Last week I was fortunate enough to be in San Francisco when the SFSO was playing Mahler's Ninth Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. Over the last decade the SFSO has very much made a name for themselves with their release of all of the Mahler symphonies with Tilson Thomas conducting. I've been a fan of those recordings for some time now thanks to the fact that not only are their performances superb but I feel his Mahler interpretation is impeccable. I was particularly excited to hear the ninth symphony live since it spans the whole gamut of dramatic emotions (anger, excitement, joy, peace, etc). That kind of work is best experienced in the live setting where the visible energy and intensity of the musicians can greatly influence your perception of the piece.
My seat was in the terrace, right behind the orchestra, less than 10 feet behind the bells of the horns. As far as I was concerned, there was no better seat in the house. It was as close as I could get to sitting with the horn section without actually being on stage. Within the first bar of the 2nd Horn solo at the beginning of the first movement it was painfully obvious to me that it had been several years now since the last time I was able to hear an orchestra of this caliber in person. It made me long for the time that I lived in Cincinnati a few years ago, when we would go down to Symphony Hall on a weekly basis to hear the CSO for the affordable cost of a student ticket.
Throughout the concert, there were two things that were particularly enrapturing from a visual standpoint: the bowing of the strings and the breathing of the brass. Playing as an ensemble is a skill that is often overlooked in our musical training. So much of our time in school is spent learning how to be a soloist. Yes, we learn excerpts, and yes, we spend time playing in ensembles, but how much of that time is completely devoted to learning to perform as a cohesive unit? I feel like the woodwinds and brass have a slight advantage over the rest of the orchestra simply because of the increased emphasis on involvement in multiple ensembles in universities. Many of your wind instrumentalists are members of both the bands/wind ensembles and orchestras at the same time in addition to any chamber music opportunities. We also have the tendency to spend drastically more time on excerpts as a required part of our lesson repertoire. It was an incredible experience to have my breath taken away by the purely visual aspect of watching the strings perform. Each of the individual string sections were moving in complete synchronization. Every performer used the bow to its fullest extent. Down bows. Up bows. Every movement happened in exact unison. All of the string players were playing their individual parts at the top of their individual abilities, and then threw all sense of individual identity out of the proverbial window. It didn't matter that they were a group of individuals from all different backgrounds and schools of music. The only thing that was important was to think, move, and perform as a single unit. It was so enchanting to watch that you could have completely muted every sound coming from the stage and the performance would have been just as enthralling to observe.
The breathing of the brass section was just as mesmerizing, but more from an aural standpoint than visual. Every attack was precisely together using the same style and articulation. As impressive as that was, I was moved even more by the precision of their releases. Every performer played the end of every statement and phrase the exact same way as the rest of their compatriots. There was not a single release where someone would breathe out of sync with the rest of the section. Every phrase was seemingly approached with the idea that the end is always the goal and is therefore the most important part. The releases became the most awe inspiring aspect of the entire concert. Individual identities were gone and nothing was more important than sharing and utilizing a single musical mind. The communication that can occur silently in the span of a single breath was mind boggling to observe. It was as if I had been specially invited to observe a sacred ritual. This kind of performance cannot be captured in a "canned" recording. The amount of editing that occurs on modern albums completely eliminates these magical moments that can only be observed and felt during a live performance.
My re-inspiration. That's what I'm calling this concert. This performance gave me back some of the spark that had been missing from my own playing for quite a while now. I had forgotten what it really felt like to be a part of a larger whole, the bigger picture, or whatever you want to call it. We get stuck in our practice rooms playing the same music the same ways over and over again and it is too easy to lose sight of the amazing things that can be accomplished when we belong to an ensemble. I am not trying to belittle soloist or solo work at all. There is simply a level of enlightenment that can be attained when you give up your individual musical self in order to achieve the musical and mental harmony that can only be found when truly playing as an ensemble.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Finding your Focus
We often forget just how much of the quality of a performance is based on our ability to maintain focus. Music is a mental game. Just like a chess champion trains to out maneuver their opponent, we must train to out maneuver our minds. The mind is a fickle thing. If we are constantly concerned about our "shoulder angels" telling us what to do or think, we can easily be distracted from maintaining our focus on what we are physically doing here and now. I've always found Yoda from the Star Wars franchise to be a particularly apt music teacher. Before agreeing to train Luke in "The Empire Strikes Back," he comments on how "All his life has he looked away...to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing." This is a perfect example of how our minds are prone to wandering. We worry incessantly about superfluous things instead of focusing on what we are playing this moment. Our shoulder angels are constantly whispering to us as we perform: Damn! I missed that again!, I always have trouble with that passage, Don't screw up!, and so on. This stream of discouragements force us to avert our concentration away from what we are actually doing in each moment of a performance.
