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Thoughts, information, and inspiration about playing and learning for students and parents.  

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NFA 2018 Notes:  Trevor Wye on Moyse's "50 Variations on the Allemande of Bach's Sonata for Flute Alone"

8/12/2018

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Trevor Wye's NFA presentation on Marcel Moyse's "50 Variations on the Bach Allemande" was as to be expected from Mr. Wye:  amusing, informative, and full of fun anecdotes, quips, and jokes.  The subtitle of this work indicates the book is "for the study of articulation, embellishment, trills, groppetti, and grace notes."   For this class, he had two of his students take turns performing (and subsequently being coached on) the variations.  Trevor Wye also played examples on both flute and piano as needed.

Trevor repeated throughout the class that these exercises are "about the slur."  In his words, "a slur is always a diminuendo except...sometimes."  He urged players to take these variations very literally; to play them without extra added emotion, nuance and romantic interpretation.  The benefit here is from the rigors of doing exactly what the music asks for and nothing more.  His suggestion was to begin with exercise number two.  I have notated talking points for all of the variations that he spent time on.  There were some that were skipped during class.


In a nutshell, these exercises are all "curiously unmusical" but we apply these as dedicated exercises so that we can use the skills needed when they come up (usually in brief moments) in our repertoire.  The following are some of my notes taken during the class:

#2:  Never shorten the last note of a slur (in these exercises, not necessarily in context).  Slurs should be played with great pains taken to clearly diminuendo, de-empasizing the second note of each slur, without shortening the second note.  It is truly an exercise in control and patience but pays off in dividends for moments that this skill is needed in the repertoire.

#1:  "It doesn't feel musical to do the slurs this way, but it's just an exercise."  Do it.

#3:  Careful not to shorten the final note of the slur.

#5-8:  More of the same:  care must be taken to literally diminuendo on the slurs.

#9:  Light articulation.  It's about rhythmic "style," not literal rhythm.  Alter this rhythm slightly by over-exaggerating the closeness of each 32nd to each 16th.

How much of each of these exercises should we play?  Trevor's answer was that basically about 7-8 lines of study in each will establish the "feeling of what it's about."


#11:  "Think of the dots as espressivo."  Play the dotted notes expressively, and separated from the rest but not very short.

#13:  Basically, pretty darn difficult to truly give accent to the lower note but try your best to get it done.

#14/15:  (For musicality), "fast notes  (the 32nds) should go a little faster."

#16:  The little note is crushed as close as possible to the next note.  Really work at that.

#22/25:  These are "not so important;" there are "better double and triple tonguing studies for that."

About tonguing forward:  "The tongue should be closer to where the voice of the FLUTE is [ie, forward] to be clear...what sounds clear when speaking does so because it's closer to the [speaking] voice."  He made reference here to how clear actual speech can sound when using the tongue further back due to the tongue's proximity to the source of our actual speech, the voice box, yet the source of our flute sound is where the air from the aperture meets the flute, so we must tongue closer to the source of the sound.  Comparisons were also made to the innate suitability to great articulation that certain languages, such as French, provide the player.

#32:  Some of these are "not so worth it."

#33:  Really go for the correct amount of "trills."

#36:  "There are better double tonguing studies in other books."

Re:  actually performing the Allemande:  "Messing around with it, you can do too much.  Better to let the music speak for itself."

#42:  Practice a great single tongue here, not triple.

#43-46:  "I don't think it's worth practicing."

#48:  "Very valuable!"

#49:  "Waste of time."

Here, at this point, Trevor had both of the performers play all the way through the rhythmic tour-de-force of Number 50.  After which he quipped:  "Moyse said:  'never play this in public', " which elicited a lot of laughing in the audience.

In summary, the exercises are useful ways to focus very specifically on certain aspects of one's playing, most notably slurs, style, and articulation.





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Ten Benefits from Posting an Etude per Week

5/18/2018

6 Comments

 
This past November, I took a bit of a personal leap and made myself not only join but actually post in the Facebook group Etude of the Week.  In this group, each week an etude is assigned to prepare and post and members of the group can make comments on one another's offerings.

My perfectionism was so deep that I never publicly shared video of any of my performances.  Of course, this lack of "sharing" is ironic considering that my performances are public and are shared live with countless people anyway.  For me, the difference between live and video was that with video, there is a way to be able to rewind and review every flaw.  And believe me, I could always find a flaw that I didn't want anyone to "rewind and review."

I made myself participate mostly to get over myself.  

