Too good!

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Class

Bravo in Barcelona.
Shutterstock image. Source: Pixabay.

A new blog post!  Surprising, I know.  Having a few days’ vacation time gives me an opportunity to catch up a little.

A most amazing thing happened in musical theater class a couple of weeks ago.  I’m so excited to have a chance to tell you all about it!

A student took her turn a few minutes into the class, singing “Almost There” by Randy Newman.

She had nailed “All That Jazz” by John Kander just the week before, so I was anticipating that this would also be wonderful.

As it happened, she was anxious about something. When she began to sing, I could barely hear her. I wanted to get into it and play, but my sound would have covered her voice.

Why was she nervous?

It could have been anything.

• Was she coming down with something?
• Was she unprepared?
• Was she working on one aspect of vocal production rather than performing the song?

What was going on?

She was worried about the high note at the end of the first phrase, so she held back out of fear that her voice might crack. This is a freshman class. The students are shy about making a fool of themselves in front of other people, even in class. (I’ve been there myself so many times! As a freshman, I was so nervous in my first voice jury that I forgot every word after the title of a slow song in English! I changed my major immediately.)

The professor, who is also her voice teacher, identified the problem and found a way to deal with it.  Among other things, she vocalized the student to a top note a third above the one she was concerned about.

And THEN…

On the fourth or fifth try, she knocked everyone out of their chair!  She was SO GOOD!!!  It was perfect.

Next:

The professor talked about how well the student had just performed, giving her kudos for her substantial progress this semester.  She talked about how gratifying it was to witness this as a teacher, saying, “If I had my shoes, I’d throw them!” ++

Huh?

She elaborated.  In the African-American tradition, when something is “too good,” audience members throw their shoes! *

And then the professor burst into tears.  It was so moving.

The student was in tears soon after.

And the class was speechless.

And that, for me, is what it’s all about.

++  Class is held in a studio with a dance floor.  Everyone takes off their shoes so the floor remains grit-free. If a dancer were to trip on grit, s/he could sprain, dislocate or break something, putting him or her out of the game for a long time.  So that’s why the professor didn’t have her shoes!

*  Both professor and student happen to be African-American.  After class, I shared with the professor that I worked in an African-American church in Brooklyn for quite a while, also performing in other venues with the music director, who is a wonderful singer. However, when things were “too good,” no one threw their shoes.  So where did that come from?  She said it’s a Southern thing.  People even throw their shoes in church!

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★

Please take a look at my e-book!

“Goal-oriented Practice”
Are you practicing well? Is your repertoire of ideas working for you? Are you making consistent progress?

My book will help you take a step back, save practice time, learn more music, and perform with confidence. Whether teaching, playing solo, or collaborating with other musicians, you will find many practice- and performance-tested suggestions here.

50% off!!!  Absolutely NO JARGON!  Even my non-musician little sister says so.

Click here for the book intro, table of contents, reviews, and reader comments.

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I can’t play this! I’ll NEVER be able to play this!! NO ONE can play this!!!

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piano reduction

These thoughts go through my head every time I open a difficult score for the first time. How about you?

Background

This is the slow section of Mozart’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra #5, first movement.  In other words, the “piano” part is an orchestral reduction.

The right hand, when played by the orchestra, is divided between two string parts. Pianists, though, are required to perform gymnastic feats in the reduction, playing both parts in the same hand.

This section of the concerto is serene, slow, and quiet.  To achieve a murmuring sound on the piano is difficult, especially due to the fingers passing over one another and because the normally resulting accents must be avoided.  (It is not possible to play all the notes in the right hand while keeping the hand quiet, playing only five keys ((one for each finger)), and not moving to a different range on the keyboard several times.  In other words, don’t try this at home!)

Facebook comments

When I posted the above pic on Facebook, the following discussion ensued:

First, on 5/1:

[Photo caption]
The most recent addition to my catalog of Finger Busters.

[Discussion]

DG:  Finger busters is right!

AE:  What she said!

HW:  Dang!

MDS:  Wowser.

CBW:  Oh my!  😦

Then, on 5/22:

[Photo caption]
Remember this? The “ack!” phase?
Aced it in today’s performance.
I feel a blog post coming on.

[Discussion]
CH:  Looks “Greek” to me Gretchen but I’m grateful there are artists like you that let those like me enjoy the music!

CBW:  OMG!!!

TP:  Makes my head ache just looking at all those notes!!!

GS:  Exactly. My 1st thought when opening a score is often, “I can’t play this… I’ll NEVER be able to play this… NO ONE can play this!”

And then I learn it.

TP:  Some people like a challenge and some are gluttons for punishment!GS:  And some find it necessary to freak out EVERY TIME. I don’t think child prodigies do that…

TP:  In my trade we call it it SIDS…self induced disaster, the process of psyching yourself out before you even know what you’re up against! lol

GS:  I b the expert!

