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Gretchen Saathoff

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

Category Archives: work

Adventures in not pedaling

30 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by GretchensPianos in acoustics, career, chorus, collaboration, concert, expression, extremes, goals, integrity, listening, music, new approach, new experience, new insights, outside the box, pedal, perception, performing, piano, priorities, responsibility, rhythm, serving music, singing, something new, the unexpected, tools, video, work

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collaboration

Cupola. Source: Pixabay. Public Domain

Cupola. Source: Pixabay. Public Domain

 

When is the last time you performed something without using the pedal?  That’s right, no pedal at all.  

As it happens, I did exactly that on Sunday night.  I was thinking about that while driving home, trying to remember the last time I’d omitted all pedal. There was one occasion several years ago.

Christ & Saint Stephen’s in midtown Manhattan features a dome above the altar area.  A baritone I played for had included “Why do the nations rage” from Messiah on his recital program.  The piano reduction, 16th note tremelos, sounded like what you might call a bloody mess!  The singer’s girlfriend, a professional cellist, attended the dress rehearsal, for which I shall always be grateful.  She suggested that I play 8th notes at first, but even that sounded too muddy for audience consumption.  Then she suggested playing quarter note chords, no tremolo at all, without any pedal.  Amazingly enough, that worked.

Prior to that experience, the only time I played without pedal was probably in college, when playing Baroque music.  At the time, I was a die-hard original sound freak, or preferred to come as close as possible given that I was playing a piano rather than a harpsichord.  That certainly meant that the pedal was not to be used at all.

Since college, I have discovered that using the pedal on every note of a continuo bass line (i.e. quarter notes) enhances the sound without blurring it. But it must be used judiciously!  Just tap it.  The idea is to allow the strings to vibrate without making the sound last longer.  You will hear the sound become rounder, closer to cello pizzicato.

Sunday night’s concert venue was a large church with high, valuted ceilings. The reverberation time was at least 4 seconds.  We performed Copland’s “The Promise of Living” with a large group of combined choruses.  The version on our program featured a piano four-hands accompaniment.

Both of us arrived at the piano, sat down and looked at each other.  Whose score would we use?  After we solved that question, my fellow pianist said, “Do you want to pedal?”  I said, “Go for it!”  He was playing the secondo part. The pedal would be easier for him to reach.  In addition, he would be playing the part with the harmonic rhythm.

Soon after, we heard how live the acoustics were in the space.  The piano was some distance away from the singers.  We decided not to use the pedal at all, in order to provide as much clarity as possible.

I’m happy to say it worked!  A professional singer, who sang an aria during the program, was sitting in the audience during the Copland.  She and I were talking afterwards, when she said she heard clarity, and it sounded as if we had pedaled.

Have you ever performed with no pedal?

If this post has been helpful and you think your friends and contacts would benefit from reading it, please share.

I would appreciate it very much. Thank you!

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• 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 sight-read. Why bother with fingering?

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, chorus, directed practice, expression, fingering, goals, music, opera, organ, pedal, piano, playing fast, practice, practicing basics, preparation, priorities, process, progress, Q&A, question, responsibility, serving music, tools, work

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damper pedal, music education, pedagogy, pianistic fingering, piano reductions

Source:  Pixabay

Source: Pixabay

This is a question I encounter so often!  

Short answer:  Because if sight-reading is all you ever do, then that’s the best you will ever play.

Today, while learning a Mozart piano reduction (violin concerto), I had to stop myself from switching between fingers on a single key several times.

We have two options:  sight-reading and improving.  (One is more fun than the other!) The pic above accurately represents the way I feel when I have to write fingerings in my music.

The problem, for me, stems from three sources:

1.  Sight-reading (both music I need to learn and music that’s put in front of me in work situations);
2.  Organ playing; and
3.  Playing for chorus/opera/dance/musical rehearsals.

To elaborate:

1.  Sight-reading is a great skill to have!  Without it, there would be far fewer work opportunities.  The problem is that when one relies only on sight-reading, fingerings are random and so is the resulting sound.  The playing will be slower and have considerably less finesse.  In addition, when sight-reading is the only game in town, the music benefits from very little thought.

