Don't Just Practice. Play With Other People!

  

Why making music with other adults is one of the most rewarding parts of learning an instrument.

There's a familiar pattern I've seen many times over my 45 years of teaching music. Someone decides to learn an instrument, buys one, signs up for lessons, and starts practicing at home. They learn a few scales, some chords, perhaps a handful of tunes. They make progress, sometimes quite a lot of it.

But eventually, something is missing.

They've learned how to play their instrument, but they haven't yet learned how to make music with other people.

And those are two very different things.

Music Is a Conversation

When you play alone, you're responsible for everything. You decide how fast to play, when to start, when to stop, and what happens when you make a mistake. You can go back and repeat a difficult passage twenty times if you like. Nobody minds!

But sit down with three or four other musicians, and suddenly everything changes.

You have to listen. You have to pay attention to the rhythm, follow the melody, anticipate chord changes, and find your place in the music. Sometimes you're leading, sometimes you're accompanying, and sometimes the best thing you can do is play less and listen more.

It's a conversation, and like any good conversation, it requires more than knowing what you want to say.

This is particularly true in traditional music. Whether it's an Irish session, a bluegrass jam, a klezmer ensemble, or a few friends getting together to play fiddle tunes, the real pleasure comes from the interaction between musicians.

You begin to hear music differently when you're part of it.

Adults Need Musical Communities, Too

We tend to associate group music education with children. School orchestras, marching bands, youth ensembles, and summer music camps all provide opportunities for young musicians to learn alongside their peers.

But what happens when we're adults?

Many of us take private lessons, practice at home, and rarely have an opportunity to play with anyone else. Finding other musicians can be surprisingly difficult, particularly if you're a beginner or returning to an instrument after years away.

And joining an established jam session can feel intimidating.

You might worry that you don't know enough tunes, that everyone else plays faster, or that you'll make a mistake and throw the whole group off.

Here's something worth remembering: every experienced musician was once a beginner. And most of us still make mistakes regularly!

A welcoming musical community gives adults a place to learn without feeling that every note is an audition. It's an opportunity to meet people with similar interests, exchange ideas, discover new music, and enjoy an activity that has nothing to do with work, responsibilities, or the usual demands of everyday life.

Sometimes the friendships that develop around music become just as important as the music itself.

You'll Learn Things You Can't Learn Practicing Alone

Private lessons are valuable. They provide individualized instruction, help develop good technique, and give students an opportunity to address their particular musical challenges.

But group playing teaches an entirely different set of skills.

Listening: You learn to hear your instrument as part of a larger musical arrangement rather than as the center of everything.

Timing: Playing with others develops a sense of rhythm that no metronome can completely replace. You learn to feel the collective pulse of the music.

Confidence: The first time you successfully play through a tune with other musicians, something changes. You realize you can do this!

Flexibility: Not everyone plays a tune exactly the same way. You learn to adapt, follow someone else's interpretation, and occasionally find a new approach you like even better.

Repertoire: Other musicians introduce you to tunes, songs, and musical traditions you might never have encountered on your own.

Musical generosity: You learn when to step forward, when to support another player, and when to leave space for someone else.

These are skills that develop through experience. You can discuss them in a lesson, but you really begin to understand them by playing with other people.

You Don't Have to Be an Expert to Join In

One of the biggest misconceptions about group playing is that you need to reach a certain level before you're allowed to participate.

Nonsense!

A beginner who knows three chords can contribute to a bluegrass jam. Someone learning mandolin can play simple accompaniment while a more experienced musician carries the melody. A developing fiddler might play just a few notes of a tune until they're comfortable with the rest.

There's no rule that says everyone has to play every note.

In fact, learning to contribute something simple and musical is often far more valuable than struggling to keep up with a complicated arrangement.

Good group playing isn't about demonstrating how much you know. It's about making the music work together.

Why I Offer Virtual Group Classes

I've spent a good part of my musical life playing with other musicians, from classical chamber music to bluegrass bands and traditional music sessions. Some of my most memorable musical experiences have come from informal gatherings where people simply showed up with their instruments and started playing.

