I've hit a plateau

wineaux · #1 09-12-2007, 11:46 AM

I've been playing the upright and taking lessons from a terrific teacher for about six months. Been having great fun learning, but in the last week or two I seem to have hit a plateau in practice. I don't seem to notice any improvement, and sometimes instead of being fun, practicing seems more like a chore. I'm guessing this is a temporary situation and that I'll work through it, but if folks out there have great suggestions, I'm all ears (and a few callouses). Thanks!

Andrew Grandahl · #2 09-12-2007, 01:23 PM

Practicing isn't necessarily supposed to be fun, but it certainly can be. Perhaps you've tired out the pieces you're working on? It sounds like you and your teacher should talk.

I think every musician has times when they feel like they've stopped progressing. I know I do, but I usually work through it within a few weeks. No matter what, if you play and practice correctly, you will improve over time.

el_mariachi · #3 09-12-2007, 01:34 PM

perhaps you could also look into finding other musicians to play with. That way you can take what you've learned and use it in a group setting. who knows, maybe you'll make a dollar or two in the process

BRIDGE · #4 09-12-2007, 02:40 PM

That's exactly the right answer, right there. Jam with other people, and you'll get so much more meaning out of playing.

Standalone · #5 09-12-2007, 03:26 PM

a two week plateau? I'd probably not call that a plateau.

I've never worked with a teacher, so I am used to slooooow progress, but I imagine that you have been used to rapid improvement with every week's lesson. You will still make large leaps in improving your playing, but I am sure that everyone hits a point early on when things slow down.

OTOH, it's awesome that you have the drive to never want to be at a plateau, even for a week. Perhaps it's those players who become the legends we listen to over and over and talk about for decades... keep it up!

JoeyNaeger · #6 09-12-2007, 04:47 PM

Once you get a lot of ground work out the way. It's pretty slow going from there. The best thing I can tell is be incredibly diligent about everything you do. Never let your pitch, posture, tone, or time get lazy and you will improve at a steady pace. Specifically, always make sure your body is relaxed, your motions are efficient, and your body is strong, but flexible. A lot of times, it will feel like you're not getting anywhere, but you need to trust your practice routine. Every now and then, you'll hopefully realize that you're a lot better then you were a while ago. This is all based on my experience so take it for what it's worth.

Nohandles · #7 09-13-2007, 06:02 AM

It has helped me to mix it up a bit when I hit the wall. Do some traditional and some progressive, jazz if you like it and by all means get out there and jam. You will be suprised how fast you will progress upwards after a good jam.

anonymous02282011 · #8 09-13-2007, 08:16 AM

plateaus happen. listening to some inspiring music can get you back on your toes.

**Damon Rondeau** · #9 09-13-2007, 08:21 AM

Every musician does the plateau thing their whole life long. You'll get used to it. It's a good thing, really. Your boredom is telling you that something's missing. Your challenge? Identify that thing -- those things -- and work on it.

Make music. On your own and with others. Make real music, whether it's sawing out a terrible "Yankee Doodle" or whether it's running "Cherokee" at high speed. The music is what it's all about. Record that music. Listen to it with brutal honesty. Identify the things that suck. Intonation? Time? Artistry? You'll find plenty of things to work on. If we're honest, we can all find plenty of things to work on.

After the evalution, you've gotta focus your practice on those things. General practice, where you do this, that and everything on a schedule for 5 minutes every day, half an hour, etc. can turn into a boring waste of time if it's not focused. You've got the rest of your life to practice. Does your intonation suck now? Then give special focus to it now. Is your time anemic and unsteady now? Focus on it now.

This will work. You gotta hang with it for the long term, though, through the ups and downs. Start making music right from the beginning; that's critical. Without actual music, the whole thing is a tremendous waste of time.

accutone · #10 09-13-2007, 09:01 AM

I will add to what others have said that everything you play, scales included, are music. Make it all musical and you won't be bored.

DocBop · #11 09-13-2007, 09:09 AM

This is wear keeping a practice log can help sometimes. You feel you aren't making progress, but many times reviewing your practice logs shows you are making progress. Also when we start learnging new things with generally start making large leaps in knowledge, but as we go along and know more those leaps become smaller, because we are past beginning leaps and into refining smaller pieces.

I wouldn't worry about feeling like you plateau'd slowing down to absorb data is normal and good. Many times its our subconscious brain saying hey I need a chance to catch up. Keep practicing and you'll hit another progress spurt soon.

txstatebass · #12 09-13-2007, 10:56 AM

Plateau's are normal. +1 to everything said here. Just look out for slumps. Those can be a killer.

Silversorcerer · #13 09-13-2007, 11:21 AM

Wow, six months! Burn it and buy a Harley!

wineaux · #14 09-13-2007, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

Wow, six months! Burn it and buy a Harley!

No way, Silver! Hitting something on a Harley would hurt a whole lot more than hitting a plateau with my bass.

Besides, I'd rather walk.

Standalone · #15 09-13-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wineaux

Besides, I'd rather walk.

Spoken like a true (jazz, at least) bass player.

alanbarnosky · #16 09-14-2007, 07:38 AM

I haven't been playing bass long enough or seriously enough to have hit a plateau yet...

But I used to be a serious classical guitarist. I often hit that plateau you are talking about, but often it was for a couple days at a time, then I would get back on track for another couple days... I would just feel like I don't want to do this right now, it doesn't sound good, I'm just doing the same excercises over and over and not getting anywhere... etc.

If this is something you are feeling, try something new. Make up your own excercizes, maybe based off of but different than what you have been doing. Find a new etude/piece - something short that won't interfere with what your doing in the lesson. Work on the tone of one note (how it sounds with different left hand fingers/positions, right hand fingers/positions). Really listen. Go in a quiet place, shut your eyes, and just listen.

This plateau is like a runner in training; the only part of the entire run that counts is the last 5 minutes when all you want to do is quit. If you stop your practices short, and don't focus as much, all the progress you have made so far will suffer.

Silversorcerer · #17 09-14-2007, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wineaux

No way, Silver! Hitting something on a Harley would hurt a whole lot more than hitting a plateau with my bass.

Besides, I'd rather walk.

Just testing your dedication.

Check back in 6 years or so. It happens to all of us. Try playing something totally different for a few days or hit the beach for a weekend, see a few good movies. Sometimes a short break will do wonders for your playing.