Timers and Practicing

I've been trying out some timers to keep track of how long I'm practicing. I've tried several free downloadable programs and have to say they all work. I've also used a basic kitchen timer.

At first, I didn't like the programs because most of them don't let you stop the timer and continue it when you're ready. If you stop it, it resets. I sometimes have to interrupt a session if someone calls, or there's a dog "emergency" or something boils over on the stove. My kitchen timer worked great for that issue.

But now I'm back to using the first timer I tried, the Focus Booster. I've found that sometimes if I don't have an hour free, I won't practice at all. Focus Booster was recommended for working in smaller chunks. I read that working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5 minute break, called the Pomodoro Technique,  is actually more productive than trying to crank out work for an hour. Focus Booster can be set up for a work session and a break too.

I do seem to get more focused practice in when I only do 25 minutes at a time. When I tried to practice in hour chunks, I spent more time in mindless noodling instead of focused practice. I quit beating myself up if I don't get in all the practicing that I think I should. If I learn one thing a day, I'm making progress.

Soloing

I'm finally figuring things out. All those years of practicing scales, I never connected how to use them. Now I'm determined to learn to solo, even if it's just a few simple bars of  bluegrass. I've made myself some backing tracks and now I see the reason for all those scales.
I have a free program called Audacity. I just love it. It makes it really easy to record myself playing chords and I can then save it as a MP3.

More Music

After a couple of days under the weather, I'm back on track. I've been paying more attention to my low blood sugar times and having a snack. I've been really enjoying having more energy to practice and play music. I'm even enjoying playing scales.
Today I figured out a way to do a chunk rhythm on the dulcimer. I've always wanted to do that since I would like to be able to sit back and listen to someone else solo. Now I just have to practice changing gears.

Bass Cosy

I really needed a gig bag for my ubass. I thought I probably could make one and pad it with carded wool since I have so many fleeces in storage. It's not quite finished but it is really fluffy. I expect the fleece to felt down a bit with time so I put quite a few batts of wool in there. It reminds me of a teapot cosy. I have more details on my craft blog CHEAP TWILLS.

Super Jam

I went to a great jam Saturday. There weren't too many of us so everyone got a lot of turns starting tunes. I think I went through just about everything I knew.
The bass player came late so I started with my little bass. He also likes to take breaks and sit for a few minutes so he has taken to handing me his upright bass. It's a great chance for me to practice. He even complimented my ubass.
My instrument stand worked out great. Nothing fell over and didn't have to search for a place to put stuff. It was all right there next to me.

I've been reading Effortless Mastery and find it very interesting. It's mostly aimed at jazz soloists, but there is some good reading for any musician. It has inspired me to practice more, since that is still necessary.
But he's so right about the ego getting in the way and blocking true freedom in music.

Home Made Instrument Stand

I've had a heck of a time trying to find a safe place to put my extra instruments when I go to jam sessions. I had a stand for the little uke but the others were leaning against a wall or a chair. I wanted to buy a nice 3 instrument hanging stand but never seemed to have the money. I saw a version of this stand online and it clicked with me that I had an old suitcase. There's no way these babies can slip and fall. It's one of my usual "use what cha got laying around" creations but it would be easy enough to improve over time.
I carded some wool batts and covered it with polar fleece for the padding in the bottom. The upper flap is actually cardboard. If it starts to come apart, I can always replace it with a wooden flap. It's also covered with polar fleece. I used some wooden slats for side arms. I glued velco to the top of the arms to keep them from falling down when I take one instrument out or put it back in.
Most of the fancy ones have a deeper suitcase so guitars and such fit neatly sideways. Mine was a little shallow but I got around that by angling the two ukes in and eliminating any dividers.

The top folds down and the arms fit inside, along with my music books for travel. WoooHooo!

Practicing

I've been struggling the past few days, today especially, with motivation to practice. Sometimes I get revved up and can practice for hours. When I learn something new, I do feel inspired to practice it a lot, but after a week or two, it turns into a chore. Days, like today, I can barely get through a one hour practice session. I try to take it as it comes but the fear is always that I will stop playing.
I also have symptoms of a condition called piriformis, or also known as a "pain in the butt." From what I understand, it's caused by the sciatia nerve and can be very uncomfortable, especially when sitting for a long time. I could try standing up with the ukulele and the bass uke, but not with the dulcimer. Standing and walking do not seem to help much anyway.
Another frustration is that I play three different instruments. I could easily practice one instrument several hours a day, but to practice each of them several hours a day would  be pretty difficult. I still have to take care of my dogs, clean my living space (at least a little), do laundry, grocery shop, cook and do some work. I really felt I was goofing off until I took a good, hard look at my daily chore list. I need to learn some time management skills.

Things that motivate me

• One of my best motivators is playing with other people. I do like to show off a new tune or riff. I've mentioned that I've been going to jam sessions recently.  I always feel like putting in the time in the "shed" after a jam session. I've missed a few sessions but plan to get back on track this coming weekend.
  I've also been playing with my sister long-distance by way of Skype. There are problems with using Skype. We can't hear both of us at the same time but it's better than nothing.
• I love to listen to really good players. That works really well for dulcimer, but I haven't seen a single bluegrass ukulele player. There are tons of good bass players out there but they generally play upright bass in bluegrass. Most electric bass players play other styles. I have only seen one person playing a bass uke with bluegrass players. So I have no one to emulate in my chosen style of music. I guess that makes me a trend-setter.
• Keeping notes and planning my practice sessions. I know this is a great way to make the best use of my practice time. It helps to keep track of what I'm working on. I can get lazy with this too.
• Reading blogs and articles on how other people motivate themselves to practice. Sometimes I read something that just triggers an "Oh, Wow" moment and that can motivate me for days.  Sometimes I spend too much time on the Internet and not enough actually practicing.

Well, tomorrow is another day.

Ashoken Farewell

I've been working on this beautiful tune by Jay Unger. I've been playing it on the dulcimer and it has taken me weeks just to get through the melody. It seems every other note is a chord which can be hard for me to learn.  I'm able to get through it now but not without mistakes. There are many samples of this tune on YouTube.