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Gretchen Saathoff

~ Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach ~ forging partnerships, making memorable music together

Category Archives: concentration

Backwards Day!

24 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by GretchensPianos in coach, collaboration, concentration, correcting sloppiness, directed practice, dynamics, fingering, focus, freedom, fun!, goals, health, healthy independence, improvisation, learning, longevity, motivation, music, new approach, outside the box, perception, piano, practice, practicing basics, priorities, process, risk, something new, teaching, tempo, the unexpected, tools, variety

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Music, pedagogy, teaching

Backwards day!

A delightful seven-year-old, arriving for her lesson, immediately announced “This is Backwards Day!”  Who knew?

I went with it, of course.  Resistance would have resulted in one unhappy student.  What actually happened?  We had tons of fun!

What transpired

  • We said, “Goodbye!”
  • We shuffled her books so the top one was in back
  • We chose a piece from the back of the book
  • She played the end first
  • We went backwards, line by line
  • “I love it” became “It love I”
  • Fast became slow, and vice-versa
  • Loud was soft
  • Cresc. was dim.
  • She tried a piece with her hands crossed (good practice!)
  • She taught me how to play something while she sat in my chair
  • She asked me questions like she was the teacher
  • And then we said, “Hello!”

Why backwards?

  • Backwards is good!
  • Start in different places
  • Vary repertoire
  • Play different dynamic schemes, different rubato, different tempi
  • Try the opposite if Plan A isn’t working
  • Find fingering backwards ~ where do you need to end?
  • Nail the endings by practicing them first
  • Practice movements, songs, and sections in reverse order for more flexibility and security

Why backwards works

  • Reversing the order of movements assures “equal time” when something interferes with your practice session
  • Going backwards is fun!
  • Shaking things up enhances concentration
  • The usual expectations of the same thing in the same way every day are avoided

Do you sometimes practice backwards?  Do you help your students mix it up?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★


My E-book

“Goal-oriented Practice” helps you practice backwards, forward, and upside down. Whatever works!

50% OFF!  Even my non-musician little sister says, this book contains NO JARGON.

Please click here to see the intro, T of C, reviews, and reader comments.

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I resigned!

04 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in balance, career, concentration, distractions, extremes, focus, freedom, goals, health, integrity, music, practicing, priorities

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steepgrade

Last week, I came to the decision that I needed to resign from my church job.

In the days that followed, it was obvious that this was the right move.

The atmosphere was chaotic, the supervision oppressive.  I had been unable to sleep at night, waking up in physical pain, with clenched fists.  I had become sick to my stomach on several occasions.  There were so many pieces of information competing for space in my brain that I couldn’t focus.  My practicing was affected, not to mention my ability to enjoy life.

Since I resigned, I have regained the ability to enjoy my surroundings.  I can listen to music and actually hear it.  I found that my soul is intact.  I have protected my integrity and the integrity of my playing, and feel optimistic about the future.

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“Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain”

10 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, career, computer, concentration, distractions, fatigue, focus, goals, health, music, practicing, process, tools

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Reset button.  Source:  Wikimedia Commons

Reset button. Source: Wikimedia Commons

A fascinating piece by Dr. Daniel Levitin of McGill University appears in today’s New York Times.

Dr. Levitin writes about the way we arrive at solutions, advocating dedicated project times interspersed with listening to music, taking a walk, or just plain daydreaming. He suggests that our brains, which assimilate so much more information with ever-improving data delivery, need to take breaks in order to function well.

He goes on to suggest that we check email, text messages, and voicemail only during certain times of day, turning off our devices at other times.

Very interesting!

Speaking for myself, I will hear my phone beep when a text message arrives or Facebook sends an alert to my phone.  I always want to know who it is!  I will stop doing whatever task is at hand, whether that is computer work, practicing, or something else like reading a book.  Then I will call the person back, comment on Facebook, or send an email.