2.  Organs and pianos both have keyboards, but they are completely different mechanically.  To sustain a pitch on the organ, the key must be depressed. On piano, the damper pedal is available.  Organists are trained to play a key with one finger, then switch to another while still depressing the same key.  That’s how they navigate around the keyboard while playing legato.  Playing the piano in that manner, however, is not helpful except in cases where the fingering cannot be solved in other ways.

3.  When playing piano reductions (chorus, opera, and concertos where the pianist acts as the orchestra), pianistic fingering is not possible.  There are too many notes included in a piano reduction to fit under the hand. (Reductions are not “pianistic.”)  So “bad” fingering often results.  The object is to get to the next location on the keyboard however you can, ahead of time.

So, what is “good” fingering?

  • Good fingering is pianistic (comfortable);
  • Good fingering enhances the flow of the music;
  • Good fingering makes use of different parts of the hand for intended results.
    • The thumb is heavy;
    • The pinkie gets a bright sound;
    • The 3rd finger can imitate French horn;
    • The 4th finger is guaranteed to be softer; and
    • 2 and 5 are great for flute solos.

Try playing Mozart.  Unintended accents will be immediately disruptive. Making good fingering decisions is the shortest route to playing appropriately.

Schumann, Verdi, and Prokofiev sound distinct from each other when played by good orchestras.  Why not play them with different sounds on the piano, too?

Why spend valuable practice time eliminating accents produced by the thumb when you could find a better fingering?  Practicing for hours attempting to produce an accented downbeat with the 4th finger is similarly a waste of time.

What do you think?  Is fingering important to you?  How many practice sessions do you spend playing the same music before writing in fingerings?

How do you get around the keyboard?

Source:  Pixabay

Source: Pixabay

★ ☆.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.• 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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Want calls? Introduce yourself!

05 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, distractions, engaging the audience, tools, work

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audience, freelance, introduction, presentation

Headshift business card discussion

Headshift business card discussion (Photo credit: Lars Plougmann)

Seems obvious, doesn’t it?

This evening, I was having dinner out when the hostess informed me about a presentation that would begin in a half-hour.  There had been publicity, but the restaurant remained open for other diners as well.

I remained seated at my original table, which happened to be directly next to the presenter’s location. The presenter began showing slides of his photography.  I was doing something else, but looked over at the screen from time to time.  Being so close, I listened to the narrative as well.

Those who attended seemed to know the photographer, for the most part.  Others knew of him, as he has lived here for years.  Although I have lived here for 15 years, I had not met him.

Given that there were “outside” people in the restaurant while he was presenting, one thing about his talk, especially, surprised me.  He never said his name until the end!  There was no name indicated on the slides, nor did he introduce himself when he welcomed people at the beginning of his talk.

He was, of course, concerned about the best location for the screen, computer, projector, and microphone.  There was the amplification to consider.  In addition, he had enlargements of some of his work displayed around the room.  So there was ample opportunity for distraction on his part. However, as a free-lancer, I was reminded of the importance of getting to the reason behind the presentation.

Remember to introduce yourself!  Feel free to disagree, but I think it’s important.

Comments welcome!

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Travel sticker for instrument cases!

28 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, concert, gigs, music, musical theater, on the road, travel, work

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air travel, airport security, musical instruments, STICKER

Thanks to the pianist Christopher O’Riley, here is brand new information that makes it easier for instrumentalists to navigate airport security:

Christopher O’Riley

3 hrs · 
a great idea by Kyle Price to protect traveling string players: In light of the recent Time for Three situation involving instruments on the airplanes I have designed a STICKER (5 inch by 3 inch) which can be applied DIRECTLY onto instrument cases regarding the federal public law, title IV section 403 which, “Requires an air carrier to permit an air passenger to carry, without charge, a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument on a passenger aircraft if it can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment or under a passenger seat in accordance with FAA requirements for carry-on baggage or cargo. Sets forth requirements for the carriage of musical instruments as checked baggage or as occupants of a purchased seat.” By showing this sticker on our cases, we can now provide flight attendants and crew with the federal law which supports our rights with the instruments and there place on board and safety from disaster. This kind of stuff has happened to often and I hope this can serve as a simple way to help solve this boarding issue. If anyone is interested in getting a sticker please message me. Part of the sticker proceeds will go to the non-for-profit Chamber Music Connection cmconnection.org .

