Thanks so much for your thoughtful videos. I study a Chinese zither called the guzheng with an extremely traditional teacher here in Beijing, where I'm working. A a few months ago, I really hit the wall with progress. (I first started in early Feb 2020). I heard about "deliberate practice" & then found your videos. The one you did about when you were working full time and still getting in an effective 2 hours a day was super helpful - I had never thought of sitting down with my guzheng book and looking at it as an overall, and thinking about what exactly I wanted to focus on. Since doing so, I did now sit down every day (yep, every day!) with a specific measurable goal for each practice session, and I've noticed my focus is improving - I can do longer periods without my mind wandering. The measurable part definitely makes it more like a game, which makes even mastering tricky parts a lot more fun - given how many reps it takes to get to the correct speed of some of these pieces, but still have clean fingerwork. So I just wanted to give you a huge shout out for sharing tips, how it relates to the science (a la Gregg Goodhart), and your own experience. Xie Xie!
Thanks so much, Tenley. And so glad to hear my videos have been helpful for you. Plenty of kudos to you too for putting the ideas into practice (lots of people don't...). Great that you've found Gregg Goodhart's work too - he's got some fantastic ideas and is a great teacher.
Yeah, I clicked the "like" button just before you asked us to do so. I totally agree with your suggestions. I try to do these things, but I admit that sometimes I do kind of drift off on 'automatic pilot'. Your video is a good reminder to keep my brain engaged.
Thanks for the tips Mark! I often practice too fast and I often work myself too hard. As a drummer I often tense my muscles up. Thank you for teaching me!🎶🥁👍
You're welcome, Lindsay. The right way to do things is usually pretty simple - but it's so easy to forget and drift off the path. Making these videos helps to remind me of the important things too!
Practicing for me is to check every brick so I can build that house I want...and though I know it´s solid! The house gonna fall if one brick is powder... The chain is not stronger then the weakest link. And I focus on the best finger settings and keep it like a law! Thank you Mark for good videos!
many Thanks for these thoughts Brother. as a novice harmonica player who always considered myself musically hopeless every little thing helps. it really is the little things. practicing chugging rythms is usually where my harp practice drifts into, i start with scales and end up chugging which is fine because i enjoy that massively but i usually find i have to consciously slow myself down and then speed up again or i just get muddled up. i am also picking up guitar finger picking techniques on a home made three string open g so for instance that i was advised to practice mindlessly, it works to an extent. i had a moment when i felt the magic, my thumb was working independently from my fingers which is what i am going for, the sensation caused me to focus on it and your sharing these thoughts has me thinking that is where i am at. mindless practice brought it on but focused practice will cement it. so again, many Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience here with us Brother, i very much appreciate it.
Yes I do practise too fast. Ukulele player. But I am already onto the paying attention thing & it is making a big difference. Also the tip about 'playing' Fingering without sound is working really well.
Thank you for all the help and advice you give so generously and thank you for recommending the podcasts of Andrew Huberman. I did enjoy seeing you playing, more please.
You are so welcome, Sandie! And it would be rude of me not to recommend Andrew Huberman's podcasts. They're full of so much great stuff (to the point where I'm struggling to keep up - so hopefully musicians will find it helpful if I share some of the most relevant tips on their own)
Thank you for this video I myself can’t read a note yet I play mandolin Banjo and whistle all by memory. I’m wondering if that’s a good thing or not I’m 70yrs old And is it worthwhile starting now I have played in a couple of Ballad groups just would like your opinion thanks
Hi Mark, I just wanted to say thank you for the videos you’re doing here on TH-cam. Some things are new to me, and those which are not are always a great reminder. This why I subscribed to your channel. Again thanks for your work! (Btw the new camera looks great!)
You're welcome, Yann. And you're so right about the importnace of reminders. I probably get as much out of these videos as anyone else - because they force me to remind myself of really important concepts.
@@PlayInTheZone I completely get you. Quite a challenging one to keep in the practice schedule since it's so demanding but the struggle is worth it. ^^
Thanks so much, Brendan. I'm not finding much time at all for actually playing music right now (that was a clip from a while back). Am hoping to change that soon, though...
This is all excellent advice and is reassuring me that I am teaching my own pupils the same strategies. You have some interesting nuances and tips that I can use too so thank you. Learning to practise slowly is such a hard thing for students to grasp, particularly children, who want to play up to speed straight away. Practising slowly in small chunks takes time but is FASTER in the long run. I tell them it's like trying to eat a meal. You can't eat it in one big mouthful, it has to be eaten in bite size chunks!
That bite size chunks analogy is great, Angela. Thanks for sharing it.
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Thank You ennormously for this! Could You by any chance tell, is there a separate neuropathway for fast playing that one needs to develop? Or does the slow one get so strong to the point where one can manipulate it in any way? I've always questioned how often should i practice fast.
I'm not going to claim to be an expert on this, Augustas. But I don't think the pathways are separate. If you've practiced the same movements in order it will work slow or fast. The potential problem, though, is that people often don't move in exactly the same way when they play slow as when they play fast. If that's the case, then you're actually training two different things...
