Newbie: Hitting the wall Been playing for about a month and a half and have been dilegent with practice. Got the beginner book, bought the videos, practice at least a half an hour a day but usually practice an hour or more. The only noticable improvement I feel I have made is that I can learn new tunes or passages more quickly. I feel as though my technique has improved very little. can't get the speed up and when I do increase the speed the finger and pick don't seem to hit the string at the same time. I know what you're thiniking: "Cry me a river." I know this is a process and also know that we all have differnt speed and ability. No big. Been listening to a lot of mandolin music of various genres and I still say: "I wanna do that." So I am staying motivated. Not looking for advice, just would like to hear some others' experience. My question is: Have you hit a wall in your developement? How have/do you deal with it?
Hello Ibanezae! Please take heart--you are not alone. One of the best kept secrets of playing most any musical instrument is that it is NOT EASY. Accomplished people--and there are many--make it look easy; but what you did not see were the years of practice that came before. When you listen to recordings of mandolin or any other music, you are hearing world class musicians. Most of us will never approach that, but we can still grow a little every day, make a joyful noise, and ENJOY THE JOURNEY. Like you, I tend to become impatient with the incremental progress, but I have to remind myself that I am aiming for "muscle memory," and that does not happen after 10 or 20 repetitions.....maybe 100....or 1000....or 10,000. What is helping me right now is taking things in smaller bites and working over and over on those annoying bits that I can't play correctly. Gradually, those parts start to yield, and that is a good feeling. I am trying to keep my expectations realistic and to always be working on something that I really like, as well as the things I "should" be working on. Hang in there!
First thing: The progress you are describing is very, very good for a month and a half! You're doing well. Impatience is your enemy. I hear what you are saying about finding inspiration in listening to professional musicians, and I do the same. However, I sometimes think that it's a disadvantage for a beginner to listen to exceptional players in concerts or on recordings, because the speed and technical ability on display there will be beyond the newbie for a very long time yet. Some instructional CDs are more beginner-friendly and foreground the elements that beginners should focus on: playing at a tempo that you can manage, concentrating on rhythm rather than speed, making sure you play each note cleanly, getting to know your instrument, and improving a little (!) each time you play. The simple truth is that newbie mando playing sounds different from advanced mando playing. When setting yourself short-term targets in your practice, make sure that they are achievable in the short term too. When you feel you hit the wall, relax and enjoy the simple sensual experience of creating beautiful sounds with your instrument, on whichever piece and at whatever tempo. As a friend of mine keeps saying, it's not a race - neither in terms of playing music as fast as possible nor in terms of improving rapidly. The more I think about it, the more I believe we should try to share audio and video recordings of our newbie efforts here. Perhaps this can contribute to a more realistic assessment of progress.
Thanks for the input. Picked up a metronome and have been working on some simple fiddle tunes (Old Joe Clark, Sally Gooden, My darlin Asleep, Red Haired Boy, Black Berry Blossom, Temperance Reel for the present) at 70 bpm, once I get them clean I plan on stepping up to 80-90 and so on. Got the tunes (except My Darling Asleep which I found on the Mel Bay site when I order Bruce's book) with Dix Bruce's backup trax book/cd which I hope to play along with a full speed (some day) Been devoting about 15-30 minutes on Mike Marshall's exercizes and the rest on repetoire which seems to be a good mix, Some nights I'll work more on the exercized, others just a very short time just to warm up.
I'm also at 6 weeks on the mandolin, but this isn't my first instrument... I assume you have "Finger Busters?" I like that book, but I believe it needs a better editor. Some of the tab is incorrect, and I believe that there are some errors in transcribing. I've hit that wall on several instruments, and I have found that I'm usually trying to advance too quickly and cheating myself out of learning the basics. I try to remind myself that I'm not interested in playing fast. I'm interested in playing well. I had a bagpipe instructor who made the remark "Don't think of it as playing slow... think of it as playing majestically!" I also try to remember that music is a game of skill, not speed. In piping competitions, it's a big win if the only critique is "played slower than indicated" I also realized that it took me almost six months to get my first whistle reel (learned by ear) up to full speed. I could play it at 1/4 speed well before that.. and I could make "reel like noises" at faster speed. I was practicing the "Reel like noise" though, and had to go back and unlearn some bad technique. Here's how I've changed my process: I've written all the exercises in "finger busters" on 3x5 index cards, as well as some FFCP exercises (and any other exercises I come across). Each week I choose a tune (usually from the song-a-week group, where I have newbie videos) and choose 4 or 5 complimentary exercises, as well as FFCP practice with all four fingers in the key that matches the tune. I practice with a metronome, starting at 40bpm (the slowest mine goes). When I can play the exercise perfectly a few times in a row, I up the speed by 5bpm... and repeat. I try to err on the side of caution and don't make the jump if there is doubt. If I can't play it perfect at the slow speed, then I'm just going to learn errors when I go faster and I'll have to unlearn them. I make sure I have proper pick direction, good tone, correct fingering. With the FFCP, I try to visualize the note position for all 4 finger positions, even though I'm only playing one, so I can see how it fits in to the larger scheme. When learning tunes from notation, I will do the same thing.. play dead slow 40bpm. I'll go so far as to play a reel at 20bpm (count it as common time rather than cut time). When perfect, up the speed. Also, I'll only learn 4 bars or so at a time, starting with the last bars in the song and working towards the beginning (so the tune gets into more practiced areas as I play, not less, so I end on a strong note). I try to be aware of where the accidentals are and how the tune lays over the scale. I also try to get away from the notation as soon as possible. The notation is only a tool so that I don't have to noodle through the piece to find the notes in the first place. For me, this has lead to a huge leap in technique as I don't practice so many errors and don't have to unlearn so much.
Some fantastic advice there, Ryan. Thank you. You know, I've never tried the FFCP exercises, and I probably should. And I bought a metronome ages ago and still haven't used it ... I still seem to be too busy playing the right notes, cleanly! Your explanations also include what is probably the best advice for all newbies: Practise slowly, play well, and speed up after that.
