Mandolin

I played the ukulele for my family at the reunion and discovered just how nervous I get when all ears are on me. I botched While My Guitar Gently Weeps. They didn't ask me to play it again. However, I did a little better on Ave Maria, and they asked me to play it a few times, each time sounding better than the last, which was good. I really wish I could've played While My Guitar Gently Weeps better because it truly is the better song, but I didn't try because I was too nervous. Maybe one day when I am better at performing, I'll play it for them again.

Then, I went back to the mandolin, which is my #1 priority right now. I went a few days without playing the ukulele, and then one day I sat down and decided to pluck around. Guess what happened? I played through While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Ave Maria flawlessly and they sounded great (by my standard). It's so frustrating that I can't play well when I most need to, but can when I don't. I am pretty sure that it's the pressure. Even when I am practicing constantly, I can't play as well as I did after a few days of no playing. When I'm practicing constantly, I pressure myself, which drives me to continue and persevere, but also seems to knock my skill down a little bit. What I need to learn is how to keep calm and relaxed at all times in order to play my best.

Anyway, I am getting much better at the mandolin. We have class once a week, so last week, we met for only our second time this semester. The first time, I was lost and could hardly play along with everyone else in the bluegrass band. I could do a few chords, but even then, I couldn't stay in sync with everyone else. I kept wanting to play at my own tempo. I need to practice with a metronome.

However, this last time, I was able to stay in sync and even do a break, which, if you don't know bluegrass music, is where one instrument breaks off and plays the melody while the others back it up with chords. It was a fairly simple break, though it wasn't the simplest, the one they usually expect beginners to play. I felt pretty good about it. I had practiced for an hour after the first class, then left for the reunion, then returned monday, and practiced that night, tuesday night, and wednesday night and came to class at least twice as good as I was the week previous. I intend to practice every day this week.

There's an experienced mandolinist in the ensemble who plays much more advanced versions of the mandolin breaks than I was given by the instructor. However, I found a more advanced version in our text, which I am guessing is the version he is playing. It's all fine and dandy that I had a simplified one because honestly, I had alot of trouble using a pick at first. Slower picking was more suited to my skill level. Plus, I was still used to the ukulele's fret spacing, so I kept missing the frets. However, I am much better than I was (though still a beginner), so I opened up the more advanced version and gave it a go.

I have gotten to the point where I can sight-read tabs without looking at the fret-board, though I usually just use the tabs long enough to play it by memory, but I often use visual memory, so I have to look at the fretboard as I play. However, this time, I sight-read it a few times just fine, then tried to play it while looking at the fret-board and I could hardly play it. I could play it better by just looking away and relying on muscle-memory. This has never happened to me before. Maybe it's a good sign. Either way, I was able to play the song without too much trouble. I would slip up once in a while, but I am definitely playing better than I did last week. After another day's practice, I could play it by heart fairly fast, with only a few slip-ups. I feel confident that by thursday, I'll be able to do a break with it, which totally blows away my pessimistic expectations. I thought it would take me much longer to get used to using a pick.

I think I am practicing more than anyone else in the ensemble. The instructor passed around an attendance sheet and had us put our practice hours next to our names. After class, a girl told me that she thinks that we practiced the most in the class. Then she said she practiced three hours. I had practiced five, which is a few less than I would've done if I hadn't been at the reunion. I learned from the ukulele that if you want to be good at an instrument, you have to practice it every day. When I only play the ukulele two hours a week, I'm lucky if I can maintain my current skill. Sure I can learn simple things in two hours a week, but advanced skills take much more frequent practice to learn and even to maintain.

Thus, I have chosen, and I recommend to all those reading (most likely nobody), to practice at least an hour a day. Sure, you can skip a day a week if you don't feel comfortable practicing on sunday, though I feel that practicing hymns and other sunday appropriate songs are appropriate as long as you are playing for fun. Now, a brand-spanking-new beginner has not yet learned to play for fun because playing anything still takes alot of effort. The ukulele, for me, is not that much work, so I thoroughly enjoy playing it. That is, unless I am practicing under pressure.

One thing I need to improve on in my practice is playing smoothly. Though I am getting faster, it still doesn't sound that good. The picking sounds stunted. I have it about down with the ukulele, but that's because I'm used to fingerpicking. I am not used to using a pick. For example, it takes some coordination to play softly. Why? Because the farther your finger or pick dips down beneath the strings before the pluck, the louder it will be, and it takes some precision to use the very tips of your finger or pick. A beginner will find himself occasionally dipping too far and giving a string a good SNAP sound. In other words, I can't yet play the mandolin quietly. Right now, I'm happy to hit the right string, but the coordination will come with time.

Another problem I have has to do with my mandolin. The tuning is funny. After I tune the strings, I test the strings against each other, pressing the seventh fret on one and comparing it with the next one, and they aren't the same. It's really frustrating because it's supposed to be a $200 mandolin. It's supposed to tune right.

Anyway, there's this week's story. Thanks for reading,

clevceo