Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on March 20, 2014 at 5:01am

Good info. I can add that repetition is key, and that everyone seems to have a "magic number" - the number of times they need to repeat something before it sinks in. For example, my magic number is usually 3 (within a week). My BF is a 5. One poor old guy I used to work with had multiple health problems and probably some brain damage from that, plus he was a heavy drinker. But even he eventually learned new stuff for his job - took about a year.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on March 21, 2014 at 1:51pm

Repetition is indeed the the key Skeesix, I've found that as well. It's the same when trying to remember someone's name, if you say it out loud three times in conversation it'll stick. We're funny creatures.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 21, 2014 at 12:00pm

thanks this is great.  I didn't know you were an educator.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on March 21, 2014 at 1:42pm

Cheers Kid, glad it works for you. I'm thinking I'll do some more down the track.

And yeah, I'm a teacher, got the scars to prove it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Barsymes Cratchnee on March 22, 2014 at 7:20pm

Great information Patrick.   As a physician, I love this physiology side of playing music.  My brain works well for repitition as I seem to have a strange form of ADD with hyperfocus where I can play the same thing over and over again without getting sick of it.  Picking up guitar and playing hits a pleasure center in my brain like nothing else, even playing the same thing over and over again.  Unfortunately I sometimes don't know when to stop, but thankfully my wife is willing to remind me.  I seem to enter a time warp where 3 hours will feel like 30 minutes.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 22, 2014 at 7:53pm

Yep. It's called "flow." See the book of the same title, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, or this TED talk:

http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on March 27, 2014 at 10:16pm

Part II

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profiles/blogs/on-practice?xg_source=...

• ▶ Reply