Distractions

Upon taking a small break from being productive, I find myself in and interesting position. The battle to not be wooed away from the piano...









If you had the complete Robotech saga in front of you on DVD you might find yourself in a similar battle. For a long time I have enjoyed this sci fi epic. The story of love and war, and how all is fair is alluring. It has been several years since I watched the series, and I am about due for another viewing. Now of course with EXTRA FEATURES!!!

I was born a few years after Robotech first aired in the United States, which in this new year has me feeling very lucky. Robotech, like with most of the music I listen to is from past cultures, and sometimes not always the most relevant for me. I will not argue how argue how relevant Beethoven is today, as I would be extremely biased, but I do feel his music maintains his relevance by performers like myself getting to choose to play it. There were times in the past where as a musician I would have had to spend a majority of my time on my own material. I live in a time that I have a huge variety of choices as to what I feel is relevant. So in this new year here is to enjoyed music, or cheesy science fiction from any time!

That is just my two cents on the subject, my nonsense is free...








Now back to work.

Monday afternoon....and Practice?

I had resigned myself to not worry about practicing for today.    I have what feels like a million things to accomplish, and not yet through half of them, but as always the piano seems to call....or maybe it is more of a nagging text message today.    Sitting at a table, a few others near by, I take a moment to imagine what I could work on.    The sun is out today, and something lighthearted feels appropriate.   It is very quiet here, and while that feels liberating in a practice room here it feels confining.

Taking a brief moment to look through my bag I see the options before me.    Beethoven's sonatas, Chopin polonaises and waltzes, Barber early works, and Bach Toccatas.   I have my duty to all this music, with a solo recitals starting in January, and feel a very heavy responsibility to the pieces the are within these volumes.

Beethoven feels nothing but dangerous today, with his endless introspective wanderings and metaphysical puddles that I must go through before I can attain any sort of "happiness."   Even within the pages of his tender Op. 78 F sharp major sonata do these trappings lie.   I get it Beethoven, you are asking yourself why, and would like me to do the same.    If I play this piece today, it will assuredly sound good to my ear, but this is really only a self-delusion as I get to ignore the real difficulty found in this short two movement work.    I will have to face these difficulties to play the piece true to Beethoven's intent, but F sharp is not feeling to friendly today.

Speaking of F-sharp, I find myself paging through the dark, and sometimes bleak Polonaise Op. 44.   Whose powerful octaves hang over me, pulling me along in it's relentless power.    Power that today I do not feel I have, and would only be dragged through the mud.    Even the slow mazurka section feels like more delusion of the deathly march patterns that came just a page before.

It all boils down that some days I need to hear my mother's voice in my head, reminding me that I need to practice.   My inner child will quickly reply with "just a few more minutes of (insert facebook, videogames, or tv...pick your poison).    Though if I have time to formulate an inner child, maybe I should formulate some inner beer.

Understanding Styles of Master Composers Part 1

Sometimes, in my rehearsals, it can be different switching from one composer to another. Sometimes we tend to oversimplify compositional styles by era: baroque, classical, romantic, or modern.  This totally forgets how completely different composers can be, even when born around the same time.  

I feel that this is most abused in the romantic repertoire, treating the composer's the same, forgetting vastly different backgrounds, nationality, or technique.   Many small individual touches that make up a composer, and their unique style.

Franz Liszt

Liszt almost feels like a character of legend, a titan of the piano, whose technique was unparalleled in his time.   Saint Saens gave a lengthy description of Liszt in his Portraits et Souvenirs.   He wrote:

"It is difficult to realize fully with what brilliancy and magic prestige the name of Liszt appeared to the young musicians of the early Imperial epoch. A name so strange for us Frenchmen-sharp and hissing, like a sword that cleaves the air; traversed by its Slavic z as if by a flash of lightning. The artist and the man seemed to belong realm of legend.  most of the pieces which he had published seemed impossible of execution for anyone else but himself, and they were so in truth, according to the antiquated method which prescribed immobility-the elbows kept at all times near the body and with limited action of fingers and arms."