I am the last person to advise any kind of micro management of muscles as we play because it will only lead to getting so tangled up in ourselves that we cannot move. Analysis paralysis can be fatal to any performance when too much thinking occurs. The kind of focus that I am referring to pertains to concentrating on only one thing at a time, such as: allowing your body to stay relaxed, concentrating solely on what your air is doing, ensuring that your fingers are moving at the appropriate speed, etc. The busy society in which we live has convinced us that we must multi-task in order to be considered successful. Smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices are supposedly designed to streamline our lives so we have more time for other pursuits. Unfortunately, they also have taught us to depend on a constant stimulus. It seems to be increasingly more difficult for people to be comfortable with concentrating on only one thing at a time. Instead we listen to music, while using an e-reader, while talking on the phone, all while we drive from one life event to another. We are determined to find success by our ability to check things off of our to-do lists, regardless of the quality of the work we perform. Focusing on one thing at a time, and being comfortable with focusing on only one thing, is a skill that requires us to work our mental muscles in the same way we work our embouchures, arms, fingers, and voices when we perform. Focus must be practiced daily in order to stay in shape.
Tips for finding your ability to focus
1. Turn off the TV/Phone/Computer/Tablet/E-reader.
Yes. All of those little (or not so little) devices have an on/off switch. Use it. Many of us fall into the comfortable trap of watching TV while we practice. Warm up routines are almost perfectly built for distraction, especially if it is a routine that one has used for years. We get to a point where we go through the motions simply because that's the way we've always done things. It's so easy to turn on the baseball game, the DVR, or Netflix to help pass the time while we go through those motions. Then we finish our warm up and we're in the middle of a movie or TV show. Rather than turn off the TV we decide to leave it running while we "practice" our solos, etudes, or excerpts. Instantly, our attention is divided. How are you supposed to actually pay attention to your breathing when you're more concerned with how the Cardinals/Pirates game is going (go Cards!)? The answer is, you can't. Our minds are not designed to be able to concentrate fully on two different activities at once. The moment you try to multi-task, your attention is divided in half for each activity. Not only did you just play through a piece without actually fixing anything, but you still have no idea what is going on in the game anyway. Turn off the electronics and give your practicing a fighting chance.
2. Set immediate and attainable goals.
There was a spectacular article written for The Bulletproof Musician last month here: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/two-things-experts-do-differently-than-non-experts-when-practicing/
The article discusses two things that experts do differently than non-experts while practicing. The author cited a study done by two researchers at the City University of New York that compared basketball players, specifically the best free throw shooters to the worst. The study found that the top free throw shooters set specific goals for everything they practiced, such as keeping their elbows tucked in while shooting, instead of their weaker counterparts who set much broader goals along the lines of simply making the shot. We can and should do the same thing in our own practice. Rather than telling yourself, "Don't mess up," decide how you are actually going to not "mess up." Set the goal of cleaning the movement of your valves. Work on the the coordination between your tongue and your air so they work together. Play with a drone pitch to concentrate on improving your intonation. There are countless goals that you can set to improve your ability to perform any piece of music. Choose one at a time and clean, clean, clean. If you continually miss something, determine the specific reason why you miss. If your answer is just that you suck, you'll always be stuck playing the same thing the exact same way, always missing. Break things down and use the process of elimination. Was my tongue getting in the way? Were my fingers coordinated? Did I choke off my air supply? How was my air speed? Find the specific source of the problem and set about fixing it.
3. Leave yourself reminders.
The sticky note. My favorite practice tool. Sometimes I'm convinced that I single-handedly keep the Post-It company in business. Pick your favorite color of sticky note and be prepared to use them. You may laugh at yourself when you open a book to find your lime green sticky note reminding you to breathe, but I can guarantee that you will definitely be focused on your breathing when you work on that etude. Sometimes we just need that external prodding to do something, even if we have to do it ourselves.
4. Get physical.
Start running. Do yoga. Take up Tai Chi. Sign up for a Zumba class. Physical activity is a fantastic way to teach yourself to focus on one thing at a time. I do actually recommend against the gym setting for achieving this. Most of your gyms have televisions all over the place and are designed to entertain the gym users who are easily bored by working out. Running outside or taking a group class gets you away from the TVs and does not give you a choice but to focus on what you are doing at that moment. Leave the phone at home and find an activity that clears your mind and doesn't allow for the multi-tasking that leads to distraction.
These are only a few suggestions of things you can use to rediscover your ability to focus, or help you find it in the first place. Don't be afraid to try new exercises, techniques, or activities to find what works for you. While I am a runner who loves to do yoga every morning, I know plenty of people who cannot stand doing either activity because they get frustrated and angry instead of clearing their minds. The biggest thing to remember is that we perform how we practice, so we must practice how we wish to perform. If you allow yourself to be distracted while you practice on your own, you will never be able to achieve the level of focus required to attain perfection in a performance.
