Posted by Andah1andah2 on Sunday, January 24, 2010
So it's not all gloom and doom, I'd like to note the cases where I feel I had "one step forward" and not just the "two steps back".
Lately, I've found that with the tunes I've been playing for a while, I am able to close my eyes or divert from watching the fingerboard and still hit the right notes with reasonable intonation. That must be a good sign. It is probably also a good sign that I'm close to taking those 3 strips of fingerboard tape off the fiddle. Yes, I know that many of you feel that it's a crutch that should have been taken off long ago (or never put on) but they are still there. I dare say the strips are wearing down and may disintegrate before I take them off anyway.
i find that when I do close my eyes and get into a rhythm on a tune, I can stay with it as long as I don't start thinking about what I'm doing. I can see how once someone gets good at it, you can go into a trance-like state and let muscle-memory take over. I was able to get into one of these zones when playing Liza Jane and Shoo fly. I just close my eyes at some point and keep going. I develop a slight rocking motion with my body as I get into it too, which never happens when I watch every note and think about proper technique. All in all, I want to get there with all my playing because it's so much more enjoyable that way, but I understand for now a good portion of my practice needs to focus on technique which is far from proper.
When listening to fiddle tunes, I can also get the same feeling of going into that zone. Some tunes lend themselves to it more than others and I wonder if it has to do with the repetitive nature of some tunes. Sally Goodin and Sugar Hill are two good examples of this quality.
5 comments on “My forward step”
mudbug Says:
Monday, January 25, 2010 @5:01:28 AM
Congrats, Stew, on the progress that you're making. Music is one of the few places where "zoning out" is seen as a GOOD thing!
bj Says:
Monday, January 25, 2010 @5:39:53 AM
Yeah, it's time for the tapes to come off! Go ahead, it won't hurt, I promise!
Your instincts are leading you right! Playing with your eyes shut is one of the exercises my teacher had given me to tune in my ears/intonation (actually instead of tapes!)
brya31 Says:
Monday, January 25, 2010 @10:29:07 AM
Stew I have never used to the tape. I recognize if I am in the right spot with my fingers based on the resonance of the open strings. For example. I play my third finger on the A string and I will expect my D string to resonate..so on and so forth. Seems to work great for me and I am by no means talented, LOL
BC Says:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 @8:06:25 AM
You have opened the door with the key of imagination. You have entered a dimension of sight, sound, and mind. Stew - you have entered the "Fiddle Zone".
OK, Rod Serling would have done a much better job and it has been almost 50 (?) years since I've seen it, but you get the idea I hope. Congratulations! The journey continues.
Andah1andah2 Says:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 @4:23:09 PM
Thanks guys. In my lesson today, my teacher said I could take them off too. It's a big step, I don't know. Will I go back to being really lousy without that crutch? But the thought of not looking like a rank amateur with my sargent's stripes is tempting.
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