I want my students to experience that same enjoyment.

That's why Sweet Music Studio offers virtual group classes in addition to private instruction.

Our classes are designed to introduce students to different musical traditions, expand their repertoire, develop listening skills, and help prepare them for playing with other musicians.

Our weekly schedule is:

Day	Class	Time
Monday	Mandolin	5:00 PM
Wednesday	Klezmer	5:00 PM
Thursday	Celtic	5:00 PM
Friday	Bluegrass	5:00 PM

All times are Eastern.

Classes are hosted through our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@sweetmusic413

Of course, a virtual class isn't quite the same as sitting around a kitchen table playing tunes together. YouTube participants generally play along with the instructor rather than hearing everyone simultaneously. But it's an excellent way to develop a shared repertoire, explore musical ideas, ask questions, and become familiar with the traditions and conventions of group music-making.

Think of it as preparation for the day when you walk into a local session, take out your instrument, and recognize a tune you already know.

Our virtual group classes are included at no additional charge for students enrolled in the 60-minute private lesson program.

Music Is Something We Do Together

You can spend a lifetime studying an instrument and never run out of things to learn. There will always be another technique to master, another tune to discover, or another musical tradition worth exploring.

But you don't have to wait until you've mastered your instrument to enjoy making music with others.

In fact, I'd encourage you not to wait.

Find a few people who play. Learn some tunes together. Attend a local session, even if you spend the first few visits mostly listening. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Laugh about them. Come back the following week and try again.

The point isn't to become the best musician in the room. It's to become part of the music.

And after more than 45 years of playing and teaching, I still believe that's one of the finest reasons to pick up an instrument in the first place.

Come play with us!

To inquire about private lessons and our virtual group class program, visit the Sweet Music Studio Contact page  

Adam Sweet
Sweet Music Studio
Granby, Massachusetts

I Practice Every Day. Why Am I Not Getting Better?

 

Understanding musical plateaus, practicing with purpose, and learning to recognize progress.

There's a question I've heard countless times over my 45 years of teaching music.

"I've been practicing every day. Why am I still having trouble with this?"

Sometimes it's a fiddler struggling with a particular bowing pattern, a mandolin player who can't quite get through a tune at speed, or a guitarist who keeps stumbling over the same chord change.

They've put in the time. They've done their homework. They've played the passage over and over again, and yet, when they sit down for their next lesson, the same problem is still there.

Sound familiar?

The first thing to understand is that musical progress rarely happens in a straight line. There are periods when everything seems to come easily, followed by weeks when you feel as though you're standing still.

That's perfectly normal. But there are also ways to make your practice time more productive, and they don't necessarily involve practicing longer.

Practicing and Playing Are Two Different Things

One of the most common mistakes students make is confusing playing their instrument with practicing it.

Suppose you're learning a new fiddle tune. You take out your instrument, start at the beginning, play until you make a mistake, stop, start over, and repeat the process.

After half an hour, you've played the first eight measures fifteen times and the rest of the tune perhaps twice.

You've certainly been playing, but have you been practicing?

Effective practice involves identifying something specific that needs attention and working deliberately to improve it.

If there's a difficult passage in the middle of a tune, isolate those few measures. Figure out what's causing the trouble. Is it a fingering problem? A bowing issue? An awkward string crossing? Are you simply trying to play faster than your fingers can manage?

Work on that particular problem rather than repeatedly playing the entire piece.

Once you've made progress, put the passage back into context and see how it fits.

A focused fifteen minutes can accomplish considerably more than an hour of mindlessly repeating the same mistakes.

Slow Down. No, Really. Slow Down.

I've said this to students so many times over the years that I sometimes think it should be printed on the wall of every music studio.

If you can't play something accurately at a slow tempo, playing it faster isn't going to solve the problem.

Speed is something you develop through familiarity, coordination, and accuracy. Trying to force it usually introduces tension and reinforces mistakes.

Take that difficult passage and slow it down until you can play it comfortably. Pay attention to your hands, your timing, your tone, and the physical movements involved.

