Posted by Micky Wrobleski on February 07, 2002 at 14:59:15:
In Reply to: brain babble while blowing posted by tuba on February 06, 2002 at 21:42:55:
We are all different. We all approach situations in our own special way. That said, here's a thought or two on the subject....
I think that practicing with an outside stimulus is detrimental to us as msuicians. When we practise, we are, or should be, doing it this for a particular reason. Whether it is to warm-up, or to improve our kraft, there should always be a goal. By practicing with a newspaper in front of us, or the television on or the radio playing, we are establishing a skill that WILL NOT help us down the road. What we do, as musicians is react. We are CONSATANLY bombarded with outside stimuli in our day-to-day msuical endeavors. We are adjusting our volume to balance with the rest of the ensemble, we are adjusting our thirds, fifths, sevenths, etc. to match the type of chord we are playing and responding to its fuction in the harmony of the piece, we are watching the conductor, or, hearing the click track, to tell us what the tempo is or what it is about to become. The bottom line is this: By training our selves to "tune-out" our playing, we are setting ourselves up for a very rude awakening.
Maybe this scenario will make it clear:
You have made it through the grease trap o he finals of the San Fransisco Symphony Principal Tuba audition. You have demontrated to the entire committee that you are, indeed, a world-class performer on your instrument. You can play in tune and in time and with convincing style in a rather stressful setting. Now, you are asked to play with the rest of the low brass section. The first excerpt that comes up is the choral from Tchaikovsy's 6th Symphony. You play it and you play it like you've practiced it: every note and interval PERFECTLY in tune, every note cut off EXACTLY on time. You finish the excerpt, and there is a silence. You feel pretty damned good about it. Then, it turns out that that is the last excerpt you play. Why? You didn't adjust. You didn't play things the same length as the rest of the ensemble. You have now demonstrated that you are concerned with "your" part, YOU are not a team player. So, why would they want to spend the next 10, 15, 20, 30 years with you? The answer is: they do not.
What to do??
One suggestion might be to break-up your practice session. Don't practice for 4 hours straight. If you feel your mind wandering, go play with the dog, go for a walk, wash the dishes, whatever. Don't just turn on "auto-pilot" and go through the motions. Music is a living, breathing entity. We need to treat it with the respect and attention it deserves. Saying that Koppraches give you a headache or Clarke studies bore you, or that Arbans put you to sleep, is rubbish. There is ALWAYS something we can listen to/for in ANY study. The sooner we realise this, the sooner we can take that next step in becoming a better musician.
A possible solution:
I have studied the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do for the past 22 years. One thing that I have found to work for me is something called a "tong-shun" breathing excersise. It is very sipmle and only takes a few minutes to do. If there is sufficient interest, I will post the technique at a later date.
In the mean time, I don't know if any of this was helpful to any of you, or if it was fodder that you whished you had never read.
Sincerely,
Micky Wrobleski