During one recent practice session, I was awaiting directions to a rehearsal venue.  So I practiced with my phone on.  You can guess what happened:  I texted quite a bit more than I practiced.

I have turned off my devices for years in order to practice or get other work done.  It’s refreshing to read Dr. Levitin’s suggestions about doing exactly that.

What do you think?

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Got a box? Here’s why you need one!

07 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, auditions, career, coach, competitions, concentration, confidence, determination, distractions, emotion, extremes, focus, goals, motivation, music, observations, performing, practice, process, rehearsal, solo auditions, teaching, tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Andy Murray, Headache, sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, US Open

English: Bromo-Seltzer advertisement for heada...

English: Bromo-Seltzer advertisement for headache medicine. Lottie Collins sings Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-de-ay! after being healed by the medicine and this effect makes her to dance and sing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several years ago I went out to dinner with a singer/client.  Although she had a pounding headache, she was delightful company.  She was joking, laughing, and making wonderful contributions to our conversation.

How was she able to be so personable, considering that she had a headache?

Well, she was compartmentalizing.  I didn’t understand how to do that at the time. But I worked on it, and am now so much better!

Which brings me to the point:  What happened to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals at this year’s US Open?

He tanked!  There is plenty of video footage of him smashing his racquet against the court and screaming during his match with Stan Wawrinka. That was   between points. During play, he looked like a bump on a log. He let shots go without moving at all, netted several returns, and generally looked disengaged.

Don’t you think the spectators who paid for those expensive tickets expected to see both players at their best?

I should say that I have long thought Murray’s game was erratic.  He is extremely talented, but his widely variable focus and frequent lack of will make his game so inconsistent.

What would happen if he could put his frustrations in a box for the duration of the match?  Does he need to vent so much that it saps his concentration?

Try this:  When you are practicing and feel distracted, frustrated, angry at the company you spent an hour on hold with just now, or worried about something else, take out your imaginary box.  Put all of that in the box, then go to the front door.  Open the door, and place your imaginary box out in the hallway.

All your “stuff” will still be there when you’re finished practicing.  You can have it back if you want it.

By the way, the same procedure works just as well for rehearsals, auditions, juries, and performances!

Related article

Murray Loses Cool and, Soon, the Match

NYTimes.com 

Got a box?  Please share your thoughts in the Comment Section below!

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Extreme patience pays!

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by GretchensPianos in assembly, concentration, constructing a piece, correcting sloppiness, directed practice, focus, goals, learning, left hand, music, new experience, perception, piano, process, progress, rhythm, teaching, tools

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Chord (music), flute, piano, student

Patience (George Michael album)

Patience (George Michael album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my adult students broke so many long-term barriers last weekend!  This is the first time she has achieved consistency and sustained concentration.  What a lesson!

She started playing flute as an adult beginner, then added piano class about 2  years later.  When my piano class was discontinued, she tried progressing on her own at first, then started private lessons 6 months later.

So she has been plugging away for about 12 years now.  That is a huge commitment on her part.

Breakthrough #1

2 triads were marked to be played legato, but the top note of each was to be played with the thumb.  Instinct took over at last, and my student played the lowest 2 notes of each chord legato.  Definitely a first!

#2

Several right-hand notes happened to be below the staff.  My student, having started out playing flute, was not required to read below the staff for at least 2 years.  (The lowest note on the flute is middle C.)

Her usual way of finding notes below the staff is to say “one below C,” “two below C,” etc.  That works, but that was the only method available to her.

On Saturday, something wonderful happened.  She played an A below the staff right away, no calculation necessary.  Then, on the next system and 1/2 a page to the right, she played a G!  I was flabbergasted!  She just did it!

After she had finished playing the piece, I mentioned the feat she had just accomplished.  She shrugged it off because G is next to A.  I certainly didn’t expect that.  She has never thought notes below the staff could be easy.

#3

We were checking out the theme to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.  This was completely new to her.  She will be learning the Bastien arrangement over the next 2 weeks.