In order for a pianist to be a great player of Liszt's music, they must possess brilliant technique; the pianist must have fingers strong enough to give forceful articulation during the many rapid runs, arpeggios and other pyrotechnics found in Liszt's music.   Liszt, along with Chopin, revolutionized technique of playing piano, especially in the manner in which the instrument is played.  I feel the "freedom" is the best word to epitomize his style and character.   Every musical device: dynamics, rubato, forcefulness, lightness, massiveness, orchestra like adaptions, should all be employed, hold nothing back.

His influence is profound, Saint-Saens continues his description on the impact of Liszt, "it is more potent than the influence  exercised by Paganini in the playing of the violin."

Johannes Brahms

The standard exercises, such as from Czerny, or the Chopin Etudes, do not offer sufficient preparation.   Brahms at times can be Massive, like his teaching Schumann, but laid out, with a broad base.  Many times he uses technical devices, like arpeggios, that are larger then the span of an octave, but unlike Chopin, they're orchestral,  not just pianistic.   His variations on a theme of Handel, and both sets of variations on a theme by Paganini require, titanic Technic, and consummate musicianship.

To play Brahms, breadth, strength, and virility are needed; so many times, pianists play Brahms with a plodding, almost lethargic nature.    This leads to the obvious, a boring performance that lacks life.      Brahms also requires great tenderness, but the pianist must remember that playing with an exaggerated  tempo rubato or with sweet sentimentality, more appropriate for a nocturne, would be a huge mistake in the music of Brahms.   While he does have tender pieces that sing with a soft eloquence, such as Wiegenlied or Capriccio in B minor.   Brahms' real spirit can be found in his Op. 5 sonata, the Intermezzos, Rhapsodies, Ballades, and the aforementioned Variations.   To do justice to these works, one must possess a titanic musicianship equal to a titanic Technique.


It is important to treat these composers as individuals, we all know the similarities found in romantic music of the piano, but it is more important to look at what makes these composers different.  I will visit several other composers through the course of the week.  please subscribe to read more!!

July Update

Summer has finally set in, with record heat outside, I have been enjoying the air conditioning a little more then usual.    During this time, something rather important has come to my attention.  My car does not have a working AC.  Actually, I have never owned a car with working AC.   Most of the  it is not too bad, I can roll down a window, but the heat has been a bit worse this year, and when I get to ride in a car with AC, I get overly excited at the wonders of modern technology.

Honestly, I am not sure how I would react to have a working AC in my car, it almost feels like a luxery item.   This has led, surprisingly enough, to more practice time, and less distraction.  Very good things for me, and time to plot and plan the next couple of months.

I have decided, after some debate, that I wish to get my website running again.   Up until about a year and a half ago, I had a website, designed by a friend of mine who was trying to start up a web design business.   It did nothing but good for me, and I was happy to have it.  Several performances I got, were directly possible because of the website.   So hopefully soon, I can get my website back up, and post a link.   Also, I am looking for suggestions of places to host the website.  Feel free to offer any suggestions in the comments section or drop me a message on facebook, found here.

Another pet project, was one dreamed up by me, and longtime friend and songwriter, Andy Jones.  A few years back we brainstormed an idea to have a "Fine Arts Fusion"  to showcase several musicians of different genres: such as classical, jazz, and indie music.  We revisted the idea last night, and were going to look into it, and see if we can make it happen!  Check back for updates!

No Fireworks...Spiderman!

How did I spend my fourth of July?  With record heat for July, and a ban on fireworks, it was tough to justify, spending the money on them, or to go wait for the big show down by the river.   We have hardly had any rain, and there were big concerns for fire...What is a musician to do?

Go see the new Spider-man movie!  Honestly, it was a great decisions, I grew up on the Spider-man mythos, and the idea of a new movie was exciting to me.    Let me give you a history of me and spider-man movies.  I saw the first one in the theaters four times; most of the time when at a movies I only get to see a movie once. At the end of Spider-man 2, it was the midnight showing, I screamed out "Kiss the girl already," in what had to be my most masculine moment of film viewing, and when Spider-man 3 rolled around, I went to the midnight showing the night before my jury.

