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Practice
Again?
Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 (1 votes) 
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Ripton
Vermont, Massachusetts or somewhere in between
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August 23, 2016 - 4:48 pm
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I seem to have been in a practice slump. I no longer follow any kind of structure with exercises, scales, patterns, scores. I now tend to just randomly play various pieces in my memory. On occasion I will select a new tune to leaner and run with that. OK, I'm playing, but am I practicing? What do you think?

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
August 23, 2016 - 6:37 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

It depends on how you are playing and if you change anything when playing. I still believe it's way better than not playing at all.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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V10L1N

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August 23, 2016 - 11:27 pm
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Been there brother, 

When I'm in a slump or uninspired I either get out wohlfahrt and get back to basics or focus on bowing or 5th finger vibrato, etc. It's usually the stuff I don't pay a whole lot of attention to but should.

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BillyG
Brora, North-east Scotland
August 24, 2016 - 3:00 am
Member Since: March 22, 2014
Forum Posts: 3744
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I think everyone probably experiences this @Ripton to some extent - even long term and highly competent players who are suddenly faced with a piece that brings unexpected technical difficulty can, I'm sure, have them working on it and refining it for ages until they are happy.  There is no escalator to proficiency, you have to take the stairs - LOL.

But - as a beginner like yourself, I know exactly what you mean.

I regard these periods not so much as "slumps" but as "consolidation phases" and perhaps as a time to experiment with something different.  

And I do think that learning a new tune can be counted as practice - from my own perspective I'm convinced of that.   Others may disagree, but it all depends on how we learn.   Not everyone rigorously or exclusively follows the etudes or exercise-book paths - exceptionally useful as they are (and yes, I will sometimes fall-back on them) - @v10l1n makes a good point !

Also, for me, since most of the "tunes in my head" are of the Scottish traditional (and rock/pop/well known classical themes) genre - and knowing (until I joined this forum) virtually nothing about old-time/bluegrass/etc tunes - I set myself a goal - go find out about these tunes - red wing, whisky before breakfast, soldiers' joy and so on.  I went to other sites where there are like full 15 or 20 minute walk-throughs of these sort of pieces and just "watched, listened and learned".   Come away an hour later and suddenly you have a new tune (not "totally owned" yet) to add to your repertoire - that sure lifts the "slump" and leaves you smiling !   I certainly regard that as practice and onward-development.

You'll be fine Stevie, you'll be fine !thumbs-up

I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - guntohead.JPG

Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)

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damfino
my own little world
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August 24, 2016 - 8:50 am
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I think playing is keeping in practice, so it's beneficial. It's keeping you interested, and motivated to take out your violin. Nothing wrong with needing a break from doing scales and other exercises.

Sometimes it's nice to just take out the instrument and just play something you know and enjoy for the sake of enjoying it, and not worrying at that moment about what you're working on. You'll get past it, just keep plugging along enjoying playing what you know until you're ready to move back to some harder exercises. :)  

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coolpinkone
California, the place of my heart
August 24, 2016 - 1:23 pm
Member Since: January 11, 2012
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@Ripton  This is a continued topic for me.  I am glad you brought it up. 

I so am with you.  Not so much the absence of playing. Because I always play. And I do play songs with an attempt to make them sound better and I usually play each song or piece for 4-6 times.  Almost always I dig out some sheet and play from sheet, that is practice.  However...

I have come to the worst slump for progressing.  I have had help from friends that have made me videos on shifting and progressing into vibrato, But I confess that I don't do the exercises in my books.  I am still very indulgent in playing and not disciplined for learning.   I never had more than 6 months of lessons and I never got into real "lesson type practice"

Postitives... (gotta start with positives)

  • I have gotten more comfortable playing.  
  • I do make a better sound these days.  
  • I play with my tuner on and take note and attempt to correct as my ear is still not as refined as most.

Negatives...(keepin' it real)

  • I am not learning to read 2nd position notes well.
  • I am not playing advanced pieces.
  • Shifting and vibrato is very far behind for playing into my fifth year.

 

@Fiddlerman I agree to play is better than not to play at all.

Anyway, How about this?  Let's post as much as we can on what we did that was "practice" over playing.  Maybe if we have a good reason to post it, we will get motivation and incentive.  If we post each day/week etc... what we did that was practice... what we learned, what we are working on... etc.  Can't hurt right?

Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato

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Fran
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August 24, 2016 - 1:58 pm
Member Since: June 8, 2016
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I've been playing out of a scales & bowing exercise book and am doing it for about 4 scales now. Then I am enjoying after that playing out of Wohlfard the first 3 exercises. I do these just about daily.  Not fast but trying for intonation and will try to play a song after that occasionally.  The time seems to fly when I'm playing. Trying to enjoy the little progress I'm making. I have a beginner $200 Cremona violin but some day hope to get a better violin

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Jon

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August 24, 2016 - 4:12 pm
Member Since: August 23, 2016
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Hey all, I'm a complete newbie at instruments and, especially, the violin. However, I'm no stranger to practice and competition. Sometimes I notice that when myself or someone else starts becoming less serious about their training, it's usually for one of two reasons. One, they no longer take the hobby seriously or, two, they've met their goal and no longer have the proper motivation to maintain a structured practice. As for me, I'm trying to learn vibrato and the scales, I have no shortage of inspiration to seriously practice to meet those goals. I feel practice is another word for train and for those who train, they train to achieve something, to meet an objective. Maybe remembering what you were trying to achieve can help you determine if your practice is the correct path to complete that goal. Or, maybe, you've met that goal and need to set a new challenge for yourself. 

(I hope I'm not intruding, I'm trying to gather as information as I can to learn the violin, as I don't have an instructor, but I find some of these topics quite interesting and would like to take part of)

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damfino
my own little world
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August 24, 2016 - 4:43 pm
Member Since: July 23, 2015
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Hi @Jon Welcome to the forum :) And no worries, feel free to jump right in and post :)  

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World's Okayest Fiddler
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BillyG
Brora, North-east Scotland
August 25, 2016 - 4:09 am
Member Since: March 22, 2014
Forum Posts: 3744
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Yup @Jon - as @damfino said - leap right in - you're not "intruding" at all !   Good luck with your journey - I sense your determination and desire to succeed.... thumbs-up

And that's the beauty of this forum - many of us are beginners and we "discuss things in the way we see or understand them from our individual perspective" - often we are - well - if not actually wrong, perhaps we are "incomplete in our understanding".  And it's by sharing these thoughts that we all build upon each others trials and tribulations !

Welcome !

I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - guntohead.JPG

Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)

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damfino
my own little world
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August 25, 2016 - 9:15 am
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BillyG said
we "discuss things in the way we see or understand them from our individual perspective" - often we are - well - if not actually wrong, perhaps we are "incomplete in our understanding". 

Haha, nicely put.... and then Pierre comes through and cleans up the mess we started, lol.

☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
World's Okayest Fiddler
☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨* •☆•*¨*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆

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Fran
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August 25, 2016 - 1:00 pm
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Yes welcome!  Good thing we have Pierre to watch over us!   :-)

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BillyG
Brora, North-east Scotland
August 25, 2016 - 2:10 pm
Member Since: March 22, 2014
Forum Posts: 3744
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LOL - ain't that just the truth you two above !!!!  Yup - Thank You Boss ( @admin ) for all the advice, knowledge and support ! hats_off

I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - guntohead.JPG

Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)

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Jon

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August 25, 2016 - 2:27 pm
Member Since: August 23, 2016
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Thanks all :)  

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Mark
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August 25, 2016 - 7:34 pm
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Just for some ideas on how to practice the blog at the bullet proof musician and Nathan Cole are worth taking the time to reading they mirror what Ivan Galamin said about practice in his book on playing and teaching violin which is back in print for 7.00 plus shipping from barns and nobles in my opinion it's with the time to read.

 

Mark

Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.

Albert Sammons

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BillyG
Brora, North-east Scotland
August 26, 2016 - 5:37 am
Member Since: March 22, 2014
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Mark said .....
... Ivan Galamin said about practice in his book on playing and teaching violin which is back in print for 7.00 plus shipping from barns and nobles in my opinion it's with the time to read.
  

  Yup - a very "traditional", detailed, and expertly explained book - and worth its weight in gold IMHO !  - one of my favourite quotes from Galamian - .... (ahh, those were the days, with gut strings roflrofl)

galaquote.JPGImage Enlarger

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I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - guntohead.JPG

Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
August 26, 2016 - 10:43 am
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
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NO, don't thank me!!!
I'd do anything for my fiddlerman forum family. ;)
Thanks everyone.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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