11-23-08 Weekend Practice

Cowboys Win!!

It’s so good to see Romo back in the game.  The team is starting to click again.

I have been playing all weekend, but I got a good solid hor of practice in on Sunday when both the kids were taking naps.

• 1/4 note scales @ 80…argh!!…sloppy
• ” @ 60> 70 = perfect
• ” @ 80…got it > 85 > 90 = killed it!

I was really happy to pick so well @ 90bpm…I could have pushed it more, but needed to take a break.

I have been playing with the Brad Davis Flatpick DVD and I think they are really helping.  These DVD are really well produced.  I enjoy playing at the slow speeds to work on tone and melody, and then letting it rip on the fast tracks.

Also I put on new strings this weekend – J74’s.  Those Bobby Osbourne string lasted a really, really long time…I put them on in August I think.  But Charley’s doesn’t carry them, and I did want to try the J74’s

Filed under: My Journal, Practice Session Notes , new strings, speed

11-15-08 Weekend Practice

I got some really good practice sessions in this weekend…still pounding, pounding, pounding away at the scales and the metronome.  The scales are running off my fingers much easier, and I think that my tone has improved.  I think I have seen some very, very minor improvement in speed.

Most of my practice over the weekend has consisted of metronome and S. Kaufman.

• Scales & Crosspicking  @ 80>100>140>160 – I took it to 184 and was able to pretty much hang with it but my playing was sloppy so I stopped.
• Played with several Steve Kaufman tunes fast and slow.

I recently purchased some back issues of Frets and Acoustic Musician magazines, and in one of them is some transcriptions of Big Mon solos.  In particular I have been looking at the solo to “Letter From My Darling”.  It has some classic Monroe licks and double stops.

I went to the Southwest Bluegrass Club meeting on Sunday.  I got there earlier than I intended and so I had to suffer through the band that was booked to play.  In fact the whole meeting was pretty much a failure because out of the 3 hours I invested, I only got to jam for 25min.

The 25min of jamming was good though.  We played some fast bluegrass songs, and I was able to hang in there.  I don’t think I would have done so well 6 months ago.  I am not saying that my playing is anywhere near where I want it to be right now, but I am seeing some improvement.  I really want to see great improvement by Argyle in March.  So I just have to keep on plugging away.

It’s getting pretty cold here in Dallas (68′), so Sunday morning I made a chili according to the following recipe.  What allured me to this recipe was that the creator is from Dallas and the use of brown sugar.  I also added some cocoa, as I am wont to do.

I think it turned out pretty well, but the wife didn’t like it.  She said it was too powdery, and really I have to agree.  I did have to cut short some of the cooking time, so maybe that had something to do with it.

“Sierra” Chili
Colleen Wallace
Dallas, Texas

Meat – 2-1/2 pounds of chuck mock tender cubed or chili grind.

(1) – Brown in 1/2 teaspoon Crisco with seasoned salt.

(2) – Add 1 can Swanson Beef Broth, 1 8 oz tomato sauce and water to cover meat plus 1 inch (add water as needed).

(3) – Low boil for 1/2 hour and add:
1 tbsp – Terlingua Won Chili Powder
1 tbsp – Granulated Onion
1 tsp – Granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp – Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp – Ground Jalapeno Pepper
1 tsp – Beef Bouillon Granules
1 tsp – Chicken Bouillon Granules
1/2 tsp – Salt

(4) – Slow bubble for about one hour or until meat is tender and add:
4 tsp – Cumin
1 tsp – Granulated Garlic
1/4 tsp – Black Pepper
1 package – Sazon Goya
6 tbsp – Colleen Wallace Chili Powder
1/4 tsp – Brown Sugar

(5) – Slow bubble for 45 minutes

Filed under: Jam Reflections, My Journal, Practice Session Notes , chili, Jam Reflections, recipe, Southwest Bluegrass Club

11-09-08 Practice

This Sunday evening I got alot of strong practice in.  I am really working very hard on increasing my picking speed.  I spent several hours playing scales with the metronome.  I got into a very good 1/16 groove at 88bpm.  80bpm was very easy, and so I tried to kick it up to 100 but that did not fly.  I think I have to take smaller steps.

