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Thread [Getting started] Kick Start Your Playing Skills

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Mike Levine

Author

First post

1 Posted on 04/21/2016 at 13:33:26

Are you in a rut on your instrument? Do you feel like you’ve been playing the same old stuff forever without any significant improvement? If so, and if you’re willing to commit an hour or so a day to your craft, you can improve your abilities appreciably, and broaden your musical horizons with the multipart strategy outlined in this article.

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Ricky Vanderhoof

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2 Posted on 04/23/2016 at 18:46:45

I think all you've said is good advice except for one part. You NEED to play really fast as part of your practice session. I am all for playing slowly and smoothly with a metronome, but you also need to play hard and fast even if sloppy. Not thru the entire practice session, but part of it. Sooner or later your sloppy fast playing will turn into smooth fast playing. It gets you in the mental and physical state of mind to move fingers and mind fast even if they are not coordinated. Eventually they DO become coordinated.

Mike Levine

Author

3 Posted on 04/24/2016 at 05:28:20

Quote:

You NEED to play really fast as part of your practice session.

That's an interesting idea, I've never heard that before. If it works for you, great. My feeling is it's better to build your way up to playing something fast. That way, you're not only increasing your ability to play it faster, you're also increasing your confidence, and you get rewarded along the way, as you see your progress via increased metronome settings. For me, anyway, playing something fast and sloppy is demoralizing.

Ricky Vanderhoof

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4 Posted on 04/24/2016 at 17:36:16

In front of a crowd, yes. It would be an embarrassment. But in my humble opinion if you want
to play fast you have to get in the mindset of fast. Even if sloppy at first. Again, totally agree
with the metronome practice. Vital part. But what is cool is I've watched sloppy fast players turn
into smooth fast players with practice. It just kind of gets your fingers and mind in the "speed" of
things. Eventually the slop turns into smooth. I spend a part of each practice paying as fast as
I can move my hands--usually on chromatic or pentatonic scale in doubles, triplets, and quadruplets.

CaliMoose

AFfinity Poster

5 Posted on 04/25/2016 at 02:34:52

This article is exactly the sort of thing that the 9-5-yet-passionate musician needs.

The more that technology and the internet advances, the more tools we have at our disposal. Compared to people in our shoes 30 or 40 years ago, we have it easy! It's just up to us to get serious, put away the smartphone and dedicate ourselves

Mike Levine

Author

6 Posted on 04/26/2016 at 16:22:34

Quote:

it's just up to us to get serious, put away the smartphone and dedicate ourselves

Put away the smartphone unless you're opening a metronome app on it.

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