Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with practice

From Theory to Practice

AvailableName — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:48:48 -0800

How can I learn to apply theories and concepts that I learn to real-world situations? I love learning new things. I learn and comprehend concepts and theories fairly easily. However, I find that I often stumble when it comes time to apply these.

As an example, I'm a programmer and I know Object Oriented principles, theories and best practices, but only because I've read about them. When I go to write a program, I can't make the connection between the concepts and the problem I'm trying to solve. I feel I don't know how to connect all the theoretical pieces together.

Has anyone out there overcome something like this? Any tips on how I can be a more practical person, using the knowledge that I have. Am I touching on the whole knowledge vs. wisdom thing? Are there general or programming-specific methods to going from theory to practice?

Musical intrument learning hacks?

mjewkes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:39:54 -0800

How should I go about learning to play the Octave Mandolin? I just recently purchased an octave mandolin from the Olde Woods Luthiers in Newfound Land.

I'm not so interested in bluegrass (what the instrument is most known for). I'm more interested in learning to play folk and celtic music.

I know a few guitar chords, and can play piano at an intermediate level.

What is the most effective way of learning an instrument like this? Lessons right away? Learn some chords, try to play guitar songs? Learn tabs? Just mess around with it every day?

Note that there isn't very much out there for books on the octave mandolin, and that it cannot be played the same as a regular mandolin - too much stretching of the fingers.

Learning Programming/Logic/Algorithms by Yourself (preferably practice programs to write)?

Javed_Ahamed — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:34:56 -0800

Im a Freshman Computer Engin. Major and I want to learn more programming/logic by myself. Any books/Resources/Sample Projects you might recommend? In class we have projects/homeworks we do (Im doing Java now btw) and that helps us learn how to actually program instead of reading a book and letting the syntax/logic pass over our head. However i feel like I want to learn some languages by myself and everytime i try to do this I always end up giving up or just not learning anything much useful in the end to actually program. So this is kind of a multi part question:

1. Are there any resources out there that give sample projects with answers or suggested solutions out there? I don't mind paying for anything.
2. Any resources to help build programming logic? Or theory? (Maybe things like Djkstras algorithm nicely explained comes to mind)
3. Also what languages might you recommend to learn myself? I want to learn something that is actually useful, and might help my resume. (not something like pascal :D). This also fits into what resources can help me learn these languages.

Thank you!
(btw this is my first MeFi question and Im not sure if its good enough. I am glad to be part of the Hive Mind at Last!)

Getting started with acoustic guitar.

By The Grace of God — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:06:05 -0800

So, this afternoon I am going to pick up my first guitar. What's the best way to get started? It's an acoustic guitar. I sing pretty good (have a couple of tracks on music if it's useful to hear) and would like to be able to write some complete songs. Of course I need to pick up the basics first!

Starting with tuning. I've got a pretty good sense of pitch but I'll want to be able to get this perfectly in tune, particularly early on as. Is there a good Mac computer program I can use to detect proper tuning? I have a condenser mic if that helps. Or should I buy a gadget? And if so, which gadget?

Secondly, I want some excellent guitar drills. Stuff that will strengthen my hands and get my muscle memory to the point where I can remember all the chords. Things that will get it so I can play fast and have lots of choices.

Finally, at what point should I take lessons? I'm very grateful that a fine folk singer/guitarist indeed is offering me some lessons in exchange for nerd-labour, but I don't want to take him up on that early on if I can do the very very basics myself. Do actual experienced guitarists agree?

I've been singing my whole life. Took some forced piano lessons at a young age but they never really took - three years in a gospel choir did more to raise my game than that ever did. Singing is very easy for me. From my vague recollections of piano lessons, the rather indirect translation between shit one does with one's fingers and sound coming out was never a smooth process. I've completely forgotten how to read music, too. :)

Would it work to RE-learn Piano AND learn Violin?

