Practice (1 Viewer)

[oskarthestudent]

Some of my colleagues practice up to six hours a day, and they're only progressingly slightly faster than those of us who practice 10 minutes a day. I now play at about LMus level, beyond that even - and I haven't done any more than 10 minutes practice a day since 1999. I practice a piece for 10 minutes a day for a few days, leave it and come back weeks later, and I can find the piece is much easier to play than it was before.

hmmm. I'm onto you! when you say you play at about LMus level, did you actually sit the exam to qualify for that statement, or are you just comparing yourself to what you guess LMus level is like? Because what you dont see is the endless scales and technical works and theory and stuff that is required on top of the pieces an LMus student can do.

 

[oskarthestudent]

That's like saying that jazz is easier to play than classical!

You can't compare 2 completly different styles and say one is easier than another.

yeah, well what YOUR saying is that rock is just as valid as Jazz, which it simply isn't.

Jazz is actually an important style of music, it was devleloped and refined by some very very talented people. Rock is different. Rock started off (in the fifties) with a defintite 'dumming down' of Jazz music - they took the easiest thing about Jazz ever - the 12 bar blues thing - took OUT the complexities (like syncopation, difficult harmony, talent in general) - and made rockNroll. 1,2,3, o'clock...

 

[Emma-Jayde]

Rock started off (in the fifties) with a defintite 'dumming down' of Jazz music - they took the easiest thing about Jazz ever - the 12 bar blues thing - took OUT the complexities (like syncopation, difficult harmony, talent in general) - and made rockNroll. 1,2,3, o'clock...

So you're saying that Queen, THE rock group of the 80's, took the 12 bar blues and removed talent, difficult harmonies, syncopation. Are you completely serious? Do you listen to rock music? The vocal and instumental techniques used by Qeen are NEVER simple! They used COMPLEX 4 and upwards vocal parts PLUS a solo line PLUS the instruments which they all played. THIS IS 4 PEOPLE!!!!
And Queen is just the first group that came to mind. Don't even get me started on the rest. I could go on for hours about rock groups that are just as talented as some jazz groups. I could also find you a long list of jazz musos that remove every possible thing they can from a piece to make it simple.
I'm not saying that ALL rock groups are fantastic, actually I enjoy jazz more than most rock, but you can't generalise like you have.

 

[Phanatical]

keep those opinions to yourself please! 30-times-ten minute practices? whats with that?

how long between each practice? how do u work on a piece thats longer than 10 minutes? dont you find it ussualy takes about ten minutes just to warm up? I never heard of this 30 times ten minute block thing before ever!

hmmm. I'm onto you! when you say you play at about LMus level, did you actually sit the exam to qualify for that statement, or are you just comparing yourself to what you guess LMus level is like? Because what you dont see is the endless scales and technical works and theory and stuff that is required on top of the pieces an LMus student can do.

I don't do 30 ten minute practices a day. I do one, if that. Regular visiting of works is far more effective, in my belief, to the development of a musician than the constant repetition of it every day. If you listen to a piece once a day for a week, you will learn it almost as well as if you listened to it ten times a day for that same week.

That said, it is incredibly important to continue listening to the repertoire and analysing the pieces you study. In my opinion this is far more important than actually playing the instrument. And you can do this while doing other work.

 

[Jazz Man Tim]

My opinion Jazz > anything

but in actual fact, everything is different. So nobody can actually say which is easier, harder, better or worse than anything else.

 

[SamuelB]

yeah, well what YOUR saying is that rock is just as valid as Jazz, which it simply isn't.

Jazz is actually an important style of music, it was devleloped and refined by some very very talented people. Rock is different. Rock started off (in the fifties) with a defintite 'dumming down' of Jazz music - they took the easiest thing about Jazz ever - the 12 bar blues thing - took OUT the complexities (like syncopation, difficult harmony, talent in general) - and made rockNroll. 1,2,3, o'clock...

So what YOUR saying is that there are no complicated rock pieces out there and no simple jazz pieces what-so-ever? You arguement is that rock is not a valid style because it was derived from pre-existing music, right?. You are, however, kidding yourself if you seriously believe that jazz music just appeared out of no where and was 100% original at all times.

Whilst I personally prefer jazz over rock at almost ALL times, I am astounded by your arrogance. It is rather surprising actually, as people that appreciate jazz are open minded and intelligent...

 

[Bunny04]

Well, technically speaking all contemporary music be it Jazz, or Rock etc.. was derived from an earlier form of music...
and well- the thing 'no simple' jazz pieces is a little absurd... Jazz is usually improvised- You can do what ever the hell you want, inside a boundary... Its your own thing.. do however complicated OR easy as you like- where as Rock i must say is generally rather basic- always (usually) Quite simple, I haven't come across an extremley 'Hard' rock piece of music.
That said .. osakrthestudents argument is invalid. Stupid really to have that view, Yesh i prefer Jazz to most rock BUT what you're saying makes really no sense.
Rock was derived from the 12 bar blues... But hey... Jazz was derived from the classical/ modern era..
and with the Complexities 'Syncopation, Difficult harmon, talent in genral' Comment thats going no where either. Jazz can have a degree of complexity, and it may also not have... Jazz is based on improv.. if you don't get that, you don't understand the jazz concept very well..
STOP genralising the music... music is all different.. you can't compare two different 'eras' of music like that... its just... it doesn't work lol ^^

*cough* i was bored , hence the reply ^^

 

[SamuelB]

Good post.

