BillBailey
21 posts
Oct 08, 2009
5:06 AM
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1. Seek out private instruction. It could take years to figure out what a good teacher could show you quickly.
2. Write/work out a regular practice schedule. Always include the fundamentals.
3. Set realistic goals. Chart your development.
4. Concentrate when practicing. Don't just "go through the motions".
5. Relax and practice slowly.
6. Practice what you can't play - the hard parts.
7. Always play with maximum expression. Play as if you are singing it.
8. Learn from your mistakes. Don't be too hard on yourself.
9. Don't show off. Expression, not tricks or gimmicks.
10. Think for yourself. Respect your teacher, but think things through for yourself.
11. Be optimistic. There is nothing worse than pessimism coming out of an instrument.
12. Look for connections between your music and other things. Try to find concepts or ideas that connect with each other.
I like No. 12.
Peace.
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Andrew
660 posts
Oct 08, 2009
5:37 AM
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7 should read "Always play with maximum expression. Play as if you are singing it, even when you are practising scales"
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XHarp
190 posts
Oct 08, 2009
6:44 AM
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There's a lot of advice on practicing out there but I think that this is the best for sure.
I'm going to reprint this and put it up close to my practice station.
Thanks for sharing.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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phogi
79 posts
Oct 08, 2009
8:28 AM
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I've always liked Wyntons 'ways.' There is one more bit of advice I like: 'only practice on days you eat.'
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congaron
178 posts
Oct 08, 2009
11:32 AM
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He is amazing. He is on facebook, BTW, if anybody is interested in keeping track of him.
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wallyns10
23 posts
Oct 09, 2009
6:33 AM
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In my humble opinion:
No. 1- "...but DON'T let that keep you from playing if you you can't find a teacher."
No. 5- "...and gradually pick up your tempo. Use a metronome as much as possible."
I don't think you can be too hard on yourself, and number 11 is the most important. Confidence should be included in 11 I think, in addition to optimism (the two are intertwined).
Phogi, I like that hahaha!
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Honkin On Bobo
86 posts
Oct 09, 2009
8:34 AM
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Great list! Thanks for posting.
I particularly like number 4. I read this great piece about succeeding at a high level in any endeavor. Number 4 was mentioned in a similar way. It seems obvious, but it can be hard to do consistently.
The author of the piece gave this example. The weekend golfer goes out and hits a couple of buckets of balls. Tiger Woods goes out and hits 200 balls with THE GOAL of leaving at least 80 percent no more than 10 feet from the practice pin.
Last Edited by on Oct 09, 2009 8:35 AM
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mickil
556 posts
Oct 09, 2009
4:43 PM
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I'd go along with most of that. However, there's a bit of a catch with 1:
"...It could take years to figure out what a good teacher could show you quickly."
True. But, as a student, it may be hard to know who is a good teacher and who isn't. There is no regulating body to establish their credentials.
I say this because as a kid I had my musical growth on the piano stunted by a kindly lady whose methods are everything I later learnt not to practice with my students.
The trouble is, when you're learning, you may not have a yardstick to measure someone's teaching methods with. The answer? Question anything that's not working for you and seek alternative approaches whenever you feel the need.
EDIT: I'm being too vague. I've had four piano teachers, the first one in 1975 and the last one in around '92. Only the last one was good enough to spot and help to cure my natural tendency to tense up. As a newbie, you'd be unlikely to have enough nouse to know what Mrs 1975 was doing wrong. You see what I mean?
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YouTube SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Oct 09, 2009 4:58 PM
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Andrew
661 posts
Oct 10, 2009
2:34 AM
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"...It could take years to figure out what a good teacher could show you quickly."
"True. But, as a student, it may be hard to know who is a good teacher and who isn't."
I wouldn't worry too much. The main thing is you've got somebody who knows how to play your instrument. I learnt oboe from peripatetic music teachers who were never oboists. When I had my first oboe lesson from an oboist when I was 18 (he was a mere music college graduate), it was mind-blowingly better.
You'll easily be able to tell after a few lessons whether you like your teacher or not - partly it's a personality thing, and partly you can tell from how well they play and partly you can tell from your own progress. Then you can switch teachers if you don't like what you've got.
There's not a 100% correlation between someone's playing skills and their teaching skills. Some play well but teach badly and vice versa. So just because someone plays fantastically, stay aware of whether you're learning from them, and just because you don't listen to someone willingly, don't rule them out as a teacher. I probably shouldn't name names, but I'm not keen on listening to Dennis Gruenling, but I'd crawl on my hands and knees half way across America for a year's free lessons from him.
OK, so now I've read all of Mickil's posting! Ha ha! Yeah, problem is kids aren't allowed to choose - they're told they have to do this, and that's that. Probably piano was always worst because any old spinster with a penchant for hitting kids with a ruler could pose as a piano teacher, and way back when, everyone had to learn to play, so everyone could pretend to be a player (and therefore a teacher).
But we're adults, and it's a different instrument. I suppose technical things like relaxation may be tricky because if your teacher is a self-taught barfly, then they will have picked up bad habits. But I don't think I'm contradicting what I say above if I say you should listen to how well they play before deciding if they have anything to teach. What I was trying to say is you don't necessarily need the absolute best harpist in order to get the best teacher, but choose a good harpist and you might get the best teacher for you.
Last Edited by on Oct 10, 2009 2:48 AM
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