sluggo - Posted - 03/14/2007:  11:38:22

picked up my banjo this morning fo a quickie practice, and was amazed at the way my fingers were moving on the strings! Never before have i played that well. Hope this is a permanent thing. I was wondering if everyone experieces this.

John Allison - Posted - 03/14/2007:  11:48:54

There seems to be plateaus in the learnign process. You get to a point where you seem stuck in a rut, not able to move forward. No matter what you do, there is no improvement. Then, all of a sudden, you wake up one morning and, behold, all that practice and time payed off and you have moved upward on the learning curve. It is a normal step in that never ending process of learning.

Froggie

eastkypicker - Posted - 03/14/2007:  12:36:31

I experienced this yesterday actually. I have not played for 2 days and yesterday I picked up my instrument and everything felt really smooth. I did not want to put it down !
MJ

Madgenius - Posted - 03/14/2007:  12:54:47

I just got this by accident, my index finger was painful, so I started frailing with my middle finger instead, and I became a rhythm demon (compared to before anyhow)

Nice feeling intit?

Danny

"Music is a joy to me, sometimes living in it is the only safe place to be" Brian May

harperk31794 - Posted - 03/14/2007:  12:58:07

Every time I pick up the banjo, I'm extremely fast, clean and the music just flows out of the instrument, then I wake up becuase that #$%# alarm clock is going off.

Naw, I have this happen with some songs, I'll be in a Jam and someone will announce a tune that I am not practiced up on and don't know very well, but I will jump on the breaks and kill em, doesn't happen every time but some songs are just easier to improvise on seems to me.

Ken

Tune it or die!

snakeherd - Posted - 03/14/2007:  13:05:45

It's magic.
It happens to me sometimes that I can start picking faster and faster. Usually at the end of practice and when I tune(my head) out.

Scott

goghiti - Posted - 03/14/2007:  13:34:31

It happened to me just the other day, everything fell into place on three or four songs I was reviewing. Of course the opposite happens more often. I just can't get music out of a song that was progressing well. As a friend of mine says "the song was saying "not today" my friend."

AD3AD3AD3 - Posted - 03/14/2007:  13:41:42

The plateau phenomenon, mentioned above by John Allison, typifies the way it happens for me.

AD3

Unplugged - Posted - 03/14/2007:  13:43:31

It's an interesting learning kind of thing. Your neurons and muscles need time to integrate the learning. Some call it developing "muscle memory", which is more logically developing the neural pathways. That's why many short playing sessions are better than multi-hour sessions.

And it sure is fun to have the fingers (and the brain) finally doing the right stuff.

Steve
Love to pick. Love to sing. Let's jam!
'88 Stelling Whitestar (archtop)
GoldTone OB 250

duke13 - Posted - 03/14/2007:  14:14:35

I get practice days like that every now and then. enjoy them. Now if I could just get some of them days when i'm jamming with others!

85 Gold Star GF100
54 rb 250 bowtie
47 d-28
Blueridge br 160
39 Kay bass

Madgenius - Posted - 03/14/2007:  14:45:33

I agree with Scott, NEVER let the head get in the way of the heart (hard when you're studying something new) and as Steve says, many short practice sessions are MUCH better than 1 long one. My sister is trying to learn the mandolin and came to me for advice, cos I play guitar and banjo. I'm always emphasizing 3 lots of 20 minutes, not 1 lot lasting an hour.

I think their was a scientific study a few years ago that concluded that the ideal time period for a lesson/study session on any subject was 20 minutes, after that the human brain can't operate at peak efficency any longer. It certainly holds true for me

Danny

"Music is a joy to me, sometimes living in it is the only safe place to be" Brian May

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 03/14/2007:  17:15:04

Several years ago ,an acoustic guitar Mag. columnist woite about that subject. She said after a certain amount of practic, you should take no less than a 15 minute break. You come back refreshed, and ready to learn again. I advocate a "reward" period in which you play something you're not trying to learn. For my own breaks, I play songs I can sing. Others may want to read a book, play with the kids,or pets, or do a chore . Then go back to your banjo. All work and no play, even if the work is banjo related, makes us dull. Besides, the operative word in playing music is PLAYING. Make it fun,y'all. Paul

rendesvous1840

"As I see it, every newborn should be issued a banjo." .....Linus

sluggo - Posted - 03/14/2007:  17:20:06

yes it does feel good to crank out cripple creek when it sounds like a real song. Guess i need to do more shorter sessions and put it down before it starts sounding really crappy! thanks guys

banjobrunette - Posted - 03/14/2007:  18:00:01

Quote "I advocate a "reward" period in which you play something you're not trying to learn"

I advocate a choccy bar

BB

samharris - Posted - 03/14/2007:  23:50:47

There was also a post on a piano newsgroup that a study has indicated that college piano students who were preparing for a recital did better practicing an hour every other day than those that practiced 30 min a day.