First, we looked at the triplets.  My goal was to remove the need to look closely at every note, since each triplet is part of a scale.

My student played each triplet, no problem.

Next, I asked her to add the next note (a quarter note) in order to eliminate a possible glitch in the flow of the music.  She did it!  She was able to look at the 1st note of each triplet, then move her eyes over to the quarter note.  She played each of the snippets perfectly the 1st time!  There was never a triplet, pause on the 3rd note, stop to figure out where the quarter note was, then play the quarter note.  (When a passage is learned that way, it is very hard to remove the glitch and find the line.)

After that, she played the entire melody.  I was so happy that no past fears crept in.

#4

In the theme from Sheherazade, the accompaniment in the left hand includes something that has been a problem in past lessons.  Two quarters in the top part descend to a half note, while the lower part has two half notes.  Everything is marked legato.  Holding a key down with part of the hand while changing pitches with another part of the same hand is not easy!  Again, she just did it.

And finally, a potential problem, nipped in the bud  🙂

When we looked at the left hand accompaniment in the Tchaikovsky, my student announced, “I’m not going to count the rests.”  So she “tried out” the left hand in that manner.

While she was playing, I thought about her comment.

“Trying it out” is a habit of hers that is hard to overcome.  It must feel safer to play so no one can really hear you.  It occurred to me that random chords allowed for random glitches, too.

After the 1st time through the chords, we talked about this.  When I suggested that counting could save later rhythmic problems, I demonstrated by playing 2 adjacent chords; randomly the 1st time, then rhythmically.

I think she bought it… we’ll see in 2 weeks.

And the credit goes to…

My wonderful, extremely patient, persevering student!  Congratulations!!!

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

For more information about practicing:

E-book

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

Are you stuck?  My book provides tested methods for you and your students to identify problems and eliminate them forever!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 9 countries!

Review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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A golfer overcomes freezing under pressure. Musicians can, too!

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, career, coach, competitions, concentration, confidence, determination, distractions, focus, goals, health, longevity, performing, practicing basics, process, progress, tools

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Tags

freezing under pressure, golf, Music, music education, the yips

English: Detail of a New York Times Advertisem...

I am one of those people who reads The New York Times every day.  Because articles often catch my eye while flipping through the paper, subscribing only to the online version would be unsatisfactory.

When scrolling through headlines on the web, the gist of an article or a photograph will be lost.  So, since I am not a scientist, for example, I probably would not click on a title about plasma physics.  Seeing a photo that catches my eye, or maybe an article summary on the page itself, results in my reading more of the paper and being more informed.

That’s how this article came to my attention.  I am not a golfer.  But as it turns out, professional golfers  and professional musicians have a lot in common.

Winning Battle of Nerves Against Himself, a Player Is Again Taking On the Tour

The New York Times, May 5, 2013

An important point made in the article, to me, is that Mr. Karlsson asked someone to help who could address his specific problem.  Asking his best friend or his cousin may not have had the same effect.

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the Comment Section below!

These related articles express 2 different points of view:
  • 5 Traits Every Great Golfer Must Possess (bleacherreport.com)
  • Why Do Top Athletes Suddenly Develop the Yips –a Tendency to Choke under Pressure?
    (scientificamerican.com)

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Happy Easter! Choir makes even more strides

31 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by GretchensPianos in chorus, coach, collaboration, concentration, distractions, dynamics, expression, focus, music, perception, progress, rehearsal, serving music, singing, tempo

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

church choir, conducting

Andrei Rubiev (1360-1430)  (Source:  Wikimedia Commons)

Andrei Rubiev (1360-1430) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)


Happy Easter, everyone!

My choir sang so well today!  That had a lot to do with everyone showing up on time.  And there was extra bustle to ignore during our rehearsal.