And now....Mozart!

Ten years after the first movie came out, I was just as excited to see the new one, and I honestly was not disappointed.   Without going into a review, I just had a great time at the movie, and flt myself truly at ease.  It was a great time with friends, and I enjoyed the chance to geek out again.

This summer, when I am not indulging a fantasy of being a costume vigilante I have been contemplating how to be a better pianist.  How to push the boundaries, learn quicker, and become a deeper musician.    Frankly speaking, since starting this blog, I feel the urge to put a disclaimer at the end of every post, "I am not a teacher, and still learning myself"   I feel that half of the things I try, end up with me making some pretty bad mistakes.

My technical abilities have constantly been improving, but despite my love of playing, I have not been the most natural musician.  There have been many times, where there has been struggles: struggles with speed, agility, and sometimes reading.   The aspects of music that we call "technique" have been a struggle for me.    Though, I no longer view that as a hindrance to my musician ship.  This is not to say these aspects are not important, they most certainly are, and I can't help but to be a little bit jealous of those who posses them.

Sometimes though, our technique can be a liability, making things too easy, too slick, giving us nothing to hang onto.   Ideas, can loose value, we loose a sense of control, letting our technique govern us, instead of using our physicality to reach our means.

We can achieve this through practice.  The addage "practice makes perfect" is still very true, but as I get older, I realized, the kind of practice, is just as important.  I can sit at the piano and doodle around for hours, and get no where.    Two important factors to practice is regularity, and mental control.   It is very important to practice regularly, despite how we feel some days. what we would like to be out doing, or what our mood is.    Mental control is also very important, we should strive not to play a note that is not directed and guided by alert musical thought.    

As of now, my own practice routine is five hours a day, and never in one sitting.   I will not sit at the piano longer then an hour, setting an alarm for myself, and taking time between each one of these hour sessions.   The outcome has been fantastic, my practice is filled with mental alertness, and I avoid the fatigue comes comes from over practicing.

In a previous post, I went through how I go through scales, and I can't stress enough how this has improved my technique.  I practice with an awareness, of everything technical element, running through some very basic exercises to help with evenness in the sound.   I do not rely on instinct when I practice like this, and achieve an awareness of my abilities and how to use them.    I have been adding technical study pieces into the mix, playing them slowly, or with a syncopated rhythm.   My hands are now more capable of dealing with the challenges I find in my repertoire pieces.

Achieving my interpretive goals with the music is another matter entirely, and honestly is one that comes easier to me; it is where my own strengths lie.    The ironic part, is that the same ideas apply to interpretation, if we are not aware of what we are doing, then we loose the value.  When we look at music, we must look note value length, voice leading, and patterns in the phrases.  We should find reason, instead of relying on instinct, for a more thoughtful, and profound music experience.    When we work out the why, based on the note values and melodic patterns, we can turn our nebulous feelings, into something tangible, into crystalline shapes, and know the how and why in the things we see in the score.

Despite, all we do to strive for good practice, one can still encounter off days, when we feel a resistance in the body, or our nerves are getting the better of us.    Anything from eating bad, to having a sleepless night.   The best way to minimize these days is to lead a regular somewhat disciplined life.   Avoid excess, eat well, sleep regular, good hours, and exercise; these are all common sense things, but can lead to better balance, and avoiding those off days.   We don't just play the piano, it has become infused and part of our lifestyle.

When I feel nervous before performance, I once again feel it is important to exercise control, no one needs to know of how nervous I am.  So I a place to relax, meditate, take a few deep breaths.

The lesson I have learned, is that no matter what angle of music I am approaching: the technical, the interpretive, or even just nerves or bad days, the one constant way of dealing with them is control.   As I continue to learn how to master myself, I become more and more aware of what I want to do, and exactly how to do it.   The key for me is not focusing on the finger work, but rather on regular, alert, and never remitting self- discipline.   I stop worrying about the preparatory details I used to feel I must accomplish before a concert, through regular practice work they become second nature, but of the beauty of the music, the releasing of my emotions, and just how fun playing in public can be.

