The following are two hand stretches that I learned from the composer Michael Colgrass. He gave a class at IU, back in ye olden times when I was a student there and before it became the Jacobs School of Music.
I’ve been using these stretches as part of my warm-up routine ever since. I hope you will find them as useful as I have.
And a little prize for those of you who have made it to the bottom of this post:
Happy Spring-almost-Summer!
We’ll be back next week with more ideas to put into practice.
If you’d like more information about a particular topic, or have a practice dilemma, send me word by clicking on “comments” below.
Photo by lepiaf.geo
WARNING: This post includes a good quantity of amateur neruoscience. Proceed with caution.
I’d like to explain a bit about how my memorization technique works.
When I was first doing a lot of memorization (before I had developed the technique), I noticed that I could often play a passage from memory after only a few repetitions attempting to memorize it. The thing was, I could usually only successfully play it from memory once or maybe twice that way, and when I came back to it the next day, I had to start completely over again. It seemed like there was some sort of shallow or short-term memory at work.
Years later, I learned that particular kind of short-term memory has a name: working memory. It’s kind of like the clipboard function on your computer—your brain is capable of remembering a certain amount of information right at the front of your brain for the period of time with which you are actively working on it. But, like the clipboard function when you turn off your computer (i.e. end your practice session), you lose that slate of information.
I developed my memorization method as a means of converting shallow working memory into something deeper, longer-term, and more dependable. I wanted to be sure the information had passed from my working memory (which is only good for a day or two) into the long-term memory banks of my brain where I could call it up whenever I needed it (i.e. on stage in a month).
I think the two key processes that effect the conversion from working memory to long-term memory are the close observation of detail (making your memory more specific and full, as opposed to general and shallow) and the isolation of mental practice from physical practice.
So, put on your amateur neuroscientist lab coat, and let’s look at the method from that point of view:
1. Play your chosen passage through twice, reading the music and observing as much about it as you can (close observation of detail).
2. Think it through once: this is working memory in action. While you are thinking it through, be aware of any information your working memory has missed (Is the last note a B or B-flat? Is there a dynamic change somewhere? What about the articulations?)
3. Play it through once, reading the music. This is where you fill in the blanks left by your working memory (remember it’s shallow and misses things).
4. Think it through twice: by the second time, you will be relying more on a deeper kind of memory than shallow working memory.
The second stage adds in the physical part. By its very nature, physical practice (actually playing the music) will generate muscle memory: your fingers start to know what notes to play all by themselves. Muscle memory is a great thing, and can be a big help if you get distracted when in performance: your muscles take over while you are thinking of something else, and, hopefully, the audience is none the wiser.
However, during the process of memorization, muscle memory can be a real problem: it can create the illusion that you know a passage when, really, only your fingers know it.
I do the mental work first because when performing from memory, it is most effective for information to flow from your brain to your fingers, not vice versa. Separating mental practice from physical practice bypasses muscle memory and allows you to get the information deep into your brain’s hard drive, where you can call it back when you need it. Then, in stage two, you take what you learned mentally in stage one, and manifest it physically. You practice converting knowledge (memory) into action (playing), which further cements your memorization of the piece. This allows muscle memory to serve as your “backup” in case of emergency.
Photo credit: Arwen Abendstern
Promoting the flow of what?
Ch’i is the life force, as interpreted by Chinese medicine. It’s often Romanized in different ways, so you might have seen is written as Qi, or Ki.
I learned the exercise in the video below from an acupuncturist, when I was living in Hong Kong (and playing in the Hong Kong Philharmonic ). It’s one of my favorite warm-ups because it is so gentle and easy, and feels really good.
While that acupuncturist might be surprised I use this exercise as a warm-up for playing the flute, I find it quite logical that if you’re going play music, it’s a good idea to have ch’i flowing through you as freely as possible…
Give it a try:
You can also do this exercise on your legs if you like.
One of the keys to successful and pain-free memorization is to only memorize very small sections at a time.
