I'm offering 2 scholarships for free private lessons this summer from June 1 - September 1. I'd like the guitarists to be music majors at college looking for extra guidance and inspiration during the summer. The level of the guitarist is not as important to me as is his or her enthusiasm and love for the art. Lessons will be bi - weekly and will be at my studio (not over internet webcam).
For consideration, please send me your name, a well written email (one or two paragraphs) with your background information, what you'd like concentrate on (playing Baroque music, Technique, Contemporary Music, etc.), and a sample of your playing - video or audio. Please do not sent the video or audio to my email - use www.yousendit.com and send me links to the files.
Best wishes,
Kevin
Showing posts with label classical guitar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classical guitar. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Clever Salesman
This is a interesting topic, as my mind can trick me into focusing on what I don't want. Today, I realized that I fell into the same trap yet again. I had to laugh out loud when I saw it.
We want to focus on what we want. What do we want? To play faster, louder, more fluidly, more confidently, with more joy. What do we focus on? - not making mistakes, not getting tense, not cracking notes by playing too loudly. You cannot get what you want by focusing on what you don't want. It may seem to be a subtle difference in language, but in terms of results, the difference is tremendous.
Children don't seem to have these issues as much as adults. Many people think children pick up music quickly because of certain physical attributes, but I believe it's because most children have less critical minds. They make mistakes and it doesn't distract them from feeling good when they play. They don't take the mistakes personally, so they are not fearful of making mistakes while they go for what they want. This is incredibly important to understand.
We adults tend to think that we can have joy in playing only when we are playing well. This is the critical mind at work. The paradox is this - to play well we must feel well inside. If you want to play open and freely, you must feel that way inside. As my teacher has told me many times - go after what you want and feel well no matter what befalls you. How simple, and yet how easy it is to forget this.
The critical mind is a clever salesman, but for today, I will not buy.
We want to focus on what we want. What do we want? To play faster, louder, more fluidly, more confidently, with more joy. What do we focus on? - not making mistakes, not getting tense, not cracking notes by playing too loudly. You cannot get what you want by focusing on what you don't want. It may seem to be a subtle difference in language, but in terms of results, the difference is tremendous.
Children don't seem to have these issues as much as adults. Many people think children pick up music quickly because of certain physical attributes, but I believe it's because most children have less critical minds. They make mistakes and it doesn't distract them from feeling good when they play. They don't take the mistakes personally, so they are not fearful of making mistakes while they go for what they want. This is incredibly important to understand.
We adults tend to think that we can have joy in playing only when we are playing well. This is the critical mind at work. The paradox is this - to play well we must feel well inside. If you want to play open and freely, you must feel that way inside. As my teacher has told me many times - go after what you want and feel well no matter what befalls you. How simple, and yet how easy it is to forget this.
The critical mind is a clever salesman, but for today, I will not buy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Inner Ear
“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.” Anon
When I was young, I learned music by ear. I would meet with my band every week for many hours, and we would decide on what songs we wanted to learn (heavy metal covers mostly). Then we would learn the songs together or separately.
The nice thing about learning music by ear is that you always have a clear vision (the recording) of what the music should sound like when you play it. You can keep checking to see if what you are doing sounds like the recording you are learning. Eventually, the recording gets into your inner ear and you can tell if what you are doing sounds correct. This is how I learned to play music.
With classical guitar, we learn music by reading written notes. One of the advantages to this is we don't have to guess what the notes are - unlike learning by ear. All the answers are there. However, one of the disadvantages is that we can practice a piece without knowing it. We can get into the habit of reading rather than hearing the piece with the inner ear. For example - the student will practice a piece, but slows down at difficult passages. Most of the time, they don't know that they are adjusting the rhythm. They can't know because they have nothing to compare it to - the correct version is not in their inner ear.
I believe the inner ear is one of the most important and overlooked parts of musicianship. Our inner ear is our "recording". It's our vision. The clearer our inner ear hears the piece, the easier it is to follow it and express it - just like a real recording.
Guitarists tend to do most of their practice with the guitar in hand, but it's equally important to practice the inner ear - read the score, feel the rhythm in the body, let your imagination run free with ideas. Do this without the guitar every day. This strengthens the "inner ear recording" of the piece. By doing this you'll see great gains in your rhythm, memorizing and overall musicianship.
