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Discussions => General Discussion => Topic started by: arty on September 11, 2017, 12:52:00 PM

Title: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: arty on September 11, 2017, 12:52:00 PM
It is so quiet here, it reminds me of the time I was walking down Regent Street and suddenly realizing I was the only human being on the street, I ran into the Royal Academy building. There was an IRA bomb scare but no one had told me!

I was thinking, yesterday, that as I learn more tunes, it is becoming necessary to spend more and more time practicing, or risk forgetting how to play the tunes. I practice one hour per day, half of which is spent on a new tune and between two and three hours on a Sunday practicing my whole repertoire.

Some of you seem to have huge repertoires - how do you keep them all going?
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: nigelr on September 11, 2017, 01:03:57 PM
It is so quiet here, it reminds me of the time I was walking down Regent Street and suddenly realizing I was the only human being on the street, I ran into the Royal Academy building. There was an IRA bomb scare but no one had told me!
Probably due to folk festival season - I suspect people will be reappearing over the next few weeks with tales of melodeon madness out and about during the summer  (:)
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: 911377brian on September 11, 2017, 01:14:48 PM
Arty, I was thinking the same thing, but as I so seldom have anything interesting to contribute I can't really complain....
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Bob Ellis on September 11, 2017, 01:20:06 PM
I have just done a rough count and my repertoire runs to well over 1,000 tunes! I can't possibly keep all of them in my head at the same time, so I have a system for trying to keep as many of them current as possible. Once a week, I run through the repertoire for our Morris side, which currently stands at 34 tunes. Our repertoire for Les Panards Dansants is massive, so I practice a selection of the tunes three or four times a week, focusing especially on those I find difficult and on the playlist for our next gig. I play through a selection of Dales tunes most days, focusing especially on the ones I am in the process of transcribing and on those I intend to use for my next presentation or workshop. At least once a week, I play a selection of my general repertoire and most days I will also run through the new tunes I am in the process of  learning. On average, all this takes about two hours a day, which would have been an impossibility when I went out to work, but is quite manageable since I have been working for myself. I keep two or three boxes within reach of my computer and pick them up whenever I feel like a break from work, which occurs frequently.
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Winston Smith on September 11, 2017, 01:29:51 PM
I'm sure that nigelr and 911377brian are correct, but on the practicing and remembering front......
I don't have a repertoire, never mind a big one!
I recently did a stint of about an hour and three quarters, at a museum, playing hymn tunes (a couple of verses each) and would have been b******d if I hadn't had the first few words of the first line written down. I decided to have a narrow crib-sheet blue-tacked to the back of the treble end. I knew I couldn't have done without it, as often I sit to have a bit of a squeeze and find that my mind is blank, altogether!
I'm wondering if I caught it from Anahata when he and Mary came to South Shields?
I also wonder if this is the reason for not being able to remember the French tunes etc. which we* play at our NE group...because they have no words to act as prompts for me.
(*Actually, which the others play, whilst I stab at notes here and there, occasionally hitting the right ones, haha!)
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Roger Hare on September 11, 2017, 03:26:57 PM
...
(*Actually, which the others play, whilst I stab at notes here and there, occasionally hitting the right ones, haha!)

Aaah - and I thought it was just me. The hit-rate is slowly climbing though...

I practice 50-60 minutes per day - trying to learn the tunes for the Morris, plus any new
non-Morris which pop out of the woodwork.

Roger
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: george garside on September 11, 2017, 03:43:25 PM
the urge to learn ever more tunes  can sometimes come at the expense of  good playing!   I probably ?know a lot of tunes in so far as playing the right notes in the right order  but they are way below performance standard.  I have roughly speaking two other  repertoires.

 One is tunes that I play very regularly and have done for years  and, without counting, this may be around 30 or so tunes.  In addition I have a sort of 'current repertoire'  which consists of a selection of tunes from the 'right notes in the right order ' list that I have  honed to a decent standard and which I may use for several months. Some of these get dumped back in the right notes in the right order department for a year or two whilst others may be promoted to played very regularly department.

george
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Chris Brimley on September 11, 2017, 04:18:07 PM
I make it a rule to try to rehearse a piece no more than a day before trying to performing it.  This seems to bring the muscle-memory back into operation, and prevents it being inadvertently superseded by newly-learned patterns which aren't relevant to that tune.
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on September 11, 2017, 06:32:27 PM
Where is everyone? - back at work  :(
I find it seriously hampers playing and practicing, but necessary to replenish box funds!
Q
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Mike Carney on September 11, 2017, 07:00:00 PM


Some of you seem to have huge repertoires - how do you keep them all going?

