Why the Progress Seems To Disappear Overnight

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I found this article on Facebook. I know  that Griff teaches us to take his lessons a few bars at a time in succession, but this article suggest that there is some new/different thinking on the matter. In any case, what works for one, might not work for others.
Anyway I thought it as an interesting read.

https://db.tt/D9oc6aNl
 

MikeR

Guitar Challenged
Staff member
I definitely agree with the article.  I try to do something similar to that in my practice.  The only caveat is that when it comes to something completely new, I do have to repeat it a number of times initially, until I have the sequence of notes memorized (or mostly memorized).  It still works with the "break it into chunks" concept if you learn two or three chunks at a time and play them in random order.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I think that if you do this and:
- the chunks that you work on are lick length,
- you practice them in random order,
it may help you use the pieces independently when it comes time to "improvise".

At least it sounds like it makes sense.

YMMV

 

falconer

Blues Newbie
Mike, your timing is fortuitous, and thanks for posting this.  Within the article's content, I recognized how during practice time I lapse into a repetition/rote during which I "zone-out" and can't stay focused on the material.  I believe this lady is definitely on the mark, and I'm going to start applying a similar schedule.  You couldn't have posted this at a better time.

Keep that amp plugged-in, sir.  ;)
 

Dr. Ron

Nuthin’ But The Blues!
Something to consider.  I feel like I already generally using a "random" practice schedule; but, the only reason it might be random is that I continually change things to keep my practice interesting. 
 

panther

Blues Newbie
I have a play list in a book, and if I play each song many times, in a single setting, I find that after I go through the book, and start over, the first song is as hard to play as it was the first time through. However if I play each song in my list, just once, and go back and run through again, the second time seems to go smoother.
I didn't realize it was a better way to remember things. But I do find that all of a  sudden I know several segments well. They all seem to gel at once. It does work. It's hard to follow a course that way. What is the solution for that ?
Dan
 

Tom45

Blues Newbie
I clicked on the link but could not open the article.  It says I need a program to open this file.  What program do I need to open a .docx file and where can I find this program?

Thanks
 

dvs

Green Mountain Blues
I think this is a link to the original source: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/why-the-progress-in-the-practice-room-seems-to-disappear-overnight/
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
Well, that's certainly an interesting read!  All this time I thought my progress disappeared because of alcohol!  [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]
 

MikeR

Guitar Challenged
Staff member
Well, that's certainly an interesting read!  All this time I thought my progress disappeared because of alcohol!  [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]

I'll drink to that.   [smiley=beer.gif]
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
I think that it is important to try different approaches to playing a musical instrument.  You have to learn what works best for you.  Some measures within a piece of music may require a different approach to learning than the majority of the composition requires. 

One thing I love to do is to learn new pieces that I enjoy listening to.  That adds an element of interest for me.  Because I am not taking music lessons from a teacher I can afford to do this.  Playing a musical instrument allows me to forget the world and concentrate on music.  It is a great way to relieve stress from my daily life.  This allows me to be free to try new things, enjoy the music and myself. 

One thing to keep in mind when playing any musical instrument is to have good posture!  Poor posture causes fatigue and discomfort.  Have a goal and do your best to stick to it.  You do not have to learn that new piece in 7 days.  No, consider taking 8!    :)

Tom
 

blueshawk

Blues Newbie
Great article. For me personally, it takes away a little of the guilt I feel for not sitting down and doing Griff's lessons start to finish like I know they should be done. What I do instead is get into the lesson, find an interesting piece and then go to my Gdec and look for different ways to put the little piece into practice. Most of my practice is unstructured curiosity seeking with a little jewel of wisdom from Griff. I haven't learned how to play any of Griff's tunes start to finish, but I have carved out pieces of many of his tunes and spent many hours noodling them into rhythms I find interesting.

This article makes me think that my lazy approach may in fact have some benefit in the "what sticks with me" category. Thanks for the post.
 

Tom45

Blues Newbie
I think this is a link to the original source: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/why-the-progress-in-the-practice-room-seems-to-disappear-overnight/

Thanks Doug.  Interesting article.  Hmmm, I go over a new solo for about an hour a day untill I get it.  I'll try this new approach.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I clicked on the link but could not open the article.  It says I need a program to open this file.  What program do I need to open a .docx file and where can I find this program?

Thanks

Tom, that's Microsoft Word. I guess I should have saved it as as PDF.
Hopefully the link to the original article worked for you.
 

cowboy

Blues, Booze & BBQ
It was a good read...thanks MikeS...I think we all do some of this to begin with....practice a lick a few times....play around with it...some licks may be easier to play based on previous habits...one of the reasons that Griff suggests to move on and then go back and revisit...maybe why my practicing during TV commercials works well...pick a lick and play around, pick a lick and play around...now for the timing issues... :-?...later.

cowboy
 
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