Hi Reader,

We're past the halfway point of the 5-for-30 Practice Challenge. Today is Day 16.

The middle is the quiet part. Nobody quits loudly. They just say "I'll play tomorrow."

So today I'm not giving you a lesson. I'm showing you my own practice.

I picked a tune I didn't know by heart: Westphalia Waltz. I read music fine. But reading a tune isn't knowing it. If I look away, it's gone.

So I chunk it. In Strum Machine, I loop the first four bars. I read them once. Then I turn away from the music and play by ear. Then the next four bars. Then I chain both chunks into eight.

I make mistakes. That's the point. The struggle of trying to remember is what makes you remember later.

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Try it on your own tune

Pick a tune you can read but can't play from memory. Then:

1. Loop four bars. Read them once.
2. Look away. Play them from memory. Miss some notes. Keep going.
3. Do the next four bars the same way.
4. Chain the two chunks into eight.

Too fast? Slow the loop down. Pickup notes tripping you up? Practice the chunk with them, then without.

Tell us which tune you're memorizing in the 5-for-30 Practice Challenge space on Heartbeat.

🎻 Play Every Day

Two workshops left. Workshop 3 is Monday at 3pm ET. Workshop 4 is the Monday after.

Missed one? Every replay is on The Ash Grove workshop series page.

Upcoming Events

Mon, Oct 19 · 3:00 PM EDT / 5-for-30 Workshop 3

Workshop 3 of the October practice challenge. Bring The Ash Grove and your own tune.

Tue, Oct 20 · 10:00 AM EDT / Weekly Meetup with Tom and Deb

Our long-running weekly play session. Everyone's welcome. Tune up and drop in.

Thu, Oct 22 · 3:00 PM EDT / Potluck Practice with Kathryn

Bring your own practice materials. We share and practice our own songs and skills together.

Fri, Oct 23 · 11:00 AM EDT / Classical Corner Practice Group

Relaxed practice on classical violin technique, led by Krista. Open to all levels.

Mon, Oct 26 · 3:00 PM EDT / 5-for-30 Workshop 4

The last workshop of the challenge.

Go to the Events page for login info.

🏆 Student Wins

Mary followed along with the Workshop 2 replay at home. By the end, she was "playing Ash Grove without peeking."

That's the whole method. Chunk it. Look away. Keep going.

One more. I posted a short of another waltz this week, Finn Jenta Waltz:

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🎻 Until next week, keep on fiddling…

Jason

PS: Thank you for being here. If you enjoy the newsletter, please forward it to a lucky friend. And if this email was forwarded to you, get your own ✨