Brass Class Handouts #6 Body vs. Brain 1 Bernie Glow J What About Bargain Internet Instruments? 13 Repairs You Can Do............ 18 trasting ways of learnirrg rnusic that apply to rnany arcas. For example, whicl'r is the best way to teach instrumen- tal tone-to describe specific ) muscle placernent or sirnply have the student strive for a desired sound using what- ever means seem most natural? Should music be memorized by first leaming the form, key areas, ca- dences, and so forth, or should the student simply repeat a piece until the sound of it is permanently established in the ear? Is it better to learn the interval- lic structure and theory be- Become the musícian gou hind various scales and f arpeggios or simply prac- want to be bg símplg tice them until they lie com- E, f allowíng gourself to do it fortably under the fingers? The answer isboth. True, by Robet Rawlíns, Ph.D. to some extent, individual o Robet Ra+ulíns is ãssístant þrofessor and temperaments will play a role. Some opposed to an "incorrect" approach. But coordínator of music theory at Rowan people are more comfortable with ana- too much attention to particulars can Uníversíty ín G/assboro, New Jersey. He is lytical approaches and theoretical expla- drive both strldent and teacher crazy. As the author of A Simple and Direct Guide to nations. Others prefer a more direct one exasperated piano teacher exclaimed music. But optimurn after a student had stopped a Jazz Improvisation (Ha/ Leonard, 1995), approach to the during lntermediate Serial Duets for Two Flutes learning is more likely to take place when piece a half-dozen times to ask which (Southem Musíc, 1990), and has pub- both approaches are utilized. fingering to use: "l don't care! lJse any- lished many artic/es on c)aious dsþects of Having said that, it seems that the thing! It doesn't #.tter-just play!" musíc theory and performance, íncludíng natural or intuitive part of musical learn- The most important factor in any en- ltís regu/ar contríbutíons to the Bell. ing is often given short shrift, Students, deavor is to have a clearly defined goal. particularly more advancecl ones, some- For the musician, this goal will be in the times try too hard and overanalyze their form of an aural image. The student must 0n".,ig1,, Dizzy Gillespie walked into a playing without realizing it. clearly hear the sound that is desired jam session where theband was working Imagine the conscientious student and then allow the body to reproduce on a new tune with a difficult chord having these thoughts during a practice that sound through the instrument. It's structure. He asked the piano player to session: "Okay, breathe deep, use the dia- the objective, not the means of achieving call out the chords while he played, and phragm, and support the air column. it, that is the object of concentration. in minutes Dizzyhadmemorized the en- Now open your throat. Hold your head tire harmonic sequence and was impro- up, relax the jaw, and keep the lips firm. Th" follo*irlg suggestions are intended vising fluently on it. Gently curve the fingers, but don't use to help the student stay focused on the A few minutes later, Charlie Parker too much pressure." And so forth. real goal of mtsical performance-to form walked in. The piano player again started These are all wonderful suggestions, an aural image of the sound and repro- to call out the harmonies, but Parker in themselves, but this kind of incessant duce it as accurately as possible. The asked him not to. Listening intently, self-nagging is bound to have negative analytical side has its place, but once a Parker worked through a chorus or two consequences. The human bocly is a highly student knows the correct way to play, of the tune, and soon he too was jam- complex mechanism and regularly per- it's time to stop thinking about mechan- ming on it without difficulty. forms many intricate skills on its own. ics and concentrate on making music. Though both musicians shared simi- Tedious minute-by-minute instructious These tips might help: lar styles and both were highly accom- given by the conscious mind can easily Concentrate on sound. The one pri- plished on their instruments, they turn into distractions, inhibiting rather rrary area of focus that should always approached their mtsic in different ways. than promoting optimum performance. receive a perforrner's full attention is Gillespie preferred to consciously memo- Paradoxically, with improved cppor- the sound that is clesired. This should rize the sequence of chords and think tunities for formal music instruction aucl not be taken for