Re: [Harp-L] bluegrass chop?

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:48 AM 10/11/2012, you wrote:
> Been getting into bluegrass and Celtic more....but......I have the darnest 
> time playing a simple chop like the mandolin for more than a minute or two 
> ( now I know why the mandolin player moved away from me at the last jam 
> session I sat in on ).
>   Is this as simple as turning on the metronome, and practicing? Or 
> should I just lay out? WWCCD? ( What would Cara Cooke do ).....
> What do you guys do when at a bluegrass jam session?

I write post advice every few months: practice with a metronome every day 
until you decide to quit playing music.  At first the metronome will sound 
like it is getting away from you, but after a few days or weeks of practice 
your brain will synch up with it and you will finally have good time.  You 
will have better time than most musicians, and you will have a competitive 
edge against harmonica players who do not practice with a metronome.

In many situations you will sound like the most professional musician in 
the room.

In terms of endurance, you've pegged a problem that can be dealt with by 
practicing for the metronome at greater and greater lengths.  You naturally 
want to practice at different speeds, but once you can play a simple riff 
or "chop" for ten minutes straight for a few days at a single speed, you 
won't be worrying about endurance any longer.

By the way, use a standalone quartz metronome.  Metronome programs on 
computers, and smartphones feel very inaccurate to me.