Stopping learning tunes.... (sort of)....

Whistle
1

I’m thinking, after having a minor epiphany regarding a tune I’m currently learning, that I will take time now, stop learning new tunes (at least on purpose) and concentrate on making the ones that I do know, or at least the ones I know and like, my own.

I have this rather self destructive habit of just trying to get to the point where I can ‘play’ the tune, but not getting far enough into most of them to ‘really’ get them to a point where I am actually happy with the way I play them.

Struggling a lot with trying to remember (not just from a learning disability standpoint, thought that does interfere) how a tune goes, getting my hands and brain to remember the same tune the same way, and the like is too much habit. I think that I may be able to learn as much by concentrating on making serious progress in how I choose to play the tunes I choose to play, as by studying anything else for a while.

There’s enough ‘expertise’ to know at least how to do the basics, and to acknowlege that is only a begining, but I don’t want to continue any further as a ‘hack’. I’d rather ‘stagnate’ my list whilst expanding my ability to use what I already know.

So, my New Years Resolution (of sorts) is to stop ‘learning’ and start ‘practicing’ what I’ve already ‘learned’. :boggle:

This will, of course, be hard as all get out, because I am also at a point where I am hearing more in the tunes I listen to, and wanting to be able to play new stuff… but, as has been said in every life, in every language, ‘you’ve got to learn to walk before you can learn to run’ (yes, I[ve argued with that as well :laughing: ) … I’m tired of stumbling… back to the training wheels, so to speak.

We’ll see what I think next week. :smiley:

I know I’m not the first to do this, as I’ve seen others post something similar at times. I always thought to myself, “I should do that.”… so.

2

Noble and laughable. :laughing:

Just kidding. That’s really a good idea. I’m spending a lot more time in “mimic mode” — listening to real players playing the tunes I already know, and then trying to sound more like them. It’s a good way to unlearn bad habits. And, as you know, muscle-memory dies hard!

So here’s to limited but improved repertoires! :party: :party:

3

Copycat!! This is my plan as well for 2007. My goal last year was to memorize another 50 tunes bringing my total to 100+ so that I could play and practice at any time and anywhere. Now my memorisation goal has been more than reached I plan to polish each of the tunes at a rate of one every two weeks during the next two years. I’m sure I will pick up a few new tunes on the way.

4

I think you’ll find you can’t easily separate the two skills; as you improve on the tunes you already know and learn them to the point you start to make them your own, your efforts will result in a greater understanding of the way these tunes are put together, making it much easier for you to pick up new tunes.

So, yeah, I would say it’s a Good Thing.

–James

5

I’ve found that it’s easier for me to learn a new tune well than it is to go back and improve how I play a tune I learned a long time ago. I think it’s a matter of being easier to form new good habits than break the old bad ones.

6

Yup! I’m figuring that by learning/practicing the ones I’ve already got at least a basic grip on, I’ll be honing my skills in playing, paying attention (cough), understanding and hearing, so will naturally improve in my ability to pick up new ones… I figure a few will insert themselves along the way, basically unbidden, and I shant be slamming any doors in their faces. :slight_smile:

:stuck_out_tongue: :wink:
My resolution after my first Tionól was to double my repetoir by my second. I managed to do that, and as many again now, though it is still a drop in the bucket, but hey… gotta start getting serious somewhere!

:stuck_out_tongue: again! :slight_smile:

The problem now is, I’ll have to live to be 112 to get very far! :laughing:

7

I can see how that might be, but I think I will likely benefit more from this endeavor, than going on to new tunes right now. I will concentrate on hearing what others do with the tunes, and examining what I do, figuring out what I want to do (even if that is to discard a few), and such. I need the practice listening, perhaps most of all, and I think it might well be easier to hear differences and identify nuances in the tunes I already know. Since I have so much trouble learning and remembering things anyway (I’m the kind who can read a good book or watch a great movie, and a month later be surprised by it all over again ), I don’t think overcoming bad habits with old tunes is going to be any bigger problem than I already have.

8

L.E. McCullough says in his DVD that it gets easier with the next tune. There’s definitely some truth in that.

9

L.E. McCullough says in his DVD that it gets easier with the next tune. There’s definitely some truth in that

Yes, because you build on a foundation of previously learned skills.

10

I travel a quite a bit and I chose to have a lot of tunes in my head rather than carry tune books. I go though all the songs at least twice each week and spend more time on some than others on each day’s practise list, this means that some tunes are naturally more polished than others. Now I feel it’s time for me to focus down much more on individual tunes. The strategy suits me and I know that as I work on improving each tune that I will be building on what I have learnt from working on previous tunes. I have just spent two weeks on one tune working on getting the phrasing and ornaments right, and I know it has already helped my general playing a lot.

I agree that it sounds wiser to master one tune at a time but then no one has ever accused me of being wise. :wink:

11

I think this all really comes down to one’s objectives and the practice strategies to achieve those objectives. For example, to play at sessions, one would need to develop a repetoire and thus learn quite a number of tunes. But to sound like an ITM whistler, there’s all that eveness of playing, articulation, phrasing, ornaments, improvisation, variations, etc., to work on. All of these take time and where one decides a “problem” area requires emphasis, they’ll give it some attention for a while and then move on, or else be bored or stymied. That’s really okay. It’s all part of one’s musical “maturity” and is universal to any skill that one wants to hone.

There are many many ways to skin a cat so if you want to stop and perfect some tunes and get off the treadmill of learning new ones, then that’s the right thing to do. However, if you can’t get out of a rut, then maybe guidance and coaching from an instructor would be a good idea.

12

If lessons were feasible, that would be the option of choice. Unfortunately, not a viable option here at this time. :cry:

13

There are many of us in this situation for one reason or another.

So we do the best we can with what we have to work with.

–James

14

I think your goal is a great idea. Of course, I’m biased.. that’s how I practice: I favor quality much more than quantity.

I’ve found that really focusing on a tune for a while yields little nuggets of skills (both motor + listening) and insights that can’t be learned any other way.

As a bonus: the “extra” time spent on a tune strengthens it’s presence in your “motor memory”. This makes it easier to play, especially in group settings which have a lot more distractions than practicing privately.

Good luck!

trill

15

I’ve been working on the same thing for a while. I’ve “learned” probably 70-80 tunes but, as I don’t play in sessions, if I leave a tune for a few weeks it’s gone. I do have the advantage of learning in a small class and last Fall we started building the tunes into sets. The past few weeks, I’ve spent all my practice time working on 9 tunes in 3 sets, trying to learn them well enough to play with others. I thought it would be easy - wrong. For me playing with others is, by far, the most difficult skill to acquire.

16

Yes, playing with others is bit of a struggle for most people, at least until they are good enough to know what they are doing and are sure footed in either the tunes or the ability to pick it up on the fly. For a few, that comes really easily , for most it comes with years of playing and practicing a lot. There is the usual ‘stage fright’, nevousness in front of others (even some old hands still get this, so one shouldn’t worry over much), and the fact that when playing alone, little glitches in rythym don’t mess you up too much, but playing with others, little glitches can leave you in the dust pretty quickly. :astonished:

The best thing to remember about playing with others is that they all went through the same thing, some still are, so can empathize. So, if you are having a persistent problem, don’t be afraid to ask someone to help you figure out what you are doing wrong (after the session, or on break, not interrupting the playing, preferably). Otherwise, relax, and listen as much as you play.

I’ve had the years of playing, but without practicing like I should have, and so I now have a discrepancy between what I ‘know’ and what I am capable of doing with what I know… so I am remedializing (Webster’s probably spinning in his grave!) myself. :laughing: … and practicing, practicing, practicing…