Yesterday my flute teacher warned me that when I start working on the duets by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (an older contemporary of Hayden and Mozart, but not exactly a classical composer, like his younger brother, Carl Philipp Emanuel), I have to be careful not to make concentration on the difficult notes distract me from the quality of my sound and musicality in general.
WFB's duets are full of unexpected rhythms and note choices (a direction beyond baroque toward rococo), making it interesting and challenging to play, but I see what my teacher means about focusing on overcoming the technical difficulties of mastering the pieces and trying to play them at the speed they're meant to be played at. I'm working on the first of the six duets now, and I've decided to play it slowly enough that I can hear every note that I play. Not that I don't try to hear what I'm playing whenever I play. But minds wander.
I'm consciously trying to turn my flute practice into a meditative exercise, listening to the notes the way I learned to pay attention to my breathing while meditating. Obviously the aim of playing this way is to have every note be full and focused, in time, in tune, and at the right level of dynamics. But, as an experiment, I'm not going to try to correct my playing, just to notice it. You can't improve something unless you are fully aware of what it is.
When you're taught mindfulness meditation, you're told to focus on your breath without trying to change it in any way by breathing more deeply or more slowly, or better in any way. You aren't preparing for a test in breathing. I think the same idea works when you play an instrument or sing. Which doesn't mean that one doesn't aspire to sound more beautiful. However, I have faith that it will happen as a result of non-judgmental awareness. Yes, my sound on the high 'e' as I played that arpeggio leading up to it didn't emerge at all, or it was too loud. I heard it. I will play that arpeggio again and listen to the high 'e,' and if it comes out better, I will notice that. I will also notice each of the notes leading up to the 'e.' But I won't scold myself if they don't sound the way I'd like them to sound. I'll play them a few more times, listening carefully to see if there's any improvement. If there is, fine. If note, I'll try again tomorrow.
WFB's duets are full of unexpected rhythms and note choices (a direction beyond baroque toward rococo), making it interesting and challenging to play, but I see what my teacher means about focusing on overcoming the technical difficulties of mastering the pieces and trying to play them at the speed they're meant to be played at. I'm working on the first of the six duets now, and I've decided to play it slowly enough that I can hear every note that I play. Not that I don't try to hear what I'm playing whenever I play. But minds wander.
I'm consciously trying to turn my flute practice into a meditative exercise, listening to the notes the way I learned to pay attention to my breathing while meditating. Obviously the aim of playing this way is to have every note be full and focused, in time, in tune, and at the right level of dynamics. But, as an experiment, I'm not going to try to correct my playing, just to notice it. You can't improve something unless you are fully aware of what it is.
When you're taught mindfulness meditation, you're told to focus on your breath without trying to change it in any way by breathing more deeply or more slowly, or better in any way. You aren't preparing for a test in breathing. I think the same idea works when you play an instrument or sing. Which doesn't mean that one doesn't aspire to sound more beautiful. However, I have faith that it will happen as a result of non-judgmental awareness. Yes, my sound on the high 'e' as I played that arpeggio leading up to it didn't emerge at all, or it was too loud. I heard it. I will play that arpeggio again and listen to the high 'e,' and if it comes out better, I will notice that. I will also notice each of the notes leading up to the 'e.' But I won't scold myself if they don't sound the way I'd like them to sound. I'll play them a few more times, listening carefully to see if there's any improvement. If there is, fine. If note, I'll try again tomorrow.
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