Is Practicing Music Like Learning to Type?

By -
A few minutes ago I was trying to type "Wes Montgomery" into the YouTube search window, and instead of "wes" I typed "west." I guess my fingers are faster than my brain. This happens all the time - especially with word fragments like "tion" and "ing" - I don't have to think about the individual letters, my fingers take over. I've always wondered how those jazz guys blow such complicated stuff so fast. I think this is a huge clue.

Last summer I decided to try out a new instrument, a Quebecois button accordion. It's pretty illogical to play: like a harmonica, the same button plays a different note, depending on whether you are pushing in or pulling out on the bellows. I already have too much on my plate, and I know this, so I decided to approach it like my high school typing class.

Did you ever take typing in high school? It was really boring. But at my high school reunion, a bunch of us agreed it was the most useful class we took.

th th th th th th th th ght ght ght ght ght ght ght
feet fret get greet feet fret get greet

The trick is to do something that's repetitive, while challenging your brain just enough to keep it engaged.

I bought a notebook, and in it I wrote the tunes as I learned them. I would take a tune and break it down into little phrases. I would highlight the phrases that I thought sounded like common melody fragments - things I might hear in some other tune. At first it was just two notes at a time - then three or four. I would notice these fragments repeating in different parts of the tune, sometimes starting on the same note, but sometimes on different notes. Then I would just play those little fragments over and over at a speed that was...possible.. until my fingers played them without thinking.

This was a real experiment on my part. I can't say that I will write a scholarly paper on it or write the next book on how to learn the button accordion fast, but I have learned quite a few tunes, and it was much less frustrating than I expected.

Now I am working on translating this idea to other aspects of my practice...

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2016 at 3:37 PM

    Interesting. I think I'll try it. Thanks. (Elizabeth Shaak)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Judy WarnerSeptember 3, 2016 at 12:50 PM

    Reminds me of a pattern I noticed this week as I take some swim lessons to brush up on lap swimming technique. The instructor was breaking down technique into small patterns to practice that show up in multiple places in a swim.
    BTW, any chance you are going to Fall Camp out west? Would love to see you again and have the intention of going. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a "Rush" Woven Seat Chair Using Old Jeans (or Fabric Scraps)

By -
Image
I used the technique for weaving a rush chair seat to make a chair seat using old jeans. The antique ladderback chair is just the right height for me to practice my Québécois button accordion. Fabric Choice Although at first I considered using t-shirt strips (also called tarn), I decided to jeans because denim is stronger and not stretchy. I had some old heavy linen fabric that would have done the trick, too, but I didn't have enough for the whole chair with either linen or jeans. I decided not to mix them, at least not for my first chair. I was advised, (correctly!) by other crafters, that all I had to do was out the word out, and I’d get donations. I sent out 4 emails and literally went shopping and there were two pairs of jeans on my doorstep. I had five more pairs by the weekend. (Now I need another chair!) Some Pointers Before I describe the process, here are some pointers. I don't recommend doing this with a stretchy fabric. Therefore, if you use jeans, avo...
Read more

Keep One Point

By -
Image
I've been slowly but surely writing of a series posts devoted to each of the  four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . One of these is Keep One Point to Develop Calmness. We spend about 90 minutes in each aikido class, and most students practice once or twice a week - only a small proportion of the of hours we are awake each week. It may be plenty of time to spend doing a demanding physical exercise, but we need to spend more time working on the underlying principles for them to become second nature in our bodies. Fortunately, all of the basic principles are easily practiced at any time, not just in class. We can easily practice finding and keeping One Point while off the mat, and test the results when we're back on the mat. What Is One Point? One Point is a concept closely related to your center of balance. Centuries ago martial artists discovered that if the mind is focused on keeping this point low, one becomes stronger and harder to move. In Kokikai, we first...
Read more

What is Ki?

By -
Image
The concept of Ki , or lifeforce, exists in many cultures. In Chinese it's Chi or Qi , in Sanskrit,  Prana . In western culture, while we may say someone has a soul that is distinct from their physical body, the soul is connected to the individual.  Ki, as it is understood in Japanese culture, is a universal force that permeates everything. Individuals may manifest more or less ki, but it is a connecting force between everyone and everything. In Japan, ki is an everyday concept that's found in many common phrases . For example the phrase "O  ki o tsuke te," which means "take care," literally means, "apply ki ."   "O genki desu?" the most common way to say "How are you?" means, literally, "Do you have ki ?"   "Ii k imochi," a phrase heard often, particularly in popular songs, means "(What a) good feeling." "Ii" means "good" and "kimochi" literally means having, o...
Read more