I advocate practicing 1 hour a day every day. It is what works best for me until I hit the "brick wall." I take a day or two off then get back to the hour per day until the next "brick wall."

Sam Harris - Fountain, NC.

Edited by - samharris on 03/15/2007 00:31:37

sangrej - Posted - 03/15/2007:  07:56:46

I often find that if I take a forced break (since I never 'choose' to forego the banjo; I am forced to due to schedule or other responsibilities) for a day or two, my picking is much cleaner and more spontaneous than before. I think it has to do with giving the muscles in your hands a rest & recreation period. This has happened in other areas too; for example I have studied juggling for several years and when I come back to it after a few days off, it is much easier and unforced. A common phenomena, and an enjoyable one!

Sangrejoven
"The way I see it, as soon as a baby is born he should be issued a banjo." --Linus Van Pelt

onalky - Posted - 03/15/2007:  16:59:44

I usually practice 2-4 hours per day, which according to this thread, explains alot. I rotate exercises though. An hour on songs, an hour on rolls, an hour on a new song or some combination of the above. I just can't put it down. It's dangerously addictive and it's always staring at me.

As we slide down the banister of life, think of me as a splinter in your ass.....

Madgenius - Posted - 03/15/2007:  17:24:29

Onalky

Their is a difference between playing and practicing, playing for fun (with others ideally) is ALWAYS good

"Music is a joy to me, sometimes living in it is the only safe place to be" Brian May

Banjophobic - Posted - 03/15/2007:  17:39:09

Gosh yes. Ive been at it for over 30 years and I always have off days. I call them my "A" and "B" days. On an "A" day, I feel that I can play anything that I desire or that comes to my head. On "B" days, I know that somethings wont come easily and that some technical things wont happen quite the way I hope. When you get more experience, the "B" days will be fewer and farther between, but will never go away. The great stress reliever, for me anyway, is that once youve played long enough, you get enough kowledge/idea that have become second nature that you can still play well, although not up to your own 'stndards'. Listeners wouldnt know that you were having a "B" day. That makes it alright and just a part of playing life. Great joy comes on those "A" days-almost like lightning striking. Idea,improv,etc just flow out of you. Those days more than make up for the "B"'s-
Thats when music really connects with your soul

Madgenius - Posted - 03/15/2007:  17:47:20

I LOVE it when music connects with the soul, I just wish it would happen to me a lot more often than it does

"Music is a joy to me, sometimes living in it is the only safe place to be" Brian May

snakeherd - Posted - 03/15/2007:  18:32:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by onalky

I usually practice 2-4 hours per day, which according to this thread, explains alot. I rotate exercises though. An hour on songs, an hour on rolls, an hour on a new song or some combination of the above. I just can't put it down. It's dangerously addictive and it's always staring at me.

As we slide down the banister of life, think of me as a splinter in your ass.....

---

Madgenius - Posted - 03/15/2007:  18:36:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by snakeherd

quote:

---

Originally posted by onalky

I usually practice 2-4 hours per day, which according to this thread, explains alot. I rotate exercises though. An hour on songs, an hour on rolls, an hour on a new song or some combination of the above. I just can't put it down. It's dangerously addictive and it's always staring at me.

As we slide down the banister of life, think of me as a splinter in your ass.....

---

Wow-An hour of rolls!

You deserve an Iron Man award for that level of suffering.

Scott

---

banjo ron - Posted - 03/15/2007:  19:03:41

Sluggo

The reason you showed such an improvement after taking some time off is explained in great detail in this thread from a little over a month ago. Apparently the brain needs some time to wire itself to remember. http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...PIC_ID=71418
If the link doesn't work the topic was called "motor learning and banjo practice." Very interesting reading.
Cheers y'all

Ron

sluggo - Posted - 03/15/2007:  20:23:13

very good reading in kelly's recent post. explains a lot thanks