My personal progress these last weeks is I'm able to relax a lot better than before. Don't laugh, it makes a world of a difference! Between all that searching for the right note in the right spot, it's easy to forget releasing the tenseness of the shoulders and evrything. I'm (finally!) in a situation where I have to stop myself from further practice because there's something important to do (like, going to work, or watering the plants) and I just enjoy the physical feeling of playing my instrument. This is a major breakthrough for me. I guess our first gig is going to happen in the summer because of that!

I'm scheduled for the shot next Friday!! Woo-Hoo!!

That is tremendously important, and something that only comes with practice to the point where you feel comfortable with the instrument and what you're currently doing with it.

I encountered an idea recently that made a distinction between "practice" and "learning." Learning is always tense. You're concentrating on getting the notes, the timing, all correct. Once those are pretty well in place, you can start to relax and the articulations, dynamics and expression come to the fore.

Thoughts on 'practice', 'learning' & 'playing' put me in mind of a book I don't think I've mentioned on Stickist before? A forum search didn't find a match for author or ISBN, so I guess now one else has either?

The book 'First, Learn To Practice' by Tom Heany is an absolute gem.

A small book, a cheap book (even cheaper as an e-book), and a quick read that's well worth re-reading occasionally as a reminder about ideas & approaches that many of us already know are good, but which are so easy to let slip.

ISBN: 1072224461

Thanks, David. That looks interesting!

David - thanks so much for that recommendation. It couldn’t have been more timely as I’ve been doing a serious re-assessment of my process. This book dovetailed perfectly with some of the changes in my thinking, validated some of my self-analysis and allowed me to lean into some things I’d already started doing, but much more aggressively and purposefully.

In just three hour-long practice sessions my execution has easily improved by a factor of two. Doing the same on the drum kit is yielding similar results. The whole idea of looping only small parts is really a game-changer. Never focusing on run-throughs. “Chunks” from 1-4 measures, maybe 8 at the most, at a tempo that allows me to reach for perfection. Upping the tempo or incorporating more “chunks” only when I’ve worked out every issue, every flaw (as much as possible - perfection is a goal, not a destination).

I really began to dissect & analyze my weaknesses. There was a left-hand phrase that is played quite quickly, a descending diatonic run that started with a pair of notes a half-step/one fret apart. It lacked clarity that I only understood when I was practicing that one 4-bar section, and so slowly that I could see and hear what I was doing wrong. Because I was playing the second note almost like a hammer-on on a guitar, the energy was coming entirely from my fingers, not the hand & forearm. I then started playing them with the same technique I’d use if they were a full tone apart, engaging the hand, and voila!

If, when I pick up tempo, it loses clarity, I immediately slow down and re-engage that attempt to do it perfectly for 20 or 30 loops, then pick up the tempo again to see if it “sticks.” Rinse & repeat.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, I’m playing it noticeably better than when I sat down. That is SUPER motivating when I next sit down to practice. After a few days of doing this with various loops within the piece, the whole thing starts to come together. I’ve been practicing this piece for a couple of weeks strictly as a run-through, occasionally looping a troublesome section, and have made little progress in execution. Finding myself making measurable progress in every practice session is highly addictive.

This book is something I highly recommend!!

Glad to hear you like it so much & find it useful.

It's time I read it again. It's one of those books you can (& perhaps should?) revisit many times over the years, because those good habits are so easy to slip out of. I know I'm guilty of it.

It's funny (interesting) to me ... the talk has shifted toward playing sitting down rather than standing. I'm dreaming of doing the opposite - but I've got a gut that interferes with my playing!
I've got a flat belt hook pedestal which helps, and my weight loss motivator is simply to be able to someday play Stick standing up. Wish me luck.
Other territory already covered: I always tell my drum students to vocalize quarter notes when practicing. That way the pulse comes from the center of your core rather than trying to play it from your extremities. The difference in their grooves when they've done it has been instantaneous. This is something I picked up from Gary Chester's "The New Breed" book a long time ago. Simple, but brilliant.
Along those lines, Greg has always encouraged tapping a foot on quarters while playing - and tapping the non-dominant foot (in my case, the left). It works.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their progress, and to Steve for starting the thread! (I've ordered the book!)