Keep in mind that we are ALWAYS expressing our idea of the piece - whether it's clear of not. The word "express" is defined as "to put thought into words; utter or state: to express an idea clearly. Focus on getting the idea clear so that you know what it is you are reaching for in your physical practice. It seems basic, but is overlooked by most of us.
When I was young, I learned music by ear. I would meet with my band every week for many hours, and we would decide on what songs we wanted to learn (heavy metal covers mostly). Then we would learn the songs together or separately.
The nice thing about learning music by ear is that you always have a clear vision (the recording) of what the music should sound like when you play it. You can keep checking to see if what you are doing sounds like the recording you are learning. Eventually, the recording gets into your inner ear and you can tell if what you are doing sounds correct. This is how I learned to play music.
With classical guitar, we learn music by reading written notes. One of the advantages to this is we don't have to guess what the notes are - unlike learning by ear. All the answers are there. However, one of the disadvantages is that we can practice a piece without knowing it. We can get into the habit of reading rather than hearing the piece with the inner ear. For example - the student will practice a piece, but slows down at difficult passages. Most of the time, they don't know that they are adjusting the rhythm. They can't know because they have nothing to compare it to - the correct version is not in their inner ear.
I believe the inner ear is one of the most important and overlooked parts of musicianship. Our inner ear is our "recording". It's our vision. The clearer our inner ear hears the piece, the easier it is to follow it and express it - just like a real recording.
Guitarists tend to do most of their practice with the guitar in hand, but it's equally important to practice the inner ear - read the score, feel the rhythm in the body, let your imagination run free with ideas. Do this without the guitar every day. This strengthens the "inner ear recording" of the piece. By doing this you'll see great gains in your rhythm, memorizing and overall musicianship.
Keep in mind that we are ALWAYS expressing our idea of the piece - whether it's clear of not. The word "express" is defined as "to put thought into words; utter or state: to express an idea clearly. Focus on getting the idea clear so that you know what it is you are reaching for in your physical practice. It seems basic, but is overlooked by most of us.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Do without Doing
"All things godlike run on light feet" - Frederick Nietzsche
Anyone who is supremely fluid technically, lets go of the need to control technique. They simply do without trying. This is the great study of technique - to do all by doing nothing. The paradox is - the more we try to control, the less control we have.
Wanting control over any situation is triggered by the fear of losing control over the situation. Tension is a physical manifestation of fear. Tension makes movement difficult, which then incites more fear in the player. More fear = more tension. It's a never ending cycle. When we relax our mindset, and stop fearing our loss over control, the body relaxes and control begins to happen naturally. This is a simple, but profoundly deep study. This is "playing" the guitar.
Watch any guitarist with fluid technique and notice how light and playful the approach is. Realize this comes from a mindset - it's not just a physical act - it's his or her mind being represented by the body. When we fully grasp this concept, all technique becomes a study of letting go of fear and control. Only then can the body be free to do what it does naturally and beautifully.
Anyone who is supremely fluid technically, lets go of the need to control technique. They simply do without trying. This is the great study of technique - to do all by doing nothing. The paradox is - the more we try to control, the less control we have.
Wanting control over any situation is triggered by the fear of losing control over the situation. Tension is a physical manifestation of fear. Tension makes movement difficult, which then incites more fear in the player. More fear = more tension. It's a never ending cycle. When we relax our mindset, and stop fearing our loss over control, the body relaxes and control begins to happen naturally. This is a simple, but profoundly deep study. This is "playing" the guitar.
Watch any guitarist with fluid technique and notice how light and playful the approach is. Realize this comes from a mindset - it's not just a physical act - it's his or her mind being represented by the body. When we fully grasp this concept, all technique becomes a study of letting go of fear and control. Only then can the body be free to do what it does naturally and beautifully.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Using the Will
Using the will in our work is extremely important and is often overlooked. We want to use the will to keep focusing on what we want - not on what we don't want.
In the case of practicing the guitar, we want to decide on what we want (better tone, more accuracy, more colors, running through the piece without stopping, etc.) and then use the will to stay focused on that - regardless of the current circumstances. Realize that staying focused on what you want will bring it to you, but it might not happen immediately - although sometimes it does. Often I have to simply tell a student to focus on getting a better tone, and it comes. Or I ask them to focus on being more accurate, and it comes. I don't have to explain anything or introduce new techniques. The student simply has to make a decision of what to focus on and then use the will to stay there. Then the mind / body will start to find solutions.
