[Harp-L] Re : Differen t Strokes / was Engraving musical impressions

["" <party_man1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Siegfried Sez :

Excerpt

" When my Dad trained accordion long long years ago I stood as a child behind his music stand and played his ètude on the harp together with him. However, every time Dad made a mistake he started the tune from the beginning again and again. To my impatient urge to finish this dam song he informed me that the most successful way of learning an instrument is to train no matter how long it last.

Harpie had said: OK, Dad, then we may never hear how this song ends. "


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Hurricane Sez :

Ever hear the the expression :

" Different Stroke For Different Folks " ?

Dig ......

The first rule to memorization is repetition of the " thing " to be recorded in ones mind permanently . Some fortunate individual(s) have the proverbial :

" Photographic mind "

And then there is the rest ......

The 2nd rule is there are no rules just ways about crossing the mountain that is represented as memory and the gain of knowledge , .... some take the long route and others the shorter route.....

I have a question for you Siegfried ?

Have you ever been in an orchestra , or a marching band or a group of musicians trying to accomplish a music project like , form a band to perform live with the intent to make a few guilders if it works out for you and the others involved in the project and or record songs to CD's to hopefully market ?

I can say from personal experience ( 50 years now at it ) that working in those kinds or environments from marching bands to small groups that every one of the successful musicians that are still playing music from those early years I began from and with them , that they all had a slightly different approach to accomplishing the goal of learning a song .

The one singular thing all these musicians had was " patients " and what you expressed to me about how you and you father practiced , tell  me " patients " is something that eluded you as your father tried to accomplish something positive .

Now for my my example for you .

I have now been at it hard and heavy learning guitar by , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing , practicing . 

Now because of this type of " rigid " dedication I am playing guitar well ( heh no lie I am :) playing , Jazz , Standards  , Rock , and Blues ,  you name it I am able to read a chart and do it if there is a chart available and I can wing it out of the air too .

And I love it . I also did the same on harmonica(s) , trumpet , drums , and keyboard too . Even if I am not holding the instruiment in question , it's in my minds eye constantly till I solve a particular thing that has eluded me , while driving my car on the freeway , or during a quite moment during dinner or even in church ...ecteras .....

I do it 4 to 8 plus hours a day 6 days week  and if I can more , because I have a goal and know from perseverance and dedication I will (and have in time accomplish what I set out for ) eventually reach my goal for the day ( week , month , year )  and I really loved it , even the frustration too because I have learned long ago that accomplishment is first met by frustration , it is the precursor to success always in  matters of substance , it is the harbinger of good tidings my friend :)  

I know I drove my wife nutz when I started piano & guitar  , but she , since meeting up with me and the musicians I work with has gained a more patient attitude , and after 5 to 6 years , now we laugh together about just how lousy I sounded at first , boring , repetitious and really bad too till , in time after 100+ or more attempts at just one exercise I got " it " down and was able to move on to the next bridge to cross . And she never ( God Bless her patient soul ) made a negative comment on my lousy , repetitious , boring over and over practices session(s) .

The best bands I know opperate this way too using patients as a constructive tool where experience , talent or expertise are lacking.

You see Siegfried , if your a really dedicated person learning a new discipline , time is not the governing factor , results of accomplishment are as I first stated .

Many times in my school band days , the instructor had to take aside a given individual and give them personal time away from the rest of the students to help that person reach the desired goal , and these were individuals that had hard times reaching the desired goal of learning a given composition , and like your father it took time , more than " usual " for them .

If anyone in the room showed any intolerance , impatients or made a remark about a fellow student in the negative , that person who showed a lack of " patients " and respect was promptly disciplined and asked to leave the room for the day , and if that person continued to show this type of short sightedness the instructor would council this person and if that didn't work , they were asked to leave the room permanently and this did happened quite a few times over the years in my days in the school band I was a member of for 6 years .

When I work with pro's this is never the case , we  have our practice done before we meet and are ready when we meet to get down to business , however , I have other band projects too with others who are not pro's and man let me tell you , if patients is something a person lacks , you go no where with these type of people it first seems . One such person I work with ( 5 years now ) is a person who in his youth used to " sniff airplane glue " ( I need not go into his personal life and just how badly he damage his valuable brain & it's cells  ) , but , with patients , he now knows how to play much better and because of this , his personal esteem has further developed ( from the point where he had little to begin with when we first met ) and has expressed to me many tinmes a " thank you for being patient with me "  . He is now a local " hero " at home and with his personal friends .

Many have expressed this and that about how to go about learning music and the harmonica , I support every one and their personal approach , we all have different goals , some just to play alone to pass the day and others to join in with others socially or their church orchestra , and then there are the extremist type like me who are never satisfied and continue to search and develop . 

This fact is one that I believe in totally :

[ The amount of time you put in is equal to the level of excellence you arrive at . ]

To the true musician , ( that is to ME the true musician , YMMV ) is one who is in total love with their instrument(s) and music itself , and can not get in enough practice time period......

¿ Why ?

I thought you'd n ever ask me Siegfried , it's like this to me ,and I quote these old word of wisdom , it's not my quote but I live it :

" A person who works at what they love doing , never works a day in their life " ...

....... go figure :)......


I know when you spoke of your father's practicing it was a time when you were a young kid , I understand what a kid feels like because this 54 year old kid still feels like one ( in my minds eye only , heh heh , my body has a different opinion )   ..... But I can't help read between your lines that maybe your still a tad impatient , if your are not , please accept my apology before you hit me :)

But .. 

You ought to have attend some of the band sessions & recording sessions I have been too , the ones where no one has any technical note reading experience and know nothing about music theory , now here's a venue where if you have no patients nothing gets accomplished quickly at all  , and when you as person ( I assume you read notation  too ) are able to read and know music theory , you have to " bite your lip(s) " and BE SUPER PATIENT ! ! 

And  ... sometimes these guys with little or no musical education end up producing a top 100 winning hit song ! ! Think about that for a  while  , I know several pro's just like that .


Sincerely :

Hurricane Ramón

Aka :

Party_Man1@xxxxxxxxxx



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