I am the last person to advise any kind of micro management of muscles as we play because it will only lead to getting so tangled up in ourselves that we cannot move. Analysis paralysis can be fatal to any performance when too much thinking occurs. The kind of focus that I am referring to pertains to concentrating on only one thing at a time, such as: allowing your body to stay relaxed, concentrating solely on what your air is doing, ensuring that your fingers are moving at the appropriate speed, etc. The busy society in which we live has convinced us that we must multi-task in order to be considered successful. Smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices are supposedly designed to streamline our lives so we have more time for other pursuits. Unfortunately, they also have taught us to depend on a constant stimulus. It seems to be increasingly more difficult for people to be comfortable with concentrating on only one thing at a time. Instead we listen to music, while using an e-reader, while talking on the phone, all while we drive from one life event to another. We are determined to find success by our ability to check things off of our to-do lists, regardless of the quality of the work we perform. Focusing on one thing at a time, and being comfortable with focusing on only one thing, is a skill that requires us to work our mental muscles in the same way we work our embouchures, arms, fingers, and voices when we perform. Focus must be practiced daily in order to stay in shape.
Tips for finding your ability to focus
1. Turn off the TV/Phone/Computer/Tablet/E-reader.
Yes. All of those little (or not so little) devices have an on/off switch. Use it. Many of us fall into the comfortable trap of watching TV while we practice. Warm up routines are almost perfectly built for distraction, especially if it is a routine that one has used for years. We get to a point where we go through the motions simply because that's the way we've always done things. It's so easy to turn on the baseball game, the DVR, or Netflix to help pass the time while we go through those motions. Then we finish our warm up and we're in the middle of a movie or TV show. Rather than turn off the TV we decide to leave it running while we "practice" our solos, etudes, or excerpts. Instantly, our attention is divided. How are you supposed to actually pay attention to your breathing when you're more concerned with how the Cardinals/Pirates game is going (go Cards!)? The answer is, you can't. Our minds are not designed to be able to concentrate fully on two different activities at once. The moment you try to multi-task, your attention is divided in half for each activity. Not only did you just play through a piece without actually fixing anything, but you still have no idea what is going on in the game anyway. Turn off the electronics and give your practicing a fighting chance.
2. Set immediate and attainable goals.
There was a spectacular article written for The Bulletproof Musician last month here: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/two-things-experts-do-differently-than-non-experts-when-practicing/
The article discusses two things that experts do differently than non-experts while practicing. The author cited a study done by two researchers at the City University of New York that compared basketball players, specifically the best free throw shooters to the worst. The study found that the top free throw shooters set specific goals for everything they practiced, such as keeping their elbows tucked in while shooting, instead of their weaker counterparts who set much broader goals along the lines of simply making the shot. We can and should do the same thing in our own practice. Rather than telling yourself, "Don't mess up," decide how you are actually going to not "mess up." Set the goal of cleaning the movement of your valves. Work on the the coordination between your tongue and your air so they work together. Play with a drone pitch to concentrate on improving your intonation. There are countless goals that you can set to improve your ability to perform any piece of music. Choose one at a time and clean, clean, clean. If you continually miss something, determine the specific reason why you miss. If your answer is just that you suck, you'll always be stuck playing the same thing the exact same way, always missing. Break things down and use the process of elimination. Was my tongue getting in the way? Were my fingers coordinated? Did I choke off my air supply? How was my air speed? Find the specific source of the problem and set about fixing it.
3. Leave yourself reminders.
The sticky note. My favorite practice tool. Sometimes I'm convinced that I single-handedly keep the Post-It company in business. Pick your favorite color of sticky note and be prepared to use them. You may laugh at yourself when you open a book to find your lime green sticky note reminding you to breathe, but I can guarantee that you will definitely be focused on your breathing when you work on that etude. Sometimes we just need that external prodding to do something, even if we have to do it ourselves.
4. Get physical.
Start running. Do yoga. Take up Tai Chi. Sign up for a Zumba class. Physical activity is a fantastic way to teach yourself to focus on one thing at a time. I do actually recommend against the gym setting for achieving this. Most of your gyms have televisions all over the place and are designed to entertain the gym users who are easily bored by working out. Running outside or taking a group class gets you away from the TVs and does not give you a choice but to focus on what you are doing at that moment. Leave the phone at home and find an activity that clears your mind and doesn't allow for the multi-tasking that leads to distraction.
These are only a few suggestions of things you can use to rediscover your ability to focus, or help you find it in the first place. Don't be afraid to try new exercises, techniques, or activities to find what works for you. While I am a runner who loves to do yoga every morning, I know plenty of people who cannot stand doing either activity because they get frustrated and angry instead of clearing their minds. The biggest thing to remember is that we perform how we practice, so we must practice how we wish to perform. If you allow yourself to be distracted while you practice on your own, you will never be able to achieve the level of focus required to attain perfection in a performance.
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