Fingerprint and review challenge

[kate.kakadu]

My practice challenge goal was to review and ‘fingerprint’ songs I’ve learnt on my Fiddlehed journey so I can play them without the music. As I am progressing through the intermediate course and learning new songs, the old ones get forgotten – but as soon as I hear or start to play them I can usually play them all the way through. So I made this list, and a cheat sheet to help me review songs quicker and build a set that I’ll be confident playing with others.

[Mike Reeve]

That’s very organised and a good cross over between tune names and music. I’m even more impressed that you can play from sheet music, I think that’s a hurdler I’ll never overcome if I’m honest.

[kate.kakadu]

Thanks, Mike. Never say never though! I have improved in my ability to read music notation since starting this course.
But I’m only doing this for songs I have learnt and know how to play all the way through without the music – it’s just that as I learn more and more songs the recall of the tunes I’ve learnt a while back is slower. I need a trigger to remember how they start. I didn’t want to keep going back to the Fiddlehed site to listen to them, or flick through a printed songbook, so made the cheat sheet as a quick reference for practice. For people who don’t read musical notation you could screen shot the tabs for the 1st phrase of the song, or if you’re really technical, record yourself playing the first phrase and embed that as a hyperlink into the PowerPoint, whatever helps to jog the memory.

[Mike Reeve]

Problem is I’m not sure that I want to play from sheet music Kate. It seems like a chore that will just take away from my fun of messing around with the fiddle really. I keep having a little go at it and reading it is ok, but turning what I see on a page into a position of a finger on a string … that’s not something I think I’m going to get. If I’d started 20 years ago I would have learned it, but I really am impressed with people who can do it 🙂

[kate.kakadu]

Yes Mike, and I’m impressed with people who don’t need to read music to play. I think you’re right to want to stick to the fun of just playing. I’m really trying to just learn the songs so I can play anytime, anywhere, and not have to have the music in front of me.

And for anyone who is interested in using my sheet as a practice prompt, I’ve just realised I made a mistake on the titles: ‘Harvest Home’ and ‘Haste to the Wedding’ need to swap places!

[Fixkids]

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing. _Deb

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