DetonatedManiac — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:39:42 -0800

Given that I have a somewhat substantial history playing the piano, how difficult would it be to take up lessons for the piano again after years out of practice AND start, for the first time, lessons on the Violin? How beneficial would such "cross training" be? How difficult would it be to find a teacher who could guide me on such a hybrid path? Other Thoughts? I have to say, from the start, that though I played for more than a decade, I never considered myself all that musical, so forgive me if any of this sounds overly simplistic.

I played the piano from when I was 5 or 6 up until I was 18... however I had many teachers and ended up with a quasi "Suzuki" method, never really learning to sight read or any theory. Also I quit for varying lengths of time due to power struggles with the parents.

It has been 5 years without seriously touching the keyboard and aside from the key movements of one or two of my favorite songs, I feel I have retained nothing from years of practice.

I kinda feel like if I take up a new instrument along with resuming piano practice it may allow me to practice the fundamentals of sight reading and theory on the violin while still playing the more impressive pieces I used to on the piano. Additionally I always loved the sound and sight of a violin, in all its forms.

Is this dual approach misguided or too simplistic? Does it have any merits? Are Piano and Violin theory and sheet music similar enough that this cross pollination would work or are they like oil and water?

Also, what should I do for a teacher (or teachers)? Two separate teachers or just one?

boomp tsch boomp tsch boooomp tsch

razdrez — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:44:54 -0800

Does anyone know of software that will "listen" to my drum playing via midi and show me where I screwed up? I have an electric drum kit that I primarily bought to practice playing on. Playing along with cds is fun, but while I'm playing, I have trouble telling if my tempo was off or if I missed a note, etc. Since my kit has midi-out, I'd like to find software that could analyze my playing or just offer drum exercises and tell me if I played right or not.

Any ideas? Googling only finds me software that's controlled by midi, not something that analyses it. Oh, and I am exploring hacking Rock Band to play along with...

Practice makes perfect

mullingitover — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:26:53 -0800

What are some activities that are like 'going to the gym' for your profession? Earlier this week I was pointing out that playing scales on the guitar is like 'going to the gym' for your playing ability. Playing the scales can be boring, but it helps you build up dexterity and takes the thought and effort out of it when you're trying to pick up new songs.

This led me to wonder what other exercises professionals use to keep up their chops. I'm interested in learning what it takes to be a better system administrator/programmer, but I'm curious about all professions: What do you do in order to incrementally build your skills in your line of work?

Learning new languages during my commute!

zippity — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:53:12 -0800

I'd like to learn a new language during my daily commute. What is the best language learning audio cd available? I spend an hour or two daily on my daily commute and would like to use the time to learn new languages (conversationally; I'm not too concerned with the reading/writing aspect at this point).

Most of the language programs I've come across appear to be for use on the computer, but I just want an audio cd that teaches words and sentences (ideally, teaches pronunciation, the english meaning of the word, and then a short silent duration to practice the new word/phrase aloud).

I know there are many free language podcasts available, and if there are any especially good ones I'd love to hear about them, but I'm really looking for an audio cd language program I can pop into my car cd player and listen to and practice with during my commute, instead of a bunch of mini-lesson mp3s strung together.

If it matters, the languages I'd like to learn are Korean, German and I would like to expand my English vocabulary as well. Any suggestions and recommendations are appreciated!

Fall down seven times, get up eight.

desjardins — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:35:05 -0800

I'm looking for really terrible creative works made by well-regarded artists. For example, Picasso's secret crappy drawings, or John Coltrane playing out of tune. I welcome examples from all creative pursuits from all eras: literature, music, art, dance, theatre, film, architecture, graphic design, etc. I've read that in order to succeed creatively, you have to be unafraid to create utter crap, and lots of it, before you find your groove. Practice makes perfect and all that. So I'm wondering, where is this crap? I realize that crap is highly subjective, but surely there are widely-regarded examples from the masters. I'm ideally looking for things created BEFORE they became famous; not AFTER someone had fallen from popular favor.

My aim is to take inspiration from the perserverance and self-confidence of others. Biographies about the struggles of creative sorts are also welcome as long as they have a happy-ish ending.

Remember this quote on practicing?

