I've been a Target member for about one year, and often, when I look at the lessons, I get overwhelmed.
There are so many songs that I want to learn and sometimes I just can't figure out where to start.
So I have several questions:
How do you choose a lesson? (I'm usually in the 4-5-6 difficulty range)
Do you work on one or several at a time?
Do you work through all the lesson parts, or sometimes just get the gist of a song?
Do you keep a practice log?
It would really help me to hear how others practice.
Thanks,
Lynn
How do you NOT get overwhelmed?
Hi Lynn
So much to choose from, overload
It can be hard to decide, Advice in the past has been
Pick a advanced one to stretch your skills- long term project
An easy one from time to time thats easy to acomplish, keeps new tunes turning over
Pick one that grabs you at your current level that will take medium term
Warm up with mastered (so so) and tunes you want to stay on top of
Keep it all mixed up with the fun or easy stuff you like, so not to burn out
Well I try to do it but you know whats its like.. lol
Some till I get the jist( well thats most)
RicksPick
So much to choose from, overload
It can be hard to decide, Advice in the past has been
Pick a advanced one to stretch your skills- long term project
An easy one from time to time thats easy to acomplish, keeps new tunes turning over
Pick one that grabs you at your current level that will take medium term
Warm up with mastered (so so) and tunes you want to stay on top of
Keep it all mixed up with the fun or easy stuff you like, so not to burn out
Well I try to do it but you know whats its like.. lol
Some till I get the jist( well thats most)
RicksPick
Lynn,
A long time ago, I made a list of songs (both difficult and easy) I want to learn, and I've been slowly making my way through that list. As for how I learn the songs, it's different for each one. I faithfully follow Neil's lessons for some of them, and on others i just get a taste of what the song is about, and then I go off and do my own thing. I never decide that ahead of time -- it just sort of happens.
A long time ago, I made a list of songs (both difficult and easy) I want to learn, and I've been slowly making my way through that list. As for how I learn the songs, it's different for each one. I faithfully follow Neil's lessons for some of them, and on others i just get a taste of what the song is about, and then I go off and do my own thing. I never decide that ahead of time -- it just sort of happens.
Hi Lynn,
I enjoy your threads and the overall contributions you make to the forum.
They say you're not supposed to answer a question(s) with a question(s)
but I think it comes down to things like:
What are your goals?
Do you wanna be as good as Neil Hogan, Chet Atkins, or Orianthi Panagaris?
Or, do wanna just be able to play a ton o songs? Some COMLPEX stuff really well?
Start a garage band?Just plain have fun? All of the above?
Personally, I know my goals change all the time...
Right now I am kinda in the fun-zone and I think that is fine.
I think Rick gave some really good advice on that...
As for the songs you should be learning...I wouldn't fret about that too much. (Pun intended) I think that sorta works itself out. I don't think it is as much WHAT you play as it is HOW (VARIETY/FREQUENCY/QUALITY OF PRACTICE) you play.
If there is a specific song that Neil says you should learn...well you should probably try and lean it because it is likely a " technique disguised as a lesson" In fact, that is one of the guiding principles of the target program...at least as I understand it...that by simply learning a bunch of random songs as you go you'll get better and better...and become ever more daring as you acquire new tools in your musical toolbox.
So I guess what I am saying is it might seem like your off the path picking daisies sometimes. But I sorta like that. I think it is okay to surrender to the whimsical and follow your muse on which 5-6, 8, 2, level song you wanna learn at any given time. In the grand scheme of things as long as you keep: playin, playing, playing...you're gonna get better, better, better.
It is sorta like all of us are Daniella & Danielsons & Neil secretly " Mr.Miyagi's" us. lol! Instead of Wax on, Wax off, he uses White Rabbit and Waterloo Sunset. In other words, we don't always see all that we are learning/how much we are improving until we look at one of our videos from a year ago...
In general, I think it is important to: just enjoy the journey and remember Rome wasn't built in a day. (After all it took years of subjugating neighboring lands and stealing Greek ingenuity to do that.lol)
I say have Fun and color outside the lines every now and then...besides playing guitar is like golf and sex in that you don't even have to be good at it to have fun. That's my philosophy
If you wanna be an all round musician I think the logical thing would be
doing at least one thing every day that makes you a better musician. I certainly fall short myself but I think it is sound advice. Neil's music reading/theory stuff is where it is at... whether to learn firsthand or to fill in knowledge gaps. I know I learned a lot from him in that regard...