I also play along with the Steve Kaufman tracks.  On the slower tracks I first try to play the tune exactly, and then on the second round I just improvise, let it rip, and have fun.  I got into a great groove with Billy in the Lowgrounds and discovered some really great double stops.

On the fast tracks I play a tremelo up to speed and then go through the scales.

On thing that I practice for a while last night was playing at 100bpm, but instead of trying to go through the whole scale, I just played the first 4 notes on the string and the 5th note being the open sting.  I think this is good practice…it is just like learning to play a song…take it piece by piece.

I also am working in some great crosspicking exercises, and I think that crosspicking may become a very good ornamentation to my playing.  The exercise is basically to play a scale and then end it with crosspicking the chord.  It is training me to end a phrase with some crosspicking ornamentation.

Anyways, it was a good night of practice…my fingers are sore.

Filed under: My Journal, Practice Session Notes

Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons

I was able to get in a whisper of a practice session in on Saturday evening.  I worked with the Arkansas Traveler on Steve Kaufman’s Workout CD’s that I have been having so much trouble keeping up with.  I warmed up, played a couple of times with the slow version, and then hit the fast version.  I was really surprised to find that I had made good progress!  For the first time ever, I was able to play the ending lick in the first section of the song up to speed!  Honestly I couldn’t believe it.  The progress was a warming ray of optimism.

I have been meditating long and hard about what my problem is with playing at such a speed.  Where exactly is the disconnect and what is the best way to attack it?

Before Argyle I spent a week working on speed.  I played scales and arpeggios in a ladder workout method…almost like a weigh lifting program.

This did help.  It strengthened and stretched out my left hand.  My fingers became more efficient in moving up and down the neck.  I learned the notes and patterns of the scales.

But after all this I still made very little improvement with Steve Kaufman.  My left hand was able to play along, but my right hand could not keep up.

What did I do differently on Saturday that brought immediate improvement?
I started focusing on the movement of my left hand.  I noticed that when I failed at keeping up, I would play the downward strokes, but skip the upstrokes.

I think I have come to a big realization about my playing, and I think I have hit upon my main disconnect.  I have been playing the mandolin like a guitar, or at least not like a mandolin.  When I think about the notes in Arkansas Traveler, I think about the downstrokes.  The upstrokes are secondary.  This is wrong – they should be independent.  My right hand is not up to playing par.

Filed under: Music & Mandolin Meditations, My Journal, Practice Session Notes

Election Night Practice

Following all the news on the TV and online….even though I didn’t vote for Obama I am can’t help but get caught up in the excitement of a new generation of leadership taking over.  Also the scene at Grant Park looks like some of the Phish shows I have been to.

• warmup – scales and crosspicking  @ 60 > 80
• Steve Kaufman jam…for this I played the slow version pretty close to the tab and then played scales over the fast versions.

I think that my method of playing scales over the fast versions of the Steve Kaufman tracks is really good practice.  Last night I played only the scale for the key of the song.  I think that later on I will try to play the scales along with the chord changes.

Filed under: My Journal, Practice Session Notes , speed

11-03-08 Practice

• warm up – play scales for 30 min @ 60>80>100 bpm
• Ark Trav @ 180 > 200 – 180 was fealing great, but then 200 sucked…couldn’t get the b part down…slowed it down to 180 and just jammed…that was fun…the fingers danced effortlessly…then tried the same at 210 and no deal.  I am getting really sick of Ark Trav and I am getting really frustrated with not being able to break the 200 bpm mark with confidence.
• Started going through S. Kaufman’s jam book.

I am really getting frustrated with my playing speed.  I think that I should be able to play along with the S. Kaufman fast tracks by now.  It is just really infuriating when you just can’t play along with someone.  I supposed I just need to proactice more often and put more effort into it.

Filed under: My Journal, Practice Session Notes , speed