Check dr. Molly Gebrian: The Amazing List of Practice Techniques. Not shure about neuropathways but on electric bass and especially cello I noticed a difference in movements, e.g. bow distribution, economy of motion, ... when playing fast vs slow. Play slow to memorize, analyze, revise hand/body movements. Divide a section in small chunks (maybe 2, 3 notes) and play it fast with pauses in between. Be aware of the hand/body movements, rethink, adapt. Revise slow, repeat fast. Then you can start to merge chunks together or take bigger chunks. Like in sports, sprinting requires a regular and separate practice, it's not the same as running slower. Anyway the article mentioned at the beginning was a huge help for me. Happy practice!
3 ปีที่แล้ว +1
@@jollkki4317 Thank you very much for the tips, i believe it will be very useful. It's the same on percussion - when playing slow there's also a slight difference in movements, even when i use fast movements in slow tempo. Need to be aware of some jumps and transitions - to use as less movements as i can.
He says the same stuff in all his videos. For some people it all sounds great. For Anyone with brains larger than a grape it's obviously nothing new, nothing special and nothing more than all the generic techniques just spoken in that Guru way that makes you feel like he will help you to unlock your hidden powers like the pros and top notch musicians have unlocked. Which is always hard work, practice, don't give up. Don't was time, focus. All the things you already know. Tony Robbins is Rich and Famous from filling people's minds wih BS and brainwashing people to feel super empowered. That high wears off quick people get back to their normal lives.
1) play slow enough
2) playing with focus
3)time is unimportant, quality repetitions are
4) precise goals, precise music segment
Nice summary! Thanks.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful videos. I study a Chinese zither called the guzheng with an extremely traditional teacher here in Beijing, where I'm working. A a few months ago, I really hit the wall with progress. (I first started in early Feb 2020). I heard about "deliberate practice" & then found your videos. The one you did about when you were working full time and still getting in an effective 2 hours a day was super helpful - I had never thought of sitting down with my guzheng book and looking at it as an overall, and thinking about what exactly I wanted to focus on. Since doing so, I did now sit down every day (yep, every day!) with a specific measurable goal for each practice session, and I've noticed my focus is improving - I can do longer periods without my mind wandering. The measurable part definitely makes it more like a game, which makes even mastering tricky parts a lot more fun - given how many reps it takes to get to the correct speed of some of these pieces, but still have clean fingerwork. So I just wanted to give you a huge shout out for sharing tips, how it relates to the science (a la Gregg Goodhart), and your own experience. Xie Xie!
Thanks so much, Tenley. And so glad to hear my videos have been helpful for you. Plenty of kudos to you too for putting the ideas into practice (lots of people don't...). Great that you've found Gregg Goodhart's work too - he's got some fantastic ideas and is a great teacher.
Great to see you playing :)
Thanks. I'm hoping to include more of that sort of thing in the future. Haven't got around to explicitly planning it out yet, though...
I watch this video every now and then just to remind myself.
Yeah, I clicked the "like" button just before you asked us to do so. I totally agree with your suggestions. I try to do these things, but I admit that sometimes I do kind of drift off on 'automatic pilot'. Your video is a good reminder to keep my brain engaged.
Yes. It's really easy to drift off course. Making these videos is really helpful for me as well since I'm reminding myself in a way...
Thanks for the tips Mark! I often practice too fast and I often work myself too hard. As a drummer I often tense my muscles up. Thank you for teaching me!🎶🥁👍
You're welcome, Lindsay. The right way to do things is usually pretty simple - but it's so easy to forget and drift off the path. Making these videos helps to remind me of the important things too!
All good.. Thanks.. nice to hear/learn !!
Practicing for me is to check every brick so I can build that house I want...and though I know it´s solid! The house gonna fall if one brick is powder... The chain is not stronger then the weakest link. And I focus on the best finger settings and keep it like a law! Thank you Mark for good videos!
many Thanks for these thoughts Brother.
as a novice harmonica player who always considered myself musically hopeless every little thing helps.
it really is the little things.
practicing chugging rythms is usually where my harp practice drifts into, i start with scales and end up chugging which is fine because i enjoy that massively but i usually find i have to consciously slow myself down and then speed up again or i just get muddled up.
i am also picking up guitar finger picking techniques on a home made three string open g so for instance that i was advised to practice mindlessly, it works to an extent.
i had a moment when i felt the magic, my thumb was working independently from my fingers which is what i am going for, the sensation caused me to focus on it and your sharing these thoughts has me thinking that is where i am at.
mindless practice brought it on but focused practice will cement it.
so again, many Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience here with us Brother, i very much appreciate it.
Yes I do practise too fast. Ukulele player. But I am already onto the paying attention thing & it is making a big difference. Also the tip about 'playing' Fingering without sound is working really well.
This is such practical, enriching information! I greatly appreciate it!
So glad it was helpful, Anna!
