The discussion about whether people are self taught or took lessons leads me to ask: What bad habits did you have to unlearn later as a result of learning on your own or being poorly coached? This is my biggest concern as I am teaching myself until I get permanently settled and can find a good teacher. After puchasing my first whistle I thought of waiting to play it until I could take lessons, but it kept calling to me…louder…and LOUDER…AND LOUDER…I tried putting it in a closed cabinet…then out in the car…nothing helped…AAARRRGGGHHH!!!.. So I took the poor thing out and started playing it.
I use vibrato (from the diaphragm) an awful lot. I just like the way it sounds. I’ve heard that too much is considered a bad habit, and can impair one’s ability to hold a truly steady note.
Not playing for any reason is a bad habit.
Don’t do it.
Breaking a habit or isn’t nearly as hard as picking up a skill. You need to learn how to make your fingers go from note to note, and your breath last long enough to get to the next phrase. Most instructors would like to have a student who has the basics under their belt, rather than one who has to be taught from scratch.
I usually use the tips of my fingers. And I have to keep my nails short. I was told that I should be using the pads of my fingers, I also read that somewhere. Anyway, the songs that I have already learned I still play with the tips of my fingers. I’ve been trying to use the finger pads but it is really hard for me to switch.
I think that playing with the tips makes you bend your fingers more, making the muscles more tense. If you play with the pads, your fingers lay flatter and it is easier to raise and lower your fingers more quickly. Thus, you can play faster! (one of my biggest flaws is playing too fast!!)
But, hey, at least you’re playing and enjoying it! For incentive, you should think, “If I play with the pads of my fingers, I can grow my nails long!”
I do the same thing. Diaphragm support is so important, and doing vibrato from the diaphragm just seems natural to me. But I understand that it should really be done with the fingers, and I like the way it sounds that way, too.
It’s music (and likely not a type of music where there are hard and fast rules) – play it however you want. Dizzie Gillespie puffed his cheeks out; Charlie Parker’s fingers were too short to play the sax, John Coltrane’s were too long.
I agree with Tyghress, good habits are hard to pick up. The one thing that a few lessons instilled in me was that breathing (as well as practicing) is extremely important. Now that I’ve taken up the flute, it’s even more important.
I don’t think you will pick up bad habits as far as technique goes. I would say start by just blowing the thing and trying to make it sound nice. You don’t even have to be trying to play a tune. You will learn how much breath you need for each of the octaves, how to make sure you cover the holes.
Then listen to the rhythm of tunes. Try to get the rhythm ingrained don’t try for speed. To my way of thinking, even playing the wrong notes to the right rhythm sounds better than the right notes out of rhythm.
I’m having a hard time putting my little finger on the last hole when I play a C#. When I taught myself I didn’t do that and now my teacher is having me try it. It feels like a setback but evertually I’ll get used to it.
I was also used to underblowing in the upper octave because I practice at home and, in an effort to be considerate, I tried to be an quiet as possible. Consequently my upper notes were a tad flat. That was an easy one to fix.
I was also trying to tongue a lot more than I should. That was easy to fix too.
A bad habit that comes from playing alone is slowing down on the difficult parts of a tune, or take long pauses to breathe. Don’t start doing that.
Listen a lot to the style of music you want to play, and learn to listen to yourself. When you have understood the rhythm and the sound, your fingers just have to follow.
Actually, it appears that if one picked up a bad habit, yet never had a lesson, how would they know if they had any bad habits to begin with? I have no idea if I have any bad habits, except for playing up until midnight, but nobody has complained. I did learn the flute while in the Navy, and then had to unlearn several bad habits when I played it in college. On vibrato, there are two schools of thought (not counting finger banging). I always felt that my vibrato came from my neck, as did one of my teachers. Others say that it comes only from their diaphragm, yet my vibrato is very good. I also developed a way to attack each note using only my lips, without the use of my tongue, which, IMHO, for some music, produces a cleaner tone when playing very softly. It’s like starting each note with a “P” sound. I’m sure others have done this, but I’ve never heard any discussion on it.
As for the fiddle I’ve been playing for the last 18 months, without a teacher, I’m sure I am not doing anything wrong. (So, why is my left shoulder always sore? )
I’m having a hard time putting my little finger on the last hole when I play a C#. When I taught myself I didn’t do that and now my teacher is having me try it. It feels like a setback but evertually I’ll get used to it.
I never really learned bad habits because I’ve always had good instructors. But… I have been taught different ways. For example, I took tin whistle from an English teacher and he taught me to do grace notes on rolls always with the note right above the note you’re rolling on. Then I took from an Irish whistler (Louise Mulcahy), and she taught to do the grace note one or two notes higher than the one you’re rolling on. But ornamention is always really a matter of personal preference/style… There’s no correct or incorrect, really.
Well, that will sound mean, but if you want a real answer maybe this board isnt the best place to ask. As someone stated, how can someone know if he’s doing something wrong when he didnt have any real teacher? Also, it depends on if you want to learn traditionnaly or not.
People talk about vibratos. Well, traditionnaly in irish music it’s done with the fingers, as far as I know. So using diaphragm could be a bad habit. Bad habit would be to learn from sheet music, altough 75% of members of the board learn from sheet music. Another bad habit would be to try to play too fast without mastering the phrasing, which is what I did and still do sometimes, and a teacher really helped.
I’d say, if you can’t find a teacher and can afford it, go in Ireland, bring a tape/MD recorder, and see by yourself. If you can’t, just be careful on advices you might get here. At least, try to ask people who’s been around trad. musicians a lot and don’t have a classical music background.
If you have any question about Polkas, ask MurphyStout, he’s the King
I know there are summer schools and workshops, but apart from that, is acquiring instrument skills in Ireland done in the same one-to-one teacher-student relationship as in classical music, or is there more “learning by osmosis” going on, with additional intense learning periods at summer schools? This is a real question, not for the sake of argument.
Traditional music in Germany seems to be different in some respects: people tend to be older when they drift into trad music, some, but not all of them had musical training before, and teachers are rare, so there are many avid festival/workshop students around who are self-taught the rest of the year.
I’d say you can learn a lot just by being around other trad. musicians over there. Yeah, there’s lessons in festivals, usually in a crowded room of 10 students or more, and you can get private lessons. You can also find a good teacher in your country, but I would be very selective and do a “background” check before getting lessons from a local. I’ve been very lucky at the time, and been approached by StevieJ, which is one of the best trad. musician I’ve been around, and I can say so today 'cause I’ve been around many since then, and went in Ireland many times. But there’s many “I can play irish” people who don’t have a clue, and they’re a real danger
Well, that’s too bad, who am I going to argue with?
So I took the poor thing out and started playing it.
(So, why is my left shoulder always sore? 
)
