Where do you practice your songs?

Subject: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 02:16 PM

Bit of a throwaway thread I know...

But it makes me smile a bit, 'cos frankly I leave my wordsheets in the loo, and practice everytime I go for a pee.

Practical because there are no ajoining walls, and it's away from he boyfriend - who will endure if he must, but sometimes can't take it...

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 02:45 PM

Must take a LOT of tea to learn a long ballad.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 02:49 PM

...I just take very long bathroom breaks!

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Goose Gander
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 02:53 PM

While walking the dog; while driving; while shopping for groceries (warning: this will terrify some people); at work when I think noone is listening (but usually someone does hear and comments - "that's nice" or "what the hell are you doing?" etc . . .); in dank, reverberating stairwells (this also will make some people very uncomfortable); even in the living room sometimes before I leave work.

You can practice singing just about anyplace if you can escape the noise and commotion of modern life.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Goose Gander
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 02:54 PM

I mean, 'in the living room before I leave to go to work' - in the morning, that is.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 03:11 PM

When I actually DO learn a new song these days, I generally settle in on a couch downstairs, spread out papers and autoharp paraphernalia, and go thru it line by line for 20-30 minutes....then I leave it awhile....even a couple hours will do... and come back and see where I am. My image of allowing the easy parts to 'settle in' and the fuzzy parts to be more obvious. I CANNOT have interruptions...thus, I don't learn while driving. (I may sing one I know pretty well in the car...just to solidify it)

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: breezy
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 03:19 PM

in the street with discreet word sheets

come and hear me on Friday 27th March at the Pumphouse folk Club ,Watford. herts. uk

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: BobKnight
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 03:25 PM

Away from everybody else if possible. Usually in the bedroom with the door firmly closed so as not to inflict my efforts on my long-suffering wife.

Once I've memorised it, it goes into the car repertoire, so I can sing/practice when I'm driving - again away from everybody else.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: RTim
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 03:31 PM

I used to sit in from of the TV watching Red Sox games, with the sound off - and learn songs.

Since I no longer have the TV station to do that, I have to listen to games on the radio.

Consequence is, I am not learning any songs at present!!

I used to learn while driving, but nowadays my journeys are shorter.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 24 Mar 09 - 03:33 PM

BillD - good to know you don't attempt autoharp while driving.

I sing in the bathroom sometime for the acoustics. But I face away from the mirror, cuz if I saw what I look like, I would never go out in public again.

I sing and play guitar (mainly) in the lounge. Music spread in front of me on trunk/table thing and laptop to one side ready to do searches for chords, and youtube versions so I can learn timing.

When I lived in US and was still driving, I sang constantly while in car.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 09:06 AM

I know someone who keeps a bodhran in the loo. (He lives alone and has very thick walls, it isn't to conceal a serious digestive problem).

I often learn tunes or songs on the bus. Either using electronic bagpipes with earphones or subvocalizing words while reading from a book.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 10:01 AM

at home,ocasionally in the car.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: GUEST,Mooh The Firefox Victim
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 10:06 AM

At home, in a room that I use for teaching music lessons. All my instruments, stands, books, gear, computer, etc, are there, it's well lit, has comfortable furniture, and friendly for creative and interpretive purposes.

Peace, Mooh The Firefox Victim.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 10:18 AM

First, to Vanessa. If she doesn't like it it gets shelved.

Second, to a Mudcatter friend and experienced reviewer - he often helps smooth out the rough edges.

Thirdly, in the car. I do rough recordings of the songs and play them as a drive, to sing along with - I have a 1 hour drive each way to work.

Fourth stage: As I go to sleep - I imagine myself on stage, singing the song. When I can get to the end of the song before dropping off and without "stopping" or repeating myself to remember the lyrics, then...