Then gradually increase the tempo.

A metronome can be a useful tool here, but don't become a slave to it. The goal is to develop a steady internal sense of rhythm, not simply to chase a particular number.

And remember that a beautiful tune played slowly is still beautiful music.

Your Brain Needs Time to Catch Up

Learning an instrument involves much more than memorizing notes. You're developing physical coordination, listening skills, timing, musical understanding, and the ability to bring all those things together simultaneously.

That's a lot to ask of yourself!

Sometimes you'll work on a passage for several days without noticing much improvement. Then, after a good night's sleep or a day away from the instrument, you'll pick it up and discover that something has changed.

The passage feels easier. Your fingers seem to know where they're going. A rhythm that previously felt awkward suddenly makes sense.

Learning continues between practice sessions as your brain consolidates new information and motor skills.

This is one reason I encourage students to practice regularly rather than attempting to accomplish everything in one marathon session.

Twenty focused minutes on several different days will often serve you better than two exhausting hours once a week.

Listening Is Practicing, Too

You don't always need to have an instrument in your hands to improve as a musician.

Listen to the music you're learning. Really listen.

If you're studying Irish fiddle tunes, spend some time listening to traditional Irish fiddlers. If you're learning bluegrass mandolin, pay attention to how experienced players phrase their melodies, accompany other musicians, and approach improvisation.

Listen for rhythm, ornamentation, dynamics, and the little musical decisions that give a performance its character.

Try singing or humming the melody you're working on. If you can hear the tune clearly in your head, you're already developing an important part of your musical understanding.

You can also listen to several musicians playing the same piece. You'll quickly discover that traditional music isn't always performed exactly the same way.

That's part of what makes it so enjoyable.

Don't Practice Your Mistakes

Here's something worth considering.

Every time you repeat a passage, you're reinforcing a pattern of movement. If you consistently play the same wrong note, stumble over the same fingering, or rush through the same measure, you may be getting very good at making that particular mistake.

Repetition alone doesn't guarantee improvement.

When something goes wrong, stop and investigate.

Try playing just the troublesome notes. Change the rhythm. Examine your fingering. Practice the transition between two notes rather than the entire phrase.

Then play it correctly several times at a comfortable tempo before moving on.

The objective isn't to see how many times you can repeat something. It's to make each repetition useful.

Play With Other People

There's another reason students sometimes reach a plateau: they spend all their time practicing alone.

When you play by yourself, you control everything. You can speed up, slow down, stop, start over, and change direction whenever you please.

Playing with other musicians introduces an entirely different set of challenges.

You have to listen, maintain a steady rhythm, anticipate changes, and adjust to what's happening around you.

You also discover things about your playing that you might never notice at home.

Perhaps your timing isn't quite as steady as you thought. Maybe you know a melody well but aren't comfortable accompanying someone else. Or perhaps you discover that you can play a tune much more confidently when another musician is carrying the rhythm.

These are valuable experiences.

One of the reasons I offer virtual group classes at Sweet Music Studio is to help students develop the repertoire, listening skills, and musical confidence that make playing with others more enjoyable.

The eventual goal isn't simply to become better at practicing. It's to become a musician who can participate in making music.

Give Yourself Permission to Have a Bad Day

Not every practice session is going to be productive.

There will be days when your fingers feel clumsy, your concentration wanders, or something you played beautifully yesterday suddenly seems impossible.

Welcome to being a musician.

I've been playing for decades, and I still have days when things don't go the way I'd like.

Sometimes the best solution is to put aside whatever you're struggling with and play something you already know and enjoy. Remind yourself why you picked up the instrument in the first place.

And sometimes it's perfectly reasonable to put the instrument back in its case and return tomorrow.

Music should challenge you, but it shouldn't become a daily exercise in frustration.

How Do You Know You're Improving?

One of the difficulties with learning music is that we tend to judge ourselves by what we can't do rather than what we've already accomplished.

As soon as you master one tune, you move on to something harder. The new piece presents new challenges, and suddenly you feel like a beginner again.

But think about where you were six months ago.