If there are no decisions made in our work, we can become easily distracted and overwhelmed. Our job is to focus on what we want to improve and use the will to stay focused on that during the session. 15 minutes of this kind of work is worth months of unfocused practice. Remind yourself by saying "I want to play my piece at this tempo" or "I want to memorize this passage" or "I want to get a better tone". Write down the idea and post it all over your practice room. Keep reminding yourself of what you want to improve. It takes time to build the momentum for new ways of playing - just stay on it.
In the case of practicing the guitar, we want to decide on what we want (better tone, more accuracy, more colors, running through the piece without stopping, etc.) and then use the will to stay focused on that - regardless of the current circumstances. Realize that staying focused on what you want will bring it to you, but it might not happen immediately - although sometimes it does. Often I have to simply tell a student to focus on getting a better tone, and it comes. Or I ask them to focus on being more accurate, and it comes. I don't have to explain anything or introduce new techniques. The student simply has to make a decision of what to focus on and then use the will to stay there. Then the mind / body will start to find solutions.
If there are no decisions made in our work, we can become easily distracted and overwhelmed. Our job is to focus on what we want to improve and use the will to stay focused on that during the session. 15 minutes of this kind of work is worth months of unfocused practice. Remind yourself by saying "I want to play my piece at this tempo" or "I want to memorize this passage" or "I want to get a better tone". Write down the idea and post it all over your practice room. Keep reminding yourself of what you want to improve. It takes time to build the momentum for new ways of playing - just stay on it.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
From the Mountains
I finally took a vacation and the only place I wanted to be was in the woods. The nature here is stunning. I can't help but to spend hours doing little more than look at the beauty here.
The natural world really is the best teacher. The trees are alive but silent. They do not worry about having more leaves than the next, or being closer to the lake than another tree. They are not concerned if the birds have or have not built nests in their branches.
In looking at them, I also can't help to notice how they don't organize themselves. There is a supreme beauty in the natural chaos. Nothing is totally worked out like in the manicured parks of New York.
It reminds me how in playing music we can fall into the trap of having all our ideas planned - every musical idea, every color, every rhythmic nuance. Our minds want security by knowing exactly what will happen next. This can be helpful as we learn the craft of playing, but eventually we see the Joy in NOT having everything worked out. You let the details come through present inspiration, not through formulaic planning.
At first it may seem hard to let go of the musical control you've fought so hard to attain, but if you consciously let go a little each time, you'll see that it isn't so scary. In fact, it's quite liberating when you are comfortable with not knowing all the details of your interpretation. In this way, a classical guitar performance becomes free and improvisatory in nature.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Archer
The champion arrived at the competition to prove once and for all that he was the greatest archer in the land. All the other competitors were intimidated by his presence and the audience assumed he would be the clear winner.
Surprisingly, each time the champion took the field, his arrows were inaccurate and his technique clumsy. His performance was no better than a beginning archer.
Perplexed by his performance, an audience member asked the Zen Master what he thought was wrong with the champion.
"His need to win drains him of power" said the Zen Master.
Surprisingly, each time the champion took the field, his arrows were inaccurate and his technique clumsy. His performance was no better than a beginning archer.
Perplexed by his performance, an audience member asked the Zen Master what he thought was wrong with the champion.
"His need to win drains him of power" said the Zen Master.
The Tea Cup
A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. The professor had studied the concepts of Zen for a long time and was eager to learn more.
While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about his vast knowledge of Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.
The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted.
"You are like this cup," the master replied, "You are already full of what you know. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about his vast knowledge of Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.
The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted.
"You are like this cup," the master replied, "You are already full of what you know. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Friday, June 6, 2008
listening
Try to remove yourself from mind-based listening for a few minutes each day. Start to notice when when you are analyzing sounds, but not listening to them. Listening is not analyzing, it is being with a sound fully without the distraction of the mind.
One of the problems we have when hearing a guitarist is that we analyze the performance mentally - the tone, speed, phrasing, technique, etc. There is a lot for the mind to chew on. This has it's place and is important, but even more important is the art of listening without the mind being active.
