Playing frustration

[chilievans]

I passed my grade 5 in the summer and now I'm onto grade 6.

The jump from 5 to 6 seems to be quite significant. There's a lot of semi quaver runs at high tempo which is prooving to be quite tricky.
My teacher told me "in order to play fast first you must be able to play slow". Fair enough I thuoght but it feels like I'm going backwards not forwards.

Nevermind moan over and back too it

[MiltyG565]

i find learning grades REALLY BORING! but, they really do help you develop. i would't get too wound up about it, you'll get there

[ezbass]

I'm sorry I saw the thread title and had a flashback to my childhood. Popamatic dice shaker, moulded plastic playing board.......

Back OT everyone wants to nail the pace first time, but going slow to 'clean' and fast is a tried and tested method. Walk before you run and all that. Stick with it, you've come this far after all.

[Doddy]

[quote name='chilievans' timestamp='1352539795' post='1864319']
My teacher told me "in order to play fast first you must be able to play slow". Fair enough I thuoght but it feels like I'm going backwards not forwards.
[/quote]

It's totally right. You need to be able to play accurately,which generally means playing slowly at first. It's easy to
blaze through something and be making mistakes-a lot of people do it. That's why you practice.It doesn't matter
if it's a grade piece or 'Teen Town' or whatever,take it easy and make sure it's right.

[BassTractor]

What Doddy says.

Here's why, and please forgive the lack of technical correctness:
Tthere's a physical process going on in the brain where more and more units, let's call them "cells", are reserved for what you're working on. When you make mistakes, these cells are programmed for the mistakes. You don't want that. You wanna program them for the right tones, technique and timing.
When more and more emitters and receptors and things are programmed for the correct playing, the brain speed augments and you can do the same stuff of the same quality at higher speeds.


best,
bert

[chilievans]

Thanks guys. Just what i needed to hear

[Bilbo]

Amateurs practise until they get it right.

Professionals practice unyil they can't get it wrong.

Drummers practice until the pubs open.

[oggiesnr]

On other instruments I play a lot of folk music including some Irish tunes. Many of these were originally dance tunes played at a dance tempo but if you go to a session you'll hear them played at breakneck speed and that's mainly because it's easier. Can't quite manage a passage? Tricky fingering? Well if you play it as a blur of notes no-one (other than a good musician who knows the tune) will be able to tell whether you got it right or not. My favourite irish fiddler is Martin Hayes who plays so steadily and yet so beautifully and you can hear every note and ornamentation precisely. In most sessions the following tune would be played anything up to 50% faster.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bKIE37gwQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bKIE37gwQ[/url]

Steve