How do you learn?

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  • #8014
    chazyvr
    Participant

    I’m curious how other beginners approach their learning.

    I’ve decided to progress song by song. I pick a song I really want to play, search YouTube for arrangements I like and try to master it. I prefer this approach to doing drills and lessons. This may limit how fast I’m improving my technique so I’m open to hearing how others learn.

    Charles

    #8020
    ukulele999
    Participant

    I keep trying to stick to one thing, but there as so many sweets in the shop I always start a new one before mastering the one I was working on. I wish I could be rigid in my learning but I guess that as long as I am learning something that’s what counts.

    #8037
    woodie
    Member

    I’m like ukulele999 in that I start one I really like usually up the point my brain won’t work or my fingers do what they want and make no sense. Then I look for another song that I like and start the process over. Then come back to the original song and it seems the break does the world of good.

    So in a sense once I get the hang of one I change to another without finishing the first..then end up practicing 2 for a while.. I just watched johnny b goode again and realised I hadn’t learnt the last bit at all.

    my advice is don’t forget other songs you have learnt, while learning a new song.. go back and play old songs or you will forget them or parts of them .. or that might be just my old age kickin in. most important take a rest if your not enjoying it or change up to something and come back.. but don’t give up if it seems to hard..eventually you will get it.. well so far so good for a slow learner like me. the lessons really are well explained iv’e found, I havnt yet used all the technical stuff here which I probably should.. I just pause and go back ..

    #8065
    fontenay
    Participant

    The best advise I can give is have a plan of what you want to improve on. Lets say you have half an hour a day to practice. Break it down into five or ten minute sections and work on different aspects say a chord progession that you find difficult. Spend time on strumming patterns with a metronome, picking ect. Pick a song that you really like and break it down into sections. Learn each section really well before moving on, and the best piece of advice is to take it SLOW. You will find the slower you practice the quicker you will improve and become a better player.

    #8113
    limadude
    Member

    I don’t think you need to learn a whole song necessarily, but be sure to set goals and reach them. I’ll master a song if I want to, but sometimes I just don’t.

    Many songs I just want to learn the chorus, but I don’t give up if the chorus is hard. The thing about ukulele is with practice you can eventually learn just about anything.

    #8135
    eatmyuke
    Participant

    i like to use guitar tabs and transpose to a ukulele 🙂

    #8466
    fistulle
    Member

    Hi Charles and everyone,

    Here is my approach to learning the uke based on experiences on other subjects, like chess, where I actually achieved something worth mentioning.
    Quiet a long post even if I tried to be to the point, but there’s so much to be said about learning so…

    I can give you a link to a very interesting article about learning, here, but I also recommend Andrew’s video about ‘how to master practicing”, here. He speak there about the Feeback loop for example.
    also, one of the most useful idea in any field you want to learn is to divide the whole in smaller parts to focus on, that’s what they call “Deliberate practice”.

    You can do it independently from your actual level, all you need to do before is to define REALISTIC goals with a timing.

    And that’s I think the most difficult part, the second one being finding appropriate and good material to reach them. Two things made harder by learning by yourself. But even with a professor, unless a committed one, this remains awkward. By realistic I mean : I want to play like Andrew in 2 months. This isn’t. but wat is ? is 2 years realistic ? 4 years ? probably I ll never will  That’s a difficult part.

    And then, what did he did to get there ? where to find the same material to learn ?

    So let’s get a bit more concrete now.

    My situation is easy, I am new to the uke (and music in general), so I start from zero 
    I plan to play 6 days a week, for at the very least 30 minutes, but I am ready to play two hours if I can.

    My goals are :
    – Being comfortable with my playing position and trying not to take bad habits.
    – Learning the most used chords and switching between them easily…. …on a few different strumming patterns…
    – … This to be later able to play “any” simple song ( by this I mean like three or four chords songs” )
    – Learning basic rhythmic things, key signature, and play it accurately -> metronome and counting loud
    – Learning some basic fingerpicking patterns and play them sounding cleanly before thinking of speed
    – Learning music notation and some important concepts (intervals, scales, how are chords made,…)
    – Learning the fretboard and where are the f.. notes 
    – ….

    I want to do this in the next 3 – 6 months, before trying my hand at other stuff. Accordingly, I divided my study plan in different topics, namely :
    – Chords
    – Fingerpicking
    – Strumming
    – Songs or music pieces
    – Theory

    Then dividing my practice time between those different topics, learning theory on my way to work or on lunch break.

    For the material part, I am using the book ukulele exercices for dummies, divided in three main topics : Strumming, Fingerpicking and learning the Fretboard.
    And for the repertoire part, Andrew’s site is top notch.

    I will stop here, you got the picture I guess. And I can always tell more on request 
    I have reached the 100 hours playing mark after roughly 10 weeks of play. We ll see if my recipe is working 

    Just a little advice of my own experience, worth what it is. Focus on a few things to give you enough variety, but not more. Jumping from one thing to another without mastering it is worthless and a fast track to nowhere. Having fun learning is important, mainly in something you are the only one forcing you to learn. BUT, short term fun should not overcome long terms goals in my eyes. I see the fun part when I can do something I could not the week before. This is priceless 

    Good luck and keep strumming 😉

    #13160
    donwest
    Member

    I love the sharing of ideas (about most topics) and I’ve experienced many of ideas shared here. I’m coming from being a classical violin player (absolutely no improvising) to the ukulele where things spill out all over the place and I love it. I’m 82 years old and have been playing ukulele a bit over a year and can’t imagine being deprived of practice with this lovely instrument. About 70 years ago, when I was struggling with the piano, my Dad said, “If you stick with it, it will eventually give up it’s secrets.”
    My Dad’s advice is the way I learn. Until I have memorized a piece of music I don’t consider it mine. I practice my songs daily and have three or four others to work on depending on my mood.

    Thanks to you all for taking the time to share….

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