Kyle Price Hey Christopher O’Riley! Thanks for your support here is the link to the design.http://files.wnd.vphosted.com/…/4a8438f1a446c70e052ff6f..

20101222-1015-22-001-7D-mkm

(Photo credit: Michael McCarty)

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Are you sure you want to do this?

26 Monday May 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, music, on the road, priorities, risk, variety, work

≈ Comments Off on Are you sure you want to do this?

Tags

Cello, Concert Artists Guild, Holland, New York City, Vending machine

English: LED display boards along West 65th St...

West 65th Street, New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My answer has always been “Yes!”  No question.

Shortly after moving to New York, I attended a weekend seminar sponsored by the Concert Artists Guild.  Different speakers took about an hour each.  The seminar provided information for musicians wanting to get there careers to the next level.

One participant, a cellist, had recently finished a degree at Juilliard.  She was wondering what to do next.  Shortly after the seminar, she became the cellist in a well-known string quartet.

My career progressed significantly as well.

The conductor of the New Haven Symphony was one of the speakers. He opened his presentation with the question, “Are you sure you want to do this?” He spoke about performing outside the city.  When the concert is over, you have to enjoy going to the bus station and plugging quarters into the vending machine.  That’s dinner!

He was right then, and still is. Inconvenience is built into the reality of being an artist. Unless your life centers around your residence, and there are very few distractions, you just have to deal.

Possibly due to my Dutch heritage, I’ve become pretty good at finding ways to enjoy the ride.  The Dutch have to cooperate with their neighbors for their own survival, since Holland is, after all, below sea level.  They are also happy about small things, not relying on major events to find something to be happy about. So, when plugging those quarters into that vending machine, it’s fun to make the best choices from the selection available.  When faced with no time to have a sit-down dinner, calling ahead to a restaurant works.  Good food on the bus trumps bad food or late-night dinner.  Ordering delivery on a day off is more fun, even when eating out of “to go” containers, when you can use something other than gourmet plastic utensils.

When you live in New York, you learn very quickly that transportation delays happen all the time.  So you have a choice:  you can feel upset whenever that happens, or you can deal with it and have something along to do.

I love going “somewhere else,” which I rarely had the opportunity to do as a child.  Music has been my ticket to make that happen.  If being inconvenienced is part of the deal, I’ll take it.

What’s the alternative?

“Are you sure you want to do this?”  

What is your answer?

Comments?  Please use this Contact Form, or email me at gretchensaathoff1 [at] gmail.com

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How to hire a sub

16 Friday May 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, chorus, collaboration, ethics, gigs, integrity, music, new experience, on the road, pianist, piano, responsibility, singing, something new, Thank you!, the unexpected, work

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The Hartt School

Tuesday

Tuesday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On a recent Tuesday, The Hartt School had a makeup lesson day for voice students.  The goal was to help everyone get what they needed after encountering two snow days earlier in the semester.

My colleagues and I were asked to be available during our regular Tuesday schedules.  The voice teachers had different students at “our” times, but it all worked out.  We juggled.

As it turned out, the other pianists and I saw each other in our “office” more than usual.  We have no office, so we talk, look at music, make phone calls, have lunch, etc., in the hallway.

Sometime during the afternoon, Matthew, one of my colleagues, took a seat on a bench near me.  He asked, “What are you doing on May 27th?”  His question surprised me, because I live in MA, not CT.

I said, “Nothing,” without looking at my schedule.  School would be over for the summer, so I was pretty sure.  Then I inquired into why he was asking.

“I need a sub for a children’s choir dress rehearsal.” “I live in MA, you know.”  He gets it.  His sister just graduated from UMass.  He has been here many times, and knows it involves time to commute.

“How much is your transportation?” So I told him.

“I’ll send you the music ahead of time, and pay your transportation plus the rehearsal fee.”

Of course I said “Yes!”

And that, my friends, is the way to hire a sub!

Thanks so much, Matt!  I’m happy to help, and look forward to meeting a new conductor!