I joined this group to put myself out of my comfort zone.  Not only was I going to post an etude each week, but I was going to prepare this etude solely as a side effort to the practicing that I already had to do.  I wanted to become comfortable not only with sharing on social media, but to up the ante by sharing under that particular "less practiced" scenario.

Pressing post that first day was really hard for me.


Eighteen Berbiguier Etudes and nineteen Köhler Romantic Etudes (37 posts!) later, the benefits have been more than expected.  Here are some of my discoveries:

1.  I have desensitized myself to sharing performance video online.  I can't say a little voice in my head doesn't still notice every little flaw.  It still does.  I try to ignore that little voice.  Because on the flip side, I've received much positive support and feedback.  

2.  I have become a bit more forgiving of the flaws that I hear in my performances.  I've realized more than ever that that what I perceive as glaringly obvious flaws are received very differently by other listeners.  Even by other flutists.  There are times when the exact part of my playing that I felt was lacking is what I have received positive feedback for.  It doesn't mean I won't stop trying to improve, but it is evidence that people are listening for more than small hitches here and there.  They are listening for music.


3.  I have made more video footage of myself performing than I ever have before.  I have used audio as a learning tool in the past but saved video for performances only.  The benefits of this endeavor  have been countless.

4.  I have fast-tracked my playing improvement.  It is a highly educational experience to both see and hear myself perform on a weekly basis.  I have already made changes to my playing just from watching myself and seeing something that I need to fix.  I also have some good ideas as to how to continue to work on my physical approach to playing and my body awareness going forward into the future.  Watching myself play has renewed my interest in Body Mapping and self-awareness.  Instead of being irritated by what I see or feel, I am now doing something about it because I saw it or felt it.

5.  I am honoring my own voice more.  I started out my etude-posting journey a bit stilted, much more so than I am in live performance.  As the weeks went by, I kept asking myself what I wanted to say, and trying to honor what I thought was important.  I kept the "I" in my interpretation.  

There are times when I lack the practice time I desire to bring a technical etude to the full extent of my capability.  In those times I bring my focus toward the music and what I want to say instead.  And I still post it.  I am really enjoying this aspect of interpreting a new work each week.   

6.  I didn't think I'd be able to find time to add something "just for me" into my practice time, but I do!  Time constraints, family obligations, motherhood, and mostly repertoire for my paid performances have made me set etudes aside more often than not.  Keeping myself accountable to play a new study each week has been an amazing addition to my practice, and has turned out to be a welcome distraction from orchestral music.  There are weeks now when I'd really rather plow through my etude book than play the music I need to learn for a concert.  It's FUN.  It's been a great change of pace.

7.  I've improved my focus.  I have arrived to the point where I can play several takes in a row that would all be "acceptable" to post (in their own "perfectly imperfect" kind of way of course.)  In fact, I don't know why I even do the extra takes most of the time anymore.  Clicking record no longer sends me into a tailspin of false starts.  I love this change in my focus when I click the record button on the camera.


8.  I have had the opportunity to hear some lovely approaches to playing.  I've gotten new ideas.  I've been inspired.  I have had "aha" moments where I realized a phrase that troubled me had another solution.  I realize that if all of the flutists in this forum didn't share (just as I had not been sharing for so long) I would not have the opportunity to hear so many wonderful flutists.  I am grateful for this opportunity to learn, share, and to be pushed to give more of myself each time.

9.  I have "met" a wonderful community of supportive flutists from all walks of life and from all over the world.  I am really excited to meet many of them in person for the first time at the NFA Convention.  I feel, in a way, that I have re-connected with a broader slice of the flute community.

10.  I have great satisfaction that I gave myself a challenge and I followed through.  I will kid you not:  posting in this group was really hard for me.  My need to wait until I am perfect continues to be something I am working on.  However, I have noticed that, as time goes by, I am improving my offerings despite time restrictions and lack of sufficient preparation time.  That can only mean I'm becoming more efficient at cutting to the chase with these studies.

Sticking with it has certainly been an amazing part of my satisfaction.  There are weeks in which my mantra is "Just show up."  That's it.  Make a showing.  My mind, of course, screams "D
on't put anything out there that stinks!  There is so much more you can do with this one! ​and I wrestle with it still.  But I keep showing up, and I keep following through.  I can't wait to see what comes next in my journey.

Special thanks to Katy Wherry for creating such a wonderful, supportive forum for flutists around the globe!  


6 Comments

Practice Journals (for Older Students)

5/12/2016

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NOTE:  this post has been reposted here from its location on my original blog, so that all teaching and learning resources can be accessed in the same forum.  :)


I am continually surprised that so many students, including those at the college level, can be reluctant to fill out practice journals or charts.   I’m not surprised that perhaps an individual feels he can keep track of what he is doing during practice time without journaling, because I am one of those people.  I am also not surprised that there are people who have a thorough well-thought-out practice regimen for whom journaling may be redundant.  


