Hi Taterfolks I just read an article in our Sunday press about how some researcher has figured out that talent needs 10.000 hours of practice time: they talked about the Beatles and about Bill Gates, and how doing the thing they loved for that enormous time got them to where they could start being original and successful - ie the Beatles playing live for 8 hours a day in Hamburg, and Gates programming for even more hours on a loaned computer.
Anyway, to the point, at present speed I have 2000 weeks until I get there, which means that at age 89 I will be ready to take the world into a new era of mandolin music. I'd rather get there quicker, and I thought I'd like to know what everyone does as regards practice in order to make the most of their time: I don't get a lot of that stuff- as well as a wannabe musician I am a full time worker and commuter, husband, father, cook, mechanic and dog owner and I figure there are those amongst us in a similar position, as well as people who can dedicate lots of hours,and as those who make a living from music. So, here's my practice scheme at the moment: would love for others to say what they do Weekend - between an hour and two each day: all with metronome working on tone: 1. right hand exercises (do using only downstrokes, then doing down-up, do at different places on the string) -play single strings 1 per beat, 2 per beat, 3 per beat, 4 per beat -play GD GA GE GA GD.. DA DE DG DE DA and so on -do rolls like GDA GDA GA GDE GDE GE GAE GAE GE and so on 2- do some LH exercises - off the Mike Marshall dvd - on any string and then across the strings. up down and downstrokes. 2345432 2346432 2356532 2456542 and so on (this is like one of those logic tests) 3. do some aonzo scales, but separate the scales each time by a semitone, then a tone, then three frets... 4. work on tremolo - set the metronome lowish (for me that would be 84 and work up to 96 or 102) and work on 4 time, three time in its various rythmic forms, tremolo - open strings, single strings, sliding double stops. Think about pick angle, arm position, listen to the different sounds, play some tremolo tunes, listen to Monroe, feel that I am not getting anywhere. 5. work on my taterhomework tunes and things I need to learn for our band 6. play what I feel like 7. If I get some time, work on a new tune, like the TOW monroe ones from the Comando list If I get time midweek, I tend not to warm up, but to just try to play something without metronome and as I feel like. Also late at nights I stick tunes I am working on into the windows media player, put it on super slow and annotate the sheet music with the phrases, and accents. It seems to go in while I'm sleeping and often I find that it goes through my head during the day so that I find I play it better when I pick up the mandolin again. If I get actual playing time midweek, then I do stuff like working for 20 mins on sliding doublestops, or counting tremolo beats Also, every couple of weeks we have band practice, and I always try to incorporate what I am working on- usually realise that practicing on your own is different from playing with people, and that what I can do in the greenhouse is not ready for practical use. Ok, enough information - don't want to be a bore, but I do think that great attention to detail is important here. More ideas please! Best Robin . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