Walk in the place you live and listen without any judgements. Hear every sound clearly, but without analysis. Be full of the sounds you hear - as if they are coming from inside of you. The world is rich in sound color. Now listen to the spaces between each sound. Listen to how empty the spaces are. Notice how the space feels. Now listen to both sound and silence. If the mind interferes, listen to that as well, and then go back.
One of the problems we have when hearing a guitarist is that we analyze the performance mentally - the tone, speed, phrasing, technique, etc. There is a lot for the mind to chew on. This has it's place and is important, but even more important is the art of listening without the mind being active.
Walk in the place you live and listen without any judgements. Hear every sound clearly, but without analysis. Be full of the sounds you hear - as if they are coming from inside of you. The world is rich in sound color. Now listen to the spaces between each sound. Listen to how empty the spaces are. Notice how the space feels. Now listen to both sound and silence. If the mind interferes, listen to that as well, and then go back.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Bringing the "Yes" into the "No"
This concept is so close to my heart that it may be difficult to write about it. It's completely revolutionary for those who get it. If you don't get it, don't worry - you will with time. For those interested in reading more, I would suggest Eckhart Tolle's classic "The Power of Now" - particularly the last chapter called "Surrender".
I'm learning as I get older to welcome my difficulties, my fears, my struggles - whether it be with the guitar or with life. It's completely natural to want to avoid fear, but eventually it keeps coming back until we learn how to deal with it. Fear and limitations are great teachers.
In the practice of an instrument, we can fear fast tempos, difficult repertoire, high positions, certain fingering combinations, understanding harmony, what people think of our playing, etc. etc. Try to notice whatever it is you avoid or hide from. What do you fear? Awareness is key - most people don't know what they fear. Be curious about what you avoid in your playing and for that matter, your life. It's a fascinating study.
When you avoid something, you bring a psychological "NO" to it. It is basically the avoidance of pain. For example, if someone fears playing at fast tempos, they will avoid fast pieces and passages, they will slow down unconsciously when a fast passage appears, they might even look through a collection of music and avoid pieces with too much "black" in them. Ultimately, they are reacting to the fear of playing fast by avoiding the situation in some way. By not dealing with the fear, it is allowed to grow until "I can't play fast" is believed. Once you believe the fear, it becomes part of you.
So how do we deal with the fears and weaknesses we have? As I've learned, we must accept the fear - make friends with it. Say "YES" to what you fear - embrace it completely.
Fear can only stay strong if we keep reacting or fighting against it. If we embrace our fear, it will dissipate. This is bringing the YES into the NO.
For example, if a person fears playing fast, he or she can say "OK, I fear playing fast - that's fine. Let me play fast and I will welcome the fear. I won't complain about missing notes, tensing up, not feeling comfortable, etc. Instead, I'm going to welcome all of that and keep my mind calm. I will allow the fear to come and I will play fast anyway".
So then the person plays fast and gets tense, misses tons of notes, has a bad tone etc. However - unlike before, there is no reaction to any of this. The person keeps the mind calm and allows it all to be as it is. He or she welcomes the fear. As the fear is welcomed, it lessens because it is not strengthened through a negative reaction (the NO). This is the state of mind we want to cultivate for our difficulties. That doesn't mean you don't go back and work on the difficult passages. It doesn't mean that you ignore them. You just work on them without a negative reaction to them. You want to always say YES to your difficulties, to your fears.
With time, the fear lessens and you'll find that you can do what you used to fear. Why? Because only what you resist persists. Keep putting yourself into the situation you fear and say YES to the discomfort. As we do this again and again, the fear and discomfort will go away.
The great Eckhart Tolle talking about this concept.
I'm learning as I get older to welcome my difficulties, my fears, my struggles - whether it be with the guitar or with life. It's completely natural to want to avoid fear, but eventually it keeps coming back until we learn how to deal with it. Fear and limitations are great teachers.
In the practice of an instrument, we can fear fast tempos, difficult repertoire, high positions, certain fingering combinations, understanding harmony, what people think of our playing, etc. etc. Try to notice whatever it is you avoid or hide from. What do you fear? Awareness is key - most people don't know what they fear. Be curious about what you avoid in your playing and for that matter, your life. It's a fascinating study.
When you avoid something, you bring a psychological "NO" to it. It is basically the avoidance of pain. For example, if someone fears playing at fast tempos, they will avoid fast pieces and passages, they will slow down unconsciously when a fast passage appears, they might even look through a collection of music and avoid pieces with too much "black" in them. Ultimately, they are reacting to the fear of playing fast by avoiding the situation in some way. By not dealing with the fear, it is allowed to grow until "I can't play fast" is believed. Once you believe the fear, it becomes part of you.
