The Habit of Distraction

 Practicalities  1 Response »
Jun 132013
 
We know we ought to concentrate, be aware, and focus on what we are doing. But for most of us it’s rather difficult. We all know people who seem to have an uncanny ability to do this. For a few, it’s so strong they can be totally unaware of what’s going on around them. But many of us are easily distracted, sometimes so much so it’s even hard to get to the piano in the first place. read the rest

Attentiveness During Playing

 Practicalities  1 Response »
Apr 112013
 
“Everyone wants to feel in ‘control’ – feel ‘inspired’ – feel themselves ‘relaxing’ – ‘focusing’ and ‘concentrating.’ That is why we love our effort so much. But it just doesn’t work that way! When you are all of these things you ‘feel’ nothing – for real control just controls. You simply ‘are’ – concentrating, inspired and in control. read the rest

Finding the Kinesthetic Feeling of Rhythm

 Practicalities  3 Responses »
Feb 282012
 
Finding the Kinesthetic Feeling of Rhythm

The Problem

Rhythmic pulse is spontaneous and visceral, straight from the mind of the body. Counting out loud feels forced and comes straight from the mind of words and concepts. A basic task for any student is to bring these two minds together to form the rhythmic unity which is the energy of music. Finding this unity is especially difficult for adult students. read the rest

Practicing, Part 2: Concentration, Mindfulness & Awareness, & Staying Focused

 Featured, Practicalities  2 Responses »
Dec 062004
 
Getting the body settled at the piano is easy compared with getting the mind settled. The mind flies off in all directions when we practice. Concentration, the word used to indicate someone is thinking, is not a word I like. In our youth we heard parents and teachers say: “You’re not concentrating.” “If only you’d concentrate, you could do so much better.” “Don’t let your mind wonder.” “Hello, where are you?” All these experiences give us the feeling that concentration is a moral value. read the rest

What One Student Learned – Letters From St. Petersburg, Russia

 Issues  No Responses »
Jan 012004
 
What One Student Learned - Letters From St. Petersburg, RussiaThis installment of MusicalFossils is a series of e-mails written between Victoria (Vica) Achim, from Russia, and me. Most of them are hers. Vica is an adult amateur pianist studying in a culture where classical music is held in higher esteem than it is in the United States. Russia has (I do not know if this continues) a national system of musical education that seeks to find and develop the best and brightest young musicians as a national treasure, somewhat like athletes in the US. read the rest