“Don’t mistake yourself for your audience”.
Just want to vote? Head to the bottom of the post! ⤵️
I know from too much experience that what people need is not always what they want: Tamarack folded in part due to this. Just because many string players have a shaky grasp of rhythm (for instance) doesn’t mean they want to spend time learning it. That was the real chink in the armor of my vision: if folks saw the actual value of these ideas—rhythm, form and analysis, ear training, meticulous practice—they would be pursuing them already. My error was taking people at their word! When someone posts on FB “I’d do anything to just make this sound like music”, they mean they’d like to keep doing exactly what they’re doing, possibly less, and magically experience success. I was mistaking myself for my audience. Because I would, and have, done literally everything available to me to progress on the cello. An incomplete list looks like this, and I am by no means extraordinary in comparison to other pro string musicians (I bet I’m average except for the injury stuff):
- 16 consecutive years of cello instruction with excellent teachers
- 20 years of other (piano, theory etc) musical instruction
- the teaching helps a bunch, 29 years of it.
- lots of practice time
- frequent attendance of live performances
- near constant listening to all kinds of music
- physical therapy
- Alexander Technique and Pilates
- sitting in on others’ private lessons
- multiple surgeries and medical interventions
- academic study
- saying no to some activities that would cost me time with the cello
- extracurricular orchestras
- summer camps and institutes
- leaning on intrinsic motivation
- master classes
- apprenticeships
- a willingness to change body and mind
- curiosity and openness during lessons
- CBT and talk therapy to address issues impacting my playing
- meditation
- asking for help when I need it
- operating under the assumption that I can still improve
- continually learning new repertoire, revisiting old stuff
I have not had the same discipline and drive with the guitar and bass, for instance. And I suck at guitar and bass. I sympathize with the people looking for that magic bullet more than you’d think!
So I want to make sure that I’m putting out stuff you’ll actually use. Let me know what that looks like below! You don’t have to do everything on the list to improve, but the more items you incorporate, the more expansive your handle on the instrument will feel.
Technique: 2-4 and 3-4 trills, e.g., for Dall’Abaco Capriccio No. 1. 2-4 trills I can sort of do, 3-4 trills is mostly me waving my little finger at the string hoping for it to magically work.
Deep dive: Fauré Papillon
Dissolving tension: Playing fast is beyond me, I suspect tension is (at least partly) responsible
Practice strategy: Any. All.
On it!
All of the above! Which is unhelpful, I know. If I have to prioritize, I’d say specific techniques like thumb position and bow control, and practice strategies. I know *so* much more about practice strategies than I did even two years ago, mostly because of you and Tamarack Arts, and I think it’s an incredibly important area that students don’t know enough about.
You’re right, students don’t have the same background, experience, and understanding of all the elements necessary to advance. Sometimes I feel so frustrated because I know something is wrong, but I don’t know *what*, so I feel like I’m flailing in the dark even as I apply my practice strategies. So maybe a series on the various important aspects of music, as you mention in your post—rhythm, form and analysis, ear training, very detailed practice format for a musical phrase—so students can gain more insight into all the different levels involved in making music.
Maybe also a look at how to define goals. A lot of adult students want to improve within their constraints of schedule and a mountain of other commitments. Sometimes that may be just noodling around for fun, meeting with a teacher once a week to make sure they get to play. Sometimes they don’t know how to define what they want, let alone set a goal and break it down into smaller steps. Maybe that’s something to explore?
I love it when you open a new piece and talk through acquainting yourself with it. Maybe a template demonstration of how to do it with a simple piece, so students can have an easier time identifying phrases, sections, repeats, how to identify trouble spots or places that will require more attention, how to really sink into the rhythms, and then how to think about it musically to pull it all together.
I appreciate what you do so much. I have learned heaps from you over the years, especially the last few through online workshops and studio classes, where observing others and hearing the coaching they get is so informative. My local teacher told me my technique and expression has really levelled up the past couple of years, and most of that is due to you and the Tamarack gang. Thank you!
Aaahhhhhh! This is such a good idea! How to set goals, meta goals, etc. I will say, just to provide some comfort until I write a post or do a podcast: if you’re working from a reasonable mindset (not too exciting, not punitive, just sort of a curious neutrality) and continually check in on your technique to make sure it’s as soft as possible, you might not solve the immediate problem you’re thrashing away at, but it will not be a waste of your time. It’s still good practice. All will be well.