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Post by oustudent on Aug 14, 2018 19:26:10 GMT
Does anyone else suffer from unfinished tune syndrome?
I may have fifty + tunes in my repertoire but I'll struggle to play more than three completely end to end. They are all unfinished, primarily because there is always a tricky bit that I can't manage to play fluidly and therefore it never gets played completely
J
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Aug 14, 2018 22:07:54 GMT
Oh yes. In fact it was that very situation that set me off doing my own arrangements and compositions, thinking that at least I'd be able to actually play the wretched things.
I was wrong.
Keith
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Post by bleatoid on Aug 14, 2018 22:33:12 GMT
I'm a certified 3rd Dan in both unfinished tune departments (other people's, and my own compositions) though in both cases, mine are a few grades below the level of material you chaps tackle!
I have found myself leaning on technology a little bit on both counts recently - i find an ipad really handy for grabbing and saving a fragment of a musical idea that you might develop somewhere else later on (and maybe even learn to play it decently with a bit of practice!) and a looper pedal is a great way for practicing the fiddly bits (in my case usually a bit of simple guitar solo) over a rudimentary backing track.
But yes, John, I have a large box file of tab I've printed of stuff I aspired to play, but then parked for another day.
Peter
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Aug 14, 2018 22:55:00 GMT
Ohhhhh yes, certainly. I usually have one or two compositions on the go and some can take 18 months or so before I find the missing jigsaw piece - some do come very quickly though. I have a piece at the moment that is finished but I can't play it well enough to even attempt a video.
I'm like you as well John when learning someone else's stuff but generally I find out pretty quickly if there is a section of the tune that I am unlikely to ever be able to conquer so I dump them and move on.
Phil
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Post by scripsit on Aug 14, 2018 23:34:54 GMT
My own fragments or noodles never seem to be developed into full tunes, because they usually sound naff to me after I've worked on them for a bit.
I've recently been trying to build up repertoire of other people's tunes, for playing live without tab or other prompts. It takes ages. If I'm not hungover or tired I can now string together about 25 pieces in three tunings, although I need to do this in 'sets' rather than straight through or I'll cramp my hands up. This includes a few pieces that I've struggled with the technical side/hard bits for literally years, so committing stuff to memory actually helps get through some barriers.
With tab always available and an emphasis on recording, there was much more tendency to say 'bugger this' and lay a tune aside for months or years if I was having difficulties. Unfortunately, persistence seems to be an essential part of most aspects of trying to become a half decent musician.
Kym
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Post by delb0y on Aug 15, 2018 6:35:44 GMT
I've been trying to learn some tunes for about 30 years and still haven't got all the bits learned. I will though.
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Post by oustudent on Aug 15, 2018 7:24:05 GMT
Oh yes. In fact it was that very situation that set me off doing my own arrangements and compositions, thinking that at least I'd be able to actually play the wretched things. I was wrong. Keith That is something I have considered as there is potentially no mistakes; however, I suffer the same with my own stuff, snippets of unfinished riffs which I don't document and them forget.
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Post by oustudent on Aug 15, 2018 7:25:37 GMT
I'm a certified 3rd Dan in both unfinished tune departments (other people's, and my own compositions) though in both cases, mine are a few grades below the level of material you chaps tackle! I have found myself leaning on technology a little bit on both counts recently - i find an ipad really handy for grabbing and saving a fragment of a musical idea that you might develop somewhere else later on (and maybe even learn to play it decently with a bit of practice!) and a looper pedal is a great way for practicing the fiddly bits (in my case usually a bit of simple guitar solo) over a rudimentary backing track. But yes, John, I have a large box file of tab I've printed of stuff I aspired to play, but then parked for another day. Peter I call it my TAB shelfie, some of my shelfie items are that old they are now collector's items.
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Post by oustudent on Aug 15, 2018 7:27:31 GMT
Ohhhhh yes, certainly. I usually have one or two compositions on the go and some can take 18 months or so before I find the missing jigsaw piece - some do come very quickly though. I have a piece at the moment that is finished but I can't play it well enough to even attempt a video. I'm like you as well John when learning someone else's stuff but generally I find out pretty quickly if there is a section of the tune that I am unlikely to ever be able to conquer so I dump them and move on. Phil I am playing a bit more now, at least 10 minutes a day. I am finding that with practice when I revisit stuff it seems to come easier. The problem I have is that I flit from one to another frequently.
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Post by oustudent on Aug 15, 2018 7:30:29 GMT
My own fragments or noodles never seem to be developed into full tunes, because they usually sound naff to me after I've worked on them for a bit.
I've recently been trying to build up repertoire of other people's tunes, for playing live without tab or other prompts. It takes ages. If I'm not hungover or tired I can now string together about 25 pieces in three tunings, although I need to do this in 'sets' rather than straight through or I'll cramp my hands up. This includes a few pieces that I've struggled with the technical side/hard bits for literally years, so committing stuff to memory actually helps get through some barriers.
With tab always available and an emphasis on recording, there was much more tendency to say 'bugger this' and lay a tune aside for months or years if I was having difficulties. Unfortunately, persistence seems to be an essential part of most aspects of trying to become a half decent musician.
Kym
I think once you can play from memory without TAB the musicality starts to come into the tune, you begin to add your own flavours, light touch, a heavy touch, slow , fast, loud-soft etc. I call them textures, its not possible when reading form TAB
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Aug 15, 2018 7:39:06 GMT
Ohhhhh yes, certainly. I usually have one or two compositions on the go and some can take 18 months or so before I find the missing jigsaw piece - some do come very quickly though. I have a piece at the moment that is finished but I can't play it well enough to even attempt a video. I'm like you as well John when learning someone else's stuff but generally I find out pretty quickly if there is a section of the tune that I am unlikely to ever be able to conquer so I dump them and move on. Phil I am playing a bit more now, at least 10 minutes a day. I am finding that with practice when I revisit stuff it seems to come easier. The problem I have is that I flit from one to another frequently. I find it does help leaving something for a bit then coming back to it. Not sure how you manage John but if I only played for 10 minutes a day I myself wouldn't accomplish much in terms of memorising something. I need to really put my mind to it and play it a lot. Mind you being retired does help Phil
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Post by martinrowe on Aug 15, 2018 8:11:31 GMT
This is to do with knowledge of musical theory isn't it. Bach, Beethoven, etc would do a key modulation or whatever other tricks they had up their sleeve and it would lead them down another path.
Or in the case of words it's vocabulary and experience.
Plus, it helps (this I do know) if you play/compose/write with someone else. Some had success that way e.g. Jagger/Richard, Lennon/McCartney. Lieber/Stoller, Rodgers/Hammerstein
Just my two pennies worth. Oh, and I've been wrong before.
Martin
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Post by andyhowell on Aug 16, 2018 16:12:37 GMT
Yes.
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Post by vikingblues on Aug 16, 2018 18:25:40 GMT
Oh yes. In fact it was that very situation that set me off doing my own arrangements and compositions, thinking that at least I'd be able to actually play the wretched things. I was wrong. Keith Snap!!!
If I hit a piece of someone else's tune that's too tricky I reserve the right to change it to something I can manage, and can then call it artistic licence.
Mark
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Post by andyhowell on Aug 21, 2018 8:46:40 GMT
Tunes — and songs for that matter — are all different. Some come quickly and stick around while others disappear. Sometimes they can be hanging around for days, months or even years!
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