Practice

Jerryc41 · May 6, 2019

We had a great time at the Allegheny Ukulele Soiree in Altoona, PA over the weekend. One idea that several instructors drove home is that you have to practice - every day. Starting below the age of ten and playing every day will also produce good results.

These instructors talked of spending many hours figuring out how to do certain moves and then spending many more hours practicing after they learned how to move their fingers. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get a move down. Just keep at it. It will take as long as it takes, but you have to work at it.

You can also practice without playing by muting the strings. You can even practice without a ukulele by moving your strumming/picking fingers in the pattern you want to learn. The movement should become second nature so that you can carry on a conversation while you do it.

Swamp Yankee · May 6, 2019

Jerryc41 said:
Starting below the age of ten and playing every day will also produce good results.

I'll get right to it.

edited to add:

Bill Sheehan · May 6, 2019

Great advice, Jerry! Sometimes we tend to forget that the really good players out there didn't just wake up one day with those chops; they had to spend an incredible amount of time "in the woodshed"! I just read an interesting newspaper article about the band "Chicago", still performing after 50 years (with three of their original members still in the lineup), and I found it inspiring to learn that their trumpet player, Lee Loughnane, still asks himself after each performance, "How can I improve?"

Ziret · May 6, 2019

Aren't they great? I'm going to put them on now.

Bill Sheehan said:
Great advice, Jerry! Sometimes we tend to forget that the really good players out there didn't just wake up one day with those chops; they had to spend an incredible amount of time "in the woodshed"! I just read an interesting newspaper article about the band "Chicago", still performing after 50 years (with three of their original members still in the lineup), and I found it inspiring to learn that their trumpet player, Lee Loughnane, still asks himself after each performance, "How can I improve?"

AQUATOPAZ · May 6, 2019

Jerryc41 said:
We had a great time at the Allegheny Ukulele Soiree in Altoona, PA over the weekend. One idea that several instructors drove home is that you have to practice - every day. Starting below the age of ten and playing every day will also produce good results.

These instructors talked of spending many hours figuring out how to do certain moves and then spending many more hours practicing after they learned how to move their fingers. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get a move down. Just keep at it. It will take as long as it takes, but you have to work at it.

You can also practice without playing by muting the strings. You can even practice without a ukulele by moving your strumming/picking fingers in the pattern you want to learn. The movement should become second nature so that you can carry on a conversation while you do it.

Yeah. Most days I practice for hours. Interestingly, if I take a day off, my playing improves. It's important to practice loads, then give yourself a moment for all that work to ferment in your subconscious. But I love practicing. It has kind of been forced on me since the music I like to pkay isn't beginner stuff fir the most part. I started with Arpeggio Meditations a couple of weeks after starting, which required a lot of practice for a complete beginner, then whent to "Spanish Guitar", which at level 4 is way above my level. Luckily I don't force myself to play fast. It's just for me anyway.

Canuckulele · May 6, 2019

AQUATOPAZ said:
Yeah. Most days I practice for hours. Interestingly, if I take a day off, my playing improves. It's important to practice loads, then give yourself a moment for all that work to ferment in your subconscious. But I love practicing. It has kind of been forced on me since the music I like to pkay isn't beginner stuff fir the most part. I started with Arpeggio Meditations a couple of weeks after starting, which required a lot of practice for a complete beginner, then whent to "Spanish Guitar", which at level 4 is way above my level. Luckily I don't force myself to play fast. It's just for me anyway.

I experience this phenomenon with guitar and uke both. I was never sure if I actually got better or if my ears just heard different after a couple days off. When I took guitar lessons I’d take three months worth and then take three months off and practice until it became automatic, then I could move on. I usually learn new songs no more than three at a time. But play them until the Mrs. “suggests” I lean something different.

John boy · May 6, 2019

Ditto on the time off thing. With both guitar and double bass, I found that once in awhile I had to put the instrument down for a week or two. Then when I picked it back up, all was better. I sounded better, I felt better. It may have been real, or may have been psychological, but whichever it was, it sure helped.