The Problem
Working on only small sections sounds simple enough, but memorization is a tricky business. It can be really tough, psychologically, to make yourself concentrate on only a very small section at time when you really want to be playing the whole piece. Good music has a certain feeling of inevitability about it: one phrase naturally leads to the next and seamlessly carries you and the audience through time. And the better the music, the stronger that sense of inevitability. So it can be really hard to make yourself stop at the end of a single phrase.
Flutists, try the first page of the Martin Ballade, and you’ll know what I mean.
If the music is very complicated, with lots of notes and accidentals, you might find yourself deciding to work on memorizing only a portion of a phrase. And that, my friends, is an even tougher discipline: to play, over and over, just half of a phrase!
The Solution
So what’s a flutist (or any other musician trying to memorize) to do? My solution is to put blinders on, just like one puts on a horse drawing a carriage. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is with Post-its: I cover up the music that I am not memorizing, making it way easier to focus on only the section I’ve chosen.
Usually it’s enough to just cover the next few notes with a single Post-it:
But if I’m really having a hard time focusing, I’ll cover up the whole next phrase, and even some of the previous one:
A Related Problem
Another common memorization pitfall is giving in to anxiety about learning the entire piece, when what you need to be doing is simply concentrating on a small section. This is totally normal, of course: who hasn’t said, or heard a colleague say, “I can play the little sections, it’s playing the whole thing that’s hard?”
When I get caught up in that particular brand of anxiety, my inner monologue goes something like this: Well, this phrase may be important, but what about the next one? And the one after that? And that tricky one at the end? I sometimes get so caught up in the enormity of the task (Play the entire Ibert Concerto from memory? Seriously?), that it’s hard to concentrate on the small, manageable task of learning one small section at a time, even though in this blog I’m always singing the praises of small sections.
The Same Solution
The Post-it trick is not just a visual focus aid, it also helps you psychologically by hiding the enormity of the job. It’s similar to when long-distance runners use “short focus:” they look only a few steps ahead at a time, and then can run a whole marathon that way. It’s also a great trick for getting up hills, since at a short focus, it’s hard to perceive the slope of the hill. Which is just like using the Post-it trick to keep you looking only at a small section, and not thinking about the whole piece.
Some Details
I’ve also learned to use Post-its in dark colors, or to use two of the light yellow ones, so that I’m not tempted to just read the music through the Post-it. Another good way to maximize Post-it opacity is to put the sticky part a little above the music you want to hide, as the part of the Post-it that sticks off the music is less see-through.
If you don’t have a stack of Post-its at the ready, you can just use folded up scrap paper:
Horses wear blinders so that they don’t get spooked by other traffic on the road, and musicians need them for a similar reason. By putting Post-it blinders on, you make it easier to concentrate on the small section you want to practice. And, perhaps more importantly, this keeps you from getting spooked by the things you are choosing not to concentrate on.
P.S.
In this photo, the horse is you. The people on the motorcycle are the phrase after the one you’re practicing, and the tanker is the looming fear of playing the whole piece from memory…I think you get the picture!
Photo Credits: Black and white photo of horse: DMahendra Color photo of horse in traffic: Randy Son of Robert Other photos: me!
This is the second in a series of posts about physical warm-ups. For a little bit of intro, please see the first post. For the entire series to date, please click on “Physical Warm-ups” under the heading “Categories” on the right side-bar.
Today, we’ll do two shoulder stretches.
The first will get you moving, and is that old standby, the shoulder roll.
The second stretch is one of my favorites, but I don’t know what it’s called. For now, I’ve given it the title “The Nameless Shoulder Stretch.” I learned it from a chiropractor in Hong Kong, when I was playing in the orchestra there.
It may be familiar to many of you from other athletic pursuits, but please watch carefully as proper form for this stretch is the key to getting the most out of it.
