Getting Better

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Getting Better

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n85ae

Posts: 877
Joined: Sep. 7 2006

Getting Better

Well, after many years of playing guitar in the living room. I finally had this idea
to learn Flamenco, so I started learning all the basic stuff. I was thinking, ah,
I can do this. :) And to a degree I was pretty succesfull (I thought!). So I turned
in my old Martin, and bought a nice new Pedro De Miguel from Tom Nunez.

As I started recording some stuff, and posting a little bit, and then listening to
other stuff I had recorded, I realized - Man "This Sucks". Ricardo made the
comment, get a metronome, and work on FUNDAMENTALS. That really hurt
my feelings, but it was the right advice. That was just a week ago.

So I bought a metronome, and have been revisiting playing simple stuff at
a nice slow tick-tick-tick setting. BUT playing it 100% precisely. I know for
real music students, you're intimately familiar with using a metronome. But
for us self taught players, it's sort of a mysterious device.

I never owned a metronome, or ever even used one before. I always just
tapped my foot. And the dots on paper, were just an endless stream of dots
to be memorized (never mind the timing).

It's quite a revelation. I realized, that just because I have the ability to put my
fingers where I want them on the guitar, and hit strings on demand, that
doesn't make quality sound. No in fact it can be really bad, but playing something accurately at slow speed, can sound - Well, good!

So I'm thinking, if I had to give somebody advice learning Flamenco, especially
if they think they know how to play guitar already, but find themselves being
frustrated. Is do what Ricardo said - that is get a metronome, and work on
FUNDAMENTALS (and I'll add) slowly.

I'm not where I want to be by any stretch of the imagination, but just a week
of practicing carefully, and I've discovered with just some basic stuff, that
really rapid progress can be made faster, by just slowing down and being
very carefull. I know that's OLD advice, but it seems really true.

Next time I post something, hopefully it will sound good!

Also I encourage everybody else lurking out there, to post some of your own
stuff. It really helps. Even if you embarass yourself, you'll get a better feel for
where you're at, and you might get the advice you need to help yourself get
better.

Jeff

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 31 2007 16:10:13

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Getting Better (in reply to n85ae)

Nice post.
How slow should one be practicing though???
I use a metronome and always find that slowing my playing down is great to pay careful attention to each note played, but is it possible to be playing to slow sometimes? there are a couple of falsetas that spring to mind which I can play extremely well at a medium tempo but when I do slow right down they seem to suffer.

Does this suggest I should leave well enough alone?
Or should I endeavour to play them very slowly?
Hope that makes sense.

By the way, I have been "Lurking out there" on the verge of posting some audio/video for some time, now its just a matter of taking the plunge.
hopefully your encouraging words will give me the push I need.
Dare I show my face or shall go for the shroud of the mp3??!!

Stu

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 31 2007 22:03:44

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Getting Better (in reply to n85ae)

Hi n8, good for you. The really surprising thing when you slow down is that you get to notice all of your mistakes and, even more importantly, all of the music.

There is a great quote from Yehudi Menuhin(sorry this is approximate and from memory, I am sure he put it better).

' There comes a time in the life of every musician where he has to start again as if from the beginning and learn to play from scratch, and that time is every morning. '

I find that slow practice can be really spiritual and uplifting if approached with a positive attitude. It's really not a chore at all. And since you will hear how well you can play and FEEL every note you will start to hate the sound of your playing when you are bluffing. So you will improve real quick.

It's all good and congrtatulations on this breakthrough.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 1 2007 1:17:31

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Getting Better (in reply to Stu)

Manzmann you will be making all of the same mistakes at a medium tempo but you will not be noticing them as much.

Slow practice is always good but it can be bad to practice slow for too high a percentage of practice time. When warming up a medium tempo is good with a little speed work to push your technique. All this should be done in perfect time though so a metronome or click track are essential.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 1 2007 1:20:46