Silvertree — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:13:09 -0800

When I was an undergrad (the first time) I saw a quote on the door of one of my music professor's doors. The subject had to do with practicing and I swear it used the phrase "On Tackling the Beast". I think the quote was from a book but I can't remember. Sound familiar to anyone?

If I work out of my apartment, will I be my only client?

pantheON — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:54:21 -0800

Can I run a criminal law practice out of my apartment? I'm in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I'm currently articling (for my American friends, that's a mandatory one-year apprenticeship I have to complete to get called to the bar) at a mid-sized insurance defense firm. I've concluded that I want to get out of this area of the law and I'm interested in pursuing a career in criminal defence. I've been told that I'll likely have to take legal aid cases almost exclusively until I gain some more experience and can establish a full practice. My question is a narrow one: What are the practicalities of working out of my apartment until I can build a practice that can support office space. My apartment is in the business district of the city and about a 10 minute walk from the courthouses. Could I, for example, work out of my apartment, store my files there, and meet clients in public places?

Practice Makes Perfect

kjackelen05 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:51:45 -0800

Help me build a database of math problems to keep my skills sharp. I'm a mathematics major, and I'd like to avoid forgetting everything I've learned in my various math courses. I'd like to build a database of math problems to solve so I can get one a one-problem-a-day program to stay sharp. Implementing the system will be easy enough; I'll have the random problem of the day be my start page in firefox, which won't be hard. The problem is that I have no idea where to get a large number of problems to solve, and I have no interest in going through my textbooks and typing problems in manually.

Does anyone know where I can find this kind of thing online (preferably for free)? I'm thinking various calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability, and statistics problems. Obviously having a large number of problems is a crucial part of this, since doing the same problems over and over every few weeks will only help my memorization skills and not my problem-solving abilities. Problems in text format would be ideal, but images are fine too.

Which drum practice pad set should I get?

k7lim — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:23:07 -0800

Any experiences with drum practice pad sets? After moving into a small apartment and considering my options, I've decided to get a practice pad set. These are two sets that I'm considering: Remo and DW. Anyone know anything about these, or others? Thanks!

Is this the unauthorized practice of law in New York?

pikaboy202 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:52:06 -0800

Is helping family from New York prepare wills and trusts the "unauthorized practice of law" if I'm an attorney from a different state? I'm an attorney licensed to practice in MA. I have family in NY who wants me to write wills and trusts for them. Can I do so?

I read Judiciary Law Sec. 478 and 484 regarding the unauthorized practice of law and also the rules regarding pro hac vice. There seems to be a gray area between being able to petition the court to represent a client in NY even though you're not an attorney in NY and not being allowed to hold yourself out as an attorney in NY.

I read the rules as saying that a non-attorney or an attorney from another state cannot "advertise" their services in the state of NY without being licensed in NY. However, I am not advertising myself as a NY attorney nor am I trying to get clients from NY.

How is preparing wills and trusts for family in NY different than being admitted pro hac vice (for this case only)? Any NY attorneys want to give me some advice?

And man is my kick drum leg sore!

hector horace — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:11:56 -0800

Drummers! Give me some tips on how to practice without a kit at home. I've recently taken over drumming duties in my band (After years of guitaring I finally get to play a good instrument!)
Unfortunately I only have access to the kit on practice days, (twice a week), and don't have a kit at home.

Any tips/suggestions/advice on how to stay sharp/ work on shit between jams? I'm looking more for advice for the legs, since I can practice rolls etc on my practice pad.

thanks

What's it like to work in a gym?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:09:48 -0800

Should I seek an entry level job at a gym as an alternative to a short and brutish legal career? Would it be any better? (Another laywer hates the job. Anonymous to avoid potential questions from bosses and clients.)

I've seen the scads of questions about alternatives to lawyering. I've talked to law school classmates that left the practice. I'm pretty sure I'm going to jump ship soon. Among other things, I'm considering finding a job at a gym. I'm interested in fitness and think the "fitness industry," despite its flaws, can do good things for people.

Pros:
- I'm an occasional gym rat already.
- I don't like spending all day in front of a computer.
- I could use human powered transportation to get to work.
- I have decent sales skills.
- Potentially flexible schedule.