granted. lt rnay take about them as he played. Parker took a advances in instrumental peclagogy, the years Lc clevelop a clear ancl accurate spontaneolrs approach, relying on his ear danger of this kincl of calculatecl approach aural image of the precise tone quality ancl natural instincts. to musical performance is tnore preva- that an instrumentalist seeks. lt is one lent today than in the past. thing to have a vague notion of what a Wntt" this inciclent specifically concerns Yes, to a large extent there is a "cor- goocl clarinet tone is, but quite another jazz improvisation, it clemoustrates cotì- rect" way to play a musical instrumeut as to have that souncl so ingrainecl in your ( ffi THE LEI]LANC BELL WINTER 2OO2 tL; Go easg on the uerbal ìnstructíons. Giving instructions to yourself while play- ing is generally not a gotxl iclea. Holv can you concentrate on the mtrsic if you're thinking about a teacher's instructions to "use less lip pressttre"? Still, there are times when corrections and changes do need to be made. Shouldn't you then be thinking about those instructions when you practice? Shouldn't you constantly remind yourself? There is a way out of this dilemma, and that is to translate verbal commands into aural images. If a teacher tells a student to use a certain lip pressure, it's obviously because something was wrong with the sound. Most likely, the teachet heard a pinched sound and knew from experience that too much lip pressure can cause such a problem. job Rowan [)níuersíty students, rehearsíng in lab band (left) and quctrtet (aboue), attemþt The for the student is to find the results from less to ba/ance mechanica/ s/<íl/s with the ntore ethereal elements of becomíng a musícían. improved sound that lip pressure and to hold that as an aural head that you can truly imagine it com- home. I don't know what happened! I image. Instead of thinking of the feeling ing ottt of your own instrument. just fall apart at lessons." Every teacher in the lip, be on guard for the sound Lísten to recordíngs and attend líae has experienced this. that results from too much pressure and performances. Beyond this, a student The problem is that we sometimes get focus on the improved sound that re- rnust literally practice hearing tone in our own way. Our natural self might sults from less pressure. quality. Before playing a single note, the be quite capable of performing a given Remember the good moments. All desired sound of that note must resonate task, but then the conscious mind comes perfor mers have moments, sometimes just in the inner ear. With attentive listening along and tuins everything by interfer' entire days, when everything feels ancl a conscious desire to grasp ancl re' ing. We tell ourselves things like "don't right. This could involve tone, technique, tain the sound, this can be achieved. miss it this time" or "this has to go right sight-reading or even expression and in' Practíce sightsinging. Once an inte' or I'm in big trouble." The best way to terpretation. We don't want to waste gral part of every instrumentalist's early try hard is to completely dismiss such these learning opportr-rnities, but we don't iraining, this valuable skill, saclly, is of' thoughts. Think only of the music, and want to ruin them either. Trying to ana' ten neglected today. Of course, we clon't trust in your natural abilities. lyze what is going right could very well learn how to sightsing so that we can Transcend the moment. It's a good cause everything to go wrong. sing; we learn to do it so we can hear thing brain surgeons don't have to oper- The way to learn from such opportu- rtt tii. it-t our ear before we play it. If you ate on stage before an audience. Ancl I nities is to remember the feeling and can't aurally conceive of the pitches as' wonder how Einstein would have fared sound of the moment. Focus on the total sociated with the notes on the page' then with his theory of relativity if he'd had sensation that you are experiencing. how are you going to form a clear aural to work in a tuxedo before a spotlight Don't think about what the muscles are image of the sound you're trying to getT with a crowcl of people watching every doing, and don't try to describe the sen- You can't have tone without pitch. calculation he made. sation. Just absorb the feeling. If you can What the student must avoid is sim' Sure, tl-rese are comical scenarios, but truly remember what it felt like to get ply pressing the key and depending on they underscore the difficulties of the the sound yott've been seeking, your ihe instrurnent itself to create the note.