Stage Five: In the shower, to myself in my cubby-hole. And finally

Stage Six: I try it out at some gig where I expect to have a few friends around; I sing it for them.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: DG&D Dave
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 11:25 AM

In the shower or the car.
I used to work in a noisy machine shop where I could yell as loud as I liked which developed my shanty 'style'.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Jayto
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 11:32 AM

The bathroom has the best acoutsics. I have practiced in the bathroom ever since I started playing. Maybe that's why I sound like crap lol. No joking that is where I love to practice. Plus I can lock the door and noone can come in and interupt lol Priorities :)

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: JedMarum
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 11:32 AM

everywhere. But these are my favorite places:

on-stage
at home
in the car
while walking
while working in the yard

On-stage because often times I'm still learning while I am playing new stuff - and always I am refining music so on-stage is actually a legitimate place to "practice" new material. BUT I tend to do the new stuff at Pubs or more casual environments

at home because that is generally where I write

in the car because when I am learning lyrics I play them over and over and over while I am driving to get them "hard wired" and to learn the phrasing

while walking because when I'm into a second mile my blood is super-oxygenated and my brain works best. So my ability to develop new lyrics (which I consider practicing) is enhanced.

while working in the yard because of the same reasons as in the car or walking.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: breezy
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 12:16 PM

And I thought Geo Papa always sang the 'new one' at Herga firstly.

Trying it out without any prompt sheet on single listener is always a good idea.

When I was very young I would try it in front of the mirror.

Then, one day,the mirror fell off the wall.

But I didnt stop singing until I had finished the song.

I lost 2 toes and the carpet was red for weeks after.

The song was 'Hopping down in Kent'

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 01:23 PM

When I was very young I would try it in front of the mirror.

Then, one day,the mirror fell off the wall.

These days even the furniture is a critic!

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 04:45 PM

when I lived in Virginia, I had a log cabin with a covered front porch and requisite rocking chair. used to sit on that front porch with my daughters and sing, alot. played guitar out there too.

I miss my front porch.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Bert
Date: 25 Mar 09 - 10:06 PM

In the car always.

Breezy - Watford! WATFORD!!! Ye gods I went to Watford Tech one year. I parked one morning when it was snowing. When I got out of class that evening, after a full day AND an evening class, I found a large notice stuck to my windscreen with hide glue. It stated that parking here was for motor cycles only. Unfortunately the sign was painted on the ground which was covered in snow so I couldn't see it when I parked.

After scraping the notice off in the freezing cold with the now hardened glue, I went back inside to complain to somebody. The only person still there was the principal. I was tired and cold and very pissed and I ripped him a new one.

He tried to fail me on my final exam, so I appealed to the Institute of Mechanical Enineers and they overruled him.

So much for Watford.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Darowyn
Date: 26 Mar 09 - 05:32 AM

I quite often sing while riding my motor bike. It's fine in the privacy of a full-face helmet, the acoustic feedback is quite good, though you get some funny looks if you stop to let someone across a pedestrian crossing.
My current bike is very quiet, but on my old two-stroke Suzuki 500, I used to find that I took the key from the engine note. This gave some odd results when I was changing down the gears for a corner, or accelerating hard.
Normally though, I have a music room at home, and I'm in there now.
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 26 Mar 09 - 09:39 AM

Practice??????????

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Mar 09 - 09:45 AM

When I want to memorize lyrics, I print them and tape them to a cupboard in the kitchen. I sing while I work, referring to the printed sheet as needed.

After the song is learned, the car and the bathtub are good places to put on the finishing touches.

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 26 Mar 09 - 11:20 AM

In the car
In the living room
In the kitchen
When I was with Shaty Crew - at rehearsals, and at warm ups before festivals
With I drift into Music Hall group, at rehearsals

But for some reason, never in the bath.

Also used tube journeys for learning words

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: sharyn
Date: 27 Mar 09 - 12:18 AM

In my bedroom with the door closed, sitting on the bed, the couch or the floor. In the recording studio while the engineer sets up. I sing while standing at bus stops, but don't practice instruments there. I used to sing while walking, but I am not taking long walks just now. I also sing along with recordings quite a lot -- especially to practice harmonies.

There you have it -- all my secrets.

Sharyn

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: JennieG
Date: 27 Mar 09 - 12:25 AM

In the car....but one does get some strange looks when stopped at the traffic lights, head back, singing one's little heart out......

There is 'car music' and then there is other music.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Where do you practice your songs?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 27 Mar 09 - 08:12 AM

Mostly while walking the dog on the beach. I listen to my MP3 player to get the tune and then have the words printed out to learn them.

Sand walking is very good for exercise anyway, but helps with breath control while singing also.

I also sing in the car and anywhere at home.