SN:  So how did the tempo end up?

GS:  120 and 72. Felt reasonable, thank God…

GN:  A great feeling to have worked something out in practice and then play it in performance with no “hitches” . . . .nice work!

GS:  Thank you!

KC:  cool, still growing into the job, Gretchen, that is so great.

GS:  Oh, I have the same reaction every time I open music I haven’t played that looks difficult.

Reality check 

How long did it take to reach performance level with this piece?

Although my Facebook “bookend” posts were three weeks apart, I was busy when I first looked at the score.  There was no time to practice it right away.

After consulting my practice notes, I realized that I had learned the piece at performance tempo in 8 or 10 days.

Got perspective?

This is not an idle question.  I am genuinely curious.  This is an aspect of people’s careers that is rarely talked about, as far as I know.

I am well aware that many musicians learn music faster than I do.  One of the vocal coaching fellows at Tanglewood (there were 3 of us that summer) could learn even a newly composed score still in manuscript form and perform it in 3 days.  He had the enviable ability to skip the practice stage most of us need to get the music into his hands.  Currently head of the composition department at BU, he is a conductor, composer, wonderful pianist, and vocal coach.

My teacher at Aspen was practicing Hindemith slowly with the metronome when I arrived for my lesson one day.  She had never played the piece.  Four days later, she performed it flawlessly, much faster.  So I went home and learned how to practice slowly with the metronome, increasing the tempo in increments.

On the other hand, another teacher practiced Schubert’s “Die Schöne Müllerin” for an entire year before performing it.

What was Horowitz’s time requirement for mastering the repertoire he performed? Rubinstein?  Glenn Gould?  Myra Hess?  Clara Schumann?

A pianist who was interviewed on NPR, when discussing a recent CD release, let it be known that he had practiced one piece for 15 years before ever performing it!

So it seems that preparation time is highly variable.

First take

What do child prodigies say to themselves when first opening a score?  Have you heard anyone talk about that?

I suspect that my self-talk may stem from the fact that I was not a prodigy. While there was music in my family, many musicians I know listened to recordings and attended concerts from an early age.  Several had parents who were professional musicians.  They had mentors who connected them with effective teachers.  Good instruments were acquired early.  All of that makes a difference.  I’ve been playing “catch up.”

A childhood friend recently reminded me that, when I would be invited to go somewhere, my response would always be, “I can’t.  I have to practice.”

Following my senior recital in college, a few friends came back to the recital hall from the distant reception to ensure that I was planning to attend.  They were afraid I would go back to the practice room immediately.  (I’m slow about packing up after a performance.)

B.B. King said it very well:

“It seems like I always had to work harder than other people. Those nights when everybody else is asleep, and you sit in your room trying to play scales.”

 

And now I’d like to thank my audience, who listens attentively whenever I practice and never, ever complains.  And thanks also to everyone who commented on Facebook.

What do you say to yourself when you open a difficult score for the first time?  Do you have a panic response?  See it as a challenge? KNOW you’ll be fine even before you begin?  Do you have an idea about how long it will take you to learn a piece before you’ve even started?

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★

Are you heading into June without a teacher? Need fresh ideas to share with your students? 

My E-book helps you practice more effectively, teach students as individuals, and perform with confidence.

http://gretchensaathoff.com/e-books/e-book-goal-oriented-practice/

Thank you!

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How a piano technique book changed my playing forever

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"Rational Principles of Pianoforte Technique", Alfred Cortot

Image via Wikipedia

Would you like to improve your technique and feel more secure on the keyboard?  This free download will put you on the path to improvement.

(Reposted from 2011.)

Shortly after college, my teacher insisted that I work through Alfred Cortot’s “Rational Principles of Pianoforte Technique.”

It is no exaggeration to say that this book changed my playing forever.

Does this provide instant improvement?  No.  Not if you’re looking for the kind of results that come from calling the number on your television screen in informercials.  One commercial features a guy who promises pie-in-the-sky results.  Learn to play the piano in 5 minutes!  In fact, his method works so well, he demonstrates how to play with a red and white checked tablecloth thrown over the keyboard!

Cortot’s exercises, done daily for a few minutes, will have you playing so much better in 6 months, though.  That sounds worth the effort, doesn’t it?

Full disclosure:  I completed half the book in six months, opting not to continue.  I use what I learned every day, and it has been a long time since my first introduction.

Exercises

Cortot’s instructions indicate that the exercises begin in C Major, 5-finger position (one finger on each key, C-G).  After that, you do the same exercise in C minor.  As soon as that’s comfortable, you move up 1/2 step.  That, of course, immediately changes one’s perception of how easy the exercise is.

After becoming comfortable at C-sharp, you will continue moving up 1/2 step at a time.

