective' list and define what I shouldn't be doing in the beginning throes of learning. So I can attempt to not develop BH's.

 

Thanks

 

 

Hi Rusty,

 

Great advice from Jody - especially about rhythm and drive being the key.

 

Don't rely too much on following written music. By all means use it to pick up the bare bones of a tune, but try early on to develop the habit of committing the melody to memory (again as Jody says - short snatches of tune) and as soon as your fingers can find the right buttons to order, play in a dark room from memory and that is when you will be able to make the music really sing. LISTEN TO WHAT YOU ARE PLAYING - Let your ears tell you what is right.

 

Unless a brilliant sight reader with an intuitive feel for the type of music you are playing, the dots can tend to make delivery rather mechanical. Music on a page is only a suggested route map. How you travel that route and all the interesting diversions short cuts and 'scenic route interludes' along the way, are up to you. In short, express yourself and develop your own unique style.

 

While tutors are excellent aids in the early stages, do try and experiment with different fingering patterns etc. Remember, such tutors only represent the ideas of what suits that particular author and are not 'golden rules' never to be broken.

 

Regards

 

Dave

 

PS make really good friends with the air button as soon as possible.

[m3838]

Sing a tune, record yourself, listen, go puke, listen again, go..., re-record, listen....

Then try to play what you sing, with breathing, accents. Record yourself alot.

Buy that tape recorder with big buttons. Don't bother with some "portable" device, where butotns are tiny and which you have to "learn" to use. Big and simple is the theme.

Oh yes. I tried to record myself to a Garage Band with clicking metronome - wow! Big improvement!

I mean - Wow!

[Boney]

• Rhythm and pulse trump all other factors.

I agree strongly. It's common to stop playing when you make a mistake practicing, and go back to "fix it." But you should also often practice as if you were performing -- don't stop, keep the pulse as best you can, don't panic, and pick the tune back up in rhythm.

 

If you're playing in public, someone may start spontaneously dancing to your music, or some folks may tap their feet. If you haven't practiced keeping rhythm through mistakes, you will surely let them down soon, and they will stop. Which for me is a bit heart-breaking. But you can mangle a few notes here and there, and if you keep the rhythm, people will keep moving.

 

For me, in public playing any instrument I don't know backwards and forwards, it's tempting to flinch and roll my eyes at every mistake, announcing to myself and the world that I know I made a mistake, and I'm better than that really, I guess I'm just a bit nervous, give me another chance, please? It's much more musically rewarding to just keep the pulse, continue on, and let it go with no excuses, unconsciously manifested or otherwise.

[chiton1]

Sing a tune, record yourself, listen, go puke, listen again, go..., re-record, listen....

Then try to play what you sing, with breathing, accents. Record yourself alot.

Buy that tape recorder with big buttons. Don't bother with some "portable" device, where butotns are tiny and which you have to "learn" to use. Big and simple is the theme.

Oh yes. I tried to record myself to a Garage Band with clicking metronome - wow! Big improvement!

I mean - Wow!

 

 

I strongly agree. When you record yourself you will be disgusted most of the time. But you will hear all the flaws of your playing, much better than when you listen while playing.

Be critical but give yourself time to improve.

[Samantha]

What Jody and Boney say. Definitely.

Enjoy yourself!

Samantha

[Jim Besser]

Can the 'concertina.net collective' list and define what I shouldn't be doing in the beginning throes of learning. So I can attempt to not develop BH's.

 

Don't get into the bad habit of playing a tune exactly the same way, over and over again. Your playing will improve if you work on different approaches to a tune, try different chords, work out alternate fingerings.

 

My 2 cents, badly devalued by inflation.

[RustyH]

Great stuff, thanks everyone.....

 

You others....keep it coming....Bad Habits...

 

I do stop when I make a mistake, my playing does sound mechanical, even though I try different approaches.

 

The Hills of Conamarra, Twinkle Twinkle, and Three Blind Mice are getting tiring...lol, and I do play them in the dark a lot as I'm on this ship all night. It does sound really good on the car deck, nice echo/reverby kinda thingy.

 

I'm spending a couple of hours a night with favourite tunes/songs turned very low, trying to follow and find the buttons and their relations to one another, big improvement in that dept this week, and playing across the buttons has been a bit easier than I thought it would be.