Cons:
- I'm over-educated.
- Family and colleagues will give me grief (but thankfully not the wife).
- Probable pay cut (but my current job is not all that lucrative).
- I know next to nothing about the long term possibilities in the field.
- I don't have a good sense of the folks I might be working for.

I'd love to hear your stories about working at a gym. Particularly, what's the difference between working for Gold's, Bally's, 24 Hour, and local independent gyms.

What's a realistic pay scale for various jobs? Realistic promotion potential? What's the best way to land such a job? My online searches give me generic career websites or "OMG Bally's sux!"

I've heard plenty of stories about lawyers leaving the practice. If you've got a particularly relevant or choice nugget of wisdom, I'm all ears. I've got plenty of other ideas that would potentially use my legal skills, but this question I'm looking for info specific re: gyms.

throwaway email = lawyeratthegym@yahoo.com

Thanks in advance.

Help me get started on guided meditation.

Ash3000 — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:47:53 -0800

Help me find guided meditation mp3s. I'm trying to make meditation a more regular part of my life (I'm not, at the moment, focused on any specific practice/tradition), and while I've read some great book recommendations in other AskMeFi threads on this topic, I haven't found any information on mp3s in which someone guides you through a basic practice. The only thing I've been able to find is this, which as best as I can tell is either real-audio or chops the instruction into separate files. Any help would be much appreciated - thanks!

Where can I buy the world's most amazing index cards?

mdonley — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 01:06:16 -0800

Index card quest! I'm looking for a very particular kind I've seen in the past: a small (smaller than standard 3"-by-5", like 2"-by-1"!), possibly pastel-colored set of cards that come on a single, small binder ring (not spiral-bound!) and are enclosed in a plastic cover (not a fabric one!), almost certainly with a snap. I lived with someone in college who used them to practice foreign vocabulary and they were fantastic because they were interchangeable, cheap, easily portable, and readily available at our campus (UC Santa Cruz) bookstore in 2004, which I can't reach this weekend as they're closed. Now I'm moving to Latvia at the end of the month (whoo!) and I'd like to be able to keep key words on the same kind of cards so I can practice my sveikas and paldieses on the go, or when I've got a down moment, or anytime when carrying a big stack of cards is otherwise less-than-good. Ideally the ring would be on my keychain all the time, so it'd be really quite small, and I'd cycle new cards in and out.

I've been to a Staples, an OfficeMax, and a Target, and I've looked all over the place online, and I CANNOT find them. It's not a hipster PDA, and it's not part of the Real Simple organizational stuff sold at Target. It is also not the Mead RingDex, which is too large for what I want to use it for, lacks a cover, and has an extra ring.

I have a hunch that if these exist anywhere, they'll be at a university bookstore, but not having access to one is hampering my search.

If you need an image, this is really close though they're too large, but imagine that the cards are held tightly closed with a snap of some kind. The size I'm looking for is about the size of a keychain-sized supermarket loyalty card.

Finally, I would really, really prefer to just buy them instead of making my own, because I'm super-busy this month getting ready for my move. Thanks for your help!

How to influence a web design team.

matholio — Mon, 28 May 2007 17:16:02 -0800

I've been invited to join a project team to redesign our website, as a technical resource. How best can I help the team ? My background is a technical manager, before that; systems, servers, operations, etc. I think I have a reasonable understanding of web server tech.

The other team members are from marketing, communications and senior management.

Our last website was done on the cheap, and everyone disliked it from the start, the cms was horrid and the general look and feel was cheap. we got what we paid for.

Due to changes in senior management, good growth, and and an altogether different attitude towards website value, I think this one will be different.

The actual design and host will be outsourced.

How critical is strict html and css ?
Where can I find typical SLAs regarding website availability and performance ?
What's normal regarding backing up of content ?
What about security patching ?
Which browsers must be supported ?
Do I need to stipulate anything regarding url rewriting, permalinks, and integrated syndication tech.
RSS or Atom ?

I have searched metafilter and theres a lot of interesting information, but I wanted to ask for current opinions.

Thanks all.