After doing several exercises in this way, you begin to think that the C-sharp 5-finger position can be just as comfortable as C Major.

Results

Feeling in hands

Working on these exercises allowed me to feel the weight of my hands for the first time.  I had a new sense of where I was on the keyboard, and could feel intervals.

Finger independence

This book shows you how each finger can play independently of the others.  You learn that you can use combinations you never would have thought of.  And playing one part more prominently than others in the same hand is much easier.

Directionality

Passing the thumb under the right hand on the way up a scale is so much more than that.  I can now proceed in the direction of the line I’m playing.  My hands are no longer square with the keyboard at all times, and I can feel my arm moving.

Fingering choices

Any fingering you need becomes available to you because you develop so much more flexibility.  The fingerings indicated in the exercises make so much sense.

Sticking

Like a gymnast “sticking” the landing from a dismount, I feel like I can stick to the keys.

Security

Because of practicing scale and arpeggio passages in 2 groups, thumbs and everything else as a block of notes, I know where I’m headed and find each new hand position quickly.

Free download!

This book was $90 (or was it $100?) when I was in college.  It is now available as a free PDF!

​Also available for purchase from Amazon for $15.54

Have you come across these wonderful exercises?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section!

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★

Are you heading into June without a teacher? Need fresh ideas to share with your students? 

My E-book helps you practice more effectively, teach students as individuals, and perform with confidence.

http://gretchensaathoff.com/e-books/e-book-goal-oriented-practice/

Thank you!

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Related articles

• How to learn piano and organ fugues
• Guest Post: How I chose the piano as my instrument
• Adult beginner sees the light!
• Basic piano skills: the ultimate guide to why you need them

Quotations to inspire us all!

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Albert Einstein, All the Things You Are, Artur Schnabel, B.B. King, Beverly Sills, Jerome Kern, Let the Good Times Roll, Lucille, Martha Graham, photos, quotations, Winston Churchill

Inspiration is on the way!

Sometimes at the end of the semester, it’s difficult to find the energy to practice.  Who wants to learn notes, words, and fingerings after being sleep-deprived for so long?  Besides, didn’t we all just learn a ton of music?

Does this sound familiar?  I have felt this way many times.

Being consistent about practicing has its good points, though.  For one thing, it’s so hard to start over from nothing.

Hence the following.

*****

Quotations:

~ Winston Churchill

British Government – This is photograph HU 90973 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.

When Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favour of the war effort, he simply replied “then what are we fighting for?”

*****

~ Martha Graham

Martha Graham mit Bertram Ross in Visionary recital, aufgenommen von Carl van Vechten am 27. Juni 1961. Source: Wikimedia. Public domain.

“We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God.”

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”

*****

~ Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, half-length portrait, seated, facing right Inscribed on mat: Mrs. Eugenie Meyer zum Andenken an ihren Besuch in Caput [i.e. Caputh] am 15.VIII.31. Albert Einstein. Source: Wikimedia. Public domain.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

*****

~ Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills sings “All The Things You Are” by Jerome Kern

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”

*****

~ B.B. King

“There are so many sounds I still want to make, so many things I haven’t yet done.”

*****

Or we could all try this!

~ Artur Schnabel

Artur Schnabel (* 17. April 1882 in Kunzendorf (Lipnik) bei Biala; † 15. August 1951 in Axenstein, Schweiz). Scan from Spemanns goldenes Buch der Musik. Stuttgart: W. Spemann , 1906. Source: Wikimedia.

“When a piece gets difficult, make faces.”

(My personal favorite!)

*****

And there you have it.  

What do you do for inspiration?

 

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• ヅ★

 

Please take a look at my ebook,

Goal-oriented Practice.  Now available at 50% off, only $10!

Free of musical jargon, it will save you time.  By identifying practice goals, you will soon be able to learn music more accurately, resulting in confident playing.

Click on the link to see reviews, book intro, and table of contents!

Thank you!

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Got a box? Here’s why you need one!

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

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

Tags

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

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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Palm Sunday service: some thoughts

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church choir, church music, church musician, Church service, Congregation, hymn playing

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Fresco in the Parish Church at Zirl, Austria.  Photo credit:  Wikipedia.

Today is Palm Sunday.  Our church service went very well!

The congregational singing was inspiring, and the choir sounded enthusiastic when singing “Hosanna!”

I want to emphasize my belief that the most important elements of good hymn playing are:

• to find a good tempo for congregational singing, and then
• to maintain that steady tempo. 
  • the tempo may vary according to the text, but only rarely.
  • never insert a ritard just before a congregational or choir entrance.  Insert a breath instead.  Using a ritard will only slow down the tempo.

The congregation will respond with confident singing.

Additional important considerations are:

• to sing the hymn yourself:
  • in advance of the service, and
  • during the service.

