a tough lesson today. i just don't have a well developed sense of rhythm. we're working on this piece, and just the basics of swing time seem to be beyond me. just getting that intro grace note thing, the one before the first measure -- not easy. my guitar teacher is comping and i'm doing the lead from the textbook. Then, a long pause -- i hate long pauses! So easy to lose count or miscount. Then a measure that starts with a rest, and the lead begins on the second beat! screw up time!
i do not have swing in me! maybe i should study something in straight time. what would that be? folk? country?
i have a lot of fun improvising, but playing sheet music is just hard! of course my improvving needs more variety and more riffs, and I gotta learn them.... well, learning to play sheet music is just part of the game -- but not a part i'm very good at!
2 comments:
Most definitely learning new rhythms is tough. I recommend spending some time just listening. Then in the case of swing, try to think of the pairs of notes that make up the basic beat as two of three triplets - like a horse's gallop or something.
Aside from that just dogged repetition will eventually get you there. But then your teacher has probably already explained this better than I can.
yup, yer right on both nights. actually, today i practiced the piece and it went much better. i've noticed a few times that after a difficult session I play better the next day. i just had to go through the hard work to advance. still, when I play with my teacher, i know i'll have trouble following his comping. playing with another is what I find tough, rhythm wise.
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