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25 Jan 01 - 01:53 PM (#382322) Subject: Playing blind From: Margo This is NOT meant to be a bad joke, I'm serious here. My teacher has me playing "Way Down Town", a song that Doc Watson has done. I understand it is a sort of signature song for him. Anyway, I'm having a bit of trouble with one cross picking part, so I thought, heck. I'll do it Doc Watson's way - I shut my eyes. Damn! I play better that way. Anyone else tried that? Margo |
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25 Jan 01 - 02:02 PM (#382328) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Allan C. I have always told my guitar students to practice in the dark. It teaches them to hear the buzzes, the deadened strings, etc. and to feel the placement of their fingers. I never had anyone complain about this suggestion. I can only assume that it worked for them as it had done/still does for me. |
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25 Jan 01 - 02:05 PM (#382331) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Midchuck Are you telling me you're duplicating his break on that on the first "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album? If you are doing that, you are entitled to expect to be worshipped as a god in various primitive societies! Peter. |
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25 Jan 01 - 02:06 PM (#382332) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Jim Krause I'm about half blind anyhow. I don't know where I got the habit of looking up and off to the right when I play, but I seldom look at my fingers when playing guitar, and never at all when I'm playing fiddle. Jim |
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25 Jan 01 - 02:38 PM (#382353) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Bert Just don't close your eyes if you're playing to an audience. It looks really tacky. I look at my fingers for occasional chords such as B7. |
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25 Jan 01 - 02:50 PM (#382363) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Jim Krause I agree about closing one's eyes on stage. It does look tacky. Jim |
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25 Jan 01 - 03:24 PM (#382398) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Margo Oh yeah. I wouldn't close my eyes while performing. I've seen singers do that, and I felt left out, so to speak. Gotta have some eye contact with the audience. Peter, I don't know what break you're talking about, but the one I'm playing is very basic cross picking. I've just got to play it over and over until I get it. The book we're using is a Mel Bay flatpicking guide by Steve Kaufman. I picked up clawhammer banjo pretty easily, but guitar is work! Margo |
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25 Jan 01 - 04:16 PM (#382462) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Justa Picker I always play with my eyes closed, or looking up at the ceiling or off to the side away from the guitar. I find it distracting to look at the guitar or the fret board while playing because it interupts my "flow". You develop an instintive "feel" for the string placements and fret board positions. (I've also spent a considerable amount of time during practise in training myself to keep my mouth closed -avoiding the "catching flies" look) and to not going through facial contortions or gyrations when playing difficult string runs or passages. (You not only want to sound good, you want to look good too.) |
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25 Jan 01 - 04:45 PM (#382495) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Midchuck My problem is not closing my eyes or not on stage...it's remembering not to yell "f***!" or "s***!" or "c*********!" in the middle of a break, when it gets away from me. Peter. |
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25 Jan 01 - 05:19 PM (#382521) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Margo Peter, I've heard of that happening! You probably better practice saying something else, or better yet, practice just going on without an explicative...? Margo |
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25 Jan 01 - 05:22 PM (#382525) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Bill D I have watched Doc Watson play onstage with Norman Blake, Dan Crary and Tony Rice...Doc's fingers moved the least...being blind, he CAN'T look down to place them, so he raises them JUST enough to clear the strings...which decreases the time it takes to do things..I'll bet it is part of his sucess |
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25 Jan 01 - 05:25 PM (#382528) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: mousethief Never looked at my hands. Gets me all screwed up. Alex |
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25 Jan 01 - 06:37 PM (#382611) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Liz the Squeak If you are visually challenged, as I am, just take your glasses off/lenses out - that way, you look cool and in contact with the audience, but hopefully they will just be a big coloured blur, and you'll be happy as if your eyes were shut.... Little tip though, when they start coming into focus, run like heck!!! LTS |
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25 Jan 01 - 08:23 PM (#382699) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: sophocleese I sometimes trying play in the dark as I want to sing out when I sing with my guitar and if I'm hunched over trying to see what my fingers are doing my voice will sound awful. I'm still just a beginner though and its going to take a long time before I get much better. |
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25 Jan 01 - 08:58 PM (#382721) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: McGrath of Harlow I think singers closing their eyes seems to be something where there's a different effect, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are.
Where it's not a comic song, I think it's probably more common than not for the singer to close their eyes back in the Old World, in folk music circles that is. If anything it's when a singer keeps them open and looks around that it feels affected and artificial, which seems to be the other way round to how Americans see it.
In fact I think that's one reason why, when I'm singing a song from a written copy, it never really seems to feel right.
So I suppose that means I'm playing blind too - never thought of that. If it's a tricky bit, I suppose I'd be looking to see what was happening. I'll have to check. |
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26 Jan 01 - 12:00 AM (#382805) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: rangeroger When I was taking flatpick guitar lesons, my teacher recommended the closed eyes trick when learning licks. That way you concentrate on the sound of the notes and your fingers develop the muscle memory to repeat those notes. He also taught me some mandolin finger excercises, where you play the scales by keeping your fingers constantly on the strings, never having more than one finger in the air at once. his keeps your fingers closer to the strings like was mentioned about Doc Watson earlier. rr |
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26 Jan 01 - 01:15 AM (#382837) Subject: Playing blind From: Clinton Hammond I don't know what "visually challenged" is, but if I take my glasses of I'm fecking near blind... But I rarely glance at my hands while playing... But if the mood strikes me I will close my eyes occasionally... and ya know what, Ya might feel left out, but if I'm that into a song, I probably want you left out anyway! LOL!! ,-) |
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26 Jan 01 - 02:41 PM (#383225) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Jim Krause I had a guitar teacher once who pointed out to me that the best guitarists kept their finger movements to a minimum, thus conserving energy, and making it easier to play quick passages more easily and fludily. Last night at band rehearsal, I noticed for the first time that I closed my eyes. I didn't like that, even though I realized it helped my concentration. I think I'd like to break that habit if it follows me onstage. As far as closing one's eyes while singing a comic song, I think I'd rather not, particularly then. I like to accent the joke lines with facial expressions. In other words, if the song is funny, the expression on my face should reflect the mirth of the lyric. Sorta like an actor would do. |
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26 Jan 01 - 02:49 PM (#383234) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Steve in Idaho Hmmmmmm - guess I do it both ways. If I am learning a new lick I look for comparable notes in order to decrease finger movement. But playing alone - guess I do sometimes but can't really recall why except that I am shy as can be when playing for people. I played for a band for a while and they used to hide me behind the main speakers :-) |
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26 Jan 01 - 10:41 PM (#383371) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Susan A-R Well, I don't even have to take off me glases to be "near blind" and have found that it isn't an issue with fiddle, but c'mon, how many of us look at our hands when we type? or how many of us get wicked confused if we do chance to try doing it by sight. And Midchuck, wouldn't people miss those little expletives if ya left 'em out? Geeze, I thought that was part of the "Revenge" image? Are you performing in the east any time this winter?? (groundhog's day is coming!!) |
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27 Jan 01 - 02:16 AM (#383480) Subject: RE: Playing blind From: Sorcha I do it a lot--helps concentration. People are seemingly always amazed that I can fiddle in the dark......well, there aren't any frets to look at anyway. I have to listen to see if I am OK on intonation, anyway. I do try to avoid in in front of an audience, tho. Sessions, practice, etc. it's OK to just close your eyes and get lost in the mix, as long as you don't lose your place. I do that, sometimes too, LOL! |