Office Hours with Jason / September 2023

Summary

Here are the questions and topics:

Playing Fills and Solos: When and how to add them?
More Workshops like the Backup Chord Workshop
Working with the Space You’re Given in a Song
Call and Response: How to Improvise?
Practice Consistency: Challenges and Strategies
Arranging Harmonies for Waltzes and Polkas
Fundamentals and Gaps in Practice
The Power of Playing Slowly
Structuring Your Practice Time
Juggling Tunes vs. Technique
Improving Bow Bouncing
Techniques for Extracting Rhythm

Playing Fills and Solos: When and How to Add Them?

Carolyn asked about the right time to insert fills. The answer is to listen for holes in the melody or when the singer pauses. Learning the melody, scale, and chords of a song can guide your fills and solos. Harmonizing with the singer, when appropriate, adds a vocal quality to your playing.

Learn more here: How To Play On Songs Workshop 2

Working with the Space You’re Given in a Song

Using vocals as your guide, view playing as a conversation. You can use various scales, triads, and chord ideas to fill the gaps in the song. Command of scales is crucial for improvisation.

Call and Response: How to Improvise?

Start by deeply understanding the melody, scale, and chords of a song. Be creative in the spaces you find. Carolyn shared tips on short-phrase harmony.

Practice Consistency: Challenges and Strategies

James discussed challenges in maintaining consistency in practice due to hand surgery and a break. The conversation shifted to focusing deeply on tone during such times. A framework for practice was also discussed, emphasizing items that can’t be done yet.

Arranging Harmonies for Waltzes and Polkas

When arranging harmonies, keep the melody at the forefront and focus on the elements of a song: melody, chords, and scale. Some songs require fills, while others need space.

Learn more here: Swallowtail Jig – Harmony

Fundamentals and Gaps in Practice

Not practicing for two weeks is an opportunity to return to the fundamentals like scales, techniques, and rhythms. Strengthening these will help you in the long run.

Practice Pipeline

Whether or not you’re forced to take a break, it’s good to review things you previously mastered.

Move them to the “Can Do With Effort Category”. You’ll discover that you can continuously improve the FUNdamental skills:

Scales
Technique (like picking, bowing, tonguing)
Rhythm
Chords
Note-reading
Ear-training, etc.

The Power of Playing Slowly

Slowing down is perhaps the most crucial part of mastering a piece. It’s simple advice but often overlooked.

Learn more here: Six Secrets To Violin Success

Structuring Your Practice Time

Use 20 to 25-minute blocks focusing on a song, skill, or scale. Don emphasized the importance of getting back to basics.

Juggling Tunes vs. Technique

Don’t stress about learning every tune for your practice group. Focus on learning one new song well and continue developing weak areas.

Improving Bow Bouncing

To improve bow bouncing, move the bow in small counter-clockwise motions, starting slow and gradually speeding up.

Learn more here: Bouncing The Bow and Bouncing The Bow – Intermediate Exercises

Techniques for Extracting Rhythm

Terry discussed techniques for better intonation, open-string bowing, and isolating rhythm from the melody to improve bow contact. Multiple methods can achieve these goals.

Learn more here: Fiddling With Rhythm Loops