In this way, you will:

• be breathing with the music and the text, and
• be breathing with the congregation as one group.

We are more inspiring when:

• we vary our playing
  • by changing stops from verse to verse
  • by responding to the text
  • by playing a descant on occasion
  • by playing some, but not all of the parts all the time
  • even by dropping out for one verse.

And the choir and congregation respond very well to all of this!

It is crucial for us to practice the hymns in advance so our musical decisions can come to fruition.  The sloppiness that comes from lack of preparation does not inspire good singing.

Ours is not a large congregation.  Nevertheless, the singing was accomplished as a group today.  The group sounded committed, confident, and expressive.  Mission accomplished!  No wimpy singing allowed.

Related post:

Creative hymn playing

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Giant steps!

Tags

adult student, music education, piano pedagogy, unexpected progress

The many ways in which one of my adult students progressed in her two most recent lessons felt like they were unrelated to what we were doing that day.

Four amazing things occurred in her playing!  We had worked on each step at various points in previous lessons, but not for the two weeks included in this post.

1.     Consistent fingering

Two weeks ago, my student was able to stick to the same fingering throughout a piece for the first time.

After our discussion about how this would help from now on, I asked how she felt.  She said she felt stuck, like she couldn’t move (from one location on the keyboard to another).  I had no problem with that for a first assessment.  She just hadn’t experienced the freeing aspects of using consistent fingering yet.  She was trying too hard, so her hands were not relaxed.

2.     More experience with consistent fingering

This past Saturday, she did it again!  When I repeated my question about her experience, she said, “I feel like I know the piece.”  I’ll take it!

3.     Releasing a chord to arrive at the next
in advance

This was such a surprise!  The right hand was playing a melody while the left needed to move from a 2^nd finger C to an octave above with 1 and 3.  She was able to do that, and I don’t think she even noticed.  Moving early has always been difficult for this student.  So seeing her accomplish that even when the other hand was doing something else was particularly gratifying.

Of course we discussed this, too.  She said she could tell where she was headed.  It just “looked right.”  This is the first time she has been able to eliminate most of the 88 keys and see only the ones she wants to play.

4.     Stretching for an octave, then contracting hand

One passage in the right hand included a 5^th finger C, then a stretch to the thumb one octave lower, both quarter notes.  Most of the time, my student’s hand would remain stretched, not relaxed.  On Saturday, her entire hand moved to stay with the thumb!

How could all of this happen at once?

My thoughts go back to consistent fingering.  When someone feels secure on the keyboard, then there is so much less to think about.  Most of the self-defeating guesses were no longer necessary.  (She normally uses a process of elimination.  “No, it’s not C…”)  She knew where she was.

I can’t wait until the next lesson!  This student’s progress will most likely move much faster now that she can find her way around the keyboard more easily.

Have you seen major changes in your students’ lessons?  What were they?

Please share your thoughts
in the comment section below!

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Robert W. Oliver republishes his wonderful review of “Goal-oriented Practice”

Tags

music education, music lessons, piano pedagogy

With a big shout-out to Robert, this is the correct link.

http://t.co/Cr0aEze

On Arrogance and Humility

Tags

Bill Keller, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, tennis, Wimbledon

How to Fold a Dunce Cap ~ Image via Wikipedia

​This post began as a rant about Novak Djokovic’s attitude.  And then I read Bill Keller’s wonderful article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  Keller talks about the effect reading poetry could have on members of Congress.

Djokovic could use some of that, too.  Rather than seeing him as self-confident, I think he seems quite arrogant.

​The Evidence

• Djokovic never acknowledges his opponents or gives them any credit.
• During the Wimbledon awards ceremony, he ducked behind the line of people on the podium to show the trophy to his team, pointing to himself.
• In an interview, he said he doesn’t think he needs to improve anything.
• He also said that, as #1, he doesn’t need to be any different.

Down the Road

• When he eventually crashes, it’s going to be very painful.
• He’ll be playing tennis by himself!  Doesn’t he realize that he needs other players in order to play the game?
• Federer beat him once.  It’s going to happen again.

What I Prefer

• Both Nadal and Federer have self-confidence.  They are not arrogant.  And they have humility, especially Nadal.
• I also think that both Nadal and Federer have more in their game.  Djokovic apparently has only one goal:  to bulldoze his opponents.  That’s it.  No style.
• Fans embrace Nadal and Federer immediately.  Could that be because these two care about their fans?

According to Geoff MacDonald in the New York Times blog “Straight Sets,”

[Djokovic] “… showed class in defeat, walking around the net to embrace Nadal and congratulate him on his victory…” at the 2010 US Open.

What happened?

How do you feel about this?  Does arrogance have a place in a star’s public image?  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

Review by pianist and conductor Andrei Strizek

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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