A Special Note to Flutists
Have you ever had that “flute pain?” The one just under your shoulder blade? The Nameless Shoulder Stretch healed me of that pain. Watch the video below for a little bit more about that:
PS. If you think of a good name for the Nameless Shoulder Stretch, let me know! I’m currently leaning toward “The Reverse Volleyball Stretch,” but I’m open to suggestion.
Remember the 10-Minute Rule? You can click here for the why and wherefore, but the rule itself goes like this:
Never practice any one thing more than 10 minutes at a time.
The 15-Minute Rule is one of only two exceptions I make to the 10-Minute rule. It goes something like this:
If you are memorizing, you may work on a single small section for up to 15 minutes.
I make this exception for several reasons.
For me, it is not unusual to have to do two sessions of 15 minutes on a single passage — especially if it is one that involves a lot of technical work and I have to start slow and work my way up to a faster tempo. Many times, one session of 15 minutes and a second of 10 or less is plenty. If you find yourself repeatedly having to spend more than two 15-minute sessions per passage, that’s probably a sign that you are trying to memorize too much music at once, and need to choose smaller sections.
As you may know, the 10-Minute Rule has one other exception, the 12-Minute Rule, whereby if you are
SURE you will get your one thing mastered with just two more minutes of practice then you can go for it. There is no such exception with the 15-Minute Rule. If your chosen passage isn’t memorized in those 15 minutes, come back to it another day.
As I’ve said, one of the main ideas behind the 10-Minute Rule is preserving your sanity. This is even more important when memorizing music because of the fear so many of us feel about standing up on stage with no music in front of us. You want to make your memorization practice as sane as possible, so that you will feel as confident as possible up on stage. When memorizing music, you are really learning two things at once: how to play without the music in front of you, and how to feel when playing without the music in front of you.
If, while memorizing, you allow yourself to do what I call “desperation practicing” (Another two minutes! Just another two! I can quit anytime! Really!), you will carry that feeling with you onto stage. You will have, in effect, practiced feeling desperate.
In contrast, by observing the 15-Minute Rule, you practice feeling calm and in control. Know that you will have another session if you need it. Know that you are in control of how you use your time.
Feeling in control of how you spend your practice time will translate directly into feeling in control in performance.
Photo Credit: CarbonNYC
Playing an instrument is physically demanding, like playing a sport. So, like an athlete, it’s a good idea to start your practicing with a physical warm-up.
The first thing I do every time I practice — before I play scales, or long-tones, and definitely before I tackle any thorny technical problems– I do a set of stretches for my whole body. I start at the top (the neck) and work my way down. In this and following posts, I will share my physical warm-up routine, and hope that you will find it useful.
Today, we’ll do three neck stretches.
The first is just to get you moving, and is the most simple, and most familiar: the neck roll.
The second is more intense and focused. I learned it from a book promising “natural ways to beat a headache.” It didn’t lead to the end of any headaches for me sadly, but it has proved very useful as a warm-up for playing the flute.
The final exercise is from The Paula Robison Flute Warmups Book. I like it because it emphasizes movement. Much of our practice time is spent holding relatively still, which can lead to all sorts of tension. This exercise is a nice counter-movement to the habitual stillness of practice.
When I was first starting to do a lot of playing from memory (preparing for a big competition in my first year of graduate school), I wanted to have some sort of method that would help me feel certain that I had studied the music enough to know it for sure. I thought that if the process of memorization felt systematic, I could be sure my preparation was thorough, which would translate into more confidence on stage.
I developed the following system at that time, and it has served me well in the years since. I will devote future articles to some of its finer points, and why it works. For today, however, I’ll cover the basic steps, so you can start using this system immediately.
The first thing you need to do is choose a short passage to memorize. The principle of small sections is absolutely crucial to successful memorization – I can’t stress this enough! Please read my previous post on the topic of small sections if you need more information.
Once you’ve chosen your section, here’s what you do:
First stage: Learning the passage mentally
1. Play the passage twice through, reading it from the music, with the metronome on.
2. Now, without looking at the music, think the passage through once at tempo (i.e., keep the metronome on).
3. Play the passage once more while reading the music, noting anything that you forgot or didn’t know when you thought it through.
