Why does havng a day off result in better playing?
Hi all,
I try to practice daily but there are times (like now when I'm on vacation) where I have days when I don't practice at all. The strange thing is that sometimes when I have a day off, the day after, I sometimes play the material better than ever before. I'm sure it's something to do with the unconscious mind or 'muscle memory' but I'm uncertain why it happens. Can anyone explain it?
It has led me to wonder whether a good way of learning might be to learn material A on day 1, material B on day 2 followed by material A on day 3 ad infinitum. In other words, leaving a gap between material may help it to embed?
Any thoughts?
Mark.
I had the same problem as you, and to get around it I try to follow David's sample weekly schedule for practice. Even if some days I have the time and desire to study more, I just try not to overdo it so I don't miss the next day.
Thanks Winslow. I'm sure you right about the mysterious workings of the unconscious mind.
Melanie...do you know where on the site I would find David's sample weekly practice schedule?
Mark:
Check out https://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/private/practice_-_study_9.pdf, the PDF from David's Practice Study 9, sample practice schedule.
The whole series of Practice Studies, lessons 1-10, is great.
Ukulele Rob plays Hohner™ harmonicas customized by Kinya Pollard, The Harpsmith™
Maybe your unconscious intellegence needs time to process all the data you feed it when you practice. it builds muscle memory, neural networks, and all the stuff that results in improved ability.