🎧 What has recording yourself taught you?
The camera and the microphone are honest in a way our practice-room ears are not. Plenty of us record for lessons, for challenges, or just to hear where a piece really stands, and that first playback can be humbling.
💬 What does recording change for you?
- What did you first hear on a recording of yourself that you had no idea was there, good or bad?
- Do you record to catch problems, to rehearse performing under pressure, to keep a diary of progress, or something else entirely?
- Has hearing yourself back ever changed how you practice, or how you feel about a piece?
A recording is a mirror we can rewind, and for a lot of us it is the closest thing to a second teacher in the room. Let's trade what ours have shown us.
5 replies
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It has taught me that I will always hear things that need improving in a recording that I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. I hit the record button multiple times every time I practice. I audio record, rarely video record and I think video recording is something I could make good use of in practice.
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I am practicing in front of a laptop camera and microphones ALL THE TIME. Even if I'm not recording, the I use the image to discover issues with the hands, arms, posture, and most depressing of all, facial expressions, that aren't working. But then, recording adds immeasurable value to problem solving, musical expression, and overall effect of a performance. I just can't work without these tools. I keep a detailed plan and log anyway, and often plan the step of recording explicitly. In the end, it's such an amazing timesaver and tool for growth.
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Hi, when I first video recorded, it was a shell shock. I simply couldn't play well in front of a camera, even simple technique stuff. And when I added a metronome to the mix, well that really put a cat amongst the pigeons! I have improved the more I recorded and posted with supportive feedback. Cheers
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I record myself often because I find that what I THINK is good is not. It is a necessary reality check.
I see how poor my timing is - probably the first thing I notice, right after my awful posture. Then I notice where my tone is not good and my right-hand balance is bad. All those accompanying notes ringing out and the melody is buried under the sound. Then there are those little buzzes because my fretting hand is not accurate. It also points out all those little tricky spots that I thought I'd worked out but still raise their evil heads.
Recording has changed how I practice because it allows me to do deliberate practice and focus where I need it the most. I cannot say that it's changed how I feel about a piece, but if I didn't like a piece to start and was just doing it as part of a program I'm following, I wind up liking it less. I just want to learn it well enough to get through it, put it aside, and move on.
I've just started to play open mics, which I avoided like the plague before. To get ready for my first one, I just randomly picked up my guitar and hit record. Reviewed it, worked on the trick bits, and did again and again. I think it was a great help.