 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-03-10 01:31
Lately I have just not been having the drive to really focus and make myself practice well. I always feel like I need my teacher there to keep me in line and help me along my ways--you know, tell me what's right and what's wrong? But when I'm home by myself "practicing," I can't focus. I tell myself I'm going to do long tones, or scales, or an articulation exercise and I immediately get driven away from that focal point because 1) either it sounds bad 2) or I seem to get bored or aggrivated with myself and give up. And if it is one of those two things, I keep trying to fix those problems for what seems like hours. Doing the "nitty gritty" of clarinet playing and trying to improve myself in that way. I just get so out of focus and tired or irritated easily, as if I'm just never going to get it right. As a result of all this, I've been losing a lot of valuable practice time that I need. I haven't been doing as well at lessons or even at band rehearsals. I really need to try and get myself to sit down and do things correctly to the best of my ability, I think, and maybe not stress so much upon things all at one time? I just don't know how I can fix this. It's really hard for me to break bad habits sometimes and this is becoming one. I'm giving up so easily now and it's going to hurt me, I can tell. Does anyone have any advice on this?
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-03-10 02:26
Well you're number one statement was that "it sounds bad". Keep in mind that this is one of the REASONS we practice. So that over time, it will sound "better". And you won't see the improvement day to day, but a few months down the road, you'll realize that, "Hey. I've really made some progress here."
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: SuzyQ
Date: 2004-03-10 03:47
Been there, done that!
One of my favorite practice techniques is to integrate lots of fun stuff (but neverless, stuff that needs practiced!) in-between the nitty-gritty. Reward yourself with your favorite pieces after you concentrate on the nitty-gritty.
Keep in mind the future, not just the present. The practice you do today will affect how you play in the future!
Suz
P.S. Don't know if this will help you, but some of the posts on the following thread really encouraged and helped me with concentration problems!
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=138659&t=138659
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2004-03-10 06:50
Play a different kind of music, play some that excites You and challenges You at the same time, explore areas and plateaus completely new and foreign to You. If I had to do to some Mozart, R. Strauss and Meyerbeer all the time I´d go nuts and switch to speedpunk, honestly. Get absolutely away from this distinction between practise and performance - there´s none. None at all. One practises as well on stage as one performes at home, the snapping open of the case already is music; there´s nothing at all like a pre-stage before one comes to music, You have it either completely as a whole from the very beginning or nothing. Switch off every other soundsource during practisetimes, don´t answer phones etc. Eat something lighter before, nothing to heavy. Change the practise routine, do not do this first -long- tones-then-scales-then-articulation-then-a-piece-thingy but perhaps the other way round, start with a composition, then check out You peculiar problems there, then do etudes apt to fix that peculiar prob exactly (like certain passages, certain articulations et al.), then play a free impro. Do meditation, pray, try to empty Yourself completely before playing.
Could work,
Markus
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2004-03-10 12:11
Alexi touched on the truth. Progress does not come easy. Remember that if each level is a plateau, the higher you go the more work it takes to get from level to level. I think also that you are experiencing something that most go through. Most people, when something becomes hard, or day to day improvement is not seen, they quit. That is why I wish I were in the excercise business around the new year! Everyone wants to get better at what they do...fewer people actually do. I do not know a single person that did not work hard to get where he or she is today in music. That goes for most professions. When I felt down about music as a student, I would go to the Met to hear a performance. Nothing lifted my spirits like an opera. Maybe that is what I would suggest to you. Find some type of music you identify with ang go to a live performance. Other than that, just remember that nothing comes easy and that if you want to improve, you have to bust your you know what to do it.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-10 16:06
A couple of thoughts - Perhaps you're focusing on too many of your mistakes and knowing how awful you sound, and you'd do better thinking of improving only one aspect of your long tones / scales at a sitting? Then the next day focus on another? Or how about setting the timer for, say, 15 or 30 minutes that you'll discipline yourself to do the technique, and then when the time's up go on to something more interesting? Maybe that "something more interesting" needs to be a more challenging piece for you?
Also, are you tired out physically? Not getting enough sleep is getting to be a plague these days. Perhaps look at the time and quality of your sleeping habits. Also check the quality of your meals - another important factor that's slighted among the young and the busy. When you don't feel good, everything seems a chore.
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2004-03-10 18:00
How long have you been going at lessons/practicing? I believe you can burn out. I am only an amature but I recently ended 3 years of lessons as an adult. The timing and situations caused the lessons to stop. I don't know if I would still be taking them otherwise. But after 3 years I was losing the motivation. I needed time off. I have enough skills learned to keep myself improving until I am ready to take that next step with lessons again.
Speak with your teacher. Is time off reasonable? Maybe just a month. Coming back you will have a fresh outlook and can redefine your goals. Do you just need to change your goals? Maybe you hit a plateau and need to concentrate in another area before what you are currently working will go to the next level. You cannot be totally good at one thing on the clarinet without a good well rounded foundation in all the other areas of the instrument.
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