RE: [Harp-L] re: practice -- in short

["Bill Hines" <billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Like I said earlier, Dave Barrett has a good selection of books. I
think I 
own most (if not all) of them. But I've never seen anybody report on the
list 
that he/she has just complete Book-x or Book-y in Barrett's series and
it took 
only six weeks at one-hour a day."

Of course, those of us who do practice will now come out of the woodshed
and speak up! I've commented many times here about how I'm working
through Barrett's books and other materials. I don't know if I've
commented about how long, I don't see that as pertinent, I don't think
folks will talk about that. Ok, to be humble it took about a year to go
through Classic Chicago Blues Harp I & II because I didn't just fly
through it, I actually took the time to make sure I could play the
lessons reasonably well and in fact memorize the larger passages. I
completed Gindick's book, Portnoy's 3cd set, etc. Practice, practice. In
the car, on breaks from work for short practice. Blocked off time at
home and in hotel rooms when traveling for longer periods. Every day,
some days more than others. Practicing passages, scales, exercises etc.

I think a lot of people do. You'll hear from them now! We just don't
talk about it as much. Jason Ricci is infamous for his period of
solitary confinement where he did nothing but practice, and came out a
legendary player. I see your point though. Probably as a whole,
especially when we get to a certain point in playing (I'm resisting
temptation now to "just play" now that I've become at least good enough
to go cause a train wreck at a jam), we don't practice as much or maybe
as diligently as other more "disciplined" musicians. In most cases that
discipline was drilled into them by drill instructor piano, etc
teachers. 

So it's not as bleak as you say. Many of us are out here, we're
practicing, with or without instructors.

Bill Hines
Hershey, PA