Cori
I enjoy your threads and the overall contributions you make to the forum.
They say you're not supposed to answer a question(s) with a question(s)
but I think it comes down to things like:
What are your goals?
Do you wanna be as good as Neil Hogan, Chet Atkins, or Orianthi Panagaris?
Or, do wanna just be able to play a ton o songs? Some COMLPEX stuff really well?
Start a garage band?Just plain have fun? All of the above?
Personally, I know my goals change all the time...
Right now I am kinda in the fun-zone and I think that is fine.
I think Rick gave some really good advice on that...
As for the songs you should be learning...I wouldn't fret about that too much. (Pun intended) I think that sorta works itself out. I don't think it is as much WHAT you play as it is HOW (VARIETY/FREQUENCY/QUALITY OF PRACTICE) you play.
If there is a specific song that Neil says you should learn...well you should probably try and lean it because it is likely a " technique disguised as a lesson" In fact, that is one of the guiding principles of the target program...at least as I understand it...that by simply learning a bunch of random songs as you go you'll get better and better...and become ever more daring as you acquire new tools in your musical toolbox.
So I guess what I am saying is it might seem like your off the path picking daisies sometimes. But I sorta like that. I think it is okay to surrender to the whimsical and follow your muse on which 5-6, 8, 2, level song you wanna learn at any given time. In the grand scheme of things as long as you keep: playin, playing, playing...you're gonna get better, better, better.
It is sorta like all of us are Daniella & Danielsons & Neil secretly " Mr.Miyagi's" us. lol! Instead of Wax on, Wax off, he uses White Rabbit and Waterloo Sunset. In other words, we don't always see all that we are learning/how much we are improving until we look at one of our videos from a year ago...
In general, I think it is important to: just enjoy the journey and remember Rome wasn't built in a day. (After all it took years of subjugating neighboring lands and stealing Greek ingenuity to do that.lol)
I say have Fun and color outside the lines every now and then...besides playing guitar is like golf and sex in that you don't even have to be good at it to have fun. That's my philosophy
If you wanna be an all round musician I think the logical thing would be
doing at least one thing every day that makes you a better musician. I certainly fall short myself but I think it is sound advice. Neil's music reading/theory stuff is where it is at... whether to learn firsthand or to fill in knowledge gaps. I know I learned a lot from him in that regard...
Cori
auntlynnie wrote:
I used to take a couple of songs (sometimes just one) and work on them until i had them to a reasonable point of completion. I'd work on them until I could record them and post. After that I would generally move on to the next song/project and repeat. I generally watch the whole lesson and I re-watch the bits I'm having trouble with a few times.
Sometimes I start learning a song/lesson and then I get distracted by the next shiny new cool song. Sometimes I get to the point where part of a song is driving me crazy (maybe it's beyond me for the moment) and I need to move on. I tend to jump around a fair bit and I'm really not being disciplined at the moment. I do find that I complete more songs if I focus on a few and stick with them. But, for that to work it has to be a song that you like enough to keep coming back to it, even when it's making me curse a little.
I can find it overwhelming if I think of where I'd like to be. There are so many songs in the library and lessons in general that appeal to me. There's so much to learn, especially if you then get crazy like me and start exploring other (related) instruments too. I find that the act of recording videos actually allows me to prove to myself that I am progressing; especially when I feel like I'm going backwards and I'm feeling like I should be much better given how long I've been at TG. It really doesn't matter which song it is.
I definitely know that I'm not taking full advantage of what TG has on offer. But, I'm OK with that.
I definitely know that I need to return to songs and refresh them or finish learning them. I'm not doing that much at the moment.
I suggest a couple of things. Accept that you have a limited amount of time and be honest with yourself about:
- what you can realistically achieve in the time you have (short-, medium- long-term),
- why you're playing in general and
- why you're at TG.
I also suggest that you try to accept that your goals may change (even without knowing it). So don't beat yourself up if you end up going down a different path.
For me, playing and learning is as much about relaxing, finding joy and being in the moment (getting my head out of work for example) as it is about making music. If you're here to REALLY learn songs and REALLY improve your skills, then try to really focus on a few goals and stick to them (get serious about planning your playing/practice time (that might just mean that you'll work consciously on some specific things for 10-20 minutes a day)). If you're also here to have fun, connect, share, be motivated and a bunch of other stuff - then still work out what you'd like to learn but be understanding of yourself and acknowledge the myriad of things you're getting out of your TG experience, especially if you aren't learning your chosen songs/skills as quickly as you'd hoped.