Bill Sheehan · May 6, 2019

Ziret said:
Aren't they great? I'm going to put them on now.

I agree, Ziret! Chicago hit the scene when I was just a junior in high school. I was crazy about Terry Kath, their guitar player. I admired his playing, but also his uniquely "husky" singing voice. I hope you guys don't mind if I include this link to Chicago doing their song "Dialogue" back in the early seventies; I think it's one of the tightest live performances I've seen... https://youtu.be/YTL53bmYqzM

rrieth · May 6, 2019

Jerry

I need a ticket in the Wayback Machine to 1958 or before so I can start over the right way.

bratsche · May 6, 2019

Jerryc41 said:
... The movement should become second nature so that you can carry on a conversation while you do it.

Ahhhh... this is the one thing I've never been able to do.

I can play intricate Bach movements from memory while watching a documentary online, and then be able to describe the documentary in great detail... afterward.

But, despite starting a stringed instrument before age 10, playing (almost) every day, and making my living at playing music since my early adulthood, I simply cannot play and speak at the same time. The areas of my brain required for each of those tasks have never been successfully "connected". And I have done many exercises to try to make them connect, all to no avail. Either I open my mouth and can actually speak clearly, and my playing immediately turns to garbage, or I maintain my playing flawlessly and open my mouth, and incoherent gibberish comes out. Each and every time. So if I'm playing something, and someone intrudes and asks me something, I have to stop playing altogether to give an answer.

It's been very frustrating, but the one upside of it is that no one will ever have to hear me sing and play. :rofl:

bratsche

RichM · May 6, 2019

I remember being at an informal concernt with Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka where they took questions from the audience. Somebody asked Bela, "How can I get as good as you?" Bela responded, "I became fascinated with the banjo when I was 10. I would get up early and practice for two hours before school. When I came home from school, I would get my homework out of the way fast and then practice until dinner. After dinner, I would practice until bedtime. I did this for years." You could tell that the guy who asked the question didn't much like the answer.

RafterGirl · May 6, 2019

I never played a musical instrument growing up, so I don’t have a negative connection with the term “practice” that some people do. I play almost every day because I love it and I seriously can’t keep my hands off these wonderful little instruments of happiness. The one problem I have is an overload of material to work on at times. There’s 3-6 songs for church every Sunday, music for the three uke groups I belong to, and stuff that I work on just for me. It gives me lots of variety, but sometimes my office desk has a lot of piles of music on it. I can work on a chord melody piece for awhile, then it can get lost in my brain somewhere if I take a break from it. I’m trying to be better about printing things off or bookmarking videos for future reference.

I’m having some minor surgery on my left wrist this week and may have to curtail my playing for a week or two. I’ll be terribly bored & unhappy, but maybe it will give me a greater appreciation of playing once I’m back at it.

leighbarker · May 6, 2019

RichM said:
I remember being at an informal concernt with Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka where they took questions from the audience. Somebody asked Bela, "How can I get as good as you?" Bela responded, "I became fascinated with the banjo when I was 10. I would get up early and practice for two hours before school. When I came home from school, I would get my homework out of the way fast and then practice until dinner. After dinner, I would practice until bedtime. I did this for years." You could tell that the guy who asked the question didn't much like the answer.

I remember Bela at a workshop being asked how long he had to practice to get that good. He seemed confused about “having to”. It’s just what he does.

Bill Sheehan · May 6, 2019

leighbarker said:
I remember Bela at a workshop being asked how long he had to practice to get that good. He seemed confused about “having to”. It’s just what he does.

Great point, Leighbarker! As long as it's fun, we don't regard it so much as a "have to" !!

Kyle23 · May 6, 2019

I usually know if I'm not getting enough practice when I'm only playing things I'm comfortable with. I never progress if I don't uncomfortably practice. If it's not at least a bit frustrating for me, I don't see it as practice.

