TEMPLE_ARCHIVE

STATUS: INACTIVE // READ-ONLY

Tag: daily

  • Wobbly Walking

    As an adult learning a new skill (e.g., piano playing), you might move your body in ways that are hesitant and uncertain. You may say “Well, this is to be expected. After all, I’m just learning. Eventually, when I know what I’m doing, I will become confident and the way I move will become secure.”
     
    There is no guarantee that this will ever happen.
     
    You may find that your movements become a little more effective, yes. But, the confidence that you are expecting may not appear.
     
    Piano students often equate the stop-and-start movements of adults to the wobbly walking of children. You may say “Of course my hands should be shaking, and of course there should be false stops and starts. After all, this is what children go through when they learn to walk.”
     
    Yet, that’s not what children go through when they learn to walk.
     
    It’s true that they trip and stumble and are anything but graceful. But, there is a huge difference between ungraceful movements that are the result of fear and ungraceful movements that are the result of trial and error.
     
    Most adults hesitate because of fear.
     
    Give trial and error a go. Notice the difference.

  • Why Should I Practice the Piano?

    Why should I practice the piano…

    …if I’m never going to be great?

    …if I’m never going to make money from playing?

    …if I have more important things to do?

    …if I don’t love performing?

    …if there are dozens of people on YouTube who play better than I do?

    …if I’m too old?

    Do you love practicing the piano? Do you feel guilty about spending so much time on yourself? Maybe you don’t think it is time well spent unless it fits into a preconceived idea of what “productive” means?

    This is not a conflict. You can love practicing and also feel guilty about it. You don’t have to resolve this issue.

    Don’t deny your concerns. It is better to acknowledge them, rather than trying to ignore them. The guilt is there for a reason.

    But, that doesn’t mean you have to do what it says.

    Instead, try exploring your creative impulses. You know, whatever you love about practicing. That is where you will find the seeds of enthusiasm. Nurture those, and see where they lead, without any expectations.

  • Sitting With Discomfort

    The mind has a funny way of pulling our attention away from what’s most important.

    If our piano playing is going great, it might say “practicing is so much fun” or “I’m so glad I can play this well.” When that happens, it’s normal to want to continue doing what we’re doing.

    On the other hand, if our piano playing is not so great, it might say “this is so boring”, or “that didn’t come out right…I need to do something differently.” Now, when this happens, we might be tempted to change what we’re doing.

    If our goal is to improve our playing, we need to fix what we’re doing badly. But, if the mind is saying “change what you’re doing!”, there’s a conflict.

    That’s because you can’t fix a problem if you’re not willing to sit with the problem. If you change the subject every time the problem shows up, you will learn nothing about the problem. However, if you can sit with it, you might be amazed at what reveals itself.

    This is the highest leverage point you have in your practicing:

    Sitting with discomfort.

  • Stop Trying to Play Better

    It is not your responsibility to play better. If you knew how to do that, you would be doing it already. Are you not already doing the best you can do? Why do you expect more?

    So, what’s the alternative to this mindset?

    The way you play is a direct result of how you practice. Nothing else.

    The only thing you should be concerning yourself with is your practicing.

    If you want different results, the only thing you need to do is change how you practice. Now, there is no way to guarantee any specific results, especially if you’re asking for a big change.

    But, you can never get more out than you put in.

    • Do you know what results you’re getting?
    • Do you know what results you’re trying to get?
    • Do you know if you’re practicing correctly?
    • Do you even have a specific way of practicing? (I mean really specific, concrete exercises!)

    Or, is your practice time only spent on “trying to play it better”?

  • Is My Piano Playing Good or Bad?

    “Is my piano playing good or bad?”

    If you’re asking this question, you should already know the answer to it. You are the one playing, not me.

    Do you like the results you’re getting? If so, what more do you want? If not, great. Now you have an opportunity to improve something.

    Stop asking other people to evaluate your playing. They can’t possibly know the answer better than you do.

    “How do I improve my playing?”

    This is a better question, but you might not like the answer:

    Practice in such a way that your playing becomes better.

    Do you have a specific, clear way of practicing that is taking you where you want to go? Most pianists don’t.

    And yet, that is the only thing that matters, and the only thing that you should be evaluating.

     

  • A New Way of Looking at Piano Practice

    A pianist posted a video in an online forum, along with the question “Am I doing this right?”

    I spent a few minutes trying to decipher the motivations behind this post. I began suspecting that this pianist did not look at the world the same way I did.

    But, I can’t blame them. After all, the traditional way of thinking about piano practice encourages that worldview.

    The traditional way of thinking about piano practice goes something like this:

    • The score tells you the right way of playing.
    • There are “right techniques” and “wrong techniques.”
    • The teacher tells you if your technique is “right” or “wrong.”
    • The teacher tells you if your playing is “good” or “bad.”
    • Practicing means learning the right technique and doing it over and over.

    In contrast, here’s a different way of thinking about piano practice:

    • The score tells you how the composer thought the piece should sound, as much as music notation can.
    • The “right technique” is whatever works to play the piece.
    • Your personal experience will teach you if your technique is “right” or “wrong.” A teacher can only point you in the direction of having new experiences.
    • Practicing means doing exercises that challenge you to have new experiences.
    • Your playing is “good” if it helps you achieve what you’re trying to achieve, and “bad” otherwise. A teacher can’t possibly know this better than you do.
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