missclarktree
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Post by missclarktree on Jan 8, 2018 17:05:29 GMT
I've spent about four months painstakingly memorising and practising a new tune. But, as usual, I still can't play it, and after this effort I'm sick of hearing it. I want to throw in the towel, as I have done for last few tunes that I've learnt. That's about 12 months wasted altogether.
So, what could I do instead? Well, there's a tune on Youtube that I'd like to try, and think I could work it out. Unfortunately, despite listening to it hundreds of times, I can't remember it. Writing it down would be the only way, and what a laborious process that is!
Maybe I should resign myself to having reached my limit. I can learn quite a lot of tunes that are two pages long, and that's about the only thing I can do. How depressing and disheartening!
What should I do? The first three correct answers will not receive a prize of a million pounds each.
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Post by Cams on Jan 8, 2018 17:09:38 GMT
The only way out is through. If you're sick of hearing it, you're getting close. Everyone around you needs to get sick of hearing it too!
Writing music down is a way of recording it, and since it's already recorded on YouTube, just persevere with that. I had a waltz I played with the ceilidh band - no lyrics, just a tune, and for the life of me I'd sit there with my head blank when I went to start playing. I made up a silly lyric to go with a particular part of the tune, and I can recall it now no bother.
Is that worth a million quid? I'd settle for half!
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007
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Post by 007 on Jan 8, 2018 17:46:13 GMT
Alison
There are quite a few sites on the net that have an extensive lyric library
Try putting lyrics for (the song nam) into the search bar and see what you get
good luck
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Post by vikingblues on Jan 8, 2018 19:30:36 GMT
Don't forget to try to enjoy the journey and not concentrate too much on the destination! There's a fine dividing line between playing for enjoyment and it all becoming hard work - it seems that you've crossed it. I am a lazy sod though and have almost given up completely on the idea of totally memorising music. Partly by playing the sort of music that isn't set in stone and gives leeway for variations on the fly or even just making it up. So probably best not to listen to me! Hope you find a solution Alison. Mark
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jan 8, 2018 22:47:48 GMT
...... I can learn quite a lot of tunes that are two pages long, and that's about the only thing I can do. How depressing and disheartening!........................ A two-page tune is quite a feat I reckon, and you can do that. In fact you can do it "quite a lot" of times. A four-page tune is only two two-page tunes.... Keith
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missclarktree
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Post by missclarktree on Jan 9, 2018 11:21:17 GMT
Thanks for the replies, folks. I think this time I will persist with it, no matter how painful. Maybe it would help to make up some daft lyrics to go with it, just to lighten things up. They would include such sentiments as, "Oh God, how much longer? Are we near the end yet?"
Mark - what you do is a different league altogether. I wouldn't have a clue where to start with that. Maybe when I retire in 0 - 3 years time, I might have a go.
Keith - I did learn it as three two-page tunes with a bit extra. It's just having the stamina to plough through it all. Maybe I could buy some performance-enhancing substance on the internet to inject into my fingers.
I bet y'all can't wait to hear it! Well, I'll have to leave you in suspense for another 4 months
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stringdriventhing
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Post by stringdriventhing on Jan 9, 2018 11:51:22 GMT
I haven't tried to learn anything complicated on the guitar for literally years and I suspect that nothing I tried to learn was as complex as what you are working on, so I am impressed by your tenacity.
In the days that I did attempt challenging stuff, I always had about 3 or 4 things on the go at once... this stopped me getting too frustrated with any particular one of them. Sometimes if I take a break from something and come back to it later I seem to have miraculously improved. Dunno if that helps or not.
I do have plans to go back to learning some more complicated (to me) stuff... my playing has kinda plateaued over the last few years and I need something to push me on.
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Post by jangarrack on Jan 9, 2018 12:33:44 GMT
I seem to have spent most of my life learning to play tunes to the point that they're nearly there, but not quite as my lack of technique or ability to memorise prevents me from completing it. I've wasted more hours than I can count trying overcome the brick wall that I always seem to hit. However, through something unrelated at work recently, I found a method that works well for me, has enabled me to learn much quicker and that I wish I had been aware of years ago.