The tempo changes, dynamic changes at exactly the right time, and watching so we could pull it off together were all wonderful.  And the words were the clearest and most expressive ever.  (Singing a “v” sound like you would say it to someone nearby is not nearly enough.  You need to feel your lower lip buzz!  Also, getting “sing” out on a fast note is not so easy!  It’s important to take time to make sound on the vowel and not go to the “ng” too soon.  We took a little more time on “sing” to do this, the result being that the congregation could understand the text.  No one would perceive taking time for clarity of text as bad rhythm!)

Examples 

  • The keyboard introduction started on beat 2 of the bar, and was only 4 beats long (rest 2 3 4| 1 sing).
  • The first two choral snippets were identical; the next one began one beat later, and was printed on a new system.
  • Several words were tricky to enunciate.  To be as expressive as possible, we needed to sing piano, then crescendo immediately beginning with “risen” in the phrase, “Christ is risen from the dead.”  “Christ is risen” is sung on low notes, so making that happen requires work!
    • “Christ is risen, we are risen” (making “we” expressive rather than a bland continuation of the sentence).
    • “Bled” has 2 consonants at the beginning.
    • “Gladness” also has 2 consonants  to start.
  • The piece included several sudden tempo changes, fermati, and crescendos through final words in phrases.
  • The ending, a long tied note, needed a subito piano inserted so the following crescendo to the end could be effective.  The choir loved experiencing how good they sounded!  (“That really works!”)

Results

Everyone put in quite an effort.  Today’s anthem had something new around every corner!

I conducted a lot today.  This anthem would have been less successful without assertive motions, accented playing (piano), and eye contact from the choir.

And, experienced choral singers that they are, the choir took care of the things I forgot.  One singer returned today after an extended illness.  He opted to remain seated during the anthem, which I assured him was fine.  Of course, when four singers stood in front of him, he couldn’t see me.  So the singer who was directly in front of him simply moved over!  Problem solved with no disruption at all.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

 
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Why practice?

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, concentration, directed practice, fatigue, goals, learning, music, new insights, practice, progress, repetition

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

improvement, Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal – Practice Court

Rafael Nadal on the Practice Court ~ Image by James Marvin Phelps via Flickr

When I was about 10 years old, I was slogging through my music for an upcoming piano lesson when my sister shouted from the opposite side of the house, “When are you gonna learn the end?” She had never shouted at me before, so I paid attention. After all, she was in college.  And I had been starting from the beginning with every repetition.

During my undergraduate career, I would practice 8 hours a day as often as I could.

Neither approach worked particularly well. Just playing through things is never a useful option. (What’s the point?) And 8 hours in one day is way too much. How many people can concentrate sufficiently for 8 hours and say that they have actually accomplished something?

Finally, at age 28, I found a teacher who knew how to practice. He loved helping other pianists learn music quickly and well. No more practicing for 6 months to a year in preparation for one performance.

What is practice? What does it mean?

According to Merriam-Webster online, something done habitually can be called “practice.” But I prefer the 2nd definition: “to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient.”

Also from the web site: “to do repeated exercises for proficiency.” This definition would apply to working on the technical problems of an etude or increasing the tempo of a piece.

But repeating phrases for no reason surely doesn’t qualify. What do you expect to accomplish with each repetition? What is your goal for the day? Is there an end date?

A quote from Rafael Nadal

How about this?  Bleacherreport.com published article about Rafael Nadal in 2010.  This sentence, as well as the entire article, was true then and remains true today:

“I go to practice every day not to practice; I go to practice every day to try to learn something and to keep improving my level.”

All of us would do well to replace the “practicing” with “improving.”

How about you?  Do you try to keep improving?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Learning a new piece? New program? Back in school? Looking for teaching ideas? This is the perfect time to read “Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer!”

Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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How Decision Fatigue Can Affect Musicians

26 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, auditions, career, concentration, directed practice, fatigue, focus, learning, music, new insights, practice, process, work

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

arts, Decision making, fatigue, glucose level, John Tierney, Music, New York Times, New York Times Magazine

sleepy?

Image by loudtiger via Flickr

Last week during a shopping trip to CVS, I looked for Band-aids.  You wouldn’t expect to encounter problems shopping for Band-aids, would you?  Think again!  CVS was sold out of the plain ones.

