It's music, ain't it? Isn't it supposed to be fun?scottstephenson wrote:IMHO i think one of the most important tool is, have fun with what your doing.
but that's just me
It's not just you.
The most important 'tool' in quality playing??
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Leland
- pro musician
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Once I'm having fun and feeling motivated, flexibility studies and long tones made the biggest jump in my playing ability. Scales and finger studies built upon that.
And, this is surely just me, but scales and scale-related studies began to be fun after drilling them enough. Once I started phrasing them and playing them with a musical intent, they got to be pretty interesting.
And, this is surely just me, but scales and scale-related studies began to be fun after drilling them enough. Once I started phrasing them and playing them with a musical intent, they got to be pretty interesting.
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Leland
- pro musician
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That's when I sound the best, after several hundred days of playing. I would at least play or buzz enough to where I felt good & warmed-up (usually around 45 minutes, including breaks between exercises), and that would tide me over until the next day.Lew wrote:Of course maybe it would help if I practiced at least daily consistently.
Funny that I say that now, because I haven't played since mid-November...
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Ted Cox
- pro musician
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I never post, but I couldn't resist and had a few minutes before I leave to play the Nutcracker, (my 25th year).
If I had to sum up the most important element in playing the tuba or any other instrument into one word I suppose it would be acceptance. Let me explain. You can only grow beyond where you are if you accept where you are in the first place. You can only begin to stretch your limits if you can see and embrace them. It isn't willpower or anger at your limitations that strethes them, it's acceptance. Getting angry at yourself for being where you are serves no purpose other than to fuel your frustrations and reinforce your perceived limits. Staying focused on what you can't do prevents you from discovering what you can.
No matter who you are, you can do more than you think you can do. Believing your doubts is one of the most insidious mind tricks that your ego can play on you. Doubts are not real; they are just illusions created to keep ourselves from taking risks because we are so afraid of failing. When you believe you can't, you can't. Come out of your thoughts - your doubts of "I can't do that", your worries of "am I doing this right?" your fears, your frustrations of "why can't I do this as well as he can?" and your ego resistance of "if I can't do this perfectly then I won't do it at all" and just be, accept.
Doubt your doubts and they vanish. Feel your fears and they fade. Let go of your worries and they fail to materialize. Just think less and be more.
Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Our character is basically a composite of our habits. First we make our habits, then our habits make us. Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.
Don't limit your practicing to just working on "fundamentals"
think bigger, expand and grow and forget the old saying, "practice makes perfect". Practice IS perfect. What habits in your practicing could be changed?
Ted Cox
Principal Tubist
Oklahoma City Philharmonic
If I had to sum up the most important element in playing the tuba or any other instrument into one word I suppose it would be acceptance. Let me explain. You can only grow beyond where you are if you accept where you are in the first place. You can only begin to stretch your limits if you can see and embrace them. It isn't willpower or anger at your limitations that strethes them, it's acceptance. Getting angry at yourself for being where you are serves no purpose other than to fuel your frustrations and reinforce your perceived limits. Staying focused on what you can't do prevents you from discovering what you can.
No matter who you are, you can do more than you think you can do. Believing your doubts is one of the most insidious mind tricks that your ego can play on you. Doubts are not real; they are just illusions created to keep ourselves from taking risks because we are so afraid of failing. When you believe you can't, you can't. Come out of your thoughts - your doubts of "I can't do that", your worries of "am I doing this right?" your fears, your frustrations of "why can't I do this as well as he can?" and your ego resistance of "if I can't do this perfectly then I won't do it at all" and just be, accept.
Doubt your doubts and they vanish. Feel your fears and they fade. Let go of your worries and they fail to materialize. Just think less and be more.
Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Our character is basically a composite of our habits. First we make our habits, then our habits make us. Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.
Don't limit your practicing to just working on "fundamentals"
think bigger, expand and grow and forget the old saying, "practice makes perfect". Practice IS perfect. What habits in your practicing could be changed?
Ted Cox
Principal Tubist
Oklahoma City Philharmonic
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Steve Inman
- 4 valves
- Posts: 804
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:48 am
Ted -- thanks for making your first post.Ted Cox wrote:I never post, but I couldn't resist and ...
[good stuff snipped]
Don't limit your practicing to just working on "fundamentals"
think bigger, expand and grow and forget the old saying, "practice makes perfect". Practice IS perfect. What habits in your practicing could be changed?
Ted Cox
Principal Tubist
Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Best Regards,
Steve Inman
Yamaha YEB-381 Eb
Conn 56J CC
Willson-Marzan CC Solo Model
Kokomo Chamber Brass
Yamaha YEB-381 Eb
Conn 56J CC
Willson-Marzan CC Solo Model
Kokomo Chamber Brass
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WoodSheddin
- 5 valves
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- Location: On the bike
- Contact:
All ya gotta do to be the world's greatest musician is play in tune, in time, with a great sound, and in the right style. Do those 4 things better than everyone else and you will win everytime.enigma wrote:The posters mentioning Brains and Attitude are very much valid but not really what I meant. Clearly without the Motivation nobody is going to sit down and put the hours in, so I'm looking past that. Assuming one has the attitude and commitment - what 'practice-element' (if you will) do you class as the most important for the player to improve? Again, I'll restate that this is within a well-rounded practice routine and not by itself!
sean chisham