This week I was reminded of the essential difference between the teacher focusing on young (5 -10 year-old) piano students and the piano instructor, such as myself, who specializes in teaching "the older learner." Unfortunately, what I actually refer to is the different that OUGHT to be there but too frequently is NOT, resulting in unhappy and poorly functioning instruction.
This difference between piano students can be easily stated:
Teaching children requires giving orders.
Teaching older learners requires gaining cooperation.
It has been my observation that many piano instructors prefer the younger students to teens and adults and it is my belief that this difference is one main reason, perhaps the chief reason for some teachers. This makes the point worth clarifying. In a strange way, "gaining cooperation" is the first step for ALL piano students. It's just that younger students are more willing to follow the orders adults provide. After all, they know that they are uneducated in the area of music. Guidance, in the form of orders, becomes very welcome when you "know you don't know."
Later in life, however, after hearing and absorbing the music of our society, older learners find themselves drawn in a number of different directions. Simply determining what I call a "Point A" and a "Point B" and then charting out an effective way between the two points quickly gains the cooperation of almost any older piano student. In short:
Ask a prospective student what they want and then find a way to help them get it.
To further clarify, "Point A" is where this student is now, as regards piano playing ability, knowledge of music, all the parts of head and hand knowledge. "Point B" is a clear statement of what they wish to do at the piano. Once these two points are known clearly and thoroughly, then the savvy piano teacher can construct a "Skill List" which contains everything necessary to travel to that student's Point B. It's then simply a matter of putting the items on this list is an order in which they can be assimilated enjoyably and providing friendly, patient instruction as they do so.
Now there's no doubt that there's a tremendous amount of "overlap" between Skill Lists for different interests and different students. However, this degree of overlap is nowhere near close enough to create a "one size fits all" sort of piano method. The publishers of the best adult and older learner methods know that fact fully. Thus, they provide in their method books only outlines that depend on a smart piano instructor to modify as needed. Poorer teachers either are unwilling or unable to modify ANY method and thus lose the cooperation of the older learner at some point.
Children, of course, are almost all beginners, as well as having child mentalities and levels of experience. Here it makes much more sense to have a preset curriculum containing general skills. I'd say the key for the long term piano student is gradually shifting from one approach to the other at the correct rate. To produce a competent pianist out of piano student requires the teacher to turn over control of learning to that student a piece at a time.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Are You Confused?
Identify Your Confusion and Name it so You can Solve It
Some piano students find practicing piano, reading music, working on pieces "confusing." At least, that's the word they use at their lessons when trying to describe their problems. It's a very broad, general word and, because it is so general, it's almost impossible to "un-confuse" the student. If anything like this happens to you then read on, because I know a solution which will leave your path clear and obvious - and unconfused.
A basic truth drummed into beginning business people is:
You cannot solve a problem until you can state it clearly
It's pretty plain why this is true. Without a clear statement of the problem, a person doesn't know WHERE to focus their efforts. Even if they did, there's no guarantee that any efforts are the once necessary. A person could be "solving" something is already fixed or even making the problem worse. Worse, the true error continues and letting it continue messes things up even more.
This second step is ...wait...SECOND step? Yep, the first step actually is this:
To solve a problem, first you have to be able to face up to it
That's VERY hard for some piano students. We could speculate whether this fear, this anxiety is the result of a bruised ego, bad childhood, past educational trauma, or a little of each. That doesn't change this basic idea - that having the courage to admit you have a problem is the very first step in handling it. You could call that problem "a confusion" but that, too, doesn't change the situation.
My personal piano students have an easier time of it. Once they admit to me they are confused (having a problem) they usually feel willing to have me help them solve it. It a basic trust of me, their instructor. This trust makes admitting to a problem much easier. This would be true whether the teacher is in the room or online. If you trust the teacher, you will find your courage to admit your troubles. Sometimes it takes awhile, but eventually....
Now that we have "come clean" about confusion/problems, we can proceed ! First we narrow down the trouble. Ask yourself these questions:
Is the problem in reading - or doing?
What line is it in?
What measure or measures?
Which hand (or both?)
Continue narrowing things down with such questions until you can state clearly and concisely the exact problem (note that it's now a exact problem in your mind, not just some vague and general feeling of confusion.)
It's been my experience that, once the problem is clearly stated, the action necessary to resolve the problem is rather obvious. I've also discovered that, if you have stated the real and correct problem, the resolution acts successfully and SOON. The reverse is true also - if your action of fixing the problem does not work quickly, chances are you have not stated the problem correctly, leading to the application of the wrong solution. Or, as the old saying goes"
The proof is in the pudding
Some piano students find practicing piano, reading music, working on pieces "confusing." At least, that's the word they use at their lessons when trying to describe their problems. It's a very broad, general word and, because it is so general, it's almost impossible to "un-confuse" the student. If anything like this happens to you then read on, because I know a solution which will leave your path clear and obvious - and unconfused.
A basic truth drummed into beginning business people is:
You cannot solve a problem until you can state it clearly
It's pretty plain why this is true. Without a clear statement of the problem, a person doesn't know WHERE to focus their efforts. Even if they did, there's no guarantee that any efforts are the once necessary. A person could be "solving" something is already fixed or even making the problem worse. Worse, the true error continues and letting it continue messes things up even more.
This second step is ...wait...SECOND step? Yep, the first step actually is this:
To solve a problem, first you have to be able to face up to it
That's VERY hard for some piano students. We could speculate whether this fear, this anxiety is the result of a bruised ego, bad childhood, past educational trauma, or a little of each. That doesn't change this basic idea - that having the courage to admit you have a problem is the very first step in handling it. You could call that problem "a confusion" but that, too, doesn't change the situation.
