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Author Topic: Perspective on playing....  (Read 5042 times)

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ladydetemps

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Perspective on playing....
« on: February 22, 2010, 12:39:24 PM »

Odd thing happened today I had i-tunes on shuffle and it played a track and I thought 'Wonder who that is?' then looked and realised it was me playing (It forgot to uncheck it like I usually do). lol!

Maybe I'm not so terrible a player afterall.  ::) I usually hate my playing...or at least am very critical....anyone else have this problem?
« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 12:51:08 PM by ladydetemps »
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Lester

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2010, 01:55:58 PM »

Love it when that happens, next step is to play it in the car and then someoen else may ask who it is?
 (:)

Guy

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2010, 02:28:46 PM »

I had the opposite....someone made an internet slide show of a wedding that we played at, but the soundtrack they put on it was of Sharon Shannon playing. Embarrassing or what? I had to ask for a disclaimer-even in my wildest dreams or at my most optimistic I know I don't sound like that....

Cheers,
Guy
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LDbosca

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2010, 02:50:19 PM »

Odd thing happened today I had i-tunes on shuffle and it played a track and I thought 'Wonder who that is?' then looked and realised it was me playing (It forgot to uncheck it like I usually do). lol!

Maybe I'm not so terrible a player afterall.  ::) I usually hate my playing...or at least am very critical....anyone else have this problem?

Yarp, HATE listening to myself! Usually when I hear a recording of me that's my first reaction, it (usually) gives way to a feeling of "it's alright but..." after a while. I find recording myself a bit too depressing to use as a learning tool, despite the benefits it probably has.

Luke.

Owen Woods

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2010, 03:21:27 PM »

I've had that once or twice, with the pinao trio that I play with. It's always a lovely feeling when you realise ;D Until you start noticing the mistakes >:(
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nfldbox

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2010, 03:58:11 PM »

The pinao is a Hawaiian dragonfly
What a "pinao trio" is I do not know
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Matthew B

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2010, 04:19:22 PM »

Three Hawaiian dragonflies.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 01:25:36 AM by Matthew B »
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sticky fingers

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2010, 06:18:43 PM »

listening to yourself play is a great way of improving technique and correcting mistakes, it also gives you the chance to listen to what other people will hear if you are in a session or live in a concert, so dont dismiss it just yet.
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LDbosca

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2010, 07:36:45 PM »

listening to yourself play is a great way of improving technique and correcting mistakes, it also gives you the chance to listen to what other people will hear if you are in a session or live in a concert, so dont dismiss it just yet.

It is also probably best done with a robust sense of self-esteem.

juker

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2010, 08:02:20 PM »


Maybe I'm not so terrible a player afterall.  ::) I usually hate my playing...or at least am very critical....anyone else have this problem?

No you're not so terrible player! It sounds like a good, affirming experience. Being self critical is very common and can be a motivating thing but needs to be kept in check - like experiences you have just had  (:)
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sticky fingers

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2010, 08:53:58 PM »

exactly, self esteem is the key word, those of us with a very low one should take note! never give in, never think you,re a dreadfull player no matter what you think or what other people might think,self encouragement is the key thing!.i have been in sessions in ireland where 10 year old kids have wiped the floor with me and i,ve thought the next skip i pass i am going to throw this instrument into it, but alas at the point of no return i hold myself back from the brink and think yes,my version of trip to durrow was as good as that kids!.
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nfldbox

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2010, 09:21:43 PM »

As a teacher for more than thirty years I can attest that, as the all-too-often-used phrase goes, there are two kinds of people: those who always think they perform worse than others and those who always think they perform better than others. The power of the evidence to the contrary seems to have little effect on either.
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Frank Lee

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2010, 10:39:09 PM »

As my father used to say (still does at 99!), people with low self esteem are a danger to themselves, people with high self esteem are a danger to everyone else!  I suppose the element of this that applies here is that those in the former category are in danger of giving-up when they may well be pretty good players, while those in the latter are more likely to be those who inflict musical rubbish on the rest of us, knowing we'll all be swooning in admiration.
More seriously,  my approach has always been to try to find inspiration from someone on the next rung up the ladder, where everything seems attainable, with a bit of practice, rather than get depressed by someone doing the impossible on another melodeon planet.  For practical purposes this means finding box players who play in informal gatherings, such as sessions and playarounds, where you can talk to them and discover what's going on when they play.  There's a 'danger', however, in this approach, and this is that you tend always to feel you're inadequate, because you compare yourself unfavourably with whoever you've chosen as your model, and you forget how much ground you may already have covered.  I now regard this as a
healthy position however, and look forward to being made to feel humble, usually at the hands of some 12 year-old these days,  the end goal is improving my playing, nothing else seems to matter.           
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GbH

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2010, 12:21:27 AM »

This is certainly an interesting topic, one that I can sympathise with greatly.  For all my life so far, people have described me as being 'shy', 'quiet', 'reserved', 'lacking confidence' and any number of other similar things, low self esteem included.  I've always had problems dealing with social situations and generally dealing with people.   During my school years, I enjoyed music, playing instruments and singing, but always on background parts as parts of groups - the idea of being in any way the centre of attention would have been very uncomfortable to me.  In academic studies, I'd lose confidence and not have the courage to ask for help.  At school, I just about got by, but college was a disaster, as were the subsequent attempts at gaining employment.  I'm now in my early 40s and to a large extent a lot of the flaws just mentioned stilll stand.  True, I now know the medical reason why things were/are like this and that does help me address things more directly, but for the most part, the effects still remain and probably always will.  

