I hit the wall !

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NackJich
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Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 5:37 pm

I hit the wall !

Post by NackJich » Fri Mar 20, 2020 5:44 pm

Hi there..I thought I was making reasonable progress UNTIL .. Bootcamp Lesson 38 Counting music subdivisions, Item 5. This involves both left and right hands and navigating rests. At this stage should I be relying on the finger number system, or should I be reading the sheet music? I find that the fact that the finger numbers are in opposite directions confuses my poor brain! Any advice would be wonderful, thanks. Ian

andrewwegierski
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Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: I hit the wall !

Post by andrewwegierski » Mon Mar 23, 2020 1:46 pm

One hand at a time and I would focus on the sheet music itself!

Andy
Andrew Wegierski

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support@playgroundsessions.com

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sw1tch73ch
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Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:23 pm

Re: I hit the wall !

Post by sw1tch73ch » Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:35 pm

I have a number of thoughts for lessons like number 38 (the actual numbers of the lessons do occasionally change, so it is helpful that you also included the text name Counting Music SUbdivisions). One is to stop, drop and roll... no, wait, that's when you catch fire... I mean for hitting a brick wall, just plain stop. Look. Study the wall, or lesson. Don't try to play it until you understand the goal.

Now, having looked and read the text at the top of the lesson (there are often short paragraphs to describe a lesson and usually have something important to say), set a very slow tempo for yourself (in something rhythm related you'll need it fast enough to actually sense the rhythm, so this is one time I don't recommend a ridiculously slow tempo). Use the DEMO feature (click the left and right hands at the top, make sure you have the piano sound of PGS at a good volume if you turn it off to hear your own piano). Listen to the lesson played. Count along with the rhythm, clapping on the beat (and here I include the odd number beats too, clap on each beat). You want to get a feel for the rhythm and how to count, because I believe, though it's been a while since I did #38, that when we have things that are not on the beat, listen to how those sound. Just don't clap on One and Three, usually, when someone else is playing ;-)

Keep it slow and play along with the lesson, with the demo on if you want. Counting is an important lesson, so spend some time on it. It is hard because counting can be hard, and that is probably the brick wall you feel. You will find a window or a door that lets you through that wall eventually, just be aware it can take patience and practice to find it.
== Just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing, playing, playing! ==

-- jbs --

zoey
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 4:58 am

Re: I hit the wall !

Post by zoey » Wed Apr 08, 2020 7:17 am

That is so supportive!

You are all so helpful - it is rare to be so.

NackJich
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 5:37 pm

Re: I hit the wall !

Post by NackJich » Tue Apr 28, 2020 3:22 pm

Great advice thanks.. This lesson was a quantum leap from the others but you gave some very good advice. I did concentrate on the music, and it was when I noticed the pattern or trend in the music that I started to make progress. I even felt a little of the muscle memory coming into play. Thank you all !!

MiddleC
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 11:09 am

Re: I hit the wall !

Post by MiddleC » Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:28 pm

Very interesting thread.

Today I just went through the last exercise on Rookie Tour in the boot camp. I practiced in that one for over an hour.

The method I have started with is play on lower tempo until I could get 100%, then medium tempo, and finally the full tempo of the song.

I was surprised to find that when I played it with an accompaniment, especially in the first half of the exercise, the accompaniment would throw me off on tempo. I would end up playing off by a best, or partial beat. If I dropped the tempo just by 1 which would not have accompaniment, I could get 100% fairly regularly.

Another thing that is confusing to me: the song was 4/2. I guess I'm not sure yet what that means. The intro countdown to set the tempo would be 1,2,3,4,1,2 go, or close to that. But then to me the measure was two beats not 4. At least, that's they way I interpreted it.

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