Grass Talk Radio GTR-095 - Common Mistakes

[NewsFetcher]

A new issue of Grass Talk Radio Podcast has just been published:

GrassTalkRadio.com Episode 095
Common Mistakes - This episode is a discussion of things which I've seen students do that I think hinder their progress. How many of these things are you guilty of?
And don't forget--Christmas times a'coming! Learn some Christmas tunes on that mandolin with Jackson's Christmas Songs For Mandolin eBook.

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For additional goodies, be sure to scope out the show notes here: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/...how-notes.html
GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who play or are learning to play bluegrass--the coolest music in the world!


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[bradlaird]

Just a reminder... I do look here in case anyone has any questions or comments about a particular podcast episode. Also, the NewsFetcher only grabs the main show graphic so I think I will start posting the episode specific image. Like this:
That might help you get a better idea about what the episode is all about.

Take care.
Brad

[HonketyHank]

I just listened and, as usual, enjoyed Brad's style of delivery. Some of his points had me squirming in my chair. But I am happy to report that some of them didn't.

[bradlaird]

Didn't mean to make you squirm, Hank. Just for the record, I am guilty of several of the 18 things I listed.

[Gina Willis]

I must admit I recognized myself in a few of those common mistakes.

Chief among them is learning new tunes at too fast a playing speed. I've read and reread Brad's ebook pages about the benefits of super-slow practice, and the handy metronome chart to use for that, and I can't figure out why I find it so hard to make myself s-l-o-w down as much as I really should! I fear that after 6 months since I began learning, I'm simply teaching myself to be a mediocre mandolin player unless I mend my ways while it's still early in my development. I still hear the same &%#@ mistakes creep into tunes I memorized and thought I'd learned ages ago. If I'd slowed enough to learn them flawlessly the first time, I'd be ahead of the game now.

Why do I do this? I think I suppose it's because, as a beginner, I feel an urgency to get, say, 10 tunes of repertoire under my belt so I can consider jamming with other people. And I'm starting the instrument in my early 60s, so while I might have more daily practice time than some busier younger folks, I'm also keenly aware of the shorter time I have ahead of me to play and gain mastery. Brad's logic is that learning to practice slower SAVES time. But it can be one of those "easier said than done" challenges for people like me!

[bradlaird]

You are right. It is easier said than done. I hope you noticed that I also said you have to push the speeds sometimes. You really have to do both.

But, I will tell you what I have done that works for me: I find the speed/tempo that I CAN play it and I stay there until it just seems too slow. Then I test drive a higher tempo.

Thanks for listening to the podcast!