So, you may wonder, how does that square with what you've previously seen of me?  Well, at age 18 I started to learn to juggle - an ideal pursuit for me then, as it was a solitary activity that, at the time, was little understood by most people (including me).  Thus, I had no-one to compare myself with and almost no benchmarks with which to knock myself with.  Of course, at the beginning, I had absolutely no thought of being a performer - that just wasn't on my radar at all.  So, for a while, it remained an isolated activity.  However, eventually someone heard about my hobby and asked me to do a short spot in a local village variety show.  I really didn't want to do it, but didn't have the confidence to say no either, so soon found myself on a stage, being the centre of attention.  I can't say I enjoyed it much that first time - it pretty much made me unwell with worry - but it was enough to make me realise that it was something I could do.  Things didn't suddenly take off for me after that, but gradually, over the following years, I got asked to do more and more, with my ability growing to the point where I could at least give the impression of being confident.  And that, I think, is the trick - if you aren't confident, fake it and just pretend that you know what you're doing.   It sounds silly, but it can definately make a difference.  Strangely, sooner or later, you start to forget about the pretending bit and just get on with it.  Of course, this doesn't get around issues with pure technical skills - but performing is often about much more than just that.

So, back to melodeons, I now feel as if I'm going through that same initial process again.   As of now, I'm not at all sure I know what I'm doing and where I'm going with my box playing.  I still seem to be spending time discovering new things and changing my mind as to what's worth practicing and pursuing.   As such, when I play to people or make a video, I still feel like I'm faking it - that I'm not really a proper player.  But somehow, this doesn't worry me so much any more.  From my past experiences, I have the belief that if I keep going, some level of true confidence will eventually come.  

I don't know whether any of this is any help to anyone else, but whilst I think that low self-esteem is a very real issue, I don't believe it should be seen as an barrier to making progress.
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GuyWyatt

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2010, 08:00:34 AM »

Quote
And that, I think, is the trick - if you aren't confident, fake it and just pretend that you know what you're doing.   It sounds silly, but it can definately make a difference.  Strangely, sooner or later, you start to forget about the pretending bit and just get on with it.  Of course, this doesn't get around issues with pure technical skills - but performing is often about much more than just that.

Couldn't agree more. I am significantly shy, in my youth to an almost pathological level. Now I am a criminal barrister dealing with high profile trials. All down to faking it until all of a sudden it isn't fake anymore. Of course, I am still a rubbish musician....

I have recently been considering changing from the melodeon to the kazoo, or possibly the shaky egg.
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GuyWyatt

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2010, 08:04:39 AM »

On second thoughts "faking it" has rather negative connotations which I don't really mean. Let's rephrase it in this way.

Behaving as if you are brave IS being brave, even if you don't feel brave. 

G
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Ziachmusi/Louise

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2010, 09:00:24 AM »

As a beginner I'm really self conscious, fall apart when I play with or in front of others. I only got enough courage up to do  TOTM videos because of LDT's great example. I don't really like watching or listening to my efforts although I recently re watched my STP video and thought "oh that was better than thought it was" ;D I certainly see the advantage of having an archive of videos so that in ten years I'll be able to see how I progressed. ::)
Louise
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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2010, 10:11:24 AM »


I have recently been considering changing from the melodeon to the kazoo, or possibly the shaky egg.

NOoooo! However bad your melodeon playing is, it can't sound worse than them!
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ladydetemps

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2010, 04:08:31 PM »

As a beginner I'm really self conscious, fall apart when I play with or in front of others. I only got enough courage up to do  TOTM videos because of LDT's great example. I don't really like watching or listening to my efforts although I recently re watched my STP video and thought "oh that was better than thought it was" ;D I certainly see the advantage of having an archive of videos so that in ten years I'll be able to see how I progressed. ::)
Louise
I find it hard to judge my playing while I'm playing, being too busy concentrating on what  I'm doing. that's why I record and watch back that way I can spot things I wouldn't otherwise. I fear turning into one of those people you see on 'reality' talent shows who think they are wonderful but are actually terrible.


I have recently been considering changing from the melodeon to the kazoo, or possibly the shaky egg.

NOoooo! However bad your melodeon playing is, it can't sound worse than them!
I can't get Kazoos to work. I bought one but can't get a sound out of it.

Owen Woods

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Re: Perspective on playing....
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2010, 04:24:57 PM »

And that, I think, is the trick - if you aren't confident, fake it and just pretend that you know what you're doing.

Very sound advice, it's all about attitude. A few years ago I hated speaking in public. Playing in public was fine, but speaking was a nightmare. I did a debating course which gave me the idea about blagging it and over the last few years having had to deal with public speaking in employment, in my course and in social occasions I seem to have got the hang of it by pretending that I have ;D
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