The Shed, part 2

I discussed the concept of shedding in this blog post.   For me, shedding is a daily act.  In fact, it's a multiple times per day act, in that I have several shedding times and sessions throughout the day.  Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that I get more accomplished in breaking up one long shedding time into multiple smaller times.  For example, instead of one two- or three-hour session, I am far more productive if I have several 15- to 30-minute sessions through the day.  That was a big discovery for me, and perhaps even a bit counterintuitive.

Of course, there are good days and bad days in shedding.   Fortunately for me, there are fewer bad than good.  That said, I tend to become something between frustrated and depressed after a bad shedding day.  I realize on most levels that bad shedding days are indeed part of the overall balance and process, and when you're working on new and difficult concepts and techniques, there are certainly going to be days that feel like bad shedding days.  Perhaps the secret is that bad shedding days are just a natural part of the overall balance. It may seem obvious, but it's something of which I must remind myself all too frequently.

Additionally, I must devote time to each of my various guitar-family instruments.  When you have multiple instruments ranging from 12 to 36 strings, in multiple registers and no two having the same tuning, devoting time to each is key.  Not to mention differing nut widths and scale lengths on each instrument.  I'm still evolving in this area.  My current approach is to focus on two instruments per day.  Within a week, I've covered all of them.  This part of dividing time among instruments is still in flux; some days I cover two; some days three; some days I focus on and devote to only one.

Then there is the matter of learning the voice of each instrument.  It may sound like a simple concept, but I'm finding that truly learning the voice of an instrument can take a couple of years.  Learning an instrument's voice is essential to me.  I feel like I don't really know an instrument until I've learned its voice.  Once I have its voice in my head, I can better picture the potential of that instrument.  I can better place an instrument within a composition, a recording project, and pair it with others of my instruments.  Tuning and register are minor components of this.  A major component is simply the voice of the instrument apart from register and tuning.  Learning an instrument's voice is a kind of side-effect of shedding that instrument.  The more time I spend on an instrument, the more I learn its voice.

I'd write more, but it's time to get back to the shed.  More to come.

-kk

The Shed, part 1