Rllink · May 6, 2019

I play every day. I don't think that I practice a lot. I mean I do learn new things, but it is not anything that is structured. I hear something neat and figure out how to do it. I feel like I pick up a lot along the way. And I do feel like I progress. I can play more than I could last year, and last year I was better than the year before. But I want to ask, is anyone out there just satisfied with their level of playing? I mean, I'm not a great ukulele player, but I'm good enough. I don't embarrass myself. People seem to enjoy my music. I get asked back when I play somewhere, so that has to be some indication. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I would hope that over time I will get better and better, but I'm not really consciously working toward anything. It is what I do. Does anyone else feel that way?

Kyle23 · May 6, 2019

Rllink said:
I play every day. I don't think that I practice a lot. I mean I do learn new things, but it is not anything that is structured. I hear something neat and figure out how to do it. I feel like I pick up a lot along the way. And I do feel like I progress. I can play more than I could last year, and last year I was better than the year before. But I want to ask, is anyone out there just satisfied with their level of playing? I mean, I'm not a great ukulele player, but I'm good enough. I don't embarrass myself. People seem to enjoy my music. I get asked back when I play somewhere, so that has to be some indication. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I would hope that over time I will get better and better, but I'm not really consciously working toward anything. It is what I do. Does anyone else feel that way?

I used to be happy with where I was at when I was about 2 years in. I didn't have high goals when I started, so I was very satisfied. I'm not so content right now, but I know that when I practice hard that I can get better. I do have to say though, I don't really have a practice structure. I find a song that I like, even though it may be hard, I just learn the tough parts over and over and over. Then, it helps me with that technique on songs in the future.

I feel like when I do it that way, I'm having some fun, while also learning since I'm playing a part of a song. I can't just sit there and do exercises over and over. I get no joy from that.

Rllink · May 6, 2019

Kyle23 said:
I used to be happy with where I was at when I was about 2 years in. I didn't have high goals when I started, so I was very satisfied. I'm not so content right now, but I know that when I practice hard that I can get better. I do have to say though, I don't really have a practice structure. I find a song that I like, even though it may be hard, I just learn the tough parts over and over and over. Then, it helps me with that technique on songs in the future.

I feel like when I do it that way, I'm having some fun, while also learning since I'm playing a part of a song. I can't just sit there and do exercises over and over. I get no joy from that.

What do you do with your ukuele Kyle? I started playing the ukulele because we were sitting with friends around the fire evenings during the summer singing oldies. I thought it would be fun if we had accompaniment. So I learned to play the ukuele. I'm five plus years into it. But I'm still pretty much doing that. Just singing and playing. Not trying to dazzle anyone.

RafterGirl · May 6, 2019

Rllink said:
I play every day. I don't think that I practice a lot. I mean I do learn new things, but it is not anything that is structured. I hear something neat and figure out how to do it. I feel like I pick up a lot along the way. And I do feel like I progress. I can play more than I could last year, and last year I was better than the year before. But I want to ask, is anyone out there just satisfied with their level of playing? I mean, I'm not a great ukulele player, but I'm good enough. I don't embarrass myself. People seem to enjoy my music. I get asked back when I play somewhere, so that has to be some indication. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I would hope that over time I will get better and better, but I'm not really consciously working toward anything. It is what I do. Does anyone else feel that way?

This sounds like me for the most part. My structure comes from learning songs to play with various groups as well as stuff just for me. Playing makes me happy & challenges me in a good way. I do have a few goals I’m working towards. Mainly getting more comfortable playing in front of people. At some point I’d love to learn more fingerpicking, but there are other things to work on first. It will come when I’m ready to devote more time to it.

Nickie · May 6, 2019

I Used to practice every day. For 30 to 60 minutes.
Lately, I've not been so motivated.
I'm suffering a lot of headaches, taking meds, going to the neurologist, trying another herbal and going to a chiropractic neurologist soon. I had some dental work done which aggravated migraines. Ouch!
I seem to prefer to listen to/watch better players.
I don't practice on days when I:
lead a workshop
have a gig
play in open mic
play at Shriner's hospital
feel crummy.
I just want to play well enough to not screw up leads during performances. Last time I played open mic, I didn't practice 1st, and totally f'ed up a lead that I composed myself.
However, I have a new custom uke ordered which might be ready next week.
I keep telling myself this will fix everything....for a while.

Practice

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