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April 20, 2009
Practice
I’ve touched on this subject before, but I want to emphasize again the need for practice.
Singer songwriters actually have several skills they would do well to practice.
1. Singing
2. Songwriting
3. Guitar or keyboard playing
4. Performance
This may seem obvious, but I have seen many artists neglect one or more of these things, either through ignorance or arrogance, and consequently they never show much improvement in their overall craft.
Of course I’m not saying that practice will make you a star, but it certainly will never hinder you in your development as an artist!
Some artists don’t seem to realize that one can practice songwriting, or that proper vocal techniques can be learned and applied through practice. Many guitar-playing songwriters seem content to continue using the limited supply of chords they know, and seem reluctant to expand their musical knowledge.
What if you realize that you need to practice, but you don’t know what to practice, and you’re not sure how to proceed? Then you ought to consider taking lessons.
A good teacher will evaluate your skills and find the areas of weakness. They will then show you specifically what to do to improve.
(Those of you who know me may accuse me of subtle promotion, since my wife Sheryl teaches guitar, voice, songwriting, and performance skills!)
Posted by leonolguin at April 20, 2009 09:56 AM
Comments
Reality Practice:
The more you practice, the more you'll get the songs memorized, the more the songs are memorized, the smoother the performance, the smoother the performance, they'll think you're a pro, if they think you're a pro, you MIGHT get asked back, if you don't get asked back, then you just gotta practice...MORE!
Posted by: Sandy at April 21, 2009 12:10 AM