As Cori and others have said, if you're playing and getting enjoyment out of the process then chances are you're improving even if you don't realise it. In my humble opinion, if you're getting enjoyment out of the learning and playing process, you're winning.
This is an interesting thread. I'll be looking out for tips.
I don't know much. I do know I'm not practicing well or efficiently.I've been a Target member for about one year, and often, when I look at the lessons, I get overwhelmed.
There are so many songs that I want to learn and sometimes I just can't figure out where to start.
So I have several questions:
How do you choose a lesson? (I'm usually in the 4-5-6 difficulty range)
Do you work on one or several at a time?
Do you work through all the lesson parts, or sometimes just get the gist of a song?
Do you keep a practice log?
It would really help me to hear how others practice.
Thanks,
Lynn
I used to take a couple of songs (sometimes just one) and work on them until i had them to a reasonable point of completion. I'd work on them until I could record them and post. After that I would generally move on to the next song/project and repeat. I generally watch the whole lesson and I re-watch the bits I'm having trouble with a few times.
Sometimes I start learning a song/lesson and then I get distracted by the next shiny new cool song. Sometimes I get to the point where part of a song is driving me crazy (maybe it's beyond me for the moment) and I need to move on. I tend to jump around a fair bit and I'm really not being disciplined at the moment. I do find that I complete more songs if I focus on a few and stick with them. But, for that to work it has to be a song that you like enough to keep coming back to it, even when it's making me curse a little.
I can find it overwhelming if I think of where I'd like to be. There are so many songs in the library and lessons in general that appeal to me. There's so much to learn, especially if you then get crazy like me and start exploring other (related) instruments too. I find that the act of recording videos actually allows me to prove to myself that I am progressing; especially when I feel like I'm going backwards and I'm feeling like I should be much better given how long I've been at TG. It really doesn't matter which song it is.
I definitely know that I'm not taking full advantage of what TG has on offer. But, I'm OK with that.
I definitely know that I need to return to songs and refresh them or finish learning them. I'm not doing that much at the moment.
I suggest a couple of things. Accept that you have a limited amount of time and be honest with yourself about:
- what you can realistically achieve in the time you have (short-, medium- long-term),
- why you're playing in general and
- why you're at TG.
I also suggest that you try to accept that your goals may change (even without knowing it). So don't beat yourself up if you end up going down a different path.
For me, playing and learning is as much about relaxing, finding joy and being in the moment (getting my head out of work for example) as it is about making music. If you're here to REALLY learn songs and REALLY improve your skills, then try to really focus on a few goals and stick to them (get serious about planning your playing/practice time (that might just mean that you'll work consciously on some specific things for 10-20 minutes a day)). If you're also here to have fun, connect, share, be motivated and a bunch of other stuff - then still work out what you'd like to learn but be understanding of yourself and acknowledge the myriad of things you're getting out of your TG experience, especially if you aren't learning your chosen songs/skills as quickly as you'd hoped.
As Cori and others have said, if you're playing and getting enjoyment out of the process then chances are you're improving even if you don't realise it. In my humble opinion, if you're getting enjoyment out of the learning and playing process, you're winning.
This is an interesting thread. I'll be looking out for tips.
Hey Lynn,
For sure I can feel overwhelmed. And though I try to practice every day (during the week- not the weekend), I still never feel like I'm practicing "enough." Anyway, I do have a fairly structured practice routine. I almost always set a timer for 15 minute intervals. It's enough time to get into something- but it also doesn't feel overwhelming when I don't really feel like practicing. I work for 15 minutes, then get up for about 5 minutes and do whatever I want. Sometimes I keep track of what I'm working on in a notebook. I'll write in eg. "15 minutes- fingerpicking Here Comes the Sun." "15 minutes- flatpicking "Ripple." etc. I like to keep my stuff varied, so I'm often working on a fingerpicking song or two and also stuff that involves a pick. I also really like to work on songs that have a certain technique that I find challenging. That might be riff-playing (not my forte!!), or percussive/muting strumming, or hybrid picking, etc. As long as I like the song, I'm pretty content to keep working away at it and I get to work on that technique in the meantime.
