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i kind of been out of shape lately cause ironically when i should be in the best playing shape is exactly when i am not... i been doing more organizing and booking dancers and singers, and theaters and designing poster and marketing and poster distributors and media releases for a show ...i am fuc*ing exhausted just saying that ....but ...now that people are coming ...i need to get in good shape quickly
brings me to my point...i am doing it the way Grisha shared some vids a while back...playing everything ridiculously slow and trying to be super clear for about 3 or 5 hours ( i remember him saying..."imagine you are playing fast, people are hearing you fast... but you have superpowers and can hear yourself in slow motion" i thought it was very good :-)....
...then for one hour everything at my absolute at my fastest speed possible...aiming to be as clear and accurate as i can possibly manage (to train my brain and hands to react and think fast and most important.... to make getting to the notes in normal speed feel like a walk in the park, allowing me more time to focus on dynamics)
I think its a good effective way to practice......well, i will let you know after
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to rombsix)
quote:
I hope the thumb problem isn't getting in the way.
nah..i feel slight discomfort but nothing to put me off...
quote:
In Grisha we trust.
of course...and even if it didnt come from Grisha its a great idea ...makes sense to me, i like anything that makes sense to me... and i can see the reasoning behind it and understand it..whomever's idea it is...but obviously the fact that is his dosent hurt
anyone else got any other good practice tips ?...willing to try any kind of tips people believe are effective to help get in good shape fast for the show this weekend...most important show of my life yet...
a radio station is coming to review it on the friday night then the next morning i have to go in for an interview about it on the air...i wont bother going in if i am not playing good ...which ofcourse wont happen...but i dont wanna sound arrogant
in an interview with someone who is close to paco, said that paco knew exactly how to practice effeciently and focus on what he needs to focus on without wasting time. they never said what he did, but im guessing it must be similar to the link above
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to kudo)
great article, i am reading it in full now...thank you...infact i might save it on my computer to always have and remind myself...sometimes you fall into the "mindless practice" without realizing
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
quote:
brings me to my point...i am doing it the way Grisha shared some vids a while back...playing everything ridiculously slow and trying to be super clear for about 3 or 5 hours ( i remember him saying..."imagine you are playing fast, people are hearing you fast... but you have superpowers and can hear yourself in slow motion" i thought it was very good :-)....
Hi, Can you share us some of those slow videos I can't find them on Youtube.
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
quote:
anyone else got any other good practice tips ?...willing to try any kind of tips people believe are effective to help get in good shape fast for the show this weekend...most important show of my life yet...
I've long been an advocate of VERY slow practice, and have posted here to that effect. The great virtue of very slow practice is that you can play everything perfectly. That means a lot. It also allows you to remain completely relaxed while practicing, and so when you play at performance tempo you maintain that relaxation, which is crucial to fluent playing.
One piece of advice I would offer is – before a performance I always tape the whole program at performance tempo after I've practiced it and brought it to that tempo. It is incredibly useful, because you hear things in your playing that you simply don't hear while you are playing – timing, dynamics, etc. That way you can be sort of like a critic and review yourself in advance of the performance to iron out any rough spots.
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to brad)
quote:
Hi, Can you share us some of those slow videos
yes sorry amigo, i remember the videos, just cant remember where they are...thing is you dont need them...all they are is grisha practicing his solos at very very slow speed...you can do the same with whatever you are working on....concept is the same, play the way you would but 50% or 60% slower still maintaining compas, and focusing on every detail, clarity, dynamics etc...
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
i just spent 2 hours playing the same exact falseta over and over, while increasing speed, started at 51% up to 93% and made sure i get all the notes at the right time and the right force. man this is PAINFUL !! my thumb muscle and shoulder is sore now
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
I feel this is not the best way to practice - bringing something gradually up to tempo in a very short time (two hours is a very short time as opposed to say two weeks).
If you practiced the same falseta at a very slow tempo for ten minutes a day, six days a week for two weeks, you would then be able to play it at the same tempo you have worked up to, and you would better retain everything – fingering, accuracy, and most importantly, complete relaxation.
If you have a sore and painful thumb and shoulder, much of it is from tension trying to work up to tempo, and too much continuous repetition. When you practice very slowly, you are totally relaxed and you will never get a sore shoulder, etc.
Posts: 233
Joined: Apr. 7 2005
From: Adelaide, Australia
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
I hate that about organising shows, when that's when you really want to be playing all the time, not admin stuff. The worst is when you have to organise the dance floor for the dancers and end up doing the heavy lifting on the day of the show (never again!) I think Higher Ground already has an ok floor. Hope your show goes well - I'm meant to fly out to Spain on Friday, but who knows if the flights are still grounded by the #$#^%$# Chilean volcanic ash cloud, I might yet get to come along to see it.
Posts: 15730
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
Practice makes permanent. So most of your practice needs to be at the proper tempo, especially if you are talking about doing a performance. It is good to examine details at a slow tempo, but expression is different at different tempos, and lets be honest, expression is what music is supposed to be about.
Detail and perfection can be achieved without slowing the tempo down, but doing repetation with looped groove. Same as the video I demoed "learning tomatito", you can do to examine the details of already understood music to practice. Grisha also demoed once a similar idea of playing long scale passages by adding one note at a time at tempo. A similar idea, although can be applied not to just speedy passages, but any musical phrases.
Especially if you will play a memorized dance show, tempo and being aware of proper tempo is so important. Accidentally starting a number at the wrong speed can really screw up the entire night and flow of the show, so it is worth it really be aware of small differences a few metronome ticks can make....so in the end the "proper" tempo, whatever it may be, is a natural feeling that you have solidified through your practice sessions.
RE: Effective way to practice for show (in reply to Florian)
I'm also with ricardo. Slow practice is good in general, but for the show it's better to have things done right at the tempo one will perform. Isolate fragments that make problems (the smaller the better), find out what tempo you should play them, and what tempo you can play them clearly now, loop them and repeat at your "now" speed, then increase speed a bit, and then a bit, up to desired tempo. When you find out that something breaks apart, slow down, repeat and once again speed up.
To aloysius :
I know the dance floor thing personally (you can add to it amplifiers, phone calls, car driving, advertising the show). When you are on stage you feel completly tired.
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