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You've heard of "life after death"? Well, I'm still looking for life BEFORE death!
Sorry, must be the Jewish heritage oozing out of me.....

I moved from New Jersey around mid 1960's.  Haven't been back to visit any of those Southerners I grew up with as a youngster. I've heard they've cleaned up Hoboken, and that general area.  I miss the old days driving down the Garden State parkway visiting family wearing nose-plugs.  God I miss the good old days !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

,  I'm still working on life after birth.  Did I mention the other bumper sticker ?

"My Mother's the Agent for Guilt Trips" ?   I have it on the car she bought me !  Sort've behaviour modification therapy.



Yes, but my clock is set to musician time still.  The sun's starting to come up here in CT, so another great day is over.. Time for a good nights sleep !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

By the way, thanks much for the actual critique you gave one of my submissions.  I really appreciate it when people point out what needs improvement or what could be worked on. I have to be careful here, but geez, it seems that some people are--well, you know....and they get these raves. I wonder some times how helpful that is.   I'm just cantankerous tonight folks!

MJK,  Let me find a thread where ALOT of this has been discussed.  It'll give you an idea of what goes on.. This is a HUGE issue over in "Fluffers Showcase".   I'll bring up some past reading material for you regarding this issue.. There are REAL probs for those that DO want critiques.  Essentially it get's down to the maturity aspects. Many request Critique,  Few know what the word means, and can actually handle them, let alone know how to give them.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Yeah, I now it's kind of tricky because so many people so some really kind things about your singing but then Mrs. Miller or somebody gets the same comments and you wonder sometimes if you're any good or not? I'm not picking on anybody-I think it's wonderful that people can sing and be heard by their friends and in many cases I"m sure there are a lot of people for whom singing brings much enjoyment into their lives.  

I won't mention anyone's name, but for example, there is one fellow who I just adore even though his pipes are not all there, but geez, the guy phrases his songs beautifully, and I think he gets about 2 crummy feedbacks every time he puts something in.  From this guy, I learn a LOT about singing.

A lot of times, I pretty much know what was screwed up in my entries, but there are always thing you the performer don't hear and that is why when it comes to critiquing it's actually helpful to take the bad along with the good. It's not like most of us are pro's or anything!

(on a side note, I feel like that cranky newspaper reporter Steve Allen used to do)

Ah, Steverino,  I detected a pixish sense of humor to you that is indigenous only to us New Jerseysians. One HAS to have a sense of humor coming from there.

Cedar Grove- 1959-1961
West Caldwell- 1961-1966

Family in Englewood Cliffs, and Fairlawn.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Just a bit of trivia....

It takes us about 2000 repetitions to LEARN how to do something for the first time.  Sounds like a lot .. I know... but it IS true.  Now... think about those of us that learned to do something so it SOUNDED okay... or even ... learned how to do it to get by .. but we really weren't doing it right.  And.... now.... add to those first 2000 repetitions all the times we've repeatedly done it "wrong".   Like walking or talking, or dribbling a ball, or learning a golf stroke.. once we do it the way we do ... our brain has learned a pattern.  And... because we do it well enough to get by .. we think its probably okay to do it the way we always have done it.  I run into this with folks with speech/language/voice problems ALL the time.  With young children... its the reason so many have learning difficulties.. or speech/articulation problems.  They've practiced WRONG for so long.. their brains just fight any "alteration" to the way it "knows" how to do something.

Now ... here's the kicker.  To RELEARN how to do something... it typically takes about 5000-8000 repetitions ... to reteach the brain the new "pattern" ... and then.. add the 2000 repetitions to achieve "mastery" .. and you have a LOT of work .. to "relearn" and then habituate a new way of doing something.  

That's why it's really important to learn how do things correctly ... and if you aren't doing them correctly .. to find someone who can help you learn the "correct" way.  Now.. yes... in many cases ... there are a number of 'ways' do the same thing... but in general ... when it comes to singing.. there really is a "best" way.... and many with wonderful voices (instruments) can't get all that they capable of from those voices... 'cause they've learned and then PRACTICED .. sometimes for many many years... how to do it wrong.    

This may be what you've run into, Steve... when after 30+ years... you've sought out "lessons" ... and now... YOUR brain.. is resistent.  What you are being shown how to do .. or asked to do ...  doesn't feel "right" ... and it won't ... for a long long time... unless you can fight that ''preprogramming" that is already VERY engrained in your brain.  What you describe is normal... for any adult ... trying to "learn" something correctly ... when they've been doing it 'their way' ... for many many years.

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[shadow=tomato]If you want your significant other to pay attention to EVERY word you say::
  TALK IN YOUR SLEEP   [/shadow]  

Here's something more interesting, that likely makes the problem tougher. Up until I was 6 years old, despite the fact that I started piano at about 3... I was maybe 60-75% percent deaf from fluid buildup due to chronic abscesses, and pockets...(Adenoids and ears were drained when it was found out I wasn't just being a bratty obstinate child... *great medical awareness in those days*) ..

Before formal classical lesson's I became dependent on LOOKING at my fingers when I played.. The teachers tied cardboard under my chin, I just got frustrated.. The habit was tough to break, I didn't believe it could be done without looking .. So I was actually "psyched" out and at a disadvantage that way... As a kid, I thought MY WAY *WAS* the only way that can work, and everyone else was full of (@$%&#!)..  Consequently, I resumed playing by ear without the benefits of anything like the Suzuki method during that early period.  In HS I failed typing twice, for the same reason.  I kept looking at my fingers... College, flunked typing again.....  

I finally just caught onto how to type about 5 years ago without looking at my fingers... The reason ?  It was too frustrating having to lean forward in bed in the dark and look at my fingers at around 3AM when I was REALLY feeling lazy and wanted to yack on the bedroom laptop...Learning something different and uncomfortable was The lesser of the evils, and that was the impetus.. I just wanted to lay there in the dark leaning back on two or three pillow with the laptop on a tray over the bed...and yack.   I FINALLY learned... Took about 4 years MINIMALLY of hours and hours a day.... A year or two before I joined this bboard I finally learned to type really fast... (Without depending on visually watching what I was doing)...

AREN'T YOU THRILLED  LMAO

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I can type about 72 words a minute.  Was a student typist at the library working my way thru college... actually retyped the entire card catalog for the Special Collections section on year.  Ugggggghhhhhhh !!!!  But.... I have an admission.. I STILL look when I type numbers and use the symbols above the numbers.  For SOME reason.. I just never learned how to type them without looking.  I'm fine on a calculator.. don't need to look at that to enter numbers.. but on a keyboard... I HAVE TO look.  

Yeah... I'm THRILLED to hear you've mastered how to type in the dark, Steve.

Amazing what a motivator laziness is... huh?  

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[shadow=tomato]If you want your significant other to pay attention to EVERY word you say::
  TALK IN YOUR SLEEP   [/shadow]  

I'll type numbers without looking, but frequently need to redo initial attempts and feel my way down or up the numeric r0w.  (It's easier than finding the light switch)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Me, am  a two-finger typist

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm, carmel corn....  :drool:  :drool:

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All work and no play make Homer something something

I've been clocked at 110 words per minute! BOOGA BOOGA!! Seriously folks!