I am a person who has not regularly kept practice journals so it may seem surprising to you that I am writing about this right now.  However, I have used journals in the past and will continue to use them in the future, as needed, with great results.  I also know from a pedagogical standpoint that they are a great way to teach people how to organize their practice.


What surprises me more than anything is when a student is required to keep a journal as part of her lesson regimen…and she doesn’t.    The first question is:  why would you not do what your teacher requires?  I don’t believe in flat-out refusing to do something with no explanation other than an “Oh I forgot,” or “I practiced but I didn’t write anything down.”  The second question is:  why on earth would you jeopardize your grade when it’s so easy to scribble a few things down on paper now and again?


Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty here.  There are multiple issues at hand when this happens:
​
  • By not completing your assignment in the way the teacher requested, you are not being 100% respectful of your teacher's knowledge.  Without realizing it, you are sending the message that what your teacher asks/offers is not important to you; that you’d like to do it your own way.  (I’m not saying that your way might not be perfectly functional for you if indeed, you are a thorough and regular practicer…but see the next point below.)
  • You are not giving a new perspective a chance.  How do you know that keeping a journal won’t be helpful?  Show eagerness to adopt new ways and to better yourself using new techniques.  Willingness to be adaptive to other perspectives and methods is a great trait and will help you in the future no matter what you do with your career.  
  • You might not want to face reality.  You may not even realize fully that you are NOT doing these things because they will serve to outline the fact(s) that:  you may not be practicing enough, that you may not be practicing the right things, and that you may be glossing over issues.  At the heart of the matter could be a defensiveness of the fact that what you write down makes what you have or haven’t done “official,” and you may not really like to put that in writing.
  • You might be being lazy.  But let’s not even go there, because if you are too lazy to write a few scratches on a piece of paper then opening a flute case would be a huge effort as well.  ;)


It may feel a bit tedious to write in a book about what you do.  But your journal serves to provide you with data, guidance and goals.  A practice journal, at the most basic level, simply charts the frequency or length of your practice.  For some of you, this can be eye-opening, especially if you are not in the habit of practicing frequently.  At the same time, it can provide impetus to improve and to practice more often.

  • Your journal can guide you through your progress in a detailed way.  It is easy with a journal to itemize the scales you need to practice, the sections of a piece that need to be completed, and the techniques you are trying to implement.  It can be quite clear what has been overlooked when reading through a practice journal.
  • A journal can be goal-oriented.  A simple note about future goals, or about what to work on during the next practice can serve to keep you on task.
  • The journal is also a useful diagnostic.  Reading through the journal or chart together can help teacher and student adjust, itemize and reprioritize practice.  It can help both teacher and student realize where there is not enough focus, or where perhaps there is too much focus.  It can help open up conversations about how to create more practice time when needed.  This is the primary reason that I personally will ask a student to fill out a journal.  It is not punishment.  It is not “busy work.”  It is a very useful diagnostic!  I want to help, and your data helps me help you!  For real!
  • Your journal can be a simple as a daily chart:  just checks on a piece of paper to let you know that you achieved the goal of practicing that day.  Seeing those checks can keep you accountable.  It can be as detailed as a science experiment with charts and metronome markings and itemization of progress.  It can be as personal as a diary, where you write about what you did, your difficulties, your achievements, your “aha” moments, and questions for future lessons.​​

It is up to you where you want to let the journal process take you.  I am personally beginning a journal this month to help me stick to the task of repeating/rotating through specific technical exercises with more frequency.  I tend to like variety to the extent that I switch off of something sooner rather than later.  I am journaling right now to document what happens when I stick to something for a bit longer than usual.  


Think about this journal thing a little.  I often tell students that they have every right to reject a particular technique or approach to playing once they have adopted it in regular practice.  It is not until you have incorporated something into your playing/practicing life so that it’s done with a fair bit of facility that you can truly contrast and compare the new way with the way you functioned before.


Don’t disallow yourself possible improvement and success because of either defensiveness or ego.  Give it a whirl and let me know what happens.  I’d love to hear how it works for you.


​
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The Rule of Seven

5/12/2016

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**This is a repost from my original blog, so that teaching and learning-related posts are all kept in one place.**

I recently read a post on Amy Porter's website discussing useful practice "cures" for technical challenges.  There was some great information included in this very useful list!  Some of the tips are tried and true warhorses of my teaching and practicing regimen, some I had forgotten about, and some were great food for thought.