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  • New job! (gretchenspianos.com)
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Happy Birthday, Norman Luboff!

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in a tribute, audio, career, collaboration, concert, links, musical theater, on the road, performing, pianist, piano, singing, work

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arts, Music, Norman Luboff, Norman Luboff Choir, Pianist, piano

Norman Luboff

Norman Luboff
(May 14, 1917 – September 22, 1987)

I had the privilege of touring the United States as pianist with The Norman Luboff Choir twice. I am grateful to have had such a wonderful experience.

 Discography of The Norman Luboff Choir

 

 

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New job!

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by GretchensPianos in auditions, career, chorus, collaboration, competitions, concert, crossword, engaging the audience, feeding my soul, music, new experience, on the road, performing, piano, rehearsal, sightreading, singing, something new, Verdi, work

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Univ of Hartford sign

photo source: hartford.edu

A few weeks ago, I began working as a pianist in the Vocal Studies Division at The Hartt School, part of the University of Hartford.

Last Thursday, a voice teacher introduced me to one of his students as “our newest acquisition!”

Hartt has been, since I first set foot on campus for my interview, a friendly, welcoming place.  The students are excellent, and the faculty is consistently engaged in the students’ progress.

I love my job.

This is my bio as it will appear on Hartt’s web site, along with the photo to the left of this post:

 

Pianist in the Vocal Studies Division

 

Gretchen Saathoff was born in Springfield, Illinois and grew up in Burlington, Iowa.  She began piano lessons at age 6, and by age 12 was studying piano, organ, and voice at the University of Iowa.

 

Her father, a minister, trained her to collaborate in liturgical service playing from halfway across a rather large church sanctuary.  She began playing church services at age 14.  This proved to be excellent training in coordinating with a minister in the role of cantor, anticipating from a distance by using visual cues rather than sound, and leading congregational singing in the liturgy and hymns.

 

Thomas Dunn, then conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society, observed a chorus rehearsal for which Gretchen was accompanying during her sophomore year at SIU/Carbondale.  Following the rehearsal, Mr. Dunn suggested that she consider a career as a professional accompanist.

 

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from UMass/Amherst, Gretchen worked as staff accompanist at Smith College, also commuting to New York to study with Martin Katz, the venerable accompanist and vocal coach.

 

She then earned a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Accompanying and Coaching at Westminster Choir College, where she continued studying with Mr. Katz, graduating first in her class.  During this time, she commuted to Philadelphia to play rehearsals for The Philadelphia Singers, directed by Michael Korn.  Additional training includes fellowships to the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals, scholarships to the Alfred University Summer Chamber Music Institute, and accompanying singers in an audition class offered at The Metropolitan Opera by Joan Dornemann.

 

Following graduate school, Gretchen moved to New York with the goal of gaining the widest performing experience available.  She lived and worked in New York for 18 years, where she founded Kairos, a piano trio, followed by a collaboration of several years with the prominent violinist Lisa Rautenberg.

 

Gretchen toured the United States twice as pianist with the Norman Luboff Choir.  In addition to Mr. Luboff, she has worked with more than 75 conductors, among them Zubin Mehta, Placido Domingo, Daniel Barenboim, George Manahan, Paul Halley, Robert DeCormier, John Daly Goodwin, Amy Kaiser, Harold Rosenbaum, Joseph Flummerfelt, Greg Funfgeld, Clara Longstreth, Alan Harler, Alice Parker, and Tony Thornton.  In addition, she has worked in the studios of sought-after voice teachers such as Judith Raskin, Paul Sperry, Oren Brown, Edith Bers, and Cynthia Hoffmann.  She has collaborated with students of Joseph Fuchs, Harvey Shapiro, Richard Stolzman, Emanuel Vardi, Philipp Naegele, and Joel Krosnick.

 

She played rehearsals for the Brooklyn Opera, Bronx Opera, acted as House Accompanist for the Queens Opera Verdi Competition and the Oratorio Society of New York Soloist Competition, and played auditions for The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Amato Opera.  She has played countless auditions for singers and instrumentalists in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, New Haven, and many other cities.

