How about coming up with some "big picture" concepts on how to improve?
All of us can come up with lists of stuff to work on to play the tuba or the fill-in-the-blank, but what about less specific concepts of what's actually going on?
I'll start the thread with my concepts/goals:
My goals - when "practicing" (funny word for it, but not sure there's a better one...??) are to
- develop continuously clearer and continuously more accurate mental concepts of what I wish/desire/strive to do and be doing
- work to come closer and closer to perfectly tracing those mental concepts - both generally and specifically
ie. (expressed in the negative, here) If I don't have any definite really definite ideas/concepts/imagined sounds what I'm trying to do, accomplish or improve, I probably can't really expect all that much improvement.
bloke "I'm BOTH busy AND LAZY. As I'm involved in the aging process, I'm BOTH becoming less cognitively effective AND more experienced. Experience is telling me that - to compensate - I BOTH need to be more efficient AND have very specific ideas/concepts of what I'm striving to accomplish - in most any type of endeavor."
GENERAL definitions of productive home playing (aka "practicing")
Forum rules
This section is for posts that are directly related to performance, performers, or equipment. Social issues are allowed, as long as they are directly related to those categories. If you see a post that you cannot respond to with respect and courtesy, we ask that you do not respond at all.
This section is for posts that are directly related to performance, performers, or equipment. Social issues are allowed, as long as they are directly related to those categories. If you see a post that you cannot respond to with respect and courtesy, we ask that you do not respond at all.
-
bloke
- Mid South Music
- Posts: 17555
- Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 8:55 am
- Location: western Tennessee - near Memphis
- Has thanked: 3435 times
- Been thanked: 3734 times
Re: GENERAL definitions of productive home playing (aka "practicing")
I´ll offer the German proverb "Ohne Ziel kein Weg" (in English: "There´ll be no path if there´s no aim) as a VERY short paraphrase to Bloke´s concept.
Playing what you´re good at isn´t practising, it´s having fun (which, although ineffective for improvement, is still a great idea ´cause it may enhance motivation).
Another German proverb is coming to my mind, which conveys a third idea.
I picked it up at the federal army´s boot camp, under rather boring routine circumstances typical for military every-day-life:
"Es wird geübt, BIS es klappt.
Und dann WEIL es klappt.
Und wenn einer fragt warum, dann nochmal von vorn."
Translation:
"We´ll practise, UNTIL it works.
And then, BECAUSE it works.
And when in doubt, start all over again."
I guess Your "An Amateur might practise until he can do it right.
A professional will practise ´till he can´t do it wrong" hits in the same ballpark.
Playing what you´re good at isn´t practising, it´s having fun (which, although ineffective for improvement, is still a great idea ´cause it may enhance motivation).
Another German proverb is coming to my mind, which conveys a third idea.
I picked it up at the federal army´s boot camp, under rather boring routine circumstances typical for military every-day-life:
"Es wird geübt, BIS es klappt.
Und dann WEIL es klappt.
Und wenn einer fragt warum, dann nochmal von vorn."
Translation:
"We´ll practise, UNTIL it works.
And then, BECAUSE it works.
And when in doubt, start all over again."
I guess Your "An Amateur might practise until he can do it right.
A professional will practise ´till he can´t do it wrong" hits in the same ballpark.