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Playing Slow Archives

The Lightbulb Moment: Low and Slow
The Lightbulb Moment

The Lightbulb Moment: Low and Slow

Ryan Madora is back with a new “Lightbulb Moment” column. In this edition, Ryan talks about the benefits of playing slow - and even ties in a great food analogy.

The Lightbulb Moment: Take It Slow
The Lightbulb Moment

The Lightbulb Moment: Take It Slow

Ryan's long-running “Lightbulb Moment” column series is back with a new entry. This time around, Ryan focuses on the art of “taking it slow,” with an emphasis on all aspects of music - and life.

Practicing Slower Tempos
Ask Damian Erskine

Practicing Slower Tempos

Q: I don’t know about you, but when I was a younger and less experienced player, I used to dread playing the faster, up-tempo passages or songs. But that all seemed to resolve itself with practice, and now as an older – hopefully wiser – player, I have come to realize what I have should have been worried about were...

Talking Technique: The Power of Slow
Talking Technique

Talking Technique: The Power of Slow

A little while ago, I finished the creation of a 20-week course which includes an extensive technique practice section. Students had requested videos similar to what you see in fitness videos – a way to just follow along with the video. And this became one consistent part of each week’s program: I recorded “Practice With Me” videos featuring a variety...

Practice Slow/Practice Fast
The Lowdown with Dr. D

Practice Slow/Practice Fast

“Slow practice is fast practice” they say. To be sure, slow practice is a powerful strategy. Used by itself, however, it is incomplete. Ultimately, to perform fast passages well, we will need to have practiced them at full speed. In fact, if we are not careful, solely practicing a passage under tempo can drive us into a rut. It can...

Playing Bass… Slow
The Lowdown with Dr. D

Playing Bass… Slow

Every bassist, at some point, wants to learn to play fast. This is a reasonable technical goal to have, of course. Much music demands this sort of technical facility. Furthermore, if we want to be able to truly express ourselves musically, we must have this ability. However, fast playing isn’t everything, in fact it’s only one tool in our box....