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Regulars
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I recently took a few days away from fiddle. I was busy with other things and in the back of my mind I was thinking about how in the world could I get myself onto a more serious practice routine. Grind grind grind.
(That fiddle stared at me, daring me to pick it up. But every time I picked it up, it resisted, playing bad notes with bad rhythm, bad tone and bad spirit. Every time, I understood and put it down.)
Today I picked up my fiddle and it sang for me. It was unconcerned with notes, intonations, accuracy, playing correctly. The music sprang out of that fiddle, full and rich, and with strong body vibrations upon my shoulder. That thing was alive! The bow danced on those strings with unusual speed, strength and subtlety, apparently without effort on my part.
And then, as soon as I began to think about what was happening, the magic disappeared and everything got clunky. But when I turned my mind off that fiddle started speaking again. It said: Calm down and play!
I don’t know if anyone else has had similar experience. Maybe a moment away will be good. I guess it’s all about managing our musical experience.
Strabo
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@Strabo I think we often think too much. Personally, I have gotten that feeling from some posts, not meant as a negative comment. I just can't think or analyze it all so much, wish I could sometimes. I have found that when I just grab a violin or viola off the wall and sit on the sofa, I can just play and play. Of course they are only pieces I have memorized. So I have to sit and play with the intention of learning for new pieces, and I find I question my playing a lot more, that causes me to miss the finger spot, think too much about bowing, instead of just letting it be natural.
So, yes, I have had that happen. I think that maybe some of this is just natural, to a point, and we get in the way, sometimes. "Mouse, get out of the way!"
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haha @Strabo.. exactly! yes.. all the time like that. i think sometimes maybe just playing to play helps. no expectations or focus..just whatever comes to mind and the flow with it. thinking gets in the way sometimes.
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Hard to recreate magical moments if you don't know why/how you can do it one day, but couldn't do it the other day.
...'playing' vs 'practicing'(?)
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Sometimes it is just that you are relaxed, nothing formal being done, and just doing it. Even if you are paying more attention, etc, you still might not be able to recreate it. The very first person doing anything did not have lessons. No need to have a vs anything. Sometimes, we just wanna have fun. Different strokes for different folks.
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ELCBK said
Hard to recreate magical moments if you don't know why/how you can do it one day, but couldn't do it the other day....'playing' vs 'practicing'(?)
3 Essential Ingredients of an Effective Practice Session Thread - this is truly an EXCELLENT thread!
yeah...i think too much analysis there. it is what it is alot of the time. even professional top of the chart performers just have off days.
i think the jest of the OP is to stop every once and a while and enjoy being able to play music and stop making it all about some planned out, methodical, lesson.
at least how i took it..
yeah we need some structure and some basic skills... but from the get go the goal is to play music. ( adult learners not planning in a music career). I think once we get into the 12 steps to a better fiddle player mentality, it becomes more like an academic exercise or something. again.. i agree theres practice and playing.. but to me this was more about, sorta letting go and enjoying the moment without self critique.
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This didn't sound like 'one off day', to me.
@Strabo -
Maybe I misunderstood, are you sharing progress? Were you having a hard time of it & finally made a 'break through'? Are you back on a good path?
If so, CONGRATULATIONS! 🤗
If I can 'hear' a tune in my head I'm fine, but if distracting thoughts prevent this, it's like I'm suddenly blind! It's taken me a long time to learn/work on being 'mindful' during playing & practicing - to be aware of what I am doing and feeling, without it being a distraction. I don't do any analysis, or strategizing, while I'm playing.
How was your playing today? Does relaxing & clearing your mind, still help?
I was a little concerned... because if it was 'me', and I only had random days of joyful playing - I'd want to know why.
If you are having trouble and want to have more 'magical' days of playing - there ARE answers/help here on the forum. You know 'mastering a skill' doesn't happen by chance.
Regulars
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I guess that my fiddle voyage is like many other things in life: three steps forward, two steps back; six steps forward, nine steps back; good days, not-so-good days, and even some bad days. Ebb and flow, flow and ebb. Ups and downs, downs and ups.
I suspect that it’s like that for everyone, but that’s just a guess.
The fiddle is a sensitive and demanding device, and any number of variables can produce a poor result. As we all know, sometimes those poor results are glaringly obvious. And of course when those variables line up correctly, the violin can produce glorious results.
I got some good advice when I started with fiddle: Expect slow and uneven progress, but be happy to see progress. Overall, I’m pleased with my progress.
And last week I got to experience the unevenness, quite vividly. Somehow, things weren’t working, and my fiddle made it glaringly obvious. I’ll never know exactly what I did or didn’t do to kluge things up, but when I got out of my own way that fiddle made it splendidly obvious that there are indeed times when it all works right.
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I have had days like that with my cello, viola and violin. Not as many as I would like, though.
I don't know why, but I suspect it is because I was not thinking about it too much, not expecting too much. When I have actual practice sessions, I tend to over-think, pay too much attention, stiffen up, try to hard. I know my bowing gets mechanical, stiff and my arm gets sore.
When I am on a roll, I think I am just having fun. No, I do not need a video explaining this. I feel that will just ruin those simply fun sessions if I start analyzing it too much, 😁. It is just not my way.
Maybe that is it, in sessions with new things, too many things go through my mind, I analyze too much, and do not just let myself play what I am looking at.
I think we all learn in different ways, and we have to be true to ourselves as to what we need to do to learn. Once we compare with what others do, try someone else's way, etc, we get lost, analyze, and fumble. It needs to be fun, informal, and relaxing for me, even when trying new stuff. It need it to be fuNble to I don't fuMble.
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