Do you ever write a piece of music that you struggle to play?

[mellowsun]

I've been working on an acoustic guitar composition for a while now, but I can't actually play it properly - it's quite frustrating.

The piece involves right-hand percussive techniques, slapped harmonics and right-hand glissando (i.e. hammering onto a note with the right-hand index finger and then sliding to another note before hammering off). The left hand work isn't too bad, although there is some tricky hammer-ons where the first finger is hammering on and off to a rhythm while the fourth finger is playing a melody line to a different rhythm. Getting both hands to work together is the problem.

I can hear it all in my head, and can play bits of it, but putting it all together is proving a real challenge. Probably I should practise the left and right hand parts separately, but I wonder if anyone has any other tips?

I think if I was a piano player I would find this easier!

[musophilr]

Yes I've had similar to this. And I've had ideas that I don't have the skills to notate.

[Fazer]

can you play the whole thing slowly?
i dont know if theres any benefit to practising the different hands separately, i'd say just work through it slowly, so that your brain gets to learn how it all fits together and the coordination, and just do extra rounds on the tricky parts and the transitions

[mellowsun]

Yes I've had similar to this. And I've had ideas that I don't have the skills to notate.

I don't think I'm going to try to notate this one - I think it would require 3 staves ...

can you play the whole thing slowly?
i dont know if theres any benefit to practising the different hands separately, i'd say just work through it slowly, so that your brain gets to learn how it all fits together and the coordination, and just do extra rounds on the tricky parts and the transitions

Yep, no shortcuts! I've recorded a very rough version at the correct tempo just so I don't forget how the piece is supposed to (approximately) sound, but you're right, slow practise is the only way to get it down.

[Dulcetjones]

I've done that lots of times, and like everyone says, it just takes time and work to master it. Having said that, years ago I was asked to compose an instrumental song for an Irish ceremony to do with the potato famine. The song I came up with was the simplest song I've ever written, as well as being easy to play and it went on to become my most popular song. I wasn't even going to release a recording of it but put it on my 2nd CD at the last minute. It got airplay revenue from numerous sources, was transcribed for piano by a popular local musician, got re-released on 3 different compilation CD's....., not bragging, just sayin', sometimes you've got to step back and see if maybe you're making things too complicated.

[Nik Harrison]

Yep, no shortcuts! I've recorded a very rough version at the correct tempo just so I don't forget how the piece is supposed to (approximately) sound, but you're right, slow practise is the only way to get it down.

I've had this myself. Best way for me is to use a metronome (however slow it needs to go to be absolutely right), and just stick with a tempo where I absolutely can't get it wrong for a couple of days to get it really consistent and "assured", then knock the tempo up a couple of bpm at a time, until I hit the point where it starts to lose the stability. At this point it's best (for me) to pull the tempo back a bit, and stick with that for a couple of days, then repeat that process from the new (quicker) tempo.

One of the most difficult (but simultaneously empowering) attitudes to take to this kind if thing is not to ever focus on how long it's taking you to get it the way you want it. If it's well enough understood in your own mind how the piece should go, then it stands a very good chance of happening under your fingers, given enough time, but since we never know how much "enough time" is going to be, I find that it's best for me not to think about that at all.

Best if luck with it and post us a recording once its done!

[musophilr]

Nik, I've found the stretch & relax technique really works.

The methods recommended for "your own stuff that you can't play" seem to be the same as for "anyone else's stuff that you can't play".

[Nik Harrison]

Nik, I've found the stretch & relax technique really works.

The methods recommended for "your own stuff that you can't play" seem to be the same as for "anyone else's stuff that you can't play".

Pretty much, yes. But there is a different reference point with other people's music. There are other things which play a part when playing other people's music which are not there when trying to get your own ideas together. With other people's music there is the way we perceive other bands and players. Do we look up to them? Do we consider ourselves capable of performing as our heroes do? Etc...

With our own ideas it's far more an intimate and challenging "project"

[barney.]

anything like this i usually break down into sections, so maybe 2 bars at a time so when i get 1 to 4 done i will practice bar 2 to bar 3 to get the link,, and just carry on like that...or iff there is any bit im really struglling with i isolate it and just work on that then fit it back in the tune..

[Grunfeld.]

I'm okay with stuff that I'm writing now but listening back to some pieces I've recorded in the past and I'm truly puzzled at what I was playing and how the hell I was playing it.