How do I learn better?

TwelveTwo — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 12:04:15 -0800

I want to learn how to learn more effectively and efficiently. What steps should I take to maximize my ability to master skills and retain information?

Re-learning Piano without dying of Frustration

ninazer0 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:48:13 -0800

I'm re-teaching myself piano and need suggestions for drills, scales and other practice material. It's been twenty years since I had a lesson and now I'd like to ressurrect some of my old skill. I need two things - basic drills, scales and other practice material, and also relatively simple (but not dumbed down) music to start adding into my repertoire so I don't die of frustration.

Ideally, I'd like to find free (of course) online resources. Classical music is fine (and has no pesky copyright issues) but - dear GOD - I never want to hear Fur Elise again as long as I live.

There's plenty of stuff out there for music, but I find it tends to be either too advanced (I got to grade 4 but sucked at theory) or not actually free.

Suggestions?

My fingers feel useless.

mittenedsex — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 21:50:24 -0800

Violin/Musician Filter: Help me whip my fingers into shape! [more inside] Background: Played violin for 9 years. Studied privately for 6 of the 9. Stopped two years ago. And by "stopped" I really mean "I have played the violin maybe 4 times since I graduated two years ago." FWIW, I'm 20 (so I guess relatively young).

I wasn't particularly diligent in terms of practicing, and even when I did practice, I wasn't half as careful as I should've been (in terms of pitch, positions, bow movement, the little things).

Having said that, I wasn't TOO bad. I wasn't the best, by far, but I didn't sound too awful, and I had a couple of obligatory violin pieces "mastered." (Lalo anyone? :-D) (And by "mastered," I really just mean "pretty decent to the untrained ear").

The Question: What can I do to whip myself into shape musically as a violinist? I played the piano for six years when I was younger and lost almost all of it thanks to my laziness. I don't want that to happen to the violin too though at this point I'm regrettably pretty damn close. I know that at this point in time, I have to pay extra attention to my posture, my bowing, etc to make sure I don't pick up any bad habits. Any recommendations on how I should best go about this? Any obligatory pieces or ways to practice? I have the Kreutzer, and the Bach. Should I just go through them slowly and painstakingly? I don't want to potentially screw myself over in the long run. I'm a broke college student and really can't afford to hire a teacher to reteach me the basics if I can do them myself.

How can I become less shy about my singing?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:51:50 -0800

I'm a fourteen-year-old cellist and singer who experiences no trepidation in practicing the former—in our finished basement or otherwise—but who is intractably reluctant to practice the latter, either upstairs with the piano or downstairs. This is beginning to present a problem. I'm good at both—not excellent, but good enough that my family, which is incredibly musical/supportive/thoughtful/artsy/loving/kind/etc. in every way imaginable, reassures me that I should practice however and whenever feasible and useful. (There's a certain amount of perfectly amicable logistical planning that goes on in this regard, because all four of us play or sing in some way.)

This is, therefore, not really a family issue, at least not directly, though I can't (yet) say whether it would be less problematic if I lived alone. (Obviously, out of the question for some time.)

This is not radical music we're talking about—Dowland, for example, which is both pretty tame and representative of my/our tastes in general. So conflicting taste isn't the issue.

I'm somewhat shy in other ways too, which may be related to this particular problem, if only tangentially. And yet I have no qualms about singing, alone or otherwise, as a sort of family activity—something we've done more and more over the years. It's just a matter of my own practicing, solo.

How, then, can I become less shy about my singing? I do have a voice teacher, with whom I'm very open, and who I think has a pretty good handle on my personality. Should I raise this with her, or with my parents directly?

My apologies for the length of this post—I've posted this anonymously for familial reasons, but I am, at any rate, rather new to MetaFilter.

Tickling the ivories is much harder with my left hand than my right

baltimore — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 08:17:03 -0800

How can I make my left hand stronger and more limber for piano? I recently started teaching myself some basic piano (all chord-based, so my apologies to the purists).

The right hand is progressing very quickly, but whenever I try to do anything with my left, it's like trying to coax life into a rump roast.

