RG500
1 post
Jul 08, 2011
2:12 PM
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been at his now for about 7 mos.
does any one out there have practise days where
nothing seems to work or sound right.
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Tommy the Hat
99 posts
Jul 08, 2011
2:20 PM
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I'm new at this also and that's a yes for me. Sometimes I find I'm moving ahead and feel good about it. Next day I want to bang my head on a wall. Three steps forward and two steps back is usually how it goes. But at this point in my life I know that this is how it is in many endeavors so I just keep pluggin along. Experience tells me that someday I'll be looking back at these frustrations as part of the journey and explaining to a beginner who is worried, to just keep practicing.
And welcome!
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Tommy
Bronx Mojo
Last Edited by on Jul 08, 2011 2:29 PM
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BronzeWailer
176 posts
Jul 08, 2011
2:38 PM
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Welcome, RG!
I renewed my love affair with the harp about 15 months ago after years of neglect.
Sometimes it is very frustrating. The more I learn the more I am aware of how much I have yet to learn.
It can help to do something else for a while and come back to what's bothering you a bit later.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no substitute for practice.
Hang in there!
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12gagedan
92 posts
Jul 08, 2011
2:52 PM
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If you're really struggling with something and have been working hard at it, step away for a bit (on the scale of hours, not years). Your subconscious will work on it w/o you. Coming back fresh, you'll often be surprised at how you've progressed.
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12gagedan's YouTube Channel
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arzajac
563 posts
Jul 08, 2011
3:30 PM
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I asked my piano/voice teacher the same question. He's an almost-retired Jazz musician who spent most of his career gigging to earn his living. He still gigs with his wife and they both say they still have days like that.
He says the funny thing is that you can have the worst day and still get an audience to their feet. Conversely, you can feel like you are on the top of your game and still feel like you are "sucking the joy out of them."
Personally, I know exactly what you mean. There are some things that I think depend on muscle development. If I put the harp down for a day, the next day, there are some things I can do much much better than I did two days before.
The thing with the harp that keeps me going is the small victories. Almost every day, I find that I can pinpoint something about which I can say I have improved. It may be that I will be practicing some fast licks or made up a new one. It may be that I tried something new and spontaneous in a solo and it worked out. I guess it depends on your outlook - I'm sure I play lots more shit than good stuff - I only get excited about the good.
Anyway, if it weren't for that, I would have quit the harp out of frustration the first week.
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hvyj
1513 posts
Jul 09, 2011
12:24 PM
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Progress on an instrument is not linear. Sometimes you can struggle with something day after day and then one day, BINGO! you've suddenly got it nailed like magic, even though you'd been struggling as recently as the day before.
This assumes regular practice in a disciplined way. It's like 12gagedan said: Your subconscious takes over and develops "muscle memory" for you. So, if you stay at it regularly and keep a disciplined practice regimen, progress can be very sudden and dramatic. You can experience a sudden unexpected break through even though up until that point it seemed like you were not getting anywhere for days or weeks.
But, the more difficult part is knowing WHAT to practice.
Last Edited by on Jul 09, 2011 12:27 PM
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Diggsblues
888 posts
Jul 09, 2011
12:28 PM
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You just look at it and so ok one of those days and
keep moving. It's when you stop that causes the most
problems.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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