One that stuck out in my mind was the "Rule of Seven."  In Amy's words: "Do it right seven times.  Mess up?  Back to one!"  This is a great, very effective practicing rule.  I use and teach it often (sometimes I use the "Rule of Ten" instead).  I'd like to elaborate a little on how to use this Rule of Seven to your best advantage.

There is an old Latin phrase:  Repetitio mater studiorum est.  It means "repetition is the mother of all learning."  It was discovered that the brain needs to hear a new word many times within a matter of minutes in order to learn it.  There is also an interesting article I read titled "How to Retain 90% of Everything You Learn," in which it mentions the learning pyramid and the fact that we retain 90% of what we teach, and 75% of what we practice (in other words, what we repeat) while we learn less than 30% of what we try to learn from reading and listening.  

The Rule of Seven is also a marketing term.  The idea is that a potential client or buyer will need to hear your message seven times before they buy from you.  

The idea here is to repeat things.  Stick with it.  Make sure you can do it right seven times before moving on.  Pretty simple.  However, there is some pretty good research out there proving that too much repetition can dull the brain through a process called "habituation."  This is the reason why, if you practice a piece for months and months, it can get worse.  Your brain becomes habituated and no longer retains a sharp focus on the details of what you are doing.  You can read an interesting article about this and how to avoid it during practice time HERE on The Bulletproof Musician, one of my favorite blogs.

Habituation aside, let's get to the Rule of Seven and how best to use it (because tricky passages are just the tip of the iceberg!):
  • Seven Times:  When you have a tricky passage, or a place where you don't transition from one phrase to another, repeat it seven times in a row correctly.  The key point here is CORRECTLY.  If you don't get it right, then begin again.  This means you need to be mindful during your repetitions.  If you need to insert a pause before a note or put a fermata on a note to avoid playing the next note wrong, this still counts as a correct repetition the first time you apply the Rule of Seven.  Inserting some wise "anti-error" techniques will help you avoid having to start over too many times.  In subsequent repetitions (maybe at the next practice) have a goal of eliminating any pauses.
  • Seven Attempts:  I usually prefer 10 for this one.  If you are trying a new concept (such as a new way of articulating, a new vowel shape in the mouth, etc) that is different from what your body is used to doing, please give it 7 (or 10) tries in a row before you give up on it.  During these repetitions, the dust may clear and you may discover that it actually works for you.
  • Seven Ways:  Since we don't want to bore ourselves, it's important to vary the way we practice not only passages but entire pieces:  1.  Play it in a different style.  2.  Play it with different dynamics.  3.  Play it in a different KEY (**I need to do this more often!**).  4.  Play it from different sections.  5.  Play in different tempi.  6.  Play phrases in reverse order from the end of the piece to the beginning of the piece.  7.  Play in different rooms and acoustics so you experience "live" and "dry."
  • Seven Days in a Row:  Consistency is always key.  You might want to try to practice seven days in a row if you've never done that before.  You might want to make sure you rotate through your difficult passages seven days in a row.  If you are a person who likes variety too much (like me), you might like to make sure you practice the same stuff seven days in a row.
  • Seven People/Seven Experiences:  If you are preparing for an audition, recital, or anything important, try to seek out seven people to listen to you on seven separate occasions.  The repetition of the experience of performing for someone will ease your nerves and help you know what you need to put more focus on during your practice sessions.  **this is something I need to remind myself to do more often!!**
  • Seven Opinions:  Along the lines of "Seven People," seek seven constructive opinions about your playing:  take masterclasses, play for colleagues and friends, generally get brave and willing to absorb seven new viewpoints.  **this is another thing I need to do more often!**
  • Seven Months:  Give things time.  If you have a long-term goal to achieve, give yourself seven months in which to do it.  Use smaller versions of the Rule of Seven along the way to get you there!
  • Seven Because You are Flummoxed:   I recently started implementing this one in my practice.  I was having some fundamental issues that I was not able to solve in my playing.  I honestly did not have a clue as to what I needed to do.  Everything I knew was not working.  So I just started repeating passages while noticing how I felt and what I did until I had an idea of what to do.  Sometimes with (mild) repetition, the dust does clear in your mind.

In summary, we all need to give things a go repeatedly before moving on and giving up.  Hand-in-hand with this comes a warning that if seven is good, 100 may not be better:  don't forget to use variety in both your repetitions and your practice sessions so that you don't get habituated and "turn off."

If you come up with your own new take on the Rule of Seven, please share!  Happy practicing!
​
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