Dividing one's practice time.

Trad Strings
1

Sharing my practice time between instruments is a nightmare.

I’ve never been good at any instrument I play. I’m good enough to have fun and to play an undemanding role in a band, jam or session, but have less talent in my whole, pretty substantial, body than some people have in a single pinky fingernail. If I don’t practice constantly, what modest ability I have developed evaporates within a couple of weeks and my muscle memory gets serious amnesia.

I picked up a whistle a couple of days ago and the fact that I have neglected it for 6 months or more shows. I was cr@p.

The three instruments that occupy my time now are mandolin, fiddle and ukulele. I find they have all engaged my enthusiasm in a way that the instruments I tried in the past never did.

Mandolin is a total joy to play, rubbish though I am. It is simultaneously easy, tricky and bloody difficult, and it lends itself to a huge repertoire in ITM, folk, old time and bluegrass genres.

Fiddle is just bloody difficult, but it is also very appealing and very interesting - a totally different experience for someone who has spent decades picking rather than bowing.

Ukulele, for my needs, is easy and fun. I require it for accompanying singers when guitarists fail to show up, and for some of the songs in my band’s set where a more music-hall or skiffle vibe is needed. I don’t need to get good like Jake Shimabukuro.

So, it’s fiddle and mandolin that I need to work on. As they share a common tuning there is a lot of overlap where the left hand fingering is concerned, but actual technique is different as night and day. Annoyingly, not only have I always found it hard to compose a productive practice schedule for any instrument, I find it twice as hard to try to do so for two instruments, and then to force myself to commit time to both.

Oy vey… [slaps head]

2

I have to tell you, Bud, you’re better than I am. I’ve given up on pretty much everything except my fiddle. I was cr@p to begin with on whistle, and I fear I’m even worse now :laughing: But I think it’s absolutely commendable that you are trying to divide your practice time. So you should give yourself a bit of credit for doing it. At least, I think you should :slight_smile:

3

About forty years ago I came to terms with being a jack-of-all-instruments and master of none. Nothing has changed.

I guess some just don’t have the potential for greatness. Who knows, maybe we’re better off for it… :laughing:

4

Thanks, Izz! :slight_smile:

Time does my head in. I have so many things I want to do and it really seems as if there’s not enough time for it all. I’m studying for a qualification at the day job, I have a couple of writing projects I’m working on, I have instruments to practice, a band to organise and gig with and an “on-the-side” business to build…

Sometimes I feel a hint of panic waiting in the wings!

I’ll be 50 next year (nah… must be an administrative error… :astonished: ). I think that awareness of that alleged fact kind of contributes to my tempus fugit syndrome.

@crookedtune: same as that, mate. I don’t need greatness - or even to be really, really good. Although I do very slightly envy the two real musos in my band. Our lead guitarist and our sax player are totally smokin’ old geezers. They can just jam off each other through a whole evening’s worth of jazz standards if they get a chance. Seriously, I am not worthy.

I think that’s a major reason I feel the urge to at least try to improve. Barry and Keith are 100% cool and not at all up themselves or condescending. They are relaxed, patient and encouraging toward those of us who are mere mortals, and they enjoy the random and inconsistent nature of the band as much as anyone. That said, they make me want to be able to do just a little of that stuff myself. I want to be able to quickly recognise more of the common progressions, to be able to judge good chord substitutions and to be able to improvise a bit outside of scale/mode and arpeggio boxes. I don’t want to be the slow kid they have to wait for.

Frustrating and motivating in equal measures. Life is interesting. Hectic, but interesting.

Now if I can just figure out that perfect practice schedule…

5

No idea how good you are, but I think you’re being too hard on yourself - if you can play along with others, you’re halfway there. Focusing on one instrument, instead of three, would probably speed things up, but, then, you seem to be having more fun on three, and staying into the music is ultimately more important than advancing your technique on one and becoming bored. Aiming to become a great soloist is a fine ambition, but - in the end - being able to fit in and play smoothly with others, on whatever instrument you like, is not a bad place to be.