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Thread: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

  1. #1
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    Default Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    Hey guys, as I progress I find I have to stop from time to time and rewind to some slow basics because my tone and technique have gone south.
    This would be less of an issue if I stuck to one instrument - regular and octave mando have a different touch and fingerstyle guitar just takes up time.
    If I really had to chose one of the 3 it would be OM but that’s another discussion.

    I just ordered the dummies exercise book because I had one from the library early days which kept me honest.

    Just wondering what you do to keep that foundation solid?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    1. Keep playing
    2. Care about tone, timing & clarity
    3. Learn new things
    4. Return to basics on the regular: Assess, practice improvement, slow things down
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  4. #3

    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Gunter View Post
    1. Keep playing
    2. Care about tone, timing & clarity
    3. Learn new things
    4. Return to basics on the regular: Assess, practice improvement, slow things down
    That's about as spot on as it gets.

  5. #4
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    Originally Posted by Mark Gunter

    1. Keep playing
    2. Care about tone, timing & clarity
    3. Learn new things
    4. Return to basics on the regular: Assess, practice improvement, slow things down

    +1
    Last edited by Bill McCall; Nov-07-2021 at 1:08pm. Reason: clarify
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  6. #5
    Registered User Pete Martin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    I remember a bunch of years ago camping next to the Claridge family at Weiser. At this time Tashina Claridge had won at least once if not twice and was a terrific player. She would wake up each morning and practice VERY basic things on the fiddle for two hours. Long bow strokes where I could tell she was working on her basic tone and intonation.

    She did this every day for the week we were there. At the end of that time, I was thinking "No wonder she's so good".

    One can never spend TOO MICH time on the most basic technique items, that is your sound.
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  8. #6
    Registered User Bob Buckingham's Avatar
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    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    Like the coaches keep saying, "we've got to get down to the fundamentals."

  9. #7
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Routines for keeping your technique in shape

    Practice regularly and jealously guard my practice time.

    Besides the normal scales and arpeggios, these days I have been sticking to the Wohlfahrt Sixty Studies for Violin, and Todd Collins Fredboard Studies. My seconds, to change things up, are S. Ranieri L'Art de la Manodolin, and Todd Collins other book Modes on Mandolin. There are many many books of exercises and etudes and stuff to work on. Nothing special about these in particular, except that I like them.

    So here is what works for me. I have a music stand dedicated to these practice books. They are always right there ready to be jumped on. I have another music stand I use for whatever tunes I am learning, or new tunebooks I am exploring, or to hold the band's set lists, or anything else I need a music stand for. But the dedicated stand is there to make getting on with practice that much easier. Nothing to look for or find, no excuses.

    In addition I have a few cool warm up exercises I do just about every time I take the instrument out. So these warm ups get done before jams or band practice, or open mics or whatever. Good way to sneak in some practice time without noticing it.

    In practicing I find the maxim that great is the enemy of good is particularly applicable. A far from optimal and very flexible routine done frequently and regularly is MUCH more effective than a supremely optimized and rigorous routine that you can't seem to get to and drains your motivation.
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