I also hit ruts where I feel like I'm not doing anything new. I had one of those a few months back. What I often do is start looking through the Target catalogue and making a list of songs that I think I'd like to learn. Then I start crossing them off. I find list-making very motivating (again- just my personality), so I use that to push myself forward in my playing.
Suzi
For sure I can feel overwhelmed. And though I try to practice every day (during the week- not the weekend), I still never feel like I'm practicing "enough." Anyway, I do have a fairly structured practice routine. I almost always set a timer for 15 minute intervals. It's enough time to get into something- but it also doesn't feel overwhelming when I don't really feel like practicing. I work for 15 minutes, then get up for about 5 minutes and do whatever I want. Sometimes I keep track of what I'm working on in a notebook. I'll write in eg. "15 minutes- fingerpicking Here Comes the Sun." "15 minutes- flatpicking "Ripple." etc. I like to keep my stuff varied, so I'm often working on a fingerpicking song or two and also stuff that involves a pick. I also really like to work on songs that have a certain technique that I find challenging. That might be riff-playing (not my forte!!), or percussive/muting strumming, or hybrid picking, etc. As long as I like the song, I'm pretty content to keep working away at it and I get to work on that technique in the meantime.
I also hit ruts where I feel like I'm not doing anything new. I had one of those a few months back. What I often do is start looking through the Target catalogue and making a list of songs that I think I'd like to learn. Then I start crossing them off. I find list-making very motivating (again- just my personality), so I use that to push myself forward in my playing.
Suzi
suziko wrote:
I'm off to practice and play. Thanks sweet woman.
Shel
Very useful advice Sue, for me at least. Nice reminders.Hey Lynn,
For sure I can feel overwhelmed. And though I try to practice every day (during the week- not the weekend), I still never feel like I'm practicing "enough." Anyway, I do have a fairly structured practice routine. I almost always set a timer for 15 minute intervals. It's enough time to get into something- but it also doesn't feel overwhelming when I don't really feel like practicing. I work for 15 minutes, then get up for about 5 minutes and do whatever I want. Sometimes I keep track of what I'm working on in a notebook. I'll write in eg. "15 minutes- fingerpicking Here Comes the Sun." "15 minutes- flatpicking "Ripple." etc. I like to keep my stuff varied, so I'm often working on a fingerpicking song or two and also stuff that involves a pick. I also really like to work on songs that have a certain technique that I find challenging. That might be riff-playing (not my forte!!), or percussive/muting strumming, or hybrid picking, etc. As long as I like the song, I'm pretty content to keep working away at it and I get to work on that technique in the meantime.
I also hit ruts where I feel like I'm not doing anything new. I had one of those a few months back. What I often do is start looking through the Target catalogue and making a list of songs that I think I'd like to learn. Then I start crossing them off. I find list-making very motivating (again- just my personality), so I use that to push myself forward in my playing.
Suzi
I'm off to practice and play.
Thanks sweet woman. Shel
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cosmicmechanic
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:39 am
- Status: Offline
Hi Lynn,
I tend to feel overwhelmed when I'm in a restaurant and look at the menu and want to eat everything on it.
Of course, the food analogy only goes so far ... but on the bright side, this feeling is quite the opposite of being in a rut.
Maybe the possible "overwhelming" aspect of all these lessons on TG is actually the cure to the devastating "guitar rut" syndrome?
Pierre
I tend to feel overwhelmed when I'm in a restaurant and look at the menu and want to eat everything on it.
Of course, the food analogy only goes so far ... but on the bright side, this feeling is quite the opposite of being in a rut.
Maybe the possible "overwhelming" aspect of all these lessons on TG is actually the cure to the devastating "guitar rut" syndrome?
Pierre
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neverfoundthetime
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
- Status: Offline
Hi Lynn, I don't think it would help you to hear what I do! But since you asked:
I just follow my ears and my heart (see my take on Wordsworth in Shell's thread!) and often have 3 or more songs on the go. I find that helps as I'm not going to get bored if I have more than one song cooking. There again, I'll get infatuated with a song and play the damned thing all day long for days. It all seems to help. Falling on your face is still moving forward!
But since you asked:I just follow my ears and my heart (see my take on Wordsworth in Shell's thread!) and often have 3 or more songs on the go. I find that helps as I'm not going to get bored if I have more than one song cooking. There again, I'll get infatuated with a song and play the damned thing all day long for days. It all seems to help
. Falling on your face is still moving forward!