Interesting ?

[Jed]

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/how-much-should-we-practice/

 

cheers

[mosiddiqi]

Certainly interesting. I have noticed that if I practice for a while with my full attention and then maybe listen to some music..I seem to have a much sharper appreciation of the music I'm listening to, every note seems clearer to me...and then when I go back to practice, I've improved whatever it was I was working on. Hmm.

[jeremy_green]

Thanks Jed!

 

For me as well I find when I go through periods of increased musical activity in general (more discussion, more listening, more watching) even if this stuff comes at the expense of some practice time I still seem to improve.

 

In fact in my younger days I would put in 7-8 hours a day for long stretches at a time. Truly shedding - going over scale forms, chords, metronome work all that... but I didn't really exponentially improve. Sure I got better, but my adult growth on the instrument has been at a steeper curve even though I don't have this kind of raw practice time anymore.

 

This is a large reason why I frequent places like this. Just the talk, the reading the insights from other players seems to bring what i am trying to do into sharper focus.

 

I have never heard it studied that way but my life experiences have shown me that that is factual stuff.

[TrickyBoy]

Thanks Jed! For me as well I find when I go through periods of increased musical activity in general (more discussion, more listening, more watching) even if this stuff comes at the expense of some practice time I still seem to improve. In fact in my younger days I would put in 7-8 hours a day for long stretches at a time. Truly shedding - going over scale forms, chords, metronome work all that... but I didn't really exponentially improve. Sure I got better, but my adult growth on the instrument has been at a steeper curve even though I don't have this kind of raw practice time anymore. This is a large reason why I frequent places like this. Just the talk, the reading the insights from other players seems to bring what i am trying to do into sharper focus. I have never heard it studied that way but my life experiences have shown me that that is factual stuff.

 

 

I agree with this a ton. Speaking for myself, I know my largest need for improvement is between my ears. For the most part, I can play what I want to play, once I know what I want to play. It's figuring out what I want to play in the first place that's the hard part. If that makes sense.

[jonPhillips]

Great find Jed, a very interesting article. It also reminded me of an article I read some years back about the importance of both visualisation and sleep in relation to actual improvement on the instrument.

 

I usually try and do an hour or so of practice right before I go to bed and then as I'm laying in bed drifting off to sleep I visualise what I've just practised, mentally playing it over in my head. It seems to really help me when I'm learning something new, be it a specific piece or even just a new way of mixing up my arpeggios.

 

So for me, it's usually practice, visualise, sleep.

 

Unless the wife has other ideas, of course...

[JonR]

Well, I'd have said it was pure common sense, personally. But it's always good to have one's intuition backed up by research (science often has the opposite effect on common sense ).

For me, "practice" has always involved a lot more than just sitting down and doing technical exercises on the instrument. Or - if we define "practice" narrowly as the latter - then experience clearly shows that improvement comes from doing other things too (attentive listening, transcription, etc). If only because the variety boosts the enjoyment you get from the process, so you do it more. And next time you pick up your instrument, you can apply ideas that have occurred to you in the meantime.

[Jed]

I agree with this a ton. Speaking for myself, I know my largest need for improvement is between my ears. For the most part, I can play what I want to play, once I know what I want to play. It's figuring out what I want to play in the first place that's the hard part. If that makes sense.

 

 

Similar but a bit different . . .

 

I heard someone talk about "playing what you here" and their point was that to the extent to which it is difficult to "play what you hear", is an indication that you aren't hearing as accurately as you may think. I took this idea to heart and really started working on singing whatever I was working on - and by singing I could identify the notes more easily - and it became easier to play the thing. I guess this is just an extension of ear-training.

 

I hear lines in my head constantly. I guess I just need to work harder and faster to transcribe them rather than allow them to be forgotten.

 

cheers,

[Jed]

I usually try and do an hour or so of practice right before I go to bed and then as I'm laying in bed drifting off to sleep I visualise what I've just practised, mentally playing it over in my head. It seems to really help me when I'm learning something new, be it a specific piece or even just a new way of mixing up my arpeggios.

I do the same thing Jon. Do you ever find yourself waking up in the morning still mentally "working" on the same things? It happens to me a couple of times a week - I keep trying to tell myself that it's OK, it's practice - but more likely it's a touch of OCD.

[klwurth]

Jed, thanks for sharing this. Very enlightening and it will help me structure my practice/listening/theory study in a more beneficial way.

[GreenAsJade]

This old guitar taught me to sing a love song It showed me how to laugh and how to cry. --John Denver

 

 

Shameless self promotion ... the first ever transcription I did was of this song! It's found it's way to fretplay now...

 

GaJ

[polishpaul]

Re the listening to music....

Does anyone agree that listening to music for study must be done with the eyes closed?

I generally close my eyes when sitting back to listen to something.....cutting out all the visual distractions really focusses the ear. I've found that if I open my eyes suddenly, the music kind of disappears, and morphs into harmonic noise.

Re visualisation before sleep...........

A great thing indeed. When having to do some tricky welding up of an old car the following day, I've often lain in bed and mentally run through all that I'm going to have to do. Next day I go to the car, with the feeling that I've already done it. I just go through the motions again, but in reality. The job is always a lot easier to complete when it comes after the visualisations.

I spoke with a very experienced and talented Polish carpenter about this some time ago, and he told me he did exactly the same thing if he had a difficult job on something the next day.

This appears to be a good thing to get into doing!

[JonR]

Re the listening to music.... Does anyone agree that listening to music for study must be done with the eyes closed?

I don't think it has to be, but I personally find it a lot easier to focus that way.

Certainly I would recommend it for anyone having trouble concentrating or hearing details in the music.

[klwurth]

GaJ,

I'm glad you have no shame, and I'm very glad to have the tab link! Thanks. It's always good to have John Denver running through my mind.

[jonPhillips]

I do the same thing Jon. Do you ever find yourself waking up in the morning still mentally "working" on the same things? It happens to me a couple of times a week - I keep trying to tell myself that it's OK, it's practice - but more likely it's a touch of OCD.

Hehe - nice to know I'm not the only one with a touch of OCD