I found myself faced with an entire aisle of choices:  medicated, sport, extra-wide, fingertip, waterproof, super adhesive, sheer, cloth, and so on.  By the time I had looked at everything on the shelves, I was ready to leave the store without purchasing anything else on my list.

There is a wonderful article by John Tierney in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, “To Choose Is To Lose.”  In it, Tierney begins by examining the odds of a prisoner being given parole, depending on what time of day he meets with the parole board (and how recently the board has had a snack break).  After that, he includes several experiments conducted on a variety of ideas from different disciplines.

What I encountered at CVS is called “decision fatigue.”  We are faced with so many choices every day, we are constantly making decisions.  Our grandparents had far fewer decisions to make because they had fewer options.  Cars, for instance, came in only a few different colors.  And all phone calls were made on land lines.  (Last night, I made the following calls in an attempt to reach one person:  cell to cell; land to cell; land to land.  Success!  Score:  3 options tried out of 4 possibilities.)

In one experiment discussed in the article, subjects who were asked to make all their choices online about a car they were going to purchase experienced decision fatigue the quickest when asked to decide among 50 colors at the beginning of the process.  After all that brain work, subjects would continue by making only default choices.  (Oh, just put hubcaps on the car.  Click…)  But if fewer choices were presented at the beginning of the process (i.e. 3 types of gear shift knobs rather than 50 color choices), the subjects would keep deciding among them for a longer period of time.

How does this affect us? 

When we practice, we need to take on the most difficult music or tasks at the beginning of the practice session.  When we are deciding on fingerings, dynamics, tempi, balance, and many other things, each decision makes our brains more fatigued, making it less capable of making such decisions further into our practice session.

I experienced this over a 6-week period when practicing a recital program at night after work.  Since I normally practice in the daytime, it was obvious right away that my energy level was much lower at night.  In addition, the program was all music of Messiaen!  There were so many accidentals, I needed all the focus I could muster just to play the notes correctly.  Somehow I managed to talk myself through the music with good phrasing, under tempo.  Weekends were the only time I could actually play the program!

Why is timing important? 

Parole boards are more alert when their glucose levels are high, so they tend to be more lenient by a huge percentage just after a snack.  According to the article, a prisoner would have about a 70% chance of being granted parole if he met with the board first thing in the morning, but only about a 10% chance later in the day.

If you have ever taught a lesson immediately after school, you know how much better things are when the student has time for a snack first.

When we audition, there is usually a panel of judges hearing many people.  The best times to schedule an audition are first thing, immediately after a break, or right after lunch.  Of course, there are many other factors influencing music judges’ decisions, as there are more factors affecting a performance than staying in jail or getting parole.  I have blogged about factors affecting auditions here.  But even though we can’t control everything, optimal timing will help our chances.

Sometimes we call music directors to gain information, get on their list, or arrange performances.  The kind of response we receive can depend on when we call.  Best times:  Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Why?  On Mondays, people are wishing they were still enjoying their weekend.  On Fridays, everyone is thinking about leaving for the next one.  At 9 a.m., people are just arriving at work.  A phone call might annoy them.  Give them time to have their coffee.  After 2 p.m., people are tired and thinking about picking up their kids from school, what to have for dinner, or what they need to wrap up today and organize for tomorrow.

And of course you wouldn’t want to call someone just before lunch!  They don’t want to talk to you then, they want to get out of there!  (It’s not you.  They don’t want to talk to their best friend, either.)

Give them a few minutes to settle in after they’re due back at work, too.  If they have to run for the phone, you may not get the positive response you were hoping for.

Gail Fischler has written a similar post based on the same article at Piano Addict!

Have you been aware of decision fatigue?  Do you consider glucose levels and time of day when you look t0 optimize an outcome?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Learning a new piece? New program? Heading back to school? Looking for teaching ideas? Then this is the perfect time to read “Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer!”

Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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The nerve!

02 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, concentration, confidence, distractions, focus, goals, maintain, music, observations, performing, tools, work

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Andy Murray, Mardy Fish, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rafael Nadal, tennis, Wimbledon

Mardy Fish at the 2009 US Open ~ Image via Wikipedia

More tennis!  Ready?  Wimbledon!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

During the men’s quarterfinal match between Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish, I was glued to NBCSports.com.

Watch the 5-minute highlight reel.

Although I have been following tennis for about a year, I had known very little about the American Mardy Fish.  It was nice to have well-informed, tennis-playing commentators to fill me in.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29:  Mardy Fish of the ...

Mardy Fish during the Wimbledon 2011 Men's Quarterfinals ~ Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The comments

  • He is an underachiever
  • At age 29, it’s probably too late for his new-found intensity to be particularly effective
  • He doesn’t travel well ~ his championships have all been achieved in the States
  • During the first two sets, he appeared to be playing the guy on the other side of the net rather than attending to his job.

My take on the match

That said, he plays so well!  That is evidenced by his making the quarterfinals, although I did not watch those matches.  (There may be video replays in my future!)

He won the third set against Nadal.

In the third set, Fish’s entire demeanor changed.  He stood straight, exuded confidence, and ran for the types of balls he had let go before.

He looked like he was there to play tennis for the first time that day.

What is “nerve?”

Whatever it is, Fish lost it after the third set and Nadal, the quintessential example of an elite player who has “nerve,” won the match.

The Winnah! Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon 2011 Men's Quarterfinals ~ Image via Wikipedia

The commentators talked about “nerve.”  They said that the best players may lose their nerve, concentration, or focus, for brief periods.  But that’s all.  Several of the slightly lower-ranked players also have “it,” but they are inconsistent.  Fish, for example, showed flashes of brilliance but was unable to sustain his best level of playing.

What “nerve” is not

… or doesn’t have to be… there are many definitions.

  • One can have “nerve” and not be obnoxious
  • One can have “nerve” and not be aloof
  • One can have “nerve” and not be pushy

Questions for us

Few people can be elite tennis players.  But tournament dynamics have many things in common with how the rest of us conduct ourselves every day.

  • Would you take the stage in a slumped posture?
  • Would you go into a performance without knowing the music?
  • Would you allow your life outside of music into your mind during a performance?
  • Would you allow yourself to be distracted by everybody else?

Even when performing music that portrays vulnerability, the performer conveys that with the sound, not his or her posture.

What’s important

  • Show up to work
  • Do your job

On to the semis!

Nadal won the semifinal against Andy Murray.

Watch the replay.

Murray played outstanding tennis at the beginning, winning the first set.  After that, he missed an easy return and, watching Nadal take advantage and play his best tennis of the tournament, became deflated and never got it back.

Nadal had this to say prior to the Wimbledon semifinal:

“… My foot [injured during Wimbledon] is not fine.  But, you know, we are in quarterfinals of Wimbledon.  Is an emergency, so I had to play….”

He had an injection to “sleep” the foot.  Effective for five hours, it worked.  He felt no pain.

I would not go the same route, but musicians have potentially much longer careers than athletes.  So maybe it’s a little easier to pass something up in the interest of longevity.

Rafa has described what is needed with these words:

  • dedication
  • sportsmanship
  • hard work
  • will
  • humility
  • sacrifice
  • discipline

Mary Joe Fernandez, while commentating on the semis, said:

“It’s not about the game.  It’s about the game you bring with you.“

Correction:  the commentator was probably Mary Carillo.  The name was not announced, nor was this commentator on screen.

I wonder how many people can verbalize what it takes?

The men’s final, with Nadal vs. Djokovic,  is Sunday.  Can’t wait!

What do you think?  Are you watching Wimbledon?  Where does “nerve” belong in your life?  In your performances?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related posts

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Gretchen Saathoff

Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach

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  • Piano Glasses
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