Red Henry
You know, in many parts of the country, this time of year there’s not much going on musically– few festivals, few shows, maybe not even any picking parties to keep up your playing ability. In my case I’ve been distracted by flying a lot since November, and by late January I got pretty rusty on the mandolin. So what do you do?
I simply started playing some every day. Not a lot, because I didn’t have enough time and energy to spend an hour or two at it, but last week I started playing 15 to 30 minutes a day. And it sure helps! Just a short practice, every day, can get you back into shape without a lot of stress and strain trying to play for hours on end.
Now, I admit that the music comes back into my fingers easily partly because I’ve been playing for a long time. But even when I’d only played for a year or two and I was going to school, I found that when the schedule was really crowded, if I could play 15 or 20 minutes each day, it really helped.
You might not learn a lot of new material with short practice sessions, but you might be surprised at how you can preserve the skills you already have. Take it easy on yourself. Review the tunes from Beginning Banjo Vol.1 or Banjo for Misfits. So? What are you waiting for? Today’s 15 minutes starts now!
Red
Great blog, Red, and that’s what I’ve been doing. Some days I can put in an hour or two, and for the days that I can’t have a lengthy practice I always put in that minimum 15 to 30 minutes. The very next thing I do each mornign after I make the first pot of coffee is to take my banjo out of its case and put it in its stand. It’s a good idea too to keep your instrument(s) well in sight.
Steve
Right! If the instrument’s out and easy to reach, it gets played more. I often leave a mandolin with its case lid open, so that I can just pick it up any time.
Red