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Post by Zi on Mar 27, 2023 9:06:02 GMT
I'm reading Hans-Martin Linde - The Recorder Player's Handbook - he has a whole section about playing the recorder and some tips during practice. I thought I'd summarise. It might be useful discussion...
1. Practice regularly - daily if possible. 2. Practice time can vary according to stamina, talent, time etc. 3. Practise only while you are still really fresh. 4. Skipped - too woodwind specific. 5. At intervals make a deliberate attempt to relax. Any pains that develop show your posture is wrong. 6. Check your finger movements mentally, not by eye. 7. Learn all technical studies by heart. 8. It is better to play a passage 49 times slowly and once at speed than vice-versa, 9. Never repeat a technical mistake - track down its source and correct it. 10. Jot down points on your copy - it will guide your practice.
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Post by Zi on Mar 28, 2023 8:07:09 GMT
Things are a bit hectic here I'm afraid and will be for a bit so I apologise if I'm being a bit fits and starts. Anyway, this is my reaction to that list. I aim to do 1 - practice daily but at the moment I'm failing at that one dismally. I don't think I can say 'regularly' either. I definitely do 2 and 3! The checking to see that I'm relaxed I do sporadically - I really will make a note to be more vigilant over that one and I've always done 6 - check finger movements mentally. I think actually occasionally looking at where they are might be a good thing! Learning technical studies by heart - definitely no! I don't go out of my way to learn any music by heart. I don't think it's something that comes naturally to me. Stick poetry in front of me and I'll learn some of it in one read and the rest pretty quickly but music no! I try very very hard to do the slow thing but I don't reach the 49 to 1 ratio! But I do 9 assiduously, driving the household mad while I play bits either side of the problem to figure out what's happening. 10 - I occasionally mark my copy with breathing points and accidentals but rarely anything more complex than that. I must admit, 10 made me feel all chastened rather more than my irregular practice because I bet Hans-Martin Linde doesn't make paper, weave, have a couple of greenhouses, a garden that looks like a bit of waste ground and a very energetic and playful collie!
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Post by pavane on Mar 30, 2023 11:45:16 GMT
I did read this book several years ago but thanks for the timely reminder: that is a good list of practice tips. I definitely don't do 7 - I'm hopeless at learning any music by heart. I play technical studies until I feel I'm not benefitting from them as much as I would benefit from starting a new one. And I've got plenty so I'm unlikely to run out.
The one that really made me think was 8. I always start things slowly because it's usually the only way I can start them going. I take it fairly gently till I get them to a sort of "moderate" speed and then I try to speed up to full speed too quickly. With that in mind, I've just gone back to a piece I'm learning at the moment and tried the tricky bit and it's amazing how much I had to slow it down to get it to the point where I was genuinely playing all the notes correctly, not just skating over them and hoping for the best with the overall effect.
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Post by Zi on Mar 31, 2023 9:34:48 GMT
I've read other people talking about practice - I really wish I could remember what they said and who they were. I do wonder if the advice is different depending on the musical instrument. Obviously posture will be different. not just skating over them and hoping for the best with the overall effect. I loved this comment. I'm afraid sometimes that sums up my life at the moment - not just my practice!
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Post by pavane on Mar 31, 2023 18:17:02 GMT
not just skating over them and hoping for the best with the overall effect. I'm afraid sometimes that sums up my life at the moment
I fear it's always summed mine up. I have a friend who used to call me "skimpy" - sung to the tune of Skippy
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Post by Zi on Apr 2, 2023 13:16:17 GMT
That sounds unfair! And pushing on regardless is sometimes a very very very good strategy I think!
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