 

Influential teachers include Mr. Katz, Ms. Dornemann, Mr. Fuchs, Mr. Krosnick, Mr. Shapiro, and Kenneth Cooper.

 

In addition to her work at The Hartt School, Gretchen is Director of Music at Christ United Methodist Church in Northampton, MA, and pianist for the Hampshire College Chorus and the Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble.  Her freelance activity has seen her performing with the Pioneer Valley Symphony, the Commonwealth Opera, the Valley Light Opera, the Amherst College Choirs, a variety of students and groups at UMass/Amherst, the Quabbin Valley Pro Musica, and Mak’hela, the Jewish chorus of Western Mass.

 

Gretchen is actively engaged in creating audience-friendly performances.  In solo recitals, she insists that the house lights be left on so audience members can read her program notes.  She has received a great deal of positive audience feedback when also providing verbal notes during her solo and chamber music concerts.

 

Her other interests are, among others, being outdoors; The New York Times crossword; listening to jazz, gospel, and soul; watching tennis, baseball, and old movies; and enjoying dinner out with friends.

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Turning on a dime

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, collaboration, distractions, extremes, gigs, music, organ, piano, sightreading, tempo, the unexpected, work

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

chorus concert, chorus rehearsal, Church service, vocal coaching

Look MA! 4 Hands ~ Image via Flickr

Please don’t try this at home!

Last weekend, every musical situation in which I found myself required instant changes.  I felt like I was on hyper-alert like an E.R. doc the whole time.

Coaching a singer

Due to the singer’s work schedule and my warmup and concert, we decided to carve out what time we could by using a practice room.  We ended up with 20 minutes in a small, soundproof room.

Singers enjoy larger spaces, and soundproofing is the worst.

We used the time well, making sure not to push.  The phrasing in one Brahms song will need to be revisited when we add time next weekend in our usual larger space.  The end of every phrase sounded chopped off, but we knew the room had a lot to do with that.

With less experience, we might have tried to fix the phrasing problems.  But that would have been pointless.

Chorus warmup and concert

The Hampshire College Chorus is too large for everyone to perform, with audience, in its rehearsal space.  So… we moved to a lecture hall.  No stage, no piano, no stage lighting.

When I walked into the hall 5 minutes after the coaching session, the keyboard was set up.  So I tried it out.  WAY too high.

The student who set it up was hanging around, so I asked him to lower it one notch.  I based my guess on a different keyboard I had played in another rehearsal.  He took it down a notch… no more time to make further adjustments, as the chorus needed rehearsal time.  The keyboard was still too high.

The light was awful… generally OK, but nothing special aimed toward the music.  There was just as much light on the audience as everywhere else.

There was a big black orchestra music stand for me to use, which was too far back.  I guess the keyboard’s music rack was either lost or no one knows it exists.

The pedal, tethered to the keyboard and nothing else, was also in the wrong place.  Because of the big base on the music stand, it was impossible to get the pedal into a comfortable spot.

During rehearsal, the conductor took a much faster tempo in a Mozart piece than we had rehearsed.  The piano reduction appears to be easy, but definitely is not.  Both hands are required to change range with no time to do so, and continue playing subtly.  That is completely different from jumping fast to land on a big chord at full volume.  I did not play the Mozart well in rehearsal.

After that, the conductor said that when the soloist was singing alone, the keyboard was too loud.  Could I turn it down and then turn it up when the chorus came in?  Well, no… both hands were busy.  Leaving something out would have meant leaving a hole in the music.  The volume dial was a ways away, forward and to the left.  The dial had to be turned.  You couldn’t just hit it quickly and go back to playing.

So a chorus alto came over, wedge herself into a very small space while being careful not to trip over cables, and operate the volume dial.  Immediately after the volume change, she sprinted over to the opposite side of the keyboard to turn pages!

The concert, fortunately, went very well.

Church service

During the church service on Sunday there were lots of last-minute changes.

A member of the congregation had sent me 3 hymns she wanted to add to the opening of the service.  I alerted the choir to the plan.

The choir insisted on singing through at least one verse of each hymn.  I understand where they’re coming from… they are in front of the congregation, so the perception is that they are leading the hymns.

It turned out that looking at all the hymns was necessary.

