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Report (or lack there of)

Not much going on . I have not touched my bass in days. Life is very hectic right now. Makes me glad I am not a professional musician. I can really appreciate the dedication it takes to maintain one's skill level to a point where you are at the top of your game all the time. I hope to get back in to things tonight, but also need to make a trip to town, so who knows.
Folks seem to be reading this although I can not imagine why. If you are a working/professional musician, my hat is off to you. Well done and keep up the good work.

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The Cheap Way to Find the Key of a Song

I was just thinking about how there is a pretty good way to discern the key of whatever song, and probably guess correctly. The cool thing is that this way doesn't really require knowledge of theory, scales, or even key signatures. Simply put: A good portion of songs start and end on the same exact chord. If the first and last chords were "G major," then you can bet pretty safe money that the key of the song is "G Major." Ditto for any minor chord too, like "B Minor." [Relative majors and relative minors make things tricky sometimes]

This nice cheat works a lot of the time. However, if you guess the wrong key of a song, keep this in mind: Music might be pretty boring if all songs always ended on the same chord they started with!

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U14 AA Full Ice Ringette Practice. 12 girls sure look lost on full ice.

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Shed Report

Good practice. Have been very motivated. Decided to only record my practices when I want to evaluate my progress. Have really begun to get inside chord and am looking forward to working on inversions. More importantly, this is doing wonders for my reading. Good stuff all around.

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Sheds

Practice going well. Finding the time, however, is becoming difficult. Also, recording and then listening to myself is a great benefit, but it doubles my shed time. I need to find a balance.

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Shed

Too much drama right now. Finally got to shed and laugh. It felt long over due. Humor seems to be playing a big role in my progress. If I can not laugh with something, why bother with it?

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Good Shed

Felt good. I really am making a conscious effort to focus on everything, but in a very relaxed and comfortable way. Not easy, but it will pay off.

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Shed Report

Last night's shed cut short. Life happens. No big deal. This evening is a different story. Worked on left hand permutations using multiple strings per sequence. This exercise is very worthwhile. At the beginning it was a bit awkward, however, it did not take long to come together. Felt very good even at higher speeds. I will definitely keep this going through all the permutations. I will need to work out a more formalized system of string combinations, however, so I can track strengths and weaknesses. Also, as with most of my practice drills, I noticed another problem. This time with the right hand. While transitioning betreen strings, my plucking pastern altered. As a response to this revelation, I spent the rest of the shed practicing strict alternate plucking while moving between strings. NO RAKING! This was unexpected, but workable.
It feels good to work throughmy short comings rather then "incorporate" them into "my style". I have decided to drop the notion that I have a "style". From now on, I give myself to the practice and let"my style" become a goal.

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Pre-Shed Warm Up

I have noticed that it really helps to think about my practice session before hand. It really keeps me on track and helps to not only streamline my session, but can also birth new ideas. Case in point, this morning it occurred to me to take my left hand permutations and spread them over 2 or 3 strings rather then doing all 4 notes on the same string. I am not exactly sure how this will pan out, but I have high hopes for it.
Still working on scales and ear training. Also, looking for a new song to learn. I know some songs, but I would like to avoid relearning my mistakes. I have a couple of Real Books that I may scan for a good candidate. Might even study/disect it (chords, progressions,...).
The variable touch thing is a bust. I have decided to keep my touch relaxed and consistent. I can work on that later when I have more experience under my strap.

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Latest Shed x2

Good sheds. Still working left hand permutations like crazy. Using various times and trying to groove them up a bit. Next, scale work with intervals following The Zen of Ear Training - Part 1. Feeling good. Also, working on a lighter touch with both hands, Actually it is more of a variable touch thing. Seems OK, but I may be over doing it. Need to evaluate it tomorrow. Can not wait to see what happens next. :-)

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