Guitar fingers lose sensitivity?
This may sound like a completely stupid question, but I was just curious.... Ok, so I have started to learn guitar. I have forced myself to play every day to make sure I start building my calluses on my fretting hand. While painful, it has been working quite well as I can play longer and longer without my fingers feeling like they are pushing down on razor blades. I guess the downside, which I don't know if it is permanent or temporary, is the slight loss of sensitivity on my finger tips. So I guess its one of those "isn't that what you wanted?" moments, but I didn't know if it was just during the "training" process or if its this way permanently. It effectively feels like I have gloves on my left hand. Little caps protecting the tops of my fingers. While it is great while I am playing, less pain while fretting, it is kind of annoying when using my hand for other things. Even just now, I used my left hand to pull some picks out of my bag and I couldn't feel them. Put on a latex glove and try to find something specific like that. Does the sensitivity come back to your finger tips after you have been playing for awhile and the initial "finger training" has finished? I mean, my finger tips are more caps of hardened skin right now instead of calluses since I have only been playing for 2-3 weeks.
How many hours is enough for practicing the piano every day, and is setting hours the best way to practice?
It really depends on what your goals are. Most concert pianists will tell you that they do between 3 and 5 hours per day. The world record must be held by Valentina Lisitsa who apparently does (and I'm going to spell it!)...THIRTEEN.However, it is QUALITY of practice that is most important and it is not possible for the human mind to focus for prolonged periods without a break. A friend of mine took lessons with a leading concert pianist who informed him that she did a total of 5 hours per day, but no longer than an hour at a given period. Her practice was interspersed with other activities so that she could always return mentally refreshed.What is certainly proven is that the person who does even just 1/2 an hour per day for 5 days a week will make much more progress than the person who does 2 1/2 hours just once a week. A little and often pays far greater dividends than a lot and irregularly. In other words, a schedule is vital, but it should be approached methodically: you decide what you are going to concentrate on in a particular session. My teacher always used to advise: "Resist the temptation to give yourself a concert." That can be reserved as a "treat" at the end of a genuine practice session.
How effective is ignoring as a training technique?
So.....I met my first "positive only" person the other day (I have seen a few here, but as far as I know, had never met one in person). Watching her in action, as well as seeing some of the YA answers lately, has started me thinking about people who advocate ignoring unwanted behavior as a training technique. Now, I will ignore someone elses overexcited dog as long as it does not jump on me or my dogs (in which case it will be corrected), and I will ignore my own overaffectionate dogs, but only after I have have made it clear to them that I want to be left alone. I will also ignore a shy dog when I first meet it, but simply because attention is unwelcome and overwhelming to such a dog. It seems to me that someone who just ignores a dog, without communicating in some way what behavior is desired, is, in effect, expecting the dog to read his or her mind. For a dog that is not particularly sensitive or needy its probably not a big deal - he will continue doing whatever he feels like doing, but for a sensitive, needy dog, who wants attention and realizes that it is being withheld, but has no idea why, it seems to me to be a rather unkind approach. It might be partly because I grew up in a family where nobody said anything directly (if someone was upset with you, you were supposed to figure it out from their actions, and somehow intuit what they wanted), and as a child I can remember knowing that I had done something wrong, but having no idea what it was, because nobody would tell me. This approach reminds me a whole lot of that. What do you think?
What are some great study habits to adopt?
Did you know:About 80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of February.Just like New Year’s resolutions, habits are easy to make but challenging to keep.Here are 10 study habits and 5 ways that will help you consistently follow them.10 study habits:Weekly prep – Plan your study timetable, print off readings, and mentally prepare for the week ahead. Spend an hour of planning to save several hours of procrastination.Get in the zone – Each time you study, choose a comfortable, distraction-free study spot, get everything organized and focus all attention on studying.Learn material in logical order – Sequence learning into smaller chunks that build on each other. Having a structured approach will keep you focused and motivated.Follow the Pareto’s law – Spend more time on the important concepts. Ask yourself, ‘Which 20% of my study material should I focus on to get 80% of my results?Reinforce what you learn - Recall concepts from each study session in your head or book a study session with a classmate and teach each other alternate topics.Practice, Practice, Practice – Complete practice questions at the end of each study session. This could be as simple as making up your own short quiz.Take smart notes – Good note-taking gets you thinking. Focus on the big ideas and write them in your own words for higher retention.Drink lots of water - Staying hydrated keeps you alert. Stick to water and avoid energy drinks that give you highs and lows.Take short breaks – Every 40-60minutes take a short break to help refresh your mind. Too much intensity for too long can cause you to burn you.Exercise your way to success – exercise has a massive effect on your ability to study. It’s shown to improve attention, memory, processing speed, and release tension.5 ways to consistently follow study habits:Start with small changes – Choose only two or three habits to start with and build from there.Know your ‘why’ – Have a meaningful purpose to make a change to your study habits, and write it down.Be accountable – Get a mentor or class buddy that you check in with each week.Make it hard to fail – Create a system designed for success e.g. book a study room in advance to encourage commitment.Track your progress – Review your progress weekly, and improve on it.Be part of the 20% that follows through.