I have so far worked off a system a little bit similar to George's, i.e. Having two lists and moving stuff onto a small presentable tunes list when they are playable "out".  The other list includes everything I have ever learned or worked on, to greater or lesser degree. May need to amend the system a little but it means I have a nice prompt when I am at a session and don't have to think too hard.
The main way of staying sharp though is having to play a tune in front of others, whether at a session or elsewhere. It certainly motivates me, and when it doesn't go well first time that encourages me to keep on working it up...or drop it! Also listening to other people's performances helps, often on Spotify and YouTube, for the right  speed.
I had a great musical summer looking back, appreciated all the opportunities I had, and there is a sense of taking stock and working out priorities. Have decided to sell an instrument (nothing exciting for you lot)  and to start a new project with a friend, so quite a bit of thinking energy in use at the moment. Looking forward to seeing Bob and the gang at the Panards festival next month!
M
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Chris Ryall on September 13, 2017, 10:45:32 AM
Been on my side, mostly in hospital for nearly a month now with complications of a pelvic abscess; 2 operations.

They don't allow melodeons in here. Somehow email doesn't work. Hope to be home to family at weekend. Fingers crossed

It is so quiet here, it reminds me of the time I was walking down Regent Street and suddenly realizing I was the only human being on the street, I ran into the Royal Academy building. There was an IRA bomb scare but no one had told me!

I was thinking, yesterday, that as I learn more tunes, it is becoming necessary to spend more and more time practicing, or risk forgetting how to play the tunes. I practice one hour per day, half of which is spent on a new tune and between two and three hours on a Sunday practicing my whole repertoire.

Some of you seem to have huge repertoires - how do you keep them all going?

i've researched, and sorted 2 new songs for practicing when I get back, there's not much else to do.

Incidentally I was in Manchester a few streets from that outrage, and Catalonia at the time of the Barcellona street attack. … Also heard the IRA Chelsea, and both Birmingham pub bombs go off! It gets a bit spooky 🙄 Maybe that's why Immigration interviewed me 10 minutes as I fled home to the arms of Britain's wonderful NHS
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on September 13, 2017, 10:46:11 AM
Chris: phew, sounds like you've definitely been in the wars.
Hope you return to full squeezing very soon.
Take care
Q
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: george garside on September 13, 2017, 11:00:21 AM
seconded! 

george
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: arty on September 13, 2017, 11:26:57 AM
Get well soon Chris
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Grape Ape on September 13, 2017, 02:02:36 PM
Chris- sorry to hear about your injury! Get well soon!
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Tone Dumb Greg on September 13, 2017, 02:36:02 PM
Been on my side, mostly in hospital for nearly a month now with complications of a pelvic abscess; 2 operations.

They don't allow melodeons in here.

What about a Streb or a Roland withe ear phones?
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Chris Ryall on September 13, 2017, 06:19:58 PM
It wasn't an injury. Pelvic abscess and spine osteomyelitis. It snapped early last month in France, sat in a chair, and yes … playing the melodeon 🙄 that dangerous instrument! With bone no longer in the way it then ran amok. Seems to be a rare and unfortunate complication of successful cancer op 4 years back …

… when of course I posted extensively from my hospital bed, as I was not "ill". Theo actually asked me to calm down 😉 There's not a lot to do in here.

Great day, and thanks to all. Hope to be in family care by the weekend 😀
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: playandteach on September 13, 2017, 07:11:28 PM
Really sorry to hear, Chris. Hope the prognosis is good.
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Chris Ryall on September 14, 2017, 12:29:49 PM
I think so. My surgeon thinks so, having examined the area thoroughly, and annually for the last 4 years.

His radiologists (my own speciality) are iffing and butting, but frankly some of the generation replacing me seem to qualify everything with "cannnot exclude … Recommend rescan in …. months" almost as an autotype. I have lost zero sleep on this , and am planning my next Australia trip, so far in my dreams. A daughter is currently househunting in Sydney, so I'll have an easy base

Thanks to all. 😀Back to topic?
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: Chris Brimley on September 14, 2017, 07:03:56 PM
Chris, wishing you a speedy recovery - bumped into your daughter at Woodfest again this year, with the King Driscolls being really on form, though somewhat depleted at the moment!
Title: Re: Where is everyone? Practicing?
Post by: MarioP on October 03, 2017, 10:46:53 AM
Speedy recovery to the ill.

My repertoire is very narrow but working on some links I got out of this Dutch player last week for I am a Corso enthusiast just as he is.

Link here for the curious; http://www.ggms.nl/GCbladmuziek.html
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