Motivation
Hi David
I guess you have been asked this question before. I am finding it hard to get motivated and into a routine with my harmonica practice. I have been on LOA achievements Level 3 for quite some time now and finding it difficult to move on . I guess coming from a Pucker player for 5 years them onto TB fully can be frustrating. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Tony
Hello David ,
No I haven't seen them . I have just finished watching level 3 practice study as that is relevant to the material I am currently working on . I will give it a go and hopefully re find my harmonica Mojo . Thanks
Tony
Okay, good, this is a good first step. The first of the series carries the most information in regards to practice approach and goal setting.
Are you currently playing with other musicians, or have a goal to?
Hi David
At the moment my goal is to get onto the level 4 LOA and have some new materiall to work on.
No I don't play with other musicians, and sto haveing monthly lessons with Kev from Leeds Harmonica here in the UK who is one of your credited teachers. So don't get to interact with others much . The monthly lesson thing is a financial one. And being Blind makes it hard for me to get out and play with others.
Thanks
Tony
Okay Tony, thanks.
First off, have fun.
This is your hobby... make sure to mix in work with play.
The areas that frustrate you, work on a little bit each day, but don't fixate on them, they will come with time and reps.
There's lots of fun material on the site (at every skill level), so take the the time to work on lessons that are more fun to you, even if they are not part of LOA. For an entire song study, learn a couple licks of the song, then stop and jam with those licks for a while (by yourself, or to a jam track if you wish). So, enjoy the journey in other words.
That's great that you're working with Kev. I recommend you speak to him and set obtainable goals and a timeline that makes sense for you.
Since you don't have an opportunity to play out (which is a great driver to practice tons before playing out), maybe set a date where you'll play the study song you're working on via YouTube. Tell your family, friends, and/or the community at BluesHarmonica.com the date... this will keep you working, and practice more because the date is coming!
With this said, some techniques (like bending) just need time to mature, so make sure you give yourself enough time when it comes to new techniques like that, that need time to simmer... no need for extra stress.
I hope this helps to give you some ideas.
Hi David,
Thank you for the advice I will take it on board. Never really thought about posting on You Tube and using the Blues Harmonica community forum more for my devlopmet more so I can get some real time feedback. Best Wishes
Tony
Hello Tony. Have you watched the Practice series? If not, check it out here: https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/practice_study_1 Let me know if you haven't... I can give you some suggestions.