So how do we deal with the fears and weaknesses we have? As I've learned, we must accept the fear - make friends with it. Say "YES" to what you fear - embrace it completely.
Fear can only stay strong if we keep reacting or fighting against it. If we embrace our fear, it will dissipate. This is bringing the YES into the NO.
For example, if a person fears playing fast, he or she can say "OK, I fear playing fast - that's fine. Let me play fast and I will welcome the fear. I won't complain about missing notes, tensing up, not feeling comfortable, etc. Instead, I'm going to welcome all of that and keep my mind calm. I will allow the fear to come and I will play fast anyway".
So then the person plays fast and gets tense, misses tons of notes, has a bad tone etc. However - unlike before, there is no reaction to any of this. The person keeps the mind calm and allows it all to be as it is. He or she welcomes the fear. As the fear is welcomed, it lessens because it is not strengthened through a negative reaction (the NO). This is the state of mind we want to cultivate for our difficulties. That doesn't mean you don't go back and work on the difficult passages. It doesn't mean that you ignore them. You just work on them without a negative reaction to them. You want to always say YES to your difficulties, to your fears.
With time, the fear lessens and you'll find that you can do what you used to fear. Why? Because only what you resist persists. Keep putting yourself into the situation you fear and say YES to the discomfort. As we do this again and again, the fear and discomfort will go away.
The great Eckhart Tolle talking about this concept.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
internal = external
One of the main problems we have with learning the classical guitar is performing pieces by memory. Students tend to watch the notated music as they play, and their mind is busy looking at notes and fingerings. Most of the time very little listening is done.
Most young rock guitarists can memorize many songs per week with very little effort. What is their secret? Very simple - they play along with the album they want to learn until they can anticipate every chord change. Then, without the album playing, they can hear the song inside their mind and follow it.
Many classical guitar students perform pieces in the same way they watch TV - completely detached from the action. They watch the music on the stand, they watch their hands, they might even memorize the fingering in a few passages, but they never actually hear the piece they are playing. Everything becomes external - that is, everything is happening outside of them. There is no internal guide, and therefore, nothing to follow.
For a long time I would tell my students to know their harmony, analyze the piece, visualize the fingering, etc. and yes, all these techniques do help - but you can do all of that and still not know how the tune sounds. The easiest way to memorize music is simply - sing the tune as you play it.
Remember, we want to build a strong foundation inside as well as outside. When we sing and play, we are actively involved in memorizing the piece. We are connecting the inner tune to the outer manifestation (the physical performance). Don't worry in any way if you can't sing in perfect tune, or that you can't sing every single voice independently - none of that matters. Just sing what you can, however you can.
Within a short time, you may sing the tune away from the guitar, and you'll notice that the fingerings just seem to "pop" into your mind. Why? Because your mind has developed an association between the tune, and what it "looks" like. The mind now literally thinks of the tune as a physical act being done by your hands. At that point you've merged the internal and external worlds and memorizing becomes far easier. Give it a try and see.
Most young rock guitarists can memorize many songs per week with very little effort. What is their secret? Very simple - they play along with the album they want to learn until they can anticipate every chord change. Then, without the album playing, they can hear the song inside their mind and follow it.
Many classical guitar students perform pieces in the same way they watch TV - completely detached from the action. They watch the music on the stand, they watch their hands, they might even memorize the fingering in a few passages, but they never actually hear the piece they are playing. Everything becomes external - that is, everything is happening outside of them. There is no internal guide, and therefore, nothing to follow.
For a long time I would tell my students to know their harmony, analyze the piece, visualize the fingering, etc. and yes, all these techniques do help - but you can do all of that and still not know how the tune sounds. The easiest way to memorize music is simply - sing the tune as you play it.
Remember, we want to build a strong foundation inside as well as outside. When we sing and play, we are actively involved in memorizing the piece. We are connecting the inner tune to the outer manifestation (the physical performance). Don't worry in any way if you can't sing in perfect tune, or that you can't sing every single voice independently - none of that matters. Just sing what you can, however you can.
