Confession, I can’t play anything well. I play for my own enjoyment and amuse myself with my tooting. I haven’t progressed in any tune in quite some while and have became worse in others.
It annoys me.
I need goals. I need something to work towards.
I am ticked at myself,
thanks for letting me vent.
If you need goals, get a teacher. Make it regular (I only take lessons sporadically, and you can tell). That gives you accountability.
That said, there’s nothing at all wrong with playing for your own enjoyment. That allows you to play what you like, when you like. I kind of flit back and forth among baroque music, old written Irish music like Carolan, the Neal and Joyce collections, etc., old English music like the Playford tunes, and ITM. If I get bored playing reels (what I’m supposed to be doing now), it’s okay, I can get out something vastly different.
I’m not improving either. And I haven’t been to the session in a while. The last time I went I brought a whistle. Lately I’ve been taking American old time fiddle lessons, too.
I went through a phase where I couldn’t stand the sound of the flute. It annoyed me, even listening to the best players on my recordings. Now I’m liking it again and wanting to play my flute again.
It’s like taking a stroll through the hills… it’s up and down. Note that improvement arrives in cycles, and in the meantime, play for the enjoyment of it. A goal might be to take one aspect of playing and focus on that. Perhaps you might look at your tone. Play a series of long tones any chance you get. I suggest finding that reedy edge and trying to get that on as many notes as you can… assuming you want to work on tone? Find the breaking point of a note and try to find the point at which you can play the note note without breaking it. Then move on to another note and do the same. It’s overwhelming to try and do everything at once, so break down what you can.
Arbo
That’s just one person’s opinion at one particular moment. Check back with that person in a week, see what the opinion is then.
It’s entirely normal to experience a slump, especially those of us who play for our own amusement, and who don’t have the pressure of a performance schedule to keep. When it happens to me, I might reduce my daily playing time to only a brief, 15-20 minute warm-up, and then go find something else to do. That way, I can be happy with myself for at least going through a routine warm-up, but without forcing the matter.
I’d just like to say… for no other reason that it was a pleasing thing to hear it that…
Arbo, you must be really working hard because I can hear a great improvement in your playing.
Well done sir.
<clap, clap, clap>
Sometimes, when it seems you’re making no progress, or especially when it seems you’re getting worse…
What it can mean is that your ear may be improving faster than your playing.
That’s not a cause for alarm; you may actually play better than you used to–only, back then, you were so busy just learning the mechanics of playing that you didn’t notice some of the finer points that you hear with dissatisfaction now.
Keep at in, even when it makes you wince: in my experience, it usually means you’re close to the “top of the hill,” and your playing is about to take a sudden leap forward.
–James
I have spent most of my time these past months working on my ability to learn by ear and to hear not just the melody but the chord changes and variations. I’m sure they hate me at the session because, thanks to the old time music, I find that I can no longer sit out tunes I don’t know. I just have to give it a try. Thankfully nobody can hear me. There are a number of tunes I don’t know that I can play well once I hear them. Someday I hope to connect my ear to my brain.
My tone sucks and thus I keep picking up my trusty little whistle.
If your tone sucks, may I make a couple of recommendations?
First, have another flutist play your flute and make sure that there’s no leak and it’s in good playing order.
Second, work on tone-building. Play slow tunes. Play long tones. Try to get them as clear as you can. There are some other good exercises, but if you play some slow tunes (Fanny Power is good, as is the South Wind), and really strive to clear up and clean up your tone, then you may not need anything else.
How long have you played? Getting an embouchure in place that can support a good tone can take a few solid years all on its own.
–James
Thanks,
but what are you referring to?
Arbo
As I mentioned in my earlier post on this thread, I sometimes only go through a warm-up, then put the flute away, and then find something else to do.
Well, and speaking of “other” things to do, I’ve just signed up as a beginner student on the new C&F Irish Language forum.
You could find some familiar faces, there.
So, check it out!
“As long as you know you’ve got something to learn, you’ll continue to improve.”
-Matt Molloy
At the risk of being simplistic, and realizing that you didn’t solicit advice … how about learning to play one thing well? And then maybe another? For inspiration on possible tune sets and playing styles I’ve found amateur recordings (Clips & Snips, YouTube) more productive than the produced albums of the fluting pros that will never be within my grasp. Also, there’s nothing as rewarding and stimulating than playing with or for others.