I'm sure this is just a matter of practice needed, but are there any suggestions to help bring my left up to speed with my right?

Background: I'm right-handed, but I also play a bit of guitar, where the bulk of the load is carried by the left hand, so mine can clearly be trained. Also, way, way back in high-school, my left ring finger was mis-set after a dislocation and has since had a slight off-center lean to it, making certain long-stretches more difficult than with the right.

Would it make sense to practice only with the left in the interim, until I catch it up with the right?

Advice in designing a web application for a self-taught developer.

fishfucker — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 23:20:59 -0800

I'm going to write a web application that, if it is successful, will need to be "enterprise-level" -- that is, robust, secure, and extensible. Given the limitations of my current skills, what can I do to minimize design errors? Lots more inside. Here's the deal: I'm writing a web application with a partner that is essentially a tracking and accounting program. My CS skills are primarily self-taught (I've only had the very basics of a CS education in college before I dropped out of the program), and I realize that this will mean that the design of the application will be less than perfect. The project is no-budget, so hiring experienced programmers and designers is not an option at the moment, however, in the future, I'd like to be able to bring professionals in to extend the code.

Simply, I want to build a functional proof-of-concept that will have as much reusable code as possible.

With that in mind, here are the specific questions I have in mind:

1. Is writing such a project in PHP a foolish undertaking? PHP is currently the language I know best. I don't anticipate us needing much more power than what the language is capable of -- since it's mostly storing form data in a DB and recovering it -- but I'm concerned because I've seen other potentially successful web apps fall victim to their own popularity. I'm mainly thinking of Friendster in this case, and how seemed to fall over under the weight of its own codebase (and it's lengthy rewrite), and I want to avoid this. Is it worth the potential code mistakes I'll make writing this in something that other people consider a more "proper" language but with which I am not familar-- like Python, for example? I'm planning to use MySQL as a backend because that's what I'm most familar with (and I don't think we will need more power).

2. Should I consider using existing libraries? For example, in a lot of the work I've done already, I've avoided using stuff in the PEAR repository because it doesn't meet the specific requirements I have. Is this a bad way of doing things? Should I instead base modules on existing libraries and extending them where they do not meet my needs? In short, is hand-rolling everything a mistake?

3. Can you recommend some good books that will help me avoid stupid design mistakes? I've already read a lot of the Joel on Software stuff (which seems more about software PM), and I don't really think I need to read about process (or do I?). Here's what I'm planning to do: get up a barebones proto as fast as possible and have some of the audience who's going to be working with this software evaluate it and give us advice for future iterations. The spec is going to be developed by the person I'm working with who is familar with the industry, so my knowledge of the "what" that the app needs to do is taken care of, but I'll be highly involved in the "how" -- that is, developing a good and very simple (essential for our product) UI.

4. What do I look to for security best practice? I want to take all precautions possible to make sure that the private data remains private. Backup, etc, I'll consider an IT problem, but I want to make sure that do things that are difficult to change later (like user authentication) right there first time. What's the best way to make sure passwords are encrypted in the DB and that cookies are difficult to spoof? How do I make sure my authentication routines are secure AND not sluggish?

5.Besides good documentation and modular structure, what's the best way to make sure that other people can work on code that I've (possibly badly) developed? I don't know if it'll be possible or smart to throw the codebase away after the prototype is completed -- if you think otherwise, please let me know. Is it ever a good idea to just write something as a prototype (that is destined to be thrown away)?

6. Everything is going to live on one server -- should I plan for an eventual distribution of server duties? Is this something a developer even needs to worry about? I've really never had to deal with this before, so I can't elaborate on this question.

Thanks, I'm sure I'll think of tons of questions later as answers come in. Unfortuntely, I can't really entertain any ideas of just having someone else do it because that would pretty much eliminate my participation in this project (which I don't want to do). It's not realistic either that I'll be able to somehow get enough education to meet the skillset of someone with a B.S. either, so although I appreciate responses advising that I gain some more academic experience before undertaking this project, they aren't useful for my current situation.

Anecdotal experience involving your own web application development (and business ventures!) is welcome.