  • One hymn had a descant, which required a decision about whether to add it or not.
  • Another had 2 possible paths from beginning to end.  One involved a brief modulation in the keyboard part.  It’s important to know that some of the singers know what to do in that case.
  • The third hymn was easily navigated until the last line, an “optional choral ending.”  With no rehearsal, the singers would arrive at that point and not know whether to try it or not.

The choir had other music to rehearse as well:

  • 3 hymns for the main portion of the service; and
  • 4 anthems (for that day and the next 3 weeks).

So we had to rehearse 10 pieces of music in 30 min.  I think this needs further discussion!

After that, the service proceeded smoothly… until just after the sermon.  As I was sprinting from the front pew back to the organ to play the last hymn, the minister decided to switch to a different hymn.  Why would that be a problem?

Well, I’m glad it was something I knew.  I don’t sight-read pedal parts.

In order to facilitate turning pages and changing locations (organ, piano, front pew), I take the hymns for the day out of the unwieldy binders (the ones with the accompaniment, which are different from the congregational hymnals).  A small binder is much easier to handle.  Turning pages is easy, and carrying a small binder from place to place is so much better than hefting two oversized ones.

I leave the large binders on the floor, which is raised, just behind the organ bench.  Ministers change their minds.  I’m used to it.

Since the pages in the large binders are so difficult to turn, they have to be handled a few at a time.  Turning 40 pages at once, say, doesn’t work.  So finding a page quickly takes a little time.

The minister waited a few seconds, then asked the congregation to begin singing with him, no organ.

The hymn was several verses long, so I made the decision to join in at the beginning of the refrain.  Wrong key, of course.  I don’t have perfect pitch.

Had I been playing the piano at that point, it would have been easy to find the key by testing notes softly.  Not so easy on the organ!

Oh well, stuff happens.  Hopefully next weekend will be more normal.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-book

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Does your practice time get results? If you are spinning your wheels, this book is for you.

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

Goal-oriented Practice

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Review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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Listen first, learn later?

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, integrity, learning, listening, music, opera, piano, practice, preparation, priorities, process, rehearsal, responsibility, tools, work

≈ 9 Comments

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Arthur Sullivan, George Gershwin, Haddon Hall, Leonard Bernstein, Sydney Grundy

1921 cartoon of Gilbert and Sullivan audiences

Image via Wikipedia

When is it acceptable to listen to a recording before learning a piece?

Most of the time, I am strongly against this as a learning method.  For purposes of interpretation, copying someone else’s recording will always sound like a copy.  It will never sound like you.

One scenario

I heard of two pianists who played a 4-hands recital 2 or 3 years ago.  The program included a set of 3 Gershwin Preludes, but neither performer was familiar with the style.  “So we listened to Leonard Bernstein‘s recording and we just did what he did.”

I don’t think I’m the only person who finds this unacceptable!

Why now?

Last week, I listened to a recording before playing a note in order to learn a score as quickly as possible.

So why is that OK this time?

The score is an operetta.  I will be playing rehearsals but not the performance (which is with orchestra).  So this is not about my artistic integrity; it’s about learning notes, tempi, and orchestration.

This score is not well-known (Haddon Hall by Sydney Grundy and Arthur Sullivan (not Gilbert and Sullivan)), and is printed in 19th century English style.  In other words, what Americans are accustomed to seeing as a quarter rest looks like a backwards 8th-note rest instead.  The notes are smaller and everything looks a lot less clear.  All the lines, note heads, stems, etc. look about as substantial as if they had been written with a pencil.  The repeat signs are very dim, with no double bars drawing attention to them.

I had a week to learn this, having intentionally taken some time off.  My plan is to play about 1/2 by what I’ve heard and 1/2 by sight.  Listening to the recording will save needing to look so closely at the music for accidentals, hopefully.

The first rehearsal, a run-through, is tonight!  I’ll let you know how it goes.

This is fun!

Best part so far:  the second-hand contribution of Mr. Syntax.  He seems merely to be quoted, rather than appearing as a character himself.

Under what circumstances do you consider it acceptable to listen to a recording before learning a piece?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Gretchen Saathoff

Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach

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