As you say we all know 'to play fast, practice slow' but don't really do it. You throw a new light on it and I promise that from now on I'll do it your way!
I absolutely 100% believe in muscle memory so your theory makes total sense. Acquire the muscle memory, THEN acquire the speed. Works in sports as well as music. And very few teachers teach this way because students are too impatient. I’m a senior changing over from double bass to clarinet and I’m going to learn the right way. Thank you.
Agree entirely -it all about discipline. I have been fooling myself that I don't need a metronome when practicing my reading and then wondering why I'm not a making progress relative to the long hours being put in.. Last night over a complex line I started at 60 bpm and over an hour gradually increased by increments of 5 bpm. By end of session I was playing the line at 125 bpm. I know only one line but real sense that I had achieved something from the session. MAKE HASTE SLOWLY
I definitely fall into the "too impatient/try to get too fast too quickly" camp. I have found that taking a line and playing it slower for a longer period definitely helps internalize it and ultimately play it faster. I'm assuming you use Mr. Metronome on 2 and 4 for this? And then move the tempo upward slowly over time?
I do all sorts of things with the metronome. I make a game out of putting it on different beats and seeing what it does to my playing and conception. Yes, definitely move the tempo up very gradually.
The other half of the story is "note quality". Listen to the attack on each note as you practice slowly, it has to be ultra short. If there is any sort of "scooping" of the notes then when you come to play them FAST which really means the notes have a shorter duration in time, the line will have no clear definition. Make each note start like a drum hit. As Mr James Brown once said " we're all drummers man" well if he didn't say exactly that I think that's why he meant.
I can see the light!
Excellent!
Howard Roberts said.... Speed is a byproduct of accuracy. I have found that to be spot on.
That's a good one!!
As you say we all know 'to play fast, practice slow' but don't really do it. You throw a new light on it and I promise that from now on I'll do it your way!
I absolutely 100% believe in muscle memory so your theory makes total sense. Acquire the muscle memory, THEN acquire the speed. Works in sports as well as music. And very few teachers teach this way because students are too impatient. I’m a senior changing over from double bass to clarinet and I’m going to learn the right way. Thank you.
"One must always practice slowly. If you learn something slowly, you forget it slowly." - Itzhak Perlman
Agree entirely -it all about discipline. I have been fooling myself that I don't need a metronome when practicing my reading and then wondering why I'm not a making progress relative to the long hours being put in..
Last night over a complex line I started at 60 bpm and over an hour gradually increased by increments of 5 bpm. By end of session I was playing the line at 125 bpm. I know only one line but real sense that I had achieved something from the session. MAKE HASTE SLOWLY
merci I'll try more than 20 % of my work time
How about tempo increments? Even if I practice a phrase for half hour at 60 I still can’t play it at 120 and it’s not happening (it hasn’t) by magic.
Tempo increments are perfectly fine! I do that kind of work as well especially if it's really physically challenging on the horn 👍
I definitely fall into the "too impatient/try to get too fast too quickly" camp. I have found that taking a line and playing it slower for a longer period definitely helps internalize it and ultimately play it faster. I'm assuming you use Mr. Metronome on 2 and 4 for this? And then move the tempo upward slowly over time?
I do all sorts of things with the metronome. I make a game out of putting it on different beats and seeing what it does to my playing and conception. Yes, definitely move the tempo up very gradually.
The other half of the story is "note quality". Listen to the attack on each note as you practice slowly, it has to be ultra short. If there is any sort of "scooping" of the notes then when you come to play them FAST which really means the notes have a shorter duration in time, the line will have no clear definition. Make each note start like a drum hit. As Mr James Brown once said " we're all drummers man" well if he didn't say exactly that I think that's why he meant.