 

[Jazz Man Tim]

I love Jazz

but comparing genres of music is just silly, they all have their merits, except for pop
Yes there are easy Jazz numbers, Yes there are hard Rock songs (though i haven't come accross any, probably because i don't play rock), generally i have found that Jazz is more challenging than rock, but that doesn't mean that one genre is better or harder than the other, both are different from each other and its a personal opinion of which one you like that counts... I like Jazz.

 

[demosthenes]

defintite 'dumming down' of Jazz music ......

The State rests, your honour.

 

[demosthenes]

Ok a few things oskar....
Like Tim said, comparing music is stupid. As most people know (if you read my posts), i am a jazz head through and through. But there are some things you should consider.
"Rock Music" is soooooo expansive and vast, there is no WAY that you can generalise and say that all rock music is simple. Sure, something like the Beatles or Elvis can be considered simplistic....but actaully, some rock music is bloody complex. Consider the polyrhythms used by Frank Zappa, the complexity of music such as Hendrix, the textual tapestry that is Queen....it is stupid to generalise and say that all rock music is simple.

You like jazz?
It began from....BLUES MUSIC. Rock began from.....JAZZ MUSIC, which developed from BLUES MUSIC. And most jazz greats nowadays see the only other "respectable" musical forms nowadays as CLASSICAL and DEATH METAL in terms of complexity. Michael Brecker for example has a respecatble collection of Shostakovich and Angel of Satan in his record collection.....
Then consider jazz fusion. Would geniuses like Miles Davis be "dumm" enough to fuse jazz with a lesser form (rock)???? I think not....
Then consider the simplicity of some jazz.....Wayne Shorter.....some of Coltranes stuff.....Mingus' heads......they are soooo basic it isnt funny

What is so "dumm" about rock?

 

[oskarthestudent]

I don't really care anymore. I was feeling argumentative when I wrote this stuff, and can't see why I bothered now. The one clever point from all this would seem to be that you can't compare music across genres. But It doesn't stop me sighing at the sad state of music today. Pop stars are worshiped, yet can anyone who worships them remember any pop music from ten years ago. Orchestras are undersubsidised and under funded, musicians of real caliber get kicked out of the music rooms at school, out of the concert halls and recording studios, get payed less than a librarian, for interpreting the artistic masterpieces of the geniuses of past ages. The only consolation is this: we all remember Bach, hundreds of years on. Who will remember Delta Goodrem, Kylie monogue, Guy Sebastian, in fiftey years?

I hope I can avoid temptation and stop picking on Rock from now on, because it isnt really the problem. At least rockers TRY not to be commercial.

 

[moo_moo_molly]

I love Jazz

but comparing genres of music is just silly, they all have their merits, except for pop
Yes there are easy Jazz numbers, Yes there are hard Rock songs (though i haven't come accross any, probably because i don't play rock), generally i have found that Jazz is more challenging than rock, but that doesn't mean that one genre is better or harder than the other, both are different from each other and its a personal opinion of which one you like that counts... I like Jazz.

What are you talking about!?!?! pop is heaps good!!




ahahahahahah

 

[jjames-hall]

in reference to the poll lol, less than an hour is good for me, keeps my calouses strong, fingers a-pluckin, pick speed up and helps to remember. Anymore than 30 minutes at most i see is eating up studying time

ps what has been said about music styles is true, its hard to compare. Some jazz can be simple (not as much as pop rock) as so can be rock. But that is generalising. people who say rock is bland and untechnichal are ignorant and havent looked deep enough into the genre

 

[corsair]

me.... practice about 1/2 hours on the kit and then about 40 mins on pads.... although thats for drums to your well worked out after that.... on top of that though there is the 2 x 4/5 hour "band" practice sessions....

jumping back an argument aswell, it all really depends what you play and how good you are at your instrument, i mean if your only just learning guitar just for fun i can't imagine they would be able to pull the same hours practice as someone playing piano for whatever grand plan they have.... drums especially you would be physically exhausted @ 6 hours a day...

as for the quote jazz being far more technical, it is metal/punk but have a look stuff like as i lay dying/lamb of god and even sadly some blink 182, verses the simple beat keeping of other jazz bands, it really depends on the artist and how they are trying to concey their message...

well that my opinion on it....

 

[MikiRei]

When I was at school - average 2 to 3 hours a day (this is piano)
Violin, on the other hand is whenever I get the time (since piano is major). Eventually, I stopped learning and only practice during orchestra practice (haha - which means I never practiced) or the night before the concert - yes, I know. I'm naughty.

Now? Hardly - don't have the time due to uni - and I'm regretting. It's funny how when you DON'T get the chance to practice and don't HAVE TO, you miss it a lot. Maybe I should combine my degree with music.....*shrug*

 

[Bunny04]

Hehehehe, isn't it strange how Uni just seems to TOTALLY invade your life? And make less time for practice.
Heck, I'm doing a major Performance music degree, and I still don't have time to practice enough - (5 hours supposed to be doing.. I get in about 3-4)

 

[lala2]

I practice round about 1 to 1.5 hours when I can manage it. Uni hours are killing me atm, so I only practice three times a week (four times every fortnight when I am dismissed early every fortnightly) but I make sure I sit down and actually do stuff, and not procrastinate so I'm progressing quite well, actually.

 

[charlio]

Always less than an hour! About 30 minutes usually, sometimes even less.

 

[phatic]

I usually spend my whole day between practising and composing, with a few breaks for food. Now that I'm playing two instruments it's much easier, as there is a bit more variety to keep my mind stimulated.

For those who are studying music at uni, do you also have a social life and other commitments, which makes less time for practise?