I welcome any thoughts, opinions or discussions, please feel free to comment below!  Also please subscribe if you would like to read more.   I can also be found on facebook here.

Avoiding Commandments

Most of the road blocks in the path to good music making, are mental, and not physical.   They can be tough to overcome, and a daily dose of vodka, is not a healthy way to remove those inhibitions.    I know, a little southern comfort while struggling with Bach can be tempting, but in the long run, it just doesn't work.

This free advertisement warrants a free bottle? Yes?

I find myself, when in my biggest moments, yelling at myself, and enjoying a donut or two.  What I learned is, as much as the will is there,yelling does not work.   Stubbornness can be a great thing; push us to new heights when times are tough, and help us tune out the truly negative criticism that can cripple us, but with the learning process, we have to be careful.

"Crescendo, Crescendo!!"

"Bring out the melody here"

"Faster"

Bring about immediate, but not always organic results.  Bringing forth musical spasm, ratted nerves, and then back to where we were to begin with.  These commands lack any real weight or purpose, they are impotent, they do not confer any ideas.   They do not encourage good music making, or any long term gain.   

When we sit down, at a concert, and the orchestra swells, that beautiful long, gradual, even sensual crescendo, this can do more for us then any of our commands.   It can be more potent then any lecture, or explanation we can give ourselves, in our own understanding.     These musical directions must exist in the mind, before we can produce it with our fingers.   The melody must be able to sing in the brain, before the fingers recreate the tones.   Our own mental pace, must quicken, before we can ask our fingers to move "faster."

This is only from observation and personal experience, but I sometimes hear when hearing a piece, it can increase my own abilities.   Hearing a performer, play it faster, or doing an interesting interpretation, increases our own abilities, to interpret.  We have new mental pathways, we can imagine it, in fascinating ways, and twist it further.

I recently listened to Vladimir Horowitz's recording of Chopin's Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante Op. 22 (included is the youtube link in two parts.)

I heard, something special, in it's conception, power, speed, every aspect felt new.  I always felt, that this piece was outside of my skill set.   Upon hearing this recording, the piece, became alluring, sticking in my mind, and despite Horowitz's technical abilities are far beyond my own; I felt this piece was finally within my grasp.

In a profound intimate way, Proverbs Chapter 23 Verse 7 comes to mind, and a phrase from that verse holds truth.

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he"

Inspiration

I am not a composer, and hold a very big jealous streak in me for those who can create music.   I gave it a try when I was younger, and was just unable to make something, that I felt, was special, and worth developing.

Being a composer is a tough job, we now live in a world, that demands everything be 100% original, which has lead to some very weird directions in some of the music being written.    Though, this will not be a rant about the direction of current classical music, but rather my thoughts on what separates a great composer from the rest of the herd.

Inspired, one of those words that get's thrown around way to often, along with other words like genius.  Though, it is essential to good music.    I am not referring to the mood of a moment, or even those "AHA!" moments, but rather, a permanent breath of life, that seems to spring forth from life force itself.  Whether, that be the composer or God, or whatever one chooses to believe that is.   No amount of technical prowess or knowledge can make up for this inspiration.  

I believe that this is a spiritual quality that anyone is capable of despite their personal beliefs.   Many people can have a spiritual sense without believe in a specific deity or religion, so this is not a religious spark.

Composer's need faith, faith enough in their own abilities, in themselves, in their convictions, enough so that they will sacrifice, put themselves on the line physically as well as emotionally, if need be; those people will find victory in the end.

The hard truth is there is not quick fixes or detours, for this kind of satisfaction.  Quick, fleeting successes, will hardly feel worth while, and the weight of the many great composers of the past can weigh down on a person's soul until they are in despair.

Though, despite all this, I feel that composers who can endure, through the mental blocks, the exhaustion, and sometimes having to forgo physical comforts, that it will pay off, the walls do tumble down.   It happens for others, and for the many great composers in the past who found their voice.  

Believe in what you are doing, have faith, and keep composing, and your music will find a way to endure!