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How Much Do You Practice?
I recently was asked how much I practice with the fiddle. It got me to thinking about my practice habits, and wondering
how others go about this essential part of making music. Below I am going to describe what I consider my practice habits.
Please be aware that I play music for my own enjoyment, and do not expect to become an expert on any instrument, so for anybody
looking to become a professional musician, your practice requirements will probably be much more rigid than mine.
First, I do not think of what I do as "practicing." I like to make music and so I "play" rather than
follow a strict routine. I know I should spend more time on scales and position work and theory and all of that good (and
necessary) stuff, but I don't! Sure, sometimes guilt (or probably a rough spot I need to get over) overwhelms me and I haul
out the scale and interval exercises, but not often. I am not taking lessons currently, so I have no assigned time-frame goals.
Usually, after lunch I pick up my banjo and sit down to play for awhile (here in Tucson it's a great excuse to keep out
of the midday sun!). If I have a banjo lesson upcoming, I will first run over what I have previously presented, making sure
that I can know it well enough to feel comfortable. I then decide what I am going to present next and gather material for
that: a tune or two, info on new tunings for the material, and tabs.
If I am not preparing for a lesson, I normally just start playing some of the tunes I know. If I feel that a tune needs
work, I will play it over and over until I feel that I have made progress in the area I was working on. I probably wind up
playing 4 to 6 tunes, with 2 or 3 of them having the majority of time spent.
Sometimes I get a notion that I can work out a tune by ear. Quite often this tune is something I have been working on
learning on the fiddle. So I may take the tune and put it onto the banjo fretboard. Once I can pick out the melody, I start
trying to add the bump-dittys and double- and drop-thumbs. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes not, but the positive attempts
are coming more often.
Sometimes I pick up the fiddle instead of the banjo. With this instrument, I normally start by playing through one or
two tunes that I have in my head, then open Wayne Erbsen's O-T Fiddle book and start playing the tunes there that I haven't
gotten into my hands yet. Sometimes I will play along with the CD, lately more for timing purposes that anything else. I also
have several notated tunes that I am learning. With the fiddle, I find that I need the notes until I get the melody down,
then I can work on bowing and intonation.
The above sessions will normally run anywhere between 1 and 4 hours, pretty much solid playing. I will pick up the guitar
sometimes to play through some tunes, but unless I have a specific reason to work on it, I usually just play it for 20 - 30
minutes. This might be one of the days when I don't get a session in otherwise. Often the guitar is merely played on the patio
in the evenings after dinner.
The 'ukulele, I am sorry to say, usually sits in its case beside the computer waiting patiently for me to pull it out
in response to some posting on ezFolk that piques my interest.
So, short story, I normally practice (play) 4 to 6 days a week, for 1 to 4 hours a day.
I was recently interviewed for a magazine! 1 May 2006:
The on-line magazine "Silver Strings" recently did an interview with me about how I came to Old-Time music and Clawhammer
banjo. You can read the interview here:
Silver Strings
Reflections on my first public performance at the Oro Valley Farmers' Market on 22 October 2005:
Whew! I'm still alive, and my shorts are still white! [;)]
OK, where to start?
I spent most of yesterday putting some practice into the songlist and attempting to arrange it in some kind of logical
order (I didn't want to retune between every song, or do all the G tuning songs, then all the C tuning, etc.). Then I drew
up a checklist so I wouldn't forget anything when I packed this morning.
Left the house just after 0930, and arrived at the market around 15 minutes later. I checked with the manager, and was
told to pick a spot and set up. I found a nice shaded place just on the outskirts of the market, and put up my chair, put
out the tip jar (and some business cards), pulled out the Good Time and checked the tuning (I had tuned before leaving the
house, so just a little touchup).
Then, my mind went blank [:huh2:] . Keeping my cool, I dug out my playlist and looked at the first song on the list. Oh,
yeah, I picked "Cripple Creek" to open with. I figured it was the first song I learned, so it should lead off. It
also is simple and fairly fast while requiring just enough concentration to take my mind off of the surroundings.
"Well, that went alright! Nobody is running screaming from the area, there are a couple of folks over there still
eating their pastries, so I can't be that bad!" I thought.
I started playing my way through the list, and was enjoying myself! Not too self-conscious, but not as comfortable as
I am at home playing in the bedroom or on the porch (that was expected). I found that I was flubbing up a little more often
than I usually do, but that, too, I had expected.
After about 30-45 minutes, the manager came by and told me I should have set up more into the market. We had a good discussion
about why I had picked the spot I did, and agreed that next time I will be more in the market. He said that they pay musicians
to perform, and I would be heard by more people if I moved into the market. I explained that this was the first time I had
played in public, and felt comfortable where I was today, but next time I will set up inside. I told him that I was not expecting
to be paid this time, and would make arrangement to come back. When I next glanced at the watch, I had been pickin' for an
hour and a half! My how time flies!
All in all, I enjoyed the morning, had a few people actually come by to hear me, and gained a lot of confidence! I'm looking
forward to going back (But I will be practicing a lot harder).
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