What has helped improve yor playing?

[dwc]

I saw what I thought was a nice question posted on a violin/fiddle forum and thought I might bring it up here. What has helped improve your playing, and in what areas have you improved? In addition, how have these experiences impacted your playing?
For instance, lessons have helped me grow as an overall musician and playing with musicians better than myself has helped my rhythm. Recording and listening back to my playing has helped with my phrasing, my timing and my tone. Playing along to MP3s has made me faster, but I think I sacrifice some precision and tone.

[steve in tampa]

Stage time. The best motivator for practice........

[John Flynn]

I agree with Steve about the stage time. Onstage is where you find out how good you really are, which is often only about 80% as good as you thought you were in practice.

In addition, one thing that really catapulted my progress was finding a new genre of music I really liked. I had been playing mostly church music, plus a little bluegrass, rock and folk, for years. I was really getting stale and I wanted something different. I knew nothing about old-time and really had no interest in it, but a friend encouraged me to try it. I got hooked immediately and learned almost 100 tunes my first year, got in a performing band, etc. My abilities in the other genres of music have improved also, by "osmosis." My point is not necessarily that everyone should get into old-time, it is that getting yourself immersed in another genre, whatever it is, can be a real improvement experience.

"Standard" lessons have never worked well for me. I don't have the patience for them. However, I did find out that my favorite OT mando player/recording artist lives within driving distance. I had only met him once and he normally doesn't take students, but I called him out of the blue and asked if he would teach me. Our lessons are more like jams, but I have picked up a lot of technique from him along the way. Also, it's great to play with someone who is really, really good and who you admire. If you can get an experience like that, I recommend it.

[John S]

Perhaps the most effective exercise for improvement has been recording myself on stage, listening and identifying weaknesses and problems. Secondly, practicing with a metronome or Band In A Box or something similar, to improve timing and identify rhythmic problems and areas for improvement.

[Keith Wallen]

One of the things that has helped me was getting into a band with a great fiddle player. Listening and watching him realy helped me get out of a rut I was in for a while.

[ShaneJ]

I agree with all of the above. One other thing that has helped me improve is (for the first time in 30 years) playing scales and arpeggios - preferably with a metronome. Surprisingly, I've found that it's not as boring as I imagined it would be. I like to take 2 or 3 different exercises that can be put together and play them as one. For instance, the first "up and down" from the TablEdit Thile Scale Exercises, then "Pattern 1 Ascending" from Strangeland's Scale Patterns for Improv, then another descending pattern that starts on the E string 7th fret and uses the pinky on the 7th fret rather than open strings (can't remember where I got that one). These are in G. The Aonzo scales are good too, because they hit every key if you want too.

[luckylarue]

For me, spending three days w/ Niles was an incredible learning experience. He really takes a wholistic approach to teaching mandolin/music. I remember jamming the Grateful Dead's "Goin' Down the Road" for like an hour - and Niles played a virtual encyclopedia of breaks and ideas as we traded off and I tried to hang on! I recommend any sort of workshop or camp, preferably with a small group or one-on-one.

[Peter Hackman]

installing a pickguard

[earthsave]

Playing with others that are better than me and trying to keep up.

[ronlane3]

All of the above answers are great. I find for myself, it is the combination of all of this with a steady dose of picking with musicians that are WAY better than I am. I have been very blessed to have some very good musicians that tolerate my picking and encourage me every step of the way.

[jim simpson]

I'm nearing the end of my first year with a new group. They are the best group of talent that I have ever played with. I really had to shape up and pay attention with this band. For once I'd like to not be the weak link but I guess I'll just keep working at it to get better.

[Brian Ray]

Here's a list of things that made me the mando player I am today. I've tried to put them in order of importance but I really wouldn't exclude any of them.

1. Practicing (yeah I know... duh)
2. Listening
- this is #2 on my list for a reason... don't underestimate it's importance
- also includes watching - live/dvd/etc... seems like once I've seen it done, my brain sees it as humanly possible.
3. Learning fiddle tunes (songs)
- even ones I don't like
4. Playing with others
- you will never get real good without this
5. Recording yourself
- this is eye opening...