I always felt that stopping and putting it aside for a while at any point of learning a tune was like giving up, but it's not. I learned from a life coach at work that it was my brain's way of telling me, that's enough for now and any further efforts will be exhausting and unproductive although I will be able to successfully concentrate on something entirely different. Now I am Happy to learn what I can, leave it when I've had enough and go back to it later, even it's months later and I think I must have forgotten all that learning. Surprisingly, I never have and it all comes back very quickly and naturally allowing me to play it more fluently and much more easily learn the next and further stages. It's a bit like the difference between painting gloss over a good really undercoat compared to painting it an unprepared surface. Not a very good analogy, but I think you get my point. Anyway, this works for me so hope it may be helpful.
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Jan 9, 2018 13:53:22 GMT
I seem to have spent most of my life learning to play tunes to the point that they're nearly there, but not quite as my lack of technique or ability to memorise prevents me from completing it. I've wasted more hours than I can count trying overcome the brick wall that I always seem to hit. However, through something unrelated at work recently, I found a method that works well for me, has enabled me to learn much quicker and that I wish I had been aware of years ago. I always felt that stopping and putting it aside for a while at any point of learning a tune was like giving up, but it's not. I learned from a life coach at work that it was my brain's way of telling me, that's enough for now and any further efforts will be exhausting and unproductive although I will be able to successfully concentrate on something entirely different. Now I am Happy to learn what I can, leave it when I've had enough and go back to it later, even it's months later and I think I must have forgotten all that learning. Surprisingly, I never have and it all comes back very quickly and naturally allowing me to play it more fluently and much more easily learn the next and further stages. It's a bit like the difference between painting gloss over a good really undercoat compared to painting it an unprepared surface. Not a very good analogy, but I think you get my point. Anyway, this works for me so hope it may be helpful. This happens to me occasionally too. I remember trying to learn a piece by Rob Jessep called 'A Sunday Morning in January' and couldn't get it so I put it to one side. I tried it again some 6 months later and found I could play it hence the video was quickly recorded. There is definitely something in this. Also when learning a piece I start with the intention of learning it exactly as written/played but often find I can't acheive that so I change little bits so I can play it and say "this is my take on it" I think the "after I have learned it I'm sick of hearing it" syndrome possibly affects us all. I very often work hard on a piece, do a video and then very rarely do I play them again. Nothing wrong with that, it's a target and acheivement. For me the process is a focus for my playing and stops me just fannying about. Discipline and drive if you like, but you have to be enjoying it all otherwise why bother? Giving the guitar a break usually works to refresh my enthusiasm as well. Stick at it Alison
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Post by andyhowell on Jan 19, 2018 22:48:34 GMT
What Phil said. Take the structure and the adapt it to something you can cope with. No problem in that. I’ve long given up complicated tableture and I leave real dots for keyboards!
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Post by creamburmese on Feb 4, 2018 21:59:24 GMT
HI Alison. I know exactly how you feel - I'm trying to work up some pieces for an online certificate and have had the exact same pieces now since LAST JULY (!) If I have to hear myself play Maria Luisa badly one more time I'm going to start wearing earplugs!!! The way I handle is I will work on one piece for a bit but alternate it with something easy and fun (or not easy and fun, either works, so long as its fun!)
And the following things are supposed to help with memory - 1) Playing excruciatingly slowly. This removes the "muscle memory" we tend to rely on - I've found I didn't know pieces nearly as well as I thought I did when I applied this technique 2) Learning the right hand by itself (this might be unique to me, but I always concentrate on the left hand and sometimes it's the right hand that's lost). 3) Going over stuff right before bed then readdressing it the following morning - this is a well-researched area and I'm sure we've all experienced it - the brain consolidates while sleeping and sometimes things that wouldn't come together the night before miraculously get fixed in the morning. 4) interleaved practice - this is hard to do, but is based on the principle that the brain learns best when it's having to try hard - so quitting when you've almost got something, working on something else and then coming back to dig it back up again tends to put down more long term memory than working on something for the same amount of time in one session - IOW 3 15 minute sessions separated by something else will work better than one 45 min session (but are much harder work).
So stick with it - looking forward to hearing the final product! Julie
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