4. Look away from the music, and think the passage at tempo another two times.
Total: six times, three times playing from the music, three times thinking it through without the music
Second stage: learning the passage physically
1. Play the passage twice through, reading it from the music, with the metronome on.
2. Now, without looking at the music, play the passage once through at tempo (keep the metronome on).
3. Play the passage once more while reading the music, noting anything that you forgot or didn’t know when you thought it through.
4. Look away from the music, and play the passage at tempo another two times.
Total: six times through, three times playing from the music, three times playing from memory
Grand total: twelve times through
For a slow passage, one or two times through this whole process is often enough to get it memorized. Even if this process takes less than 10 minutes, I only do it one time through in a single practice session. I come back to it the next day if I feel the passage needs another cycle through the memorization process.
For a fast passage that is technically challenging, here’s my routine:
a. One time through mentally, at tempo
b. Two times through playing while reading
c. One time through playing from memory
d. One time through playing while reading
e. Two times through playing from memory
Basically, at each tempo level you go through the passage once mentally, and then go through the entire second stage of memorization.
If you would like a cheat sheet that lists the basic steps of this memorization technique, here it is: memorization-cheat-sheet (click to download as a pdf).
As you try this technique, know that your skill with it will develop slowly, but it will improve over time. If at first you don’t succeed, try again with a shorter section of music. There have been occasions (most notably complicated music like the Ibert Concerto) when I have memorized one beat at a time!
I find that working from memory is like developing any other skill—it gets easier as you get more proficient. Your memory, just like your muscles, can be ‘in shape,’ and when it is, memorization happens faster. And when you’re just starting, you need to start with small units, just as you would start with small weights for your first day at the gym.
NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles about memorization. If there are any particular aspects of working from memory that are of interest to you, or you have questions about the techniques I share, please leave a comment below, and I will endeavor to answer those questions in future posts.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/derricksphotos/2172690132/
This is going to be a short entry, because here’s what is the best thing to do on your breaks from practicing:
NOTHING.
And nothing doesn’t need explanation, does it? Well, for me, it did.
Nothing means:
Do not call your friends, do not read The New Yorker, do not track down the Super of your building to ask about when the exterminator comes, do not see what’s doing on Facebook (to name a few examples of things I’m tempted to do on MY breaks).
Just lie down on the couch or the floor, or sit comfortably somewhere, and do nothing. Think if you have to, but do nothing.
My niece demonstrates proper napping technique
Try it. I think you’ll find that 5 minutes of just sitting there is just as refreshing, if not more, than reading a magazine for 15 minutes.
I will admit that sometimes I feel a little embarrassed I’m so obsessed with time and practicing efficiently that I even have found a method to take breaks efficiently. Some people might see that as a pretty major 21st-century malady…
However, it really works. I first tried this method of break-taking (I mean, really, method of break-taking?) when I was preparing for a big audition while performing full time with Tales & Scales. It was like finding extra hours in the day.
Now that I’m no longer in the structured environment of T&S, I find this method a bit harder to maintain (since I’m not totally desperate for practice time and I really want to read the New Yorker), but I find it even more useful and important now that I’m trying to manage a life as well as a playing career.
Let’s say you practice in 30 minute segments, with breaks in between, like I do. If your breaks are only 5 or 7 minutes, you can do two hours of practice in two hours and twenty minutes. If you take 15 to 20 minute breaks, you end up spending three hours of time for those same two hours of practice. (a savings of 40 minutes… which you can spend any way you like once you’re done with practicing.)
I would also add that I don’t think it’s really the same two hours. I find that when I do nothing on my breaks, the quality of my practice is noticeably better: my focus is clearer and I learn faster. I’m rested, but not distracted.
Plus: honestly, when else do you get to do nothing? Enjoy it!
Credit where credit is due: It was my partner Aine who suggested this and it saved my life; and the picture is by my sister, Sukey.