Thank you for all the help and advice you give so generously and thank you for recommending the podcasts of Andrew Huberman. I did enjoy seeing you playing, more please.
You are so welcome, Sandie! And it would be rude of me not to recommend Andrew Huberman's podcasts. They're full of so much great stuff (to the point where I'm struggling to keep up - so hopefully musicians will find it helpful if I share some of the most relevant tips on their own)
Thank you for this video I myself can’t read a note yet I play mandolin Banjo and whistle all by memory. I’m wondering if that’s a good thing or not I’m 70yrs old And is it worthwhile starting now I have played in a couple of Ballad groups just would like your opinion thanks
Great video, right on target and a great explanation of better focused practice habits.
Hi Mark, I just wanted to say thank you for the videos you’re doing here on TH-cam. Some things are new to me, and those which are not are always a great reminder. This why I subscribed to your channel. Again thanks for your work! (Btw the new camera looks great!)
You're welcome, Yann. And you're so right about the importnace of reminders. I probably get as much out of these videos as anyone else - because they force me to remind myself of really important concepts.
Excellent video. I have sent this link to my pupils.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing it, Craig.
Love your Ari Metric Modulation Book in the Background ^^ Excellent work Mark with all your videos. Thank you for all your advices! Much appreciated!
Glad you like them, Jad! And Metric Modulations is a great book. Haven't spent time working with it for ages, though. One to add to my list...
@@PlayInTheZone I completely get you. Quite a challenging one to keep in the practice schedule since it's so demanding but the struggle is worth it. ^^
My girlfriend always tells me to play slow at first and play it perfectly before speeding up. You're so right! 🙂
Thanks, Alfred. Sounds like you should listen to your girlfriend... (Always a good idea 😉)
You've changed my life.
So glad to hear this was helpful, Alasdair!
Thanks again mark for another helpful video and great to see you playing, first time for me but hopefully not the last, best wishes, brendan
Thanks so much, Brendan. I'm not finding much time at all for actually playing music right now (that was a clip from a while back). Am hoping to change that soon, though...
This is all excellent advice and is reassuring me that I am teaching my own pupils the same strategies. You have some interesting nuances and tips that I can use too so thank you. Learning to practise slowly is such a hard thing for students to grasp, particularly children, who want to play up to speed straight away. Practising slowly in small chunks takes time but is FASTER in the long run. I tell them it's like trying to eat a meal. You can't eat it in one big mouthful, it has to be eaten in bite size chunks!
That bite size chunks analogy is great, Angela. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank You ennormously for this! Could You by any chance tell, is there a separate neuropathway for fast playing that one needs to develop? Or does the slow one get so strong to the point where one can manipulate it in any way? I've always questioned how often should i practice fast.
I'm not going to claim to be an expert on this, Augustas. But I don't think the pathways are separate. If you've practiced the same movements in order it will work slow or fast. The potential problem, though, is that people often don't move in exactly the same way when they play slow as when they play fast. If that's the case, then you're actually training two different things...
I am very grateful for Your response!
Check dr. Molly Gebrian: The Amazing List of Practice Techniques.
Not shure about neuropathways but on electric bass and especially cello I noticed a difference in movements, e.g. bow distribution, economy of motion, ... when playing fast vs slow. Play slow to memorize, analyze, revise hand/body movements. Divide a section in small chunks (maybe 2, 3 notes) and play it fast with pauses in between. Be aware of the hand/body movements, rethink, adapt. Revise slow, repeat fast. Then you can start to merge chunks together or take bigger chunks. Like in sports, sprinting requires a regular and separate practice, it's not the same as running slower.
Anyway the article mentioned at the beginning was a huge help for me. Happy practice!
@@jollkki4317 Thank you very much for the tips, i believe it will be very useful. It's the same on percussion - when playing slow there's also a slight difference in movements, even when i use fast movements in slow tempo. Need to be aware of some jumps and transitions - to use as less movements as i can.
► Check out my Practice Multiplier course if you want to go deeper: playinthezone.com/practice-multiplier/
High quality focused repetition (noting down)
Thanks
No problem, Dixie. Glad you enjoyed it.
I guess the practicing while watching TV is not the greatest idea😏
No. Afraid not...
How can you set precise goals when you have 14 peices of music to learn?
He says the same stuff in all his videos. For some people it all sounds great. For Anyone with brains larger than a grape it's obviously nothing new, nothing special and nothing more than all the generic techniques just spoken in that Guru way that makes you feel like he will help you to unlock your hidden powers like the pros and top notch musicians have unlocked. Which is always hard work, practice, don't give up. Don't was time, focus. All the things you already know. Tony Robbins is Rich and Famous from filling people's minds wih BS and brainwashing people to feel super empowered. That high wears off quick people get back to their normal lives.
Good tips.
One more thing to avoid:
DON'T describe things like lessons as 'sexy' it makes you sound perverted.
Sexy in this context is being used as "hip, cool, or cutting edge". Nothing related to anything sexual lol
i became jaded by steve vai and joe satrianni so i gave up
:)