In doing a quick scan of my office desk, I see no less than six different lists spread across the table. Three of them are task based, one is a brain dump of guiding questions to bring up in a podcast interview I'm conducting later today, and others are savings and expense tracking.
You may or may not be as obsessed with lists as I am (my partner, Bear, makes it a point to not like them though you know I call attention to it any time he puts together a gear list for one of our gigs). And I have gone through many many iterations of planners before settling on one I like and that actually keeps me on track with my goals.
And here's where the parallel with music practice comes in. The reason why my planner is so effective is because it has weekly check-ins, quarterly check-ins, and clear reminders to keep an eye on those goals from day to day as you're writing your schedule.
If I were to throw the rest of my schedule out the window and use this planner as a practice journal, I think my accountability would skyrocket -- same goes for celebrating any wins or progress.
Liz Knowles talked about this in her newsletter LizNotes: about how we're so in the weeds in the day to day of practicing that we often don't realize any progress is being made. We also chatted about it for her return interview for my podcast Find Your Lilt, which is going to be going live on May 31st (you can catch up on older episodes and sign up to get notifications for new ones here).
Oftentimes I'll check off a task in my daily planner and while it feels good, it can look like a really small task on the page. Then I get to the end of the week, and think "oh wow, I actually got a lot done!"
This continues to compound when I look back at the quarter.
How often have you tried working on a tricky technique like a 3rd finger roll, slurring across strings or vibrato (for my classical folks) and after days and days of sounding meh it's suddenly just there?
Or was there a tune you learned years ago that was a real struggle and when it came up in your session this past week for the first time in awhile you flew through it without issue?
That's the regular practice and subtle skill building at work...
Weekly Tune Library Update
โSevens and Sean Ryan's are both live in the Tune Library! Fergal O'Geara's and Lucy Campbells are next up on deck to be released later this week.
Speaking of regular practice and subtle skill building... this is a big reason why the Tune Library exists to give you a consistent resource for learning tunes by ear and developing other helpful habits with your bowing and ornamentation choices. I don't often say "here's what bowing or ornament I recommend in this tune", but if you're copying what I'm doing in the videos then you're likely absorbing some of my ideas to add to all the other ideas you can mix and match from other sources too!
Upcoming Workshops, Sessions + Gigs
Put it in your planner! ๐ Here are a variety of in-person shows and online learning opportunities coming up in the next couple months:
Co-hosting the Sean O'Callaghan's session in Plymouth this Wednesday May 27th
Co-hosting an under-18 session at the Gaelic League from 1-3pm -- May 30th
Three live Zoom workshops through QDF SummerFest! Replays available and each workshop is $12.49
If none of the in-person opportunities make geographical sense for you, then I hope you'll consider joining me for QDF SummerFest either via the workshops, concert or both!
You don't have to love lists or document every single second of your practice in a log. Though if you do, then that's a wonderful skill to have! But definitely do consider something about your instrument that used to be a challenge for you that's now second nature or coming to you more easily.
Progress isn't typically linear. You memorize a tune and have it under your fingers for a few weeks. Then a new tune comes along that sounds similar and all of a sudden you can't think how the old tune goes. You revisit. You figure out exactly what note is your trouble spot and then focus your memory into keeping the two phrases separate.
And so on and so forth!
I'm really excited to share Liz K's episode with you in next week's newsletter -- I think you'll find a lot of ideas and encouragement to get curious and push through practicing plateaus at any level. What Liz shares is what we go through at varying stages through all levels of proficiency in our playing.
Glad to be in it with you!
~Hannah
P.S. If you're curious, I use the Full Focus Minimalist Planner. It's an annual investment, but I've found that the organization and clarity it brings to my daily life has helped me make back that investment and then some! Not affiliated with Full Focus, just enjoy their products!
Hannah Harris
I help aspiring Irish fiddlers find their lilt and get the real feel for the music.
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