Within a short time, you may sing the tune away from the guitar, and you'll notice that the fingerings just seem to "pop" into your mind. Why? Because your mind has developed an association between the tune, and what it "looks" like. The mind now literally thinks of the tune as a physical act being done by your hands. At that point you've merged the internal and external worlds and memorizing becomes far easier. Give it a try and see.
Monday, February 25, 2008
our perceptions - our realities
When you are walking or speaking, there is an effortless in your psychology. You aren't trying to do those things - you just do them. We don't see those acts as difficult, so we do them without thought. They become automatic. We do thousands of acts like this - all of them requiring complex body movements - and yet, we percieve them as easy.
In terms of playing the classical guitar, many of us perceive playing as "difficult". We may even have teachers or collegues who like to encourage this idea. The interesting point is - because we perceive it as difficult, we tend to make it more difficult than it actually is. Our bodies tense up for passages that are no more complex than typing fast or speaking. However, our perceptions are programmed to see great difficulty in it.
If we think that moving our hands/fingers is "easy" (like walking, speaking, or driving), it lightens the psychological "weight" of the act and we can move much more freely. We might still miss the passage for now, but the psychological and physiological freedom that is attained far outweighs the mistake. In fact, we will begin to play better much more rapidly if we start to see playing as "easy".
However, if we add heavy psycological weight to the same action (with thoughts like - "this is difficult, i never get this part, i want to get this perfect", etc.) then the act becomes overly dramatic - full of tension and fear. The hands and body tense up. It becomes more difficult to play because your body is reacting to your thoughts. Your thoughts are basically telling the body "this is a difficult situation" - and the body simply agrees with you.
While walking, talking or doing any other act that is natural to you - notice your mental state. Notice how easy it is and how you feel. Feeling is everything. Notice how you flow. It feels good in the body AND the mind. The same goes for playing. If you feel good psychologically while you play, you must inevitably play better. Don't wait to get the passage right first to feel good - feel good NOW - regardless of how things sound. Believe the passage is easy in your mind no matter how difficult it may seem. You'll notice with time how it gets easier - your body begins to react to your mind.
The body (hands epecially) represents your mental state. You can work on relaxing the body or hands as much as you want, but if you don't relax your psychology while playing, the body will keep slipping back into tension and difficulty.
The body mirrors our psychology. Feel good now.
In terms of playing the classical guitar, many of us perceive playing as "difficult". We may even have teachers or collegues who like to encourage this idea. The interesting point is - because we perceive it as difficult, we tend to make it more difficult than it actually is. Our bodies tense up for passages that are no more complex than typing fast or speaking. However, our perceptions are programmed to see great difficulty in it.
If we think that moving our hands/fingers is "easy" (like walking, speaking, or driving), it lightens the psychological "weight" of the act and we can move much more freely. We might still miss the passage for now, but the psychological and physiological freedom that is attained far outweighs the mistake. In fact, we will begin to play better much more rapidly if we start to see playing as "easy".
However, if we add heavy psycological weight to the same action (with thoughts like - "this is difficult, i never get this part, i want to get this perfect", etc.) then the act becomes overly dramatic - full of tension and fear. The hands and body tense up. It becomes more difficult to play because your body is reacting to your thoughts. Your thoughts are basically telling the body "this is a difficult situation" - and the body simply agrees with you.
While walking, talking or doing any other act that is natural to you - notice your mental state. Notice how easy it is and how you feel. Feeling is everything. Notice how you flow. It feels good in the body AND the mind. The same goes for playing. If you feel good psychologically while you play, you must inevitably play better. Don't wait to get the passage right first to feel good - feel good NOW - regardless of how things sound. Believe the passage is easy in your mind no matter how difficult it may seem. You'll notice with time how it gets easier - your body begins to react to your mind.
The body (hands epecially) represents your mental state. You can work on relaxing the body or hands as much as you want, but if you don't relax your psychology while playing, the body will keep slipping back into tension and difficulty.
The body mirrors our psychology. Feel good now.
Monday, February 4, 2008
the dissolving of fear and judgment
Lately, I have been applying some of my philosophical studies to my practicing and teaching. Probably one of the most overlooked concepts in playing well is the removal (or at least the taming) of fear and judgment. When a great player performs, there is a confidence, a radiance, a certain type of grace which only shines through when fear and judgment is let go.