Remember when you couldn't change between two chords without stopping? When that fiddle tune seemed impossibly fast? When you had to look at your left hand every time you moved to a different note?

Those things may now come naturally.

That's progress.

I encourage students to occasionally record themselves playing something they're working on. Put the recording away and revisit it a few months later.

You might be surprised by how far you've come.

A Simple Approach to Daily Practice

You don't need an elaborate practice schedule, but having a little structure can help.

For a typical 30-minute session, try something like this:

Time	Activity
5 minutes	Warm up with scales or familiar exercises
10 minutes	Work on a specific technical challenge
10 minutes	Develop a new tune or piece of music
5 minutes	Play something you already enjoy

Adjust the proportions according to your needs. Some days you may want to spend more time on repertoire, others on technique.

And if you only have ten minutes available, use those ten minutes!

Consistency matters more than trying to meet an arbitrary daily quota.

Remember Why You Started

Most adults don't begin learning an instrument because they want another obligation in their lives.

They begin because they love music.

Perhaps you've always wanted to play the mandolin, rediscover the violin you played in school, learn traditional fiddle tunes, or become comfortable enough on the guitar to play with friends.

Those are wonderful reasons to learn.

Don't let the pursuit of improvement overshadow the enjoyment of actually making music.

Progress will come, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, and occasionally when you least expect it.

Keep practicing, keep listening, and find opportunities to play with other people.

And the next time you find yourself wondering whether you're getting anywhere, ask a slightly different question:

What can I play today that seemed impossible six months ago?

You might discover that you've been making more progress than you realized.

---

Come Learn With Us!

Sweet Music Studio offers personalized private instruction in violin and fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and double bass.

Lessons are currently conducted online through Google Meet, with complimentary virtual group classes included in our 60-minute private lesson program.

Adam Sweet
Sweet Music Studio
Granby, Massachusetts

Why?

 

I've been teaching music for more than 45 years.

That's a long time, and experience certainly matters. But if you're considering taking lessons with me, I don't think the number itself is the most important reason.

What matters is what I've done during those years.

I've studied and performed music across an unusually broad spectrum of styles. Classical music, bluegrass, traditional Irish music, klezmer, folk music, mandolin orchestra music and music from other cultures have all become part of my musical vocabulary.

And much of what I learned didn't happen in a classroom.

It happened by going places, meeting musicians and playing music with them.

Sometimes the Best Lesson Happens in a Pub

I remember being in Kilfenora, Ireland, playing bluegrass fiddle for an audience at Linane's Pub.

Think about that combination for a moment.

An American fiddler, in Ireland, playing bluegrass.

But while I was there, I was also learning.

Traditional Irish fiddling has its own vocabulary of ornamentation, rhythm and bowing. One of the techniques I encountered was the traditional Irish treble, that quick right-hand bow movement that gives certain tunes their characteristic articulation.

So there I was, bringing one tradition into the pub and taking another tradition home with me.

That's musical education.

Klezmer at the Great Pyramids

Another time, music took me to Egypt.

I had the extraordinary experience of preparing and performing klezmer music onstage in front of the Great Pyramids.

There is something wonderfully strange about that sentence even now.

Klezmer itself carries generations of travel, migration, celebration and memory. Then you find yourself playing it thousands of miles from home with one of humanity's most recognizable ancient landscapes behind you.

You prepare carefully for a performance like that. You learn the music. You rehearse. You think about the audience and the setting.

Then you walk onto the stage and discover all the things you couldn't possibly have prepared for.

That's part of being a musician, too.

Two Fiddlers in China

One of my favorite musical memories happened in Hebei Province, China.

I was visiting a musical instrument factory and had learned Ashokan Farewell. At the factory, I met a Chinese violinist.

We didn't share the same musical background, but we did share an instrument.

So I played a little of Ashokan Farewell.

Then she played a passage from the Chinese violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers.

For a few minutes, that was our conversation.

I offered her a melody from the American fiddle tradition. She answered with one of China's best-known works for violin.

The people around us listened with obvious wonder and responded with their own version of applause.

