Goals for 2019

[johngdon]

I set a number of goals this fall, the main one being to have about 20 "jammable" songs -- songs I can play fluently with some embellishment (i.e. multiple A parts and multiple B parts) -- by May. Another is to play the minor and 7th chords in the bluegrass keys fluently (not unrelated to the other goal!)

The longer term goals (a year? two? more?) are to play much more relaxed in jams (not sure how to measure that other than to maybe to take my pulse!) and to competently improvise.

So far I have found that having a few goals has spurred me to be more intentional with my playing time (less aimless noodling) as well as to greatly increase my playing time, from about an average of 45 minutes to something like 90 minutes per day.

[William Smith]

My goal is to win the lottery and pay someone like Dawg to come and live with me for a few months and give me some serious one on one lessons oh and send the wife and kids away so no distractions? I don't know I think that's a great New Year wish-goal?

[Mark Wilson]

oh and send the wife and kids away so no distractions?

Early 2016 I retired and my wife ended up working for another year. That one year of solitude, during the day with the mandolin, was the best year I've had in music since I got to play bass in a real band.

[soliver]

My 2018 goal aside from semi-daily practice was to save up for a big boy Mando... the Silverangel is here, so that goal is met!

2019 will be to continue a good and regular practice and hopefully save up for an oval hole!

[Bob Buckingham]

I hope to spend more time flushing out the theory behind what I know, spending time on modes and chordal concepts and playing. Playing a lot. The only thing I don't have enough of is time, so I am going to spend it wisely but playing more music, everyday.

[Br1ck]

When I showed a friend my newly built F 5, he said that's the kind of thing you can do when you're retired. I know folks that play music that are retired but play golf, go to their ski cabins, travel a bunch, etc.

I just play, grow veggies and watch the grandkids so their momma can teach music. So playing for three hours a day , or four, is one of the things retired people can do. And if you apply yourself you can really progress.

[William Smith]

Oh I forgot one, NO MORE BUYING VINTAGE MANDOLINS!!!

[bradlaird]

This is a good thread and a topic I have wrestled with for decades. Rather than chunking in my two cents worth here I rolled my comments into my latest podcast. I hope ya'll don't mind that I was talking 'bout you.

Happy new year!

[Denny Gies]

Learn New Camptown Races in Bb.

[Jill McAuley]

I've decided to do a Tune-A-Week project for the entire year, recording a tune and posting it on my youtube channel every Thursday. My initial motivation was to do this with the tenor banjo, because I was worried that it's getting neglected due to me not being able to put my new Girouard down, but since I'll already have all the recording gear set up I may as well do a version of each tune on the mandolin as well. So I'll be doing a Tune-A-Week on both instruments this year!

[Tom Wright]

Because I am playing folk dances these days, the reels show up a lot, and I have a goal for a new technique for handling the ornamental triplets. I'm working on a slow, heavy down-stroke that separates the two strings, and gets two attacks out of one down-stroke. Sometimes the dance tempo is just a hair past comfortable for actually picking the triplets, and this technique should make it possible to pull off a sparkling triplet on any note. In principle I could use this on triplets that run up the scale into a higher note, but for now that feels a more difficult challenge.

The main benefit of this technique will be freedom from dealing with changes to picking direction, but it might also be easier in the long run than actually picking the triplet as separate attacks.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Wormpicker has it right. Keep in mind that:

- No one agrees on what's good and bad. Someone will always like what you're doing, and someone won't. Jerry Garcia explained Deadheads by saying they were like licorice: Some people like it and some hate it, but people who like it like it a lot.

- No one is paying much attention. Sure, they'll make nice noises when you do something they like, but they're more concerned about their own performance than yours. It might be a little self-effacing to think that what we do isn't really that important to other people, but it's also liberating!

- There's no quicker way to improve than to play with other people. It forces you to pay attention both to yourself and to what's going on around you, and it makes you go home afterwards knowing what you have to work on.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Finish building my practice room.

Our house is tiny, so it's hard to sit and play or write without bothering my wife or being distracted by her. I have a corner of the basement set aside for practice, but it's too cold in the winter. So I'm going to door it off and plug in a space heater so I can woodshed a lot more than I get to now.

[soliver]

I'm also slowly making my way through reading Graham McDonald's Mandolin Project, ... I think I would like to at least get started making a flattop.

[Josh Levine]

1. Continue writing songs with the intention of coming up with an EP or Album in the next year or 2.
2. Work on my singing, specifically harmony singing.
3. Learn solid rhythm on guitar and start generalizing my improv skills from mandolin to guitar.
4. Continue learning new ideas on mandolin and refining my technique.

... Ya I am busy and have put a lot on my plate, plus have a baby on the way, so we will see. Good to have goals, though.

[Kevin Winn]

Number one goal is to keep more tee shots in the fairway.

DOH! wrong forum....

Mando goals:
1. Learn more fiddle tunes. Spent a bunch of time on Mandolessons over the Xmas break and got four down. Will be continuing that process as much as possible. Includes setting up a subscription (thanks again Baron!!)
2. Eat less kale

[Carl23]

1. put together a 30 minute set with my wife (who plays cello!)
2. suck at least a little bit less. :-)

C

[stevedenver]

Im not a resolution or goal guy , at least in connection with new years.

New musical direction, away from the bluegrass, only because its been all ive been playing, it seems, for 8-9 years now.
New band, or, musical soul mates.
, more rock, pop, jazz.
Try writing some good tunes.

This coming from the mando,banjo, guitar dude.

[Jill McAuley]

I've decided to do a Tune-A-Week project for the entire year, recording a tune and posting it on my youtube channel every Thursday. My initial motivation was to do this with the tenor banjo, because I was worried that it's getting neglected due to me not being able to put my new Girouard down, but since I'll already have all the recording gear set up I may as well do a version of each tune on the mandolin as well. So I'll be doing a Tune-A-Week on both instruments this year!

And I started it! First tune is posted over in the Videos, Pictures, Soundfiles subforum!

[MontanaMatt]

Record a new studio album, and mix down an album of the live recordings of my band(I have about 100hrs of board recordings to sift through looking for the gems).

[BrianWilliam]

Oh I forgot one, NO MORE BUYING VINTAGE MANDOLINS!!!

Here, here

[RustyMadd]

To love more considerately. To join no parties, political or otherwise. To keep my thoughts to myself unless asked. To choose kindness over correctness. To drive more slowly and try harder to be in the moment. To stop dividing all experience into two disparate things and to see the unity in all things. To play with love for more people and share the gift of music with all who will receive me.

That mostly covers the big items....the rest is just being nice.

Blessings

Edit: Yes, I am a hopeless romantic schmuck. But I kind of like it that way. ;-)