Ask a great player what it feels like to be on stage when everything is going smoothly and they say something like "it feels free, fun, I'm just one with the music". That is to say - there is no fear, no judgment. When things are REALLY going well - there's no thinking at all.
As students (especially guitarists who see themselves as inferior musicians many times) we learn to fear and judge most of what we do. If the tone isn't quite right or if we miss a note, we get upset and judge ourselves harshly. When a difficult passage creeps up, our natural tendency is to tense up - a reaction of fear. We rarely enjoy what we do - instead we expect one day we will get better, and THEN we can then enjoy it. But I'm afraid that this keeps us "chasing our tail", because as we DO get better, our bar for perfection also rises. Thus we are always one step away from where we want to be - and fear and judgment continues no matter how far we've progressed.
There are two ways to deal with this fear and judgment when playing.
The first way is the way that most are taught (myself included). Practice a technique or piece/passage so much that eventually the body relaxes, the mind calms down, you start to enjoy the playing, and eventually confidence begins to come. You "know" the piece - and fear and judgment begin to melt away. On some days they totally disappear and you play great. On other days, they show their ugly heads and you play worse. We've all experienced this.
There's nothing wrong with this approach, however, it's incomplete.
The second way to deal with fear and judgment is even better in my opinion, because it deals with our mental state. You practice the mental and physical attitude of mastery and allow yourself to make mistakes - completely and with enjoyment.
This means, when you practice, you completely allow the mistakes - make them on purpose, with joy, with confidence. The whole time you are doing this, feel confident and enjoy whatever arises out of the chaos. Don't in any way think about the inaccuracy of notes or tone. Pluck multiple strings at once, enjoy your "bad" tones, make shifts fast without caring about accuracy, and push the tempo to what you feel like it should be regardless of current physical limitations. Practice with complete abandon and freedom regardless of what comes out. Imagine that the piece is written this way and you are playing it perfectly.
For people who obsessively judge their mistakes and fear imperfection in playing (most of us), this will seem weird, and if their mind is not open to this idea, they will think it's stupid and a waste of time. However, remember that playing well is much more mental than physical - we want to practice the mental state of playing with freedom, without fear, and with unconditional love.
So you want to focus on the state of effortless, free motion regardless of what happens. Will you make mistakes? - yes, and please make many....haha. Enjoy it, relax, laugh at the mistakes - don't let them intimidate you at all.
When you go back to practicing accurately, remember the feeling of freedom you had when you dropped your fear and judgment. Try to feel like that when you are then focusing on accurate playing. If you make a mistake, enjoy it and "allow" it as you did before. With this mentality you'll end up making less mistakes and build your courage and confidence. With time, you'll notice more freedom, more accuracy, more relaxed technique, bigger tone, and more joy.
When we do not fear and judge, we are free to be creative and happy. This is a major key to great playing (notice the word - "playing"). It may sound crazy to some, however it is based on the wise principle of "what you resist, persists". If you resist making mistakes (aka - try not to) you actually will continue to make them over and over again.
The key word is "allow". Allow yourself to be free. Music is free - be like music.
NYC - Feb 4, 2008
Ask a great player what it feels like to be on stage when everything is going smoothly and they say something like "it feels free, fun, I'm just one with the music". That is to say - there is no fear, no judgment. When things are REALLY going well - there's no thinking at all.
As students (especially guitarists who see themselves as inferior musicians many times) we learn to fear and judge most of what we do. If the tone isn't quite right or if we miss a note, we get upset and judge ourselves harshly. When a difficult passage creeps up, our natural tendency is to tense up - a reaction of fear. We rarely enjoy what we do - instead we expect one day we will get better, and THEN we can then enjoy it. But I'm afraid that this keeps us "chasing our tail", because as we DO get better, our bar for perfection also rises. Thus we are always one step away from where we want to be - and fear and judgment continues no matter how far we've progressed.
There are two ways to deal with this fear and judgment when playing.
The first way is the way that most are taught (myself included). Practice a technique or piece/passage so much that eventually the body relaxes, the mind calms down, you start to enjoy the playing, and eventually confidence begins to come. You "know" the piece - and fear and judgment begin to melt away. On some days they totally disappear and you play great. On other days, they show their ugly heads and you play worse. We've all experienced this.
There's nothing wrong with this approach, however, it's incomplete.