 

I'm still in doubt about the way the Rochelle and my hands (relatively large, I'm 6'2") fit. As big a they are the air button is difficult and the pinky seems to not want to play inline with the other fingers, seems twisted somehow trying to keep the right end in line. Awkward best describes it, possibly the weight and size of the beast.

 

OOps, gotta go, we have an emergency run to do....

 

I have added blocking to the handles that raise my palms up (5/8") nicely, and makes things much easier.

[frogspawn]

I've got to the stage of being able to find the right notes for a few tunes, but it was pointed out to me a few days ago (in the nicest possible way) that I didn't have much sense of rhythm. I do have access to a metronome but I thought it would be better to learn to keep time by tapping my foot. I found this a little tricky to begin with but it's improving. It forces me to brush over the mistakes and stops me from slowing down on the twiddly bits. The result isn't always pretty but it probably sounds more like dance music which is what I'm essentially trying to play. Eventually I hope my left hand will be providing the rhythm, but at least this is giving me a better sense of rhythm.

[Dave Rogers]

Having started on a Rochelle myself, I'd add that it's a good idea to rest the instrument on one knee whilst playing and keep the bellows well away from your body. I got a bit carried away during a practice session and before I realised it, I'd got some nice white wear marks on the ridges of the bellows where they'd rubbed against my belt!

 

I don't know if the bellows on more expensive instruments are as easily damaged, but I'm making good and sure that my newly-acquired Crabb doesn't touch any part of me other than my right knee while I'm playing it...

[Rod]

Having started on a Rochelle myself, I'd add that it's a good idea to rest the instrument on one knee whilst playing and keep the bellows well away from your body. I got a bit carried away during a practice session and before I realised it, I'd got some nice white wear marks on the ridges of the bellows where they'd rubbed against my belt!

 

I don't know if the bellows on more expensive instruments are as easily damaged, but I'm making good and sure that my newly-acquired Crabb doesn't touch any part of me other than my right knee while I'm playing it...

 

Avoid any attempts to perfect music for which the Concertina is unsuited. If the instrument is uncomfortable with a choice of melody or style of music it will make it's feelings all too obvious and no amount of practice will satisfactorily solve the problem.

[RatFace]

One of the hardest (but most important) things to get the hang of when playing any musical instrument is listening to the sound you're actually making rather than the sound you think you're making.

[chiton1]

One of the hardest (but most important) things to get the hang of when playing any musical instrument is listening to the sound you're actually making rather than the sound you think you're making.

 

That's why recording yourself is so important! Because when you are playing you do not perceive the music you are making the same way as when you take some distance and just listen.

[Anglo-Irishman]

I'm still in doubt about the way the Rochelle and my hands (relatively large, I'm 6'2") fit. As big a they are the air button is difficult and the pinky seems to not want to play inline with the other fingers, seems twisted somehow trying to keep the right end in line. Awkward best describes it, possibly the weight and size of the beast.

 

Rusty,

 

A big mistake as a beginner is to forget that you are a beginner.

 

With things like that awkward pinky, you mustn't get discouraged and think that your hands are unsuitable for the concertina. Give it time. It has to learn, build its strength and dexterity. You can't expect everything to work equally well right from the start.

 

Believe me, at over 60 I'm a real expert at being a beginner. There are some things you think you'll never learn - but, looking back in a couple of years, you'll laugh at your self-skepticism

 

Rod made a good point about not forcing the instrument to play things it's not suitable for. Between the suitable and the unsuitable pieces, there are pieces that are difficult but rewarding. You might write them off as "unsuitable" as a beginner - but come back to them after a while, and they could turn out to be of the "difficult but rewarding" variety.

Avoid the mistake of thinking that you're going to remain a beginner indefinitely!

 

Cheers,

John

[David Barnert]

I do have access to a metronome but I thought it would be better to learn to keep time by tapping my foot.

If you really want to cement a strong sense of rhythm, start going to dances. Contradances is what we'd call them here, but country dances, square dances, playford dances, barn dances would work just as well. You'll hear tunes you've just got to learn, and when you play them you'll imagine yourself dancing and the rhythm will come naturally.