This article introduces new PartTimeMusician.com writer JP Montgomery. JP is a guitarist/bassist who will be contributing from time to time on a variety of subjects. JP’s hobbies include playing music, listening to music, and hanging out with his girlfriend…but not necessarily in that order. :-)
Sitting alone in a room with the door closed and drilling all-too-familiar exercises is no fun for anyone. When I started playing guitar (and later, bass), I wanted to get rolling as quickly as possible. Who doesn’t?!? And once I got to a basic level of playing competence…well, I still didn’t want to waste a lot of time with boring exercises. Here’s what I do.
Warm Up with Scales
Well, that sounds boring, doesn’t it? You have to know the notes, but playing them doesn’t have to be a drudge! Add some pep to it, change up the rhythms, slur (winds), run patterns of notes, etc. Mix it up! This gets you warmed up, reinforces your scales in your head, and keeps things from getting lame. :-)
Play some Challenging Music
After you’re warmed up, grab some challenging music from your stack and get busy. Whether it’s new music (for sight-reading, technique development, etc.) or just a piece you’ve been working on that remains just outside of your reach, this is the time to tackle it. Push yourself, but have fun with it. Work on that new chord, practice the riff your favorite lead player or bassist throws in during the best part of your favorite song, or whatever. Imagine yourself playing it for your buddies next week – that always gets me going!
Grab some TABs, Plug in the Tunes, and PLAY!
This is the dessert portion of the practice session. Plug your iPod into your amp via Line In (Editor’s note: See earlier article Really USE your practice amp for tips on this, especially if your amp doesn’t have a dedicated Line In plug), grab some tablature or sheet music, and just kick it! If you know the music well, experiment (remember those grooves we were talking about earlier?). If it’s a new piece you’ve been dying to play, just work your way into it and live in the moment! There is just something about playing along with your favorite artist/group that really gets the juices going. In fact, you may have to make yourself put down the axe once you’ve gotten to this point!
Simple as it is, it keeps me driving forward. Give it a try! Life doesn’t always have to be hard, you know. :-)
Peace,
JP
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Most musicians know that classical music and the big screen can be merged with great success; in fact, most great movies have great scores, and many would consider it a requirement!
Say what??!?!
The following video from musicians and comedians extraordinaire Igudesman and Joo demonstrates just how complementary these two art forms are. Without further ado, I give you Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and James Bond…together at last.
Watching these two is a good reminder of just how much fun music can be. Enjoy!
We all take up music for different reasons, but I’m confident that at the heart of them all is NOT the idea that music is work. How much more could we accomplish if we just allowed ourselves to have some fun?!?
I ran across a video a few days ago that demonstrated beautifully the impact that fun has on us as human beings. We’ve discussed this on several occasions (see Five Secrets to Rapid Improvement in Your Playing for a favorite example) but a picture is worth a thousand words…and moving pictures significantly more. 8-) Check it out!
The best thing about this video from the perspective of a Part-Time Musician (PTM) may be that it holds the key to getting the most from our shared obsession. No one would argue that taking the stairs involves less effort than riding the escalator up to the surface, yet people chose to take the stairs. Why? Because it was fun. Even with more work involved, it was fun!
Studying an instrument takes effort, and there are days we all consider quitting. It takes time, it takes work. Yet it can be an incredible amount of fun if we allow ourselves to make it so. Practice, yes…drill, yes…strive, yes! But don’t forget to have fun with it, too. You may be surprised at the improvements you see.
I knew when I read this that you’d want to read it too. PTMs – amateur musicians – have contributed so much to the vibrancy of music throughout the ages. At times when it was dangerous or impractical to be a full-time musician, PTMs also kept the dream alive.
This article from the Philadephia Inquirer is probably harder on FTMs than I would be – I’ve known far too many who sincerely love their “job” and experience their music to the fullest; but the author does make some excellent points. PTMs often play with more license because there is less cutthroat competition to be there in the first place. The fact that the music is a release for them, rather than a full-time occupation, certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Whether classical music is your bag or something else, there is a lot to consider here. What do you think? Do you allow yourself to really enjoy your music? Do you think you’d enjoy it more – or less – if your paycheck depended upon it? Post a comment and let us know!
Bass Guitar, General, Guitar, Learning | JP January 22, 2011 | 
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