The second way to deal with fear and judgment is even better in my opinion, because it deals with our mental state. You practice the mental and physical attitude of mastery and allow yourself to make mistakes - completely and with enjoyment.
This means, when you practice, you completely allow the mistakes - make them on purpose, with joy, with confidence. The whole time you are doing this, feel confident and enjoy whatever arises out of the chaos. Don't in any way think about the inaccuracy of notes or tone. Pluck multiple strings at once, enjoy your "bad" tones, make shifts fast without caring about accuracy, and push the tempo to what you feel like it should be regardless of current physical limitations. Practice with complete abandon and freedom regardless of what comes out. Imagine that the piece is written this way and you are playing it perfectly.
For people who obsessively judge their mistakes and fear imperfection in playing (most of us), this will seem weird, and if their mind is not open to this idea, they will think it's stupid and a waste of time. However, remember that playing well is much more mental than physical - we want to practice the mental state of playing with freedom, without fear, and with unconditional love.
So you want to focus on the state of effortless, free motion regardless of what happens. Will you make mistakes? - yes, and please make many....haha. Enjoy it, relax, laugh at the mistakes - don't let them intimidate you at all.
When you go back to practicing accurately, remember the feeling of freedom you had when you dropped your fear and judgment. Try to feel like that when you are then focusing on accurate playing. If you make a mistake, enjoy it and "allow" it as you did before. With this mentality you'll end up making less mistakes and build your courage and confidence. With time, you'll notice more freedom, more accuracy, more relaxed technique, bigger tone, and more joy.
When we do not fear and judge, we are free to be creative and happy. This is a major key to great playing (notice the word - "playing"). It may sound crazy to some, however it is based on the wise principle of "what you resist, persists". If you resist making mistakes (aka - try not to) you actually will continue to make them over and over again.
The key word is "allow". Allow yourself to be free. Music is free - be like music.
NYC - Feb 4, 2008
Monday, September 24, 2007
Admiration of the Students
As a teacher for many years now, I am always impressed with my older students. They are not children, where they are told by parents that the discipline of music study will do them good or because some report suggests that learning a musical instrument will make them smarter. These students are studying simply because they love it. As I have learned, love can transcend any logic or reasoning.
My older students are working at least 8-10 hours a day, they have families and other commitments, and yet still try to find time to learn the classical guitar. And I might add - this is not always a pleasurable study. The study of the classical guitar is demanding and can be frustrating. I've seen students weep over frustration, get angry, get depressed. I try to explain to them that the plateaus in study (and life) come frequently. We must learn to enjoy them as much as the climb. We must enjoy and travel on any plateau to eventually reach the highest mountains. Relax and know that those mountains will come.
classical guitar lessons, music and philosophies at www.guitar69.com
My older students are working at least 8-10 hours a day, they have families and other commitments, and yet still try to find time to learn the classical guitar. And I might add - this is not always a pleasurable study. The study of the classical guitar is demanding and can be frustrating. I've seen students weep over frustration, get angry, get depressed. I try to explain to them that the plateaus in study (and life) come frequently. We must learn to enjoy them as much as the climb. We must enjoy and travel on any plateau to eventually reach the highest mountains. Relax and know that those mountains will come.
classical guitar lessons, music and philosophies at www.guitar69.com
Friday, August 24, 2007
change when the music changes
I stress the importance of "changing when the music changes" to my students. This concept is a basic one for my own interpretive ideas.
If the change in the score is drastic, we should change something drastically in our playing. If it is a subtle change, the difference will be subtle. The question then becomes - how do we choose to highlight these changes? This involves musical and expressive techniques - rubatos, accents, color changes, dynamics, fingering choice, etc.
classical guitar lessons, music and philosophies at www.guitar69.com
If the change in the score is drastic, we should change something drastically in our playing. If it is a subtle change, the difference will be subtle. The question then becomes - how do we choose to highlight these changes? This involves musical and expressive techniques - rubatos, accents, color changes, dynamics, fingering choice, etc.
Many teachers stress listening to orchestra music. Why? Composers of the world change their orchestration (sound, dynamic, mood) when the music changes it's character. They highlight the change in the music by changing the orchestration. Again, it's simple and honest. Pay attention and you'll see what I mean.
The more we can notice the way music changes in our scores, the more we can highlight those changes in our playing and be more expressive.
classical guitar lessons, music and philosophies at www.guitar69.com
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