I still remember that exchange because it gets to the heart of what I love about music.

We didn't need to explain very much.

We played.

We listened.

We understood.

And Then There's Bach and Mozart

Back home in Western Massachusetts, I've had entirely different musical experiences.

I've performed Bach and Mozart with the South Hadley Mandolin Orchestra at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum in Hadley.

Again, it's a different world.

Different repertoire. Different expectations. Different ensemble skills. Different ways of listening.

But that's precisely the point.

I don't believe musicians have to live inside one little musical box.

A bluegrass fiddler can learn something from Bach.

A classical violinist can learn something enormously valuable from Irish bowing.

A mandolin player can learn from klezmer phrasing.

A musician studying a Chinese melody may suddenly hear something differently in an American fiddle tune.

Music has borders on maps and in history books.

It doesn't have many when you're actually playing it.

That's What I Bring to a Lesson

When I teach someone how to play a scale, hold a bow, produce a better tone or work through a difficult passage, I'm certainly teaching technique.

Technique matters.

But I'm also drawing on decades of playing with musicians in very different circumstances.

I've prepared concerts. I've performed them. I've played formal stages and informal sessions. I've studied classical repertoire and traditional music. I've had musical exchanges with people whose backgrounds were completely different from mine.

I've also taught students for more than four decades.

That means I've had a very long time to discover something every teacher eventually learns:

People don't all learn the same way.

A technique that makes perfect sense to one student may completely confuse another. One person needs to understand why something works. Another needs to hear it. Another needs to watch it. Another simply needs to try it until suddenly the physical movement makes sense.

My job isn't to make every student learn the way I learned.

My job is to figure out how you learn.

I'm Not Trying to Create Another Me

This is important.

I'm not interested in turning students into copies of myself.

Your musical interests may be very different from mine.

Good.

If you want to play bluegrass, let's play bluegrass.

If you're fascinated by Irish music, let's explore that tradition seriously.

If you want to understand classical technique, we'll work on it.

If you've always wanted to play a particular song and don't care whether anybody considers it appropriate "pedagogical repertoire," bring me the song.

There are fundamentals we need to learn. There are physical techniques that make playing easier and prevent bad habits from getting in the way.

But those things are tools.

The goal is music.

Forty-Five Years Is Really Thousands of Lessons

When I say I've taught for more than 45 years, I'm not asking someone to be impressed by the number.

What matters is everything contained inside it.

Thousands of lessons.

Thousands of questions.

Students who learned immediately and students who struggled.

Children picking up an instrument for the first time. Adults returning to music after decades away. People who wanted to perform and people who simply wanted music to become part of their lives.

And through all of that, I've continued learning myself.

Ireland taught me things.

Egypt taught me things.

China taught me things.

Bluegrass musicians taught me things. Classical musicians taught me things. Irish musicians taught me things. Klezmer musicians taught me things.

And my students have taught me an enormous amount.

I bring all of that into the room when I teach.

Your Musical Journey Won't Look Like Mine

Nor should it.

You don't need to perform klezmer in front of the pyramids.

You don't need to play bluegrass in an Irish pub or exchange fiddle tunes in a factory in China.

Your great musical adventure might be playing your first tune all the way through without stopping.

It might be joining a local session.

It might be playing for your family.

It might be returning to the violin you abandoned when you were 14.

It might simply be reaching that wonderful moment when the instrument stops feeling like an object you're wrestling with and starts feeling like a way to express something.

I've had a remarkable musical journey.

What I'd like to do now is help you with yours.

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Study With Me at Sweet Music Studio

I teach violin and fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar and double bass online, working with beginning, intermediate and experienced musicians.

Private lessons are available Monday through Friday. Students enrolled in the 60-minute private lesson program also receive complimentary access to four weekly virtual group classes: Mandolin Mondays, Klezmer Wednesdays, Celtic Thursdays and Bluegrass Fridays.

For information or to arrange a lesson, email sweetmusicstud@gmail.com.

Adam Sweet
Sweet Music Studio
Granby, Massachusetts