My personal piano students have an easier time of it. Once they admit to me they are confused (having a problem) they usually feel willing to have me help them solve it. It a basic trust of me, their instructor. This trust makes admitting to a problem much easier. This would be true whether the teacher is in the room or online. If you trust the teacher, you will find your courage to admit your troubles. Sometimes it takes awhile, but eventually....
Now that we have "come clean" about confusion/problems, we can proceed ! First we narrow down the trouble. Ask yourself these questions:
Is the problem in reading - or doing?
What line is it in?
What measure or measures?
Which hand (or both?)
Continue narrowing things down with such questions until you can state clearly and concisely the exact problem (note that it's now a exact problem in your mind, not just some vague and general feeling of confusion.)
It's been my experience that, once the problem is clearly stated, the action necessary to resolve the problem is rather obvious. I've also discovered that, if you have stated the real and correct problem, the resolution acts successfully and SOON. The reverse is true also - if your action of fixing the problem does not work quickly, chances are you have not stated the problem correctly, leading to the application of the wrong solution. Or, as the old saying goes"
The proof is in the pudding
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Scale Practice for the Amateur Pianist, Part 3/3
In this final essay regarding scales and scale practice, I'd like to answer the final (multi-part) question I posed in the first of these essays:
"Are all scales equally important?" meaning, "Which scales deserve the most attention?" and, "Are some scales not worth my time and effort?"
The simple answer to this question is "No" but such an answer doesn't help much or even inspire much confidence in its correctness. Let me explain.
The word "scale" essentially means "a ladder of notes." This definition is very generic, in that it says nothing about how many notes are in our ladder nor which specific notes we choose. Thus, a valid scale can be as simple 2 notes, C and G. One system of scale naming would call this a "duotonic" scale. Of course, music made with such a sparse scale would be totally boring. To the best of my knowledge, the smallest number of notes used in any world culture is 5, some sort of "pentatonic" scale. The number of notes (and, of course, their identities) can and does go up from there, with 7 the most common.
We are saved from studying 100s of possible scales by a simple fact of human nature - that we like the familiar the most. This had led us over time to prefer one type of scale over all others - the MAJOR Scale. This is so true that many newer piano students shorten the name and simple refer to this as "The Scale." Major really is MAJOR.
Major Scales form the basis of most western music. It's the scale programmed in our brains from our earliest exposure to music and it's the scale we choose most readily when composing. This is so true that the very names of the chords we use (such as Seventh Chord, Ninth Chord,etc.) are created based on Major Scales. I have found that understanding Major Scales gives more advanced students a point of reference for comprehending, even memorizing, other scales. Thus, music students should know about Major Scales. They are the musical "raw materials."
Turns out, however, that not even all Major Scales are equally important. Some are vital, some "semi-vital" and some almost useless. It's all based on the mechanics of a musician's instrument and what is easy to play and what is not. Readers are, of course, wondering which Major Scales they should study. Here's your answer, so far as I've found it valid over the course of my teaching:
Vital Piano Major Scales: C, G, F, D, Bb
Semi-vital Piano Major Scales: A, Eb, E, Ab
Almost Useless Major Scales: B, Db, F#, Gb, C#, Cb
I'm going to leave it you to decide WHY this is so. Hint: check maybe 5 normal piano sheet music books (NOT carefully chosen classical folios) to see which keys are most common.
"Are all scales equally important?" meaning, "Which scales deserve the most attention?" and, "Are some scales not worth my time and effort?"
The simple answer to this question is "No" but such an answer doesn't help much or even inspire much confidence in its correctness. Let me explain.
The word "scale" essentially means "a ladder of notes." This definition is very generic, in that it says nothing about how many notes are in our ladder nor which specific notes we choose. Thus, a valid scale can be as simple 2 notes, C and G. One system of scale naming would call this a "duotonic" scale. Of course, music made with such a sparse scale would be totally boring. To the best of my knowledge, the smallest number of notes used in any world culture is 5, some sort of "pentatonic" scale. The number of notes (and, of course, their identities) can and does go up from there, with 7 the most common.
We are saved from studying 100s of possible scales by a simple fact of human nature - that we like the familiar the most. This had led us over time to prefer one type of scale over all others - the MAJOR Scale. This is so true that many newer piano students shorten the name and simple refer to this as "The Scale." Major really is MAJOR.
Major Scales form the basis of most western music. It's the scale programmed in our brains from our earliest exposure to music and it's the scale we choose most readily when composing. This is so true that the very names of the chords we use (such as Seventh Chord, Ninth Chord,etc.) are created based on Major Scales. I have found that understanding Major Scales gives more advanced students a point of reference for comprehending, even memorizing, other scales. Thus, music students should know about Major Scales. They are the musical "raw materials."
Turns out, however, that not even all Major Scales are equally important. Some are vital, some "semi-vital" and some almost useless. It's all based on the mechanics of a musician's instrument and what is easy to play and what is not. Readers are, of course, wondering which Major Scales they should study. Here's your answer, so far as I've found it valid over the course of my teaching:
Vital Piano Major Scales: C, G, F, D, Bb
Semi-vital Piano Major Scales: A, Eb, E, Ab
Almost Useless Major Scales: B, Db, F#, Gb, C#, Cb
I'm going to leave it you to decide WHY this is so. Hint: check maybe 5 normal piano sheet music books (NOT carefully chosen classical folios) to see which keys are most common.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Scale Practice for the Amateur Pianist, Part 2/3
I began this series of essays by asking you to ask yourself three questions regarding piano scale practice:
"What will I, personally, get out of the effort that will help me play the music I want to play the way I want to play it?"
"If scales provide something I need, is there any other way to get the same skill/knowledge, perhaps in more enjoyable fashion?"
"Are all scales equally important?" meaning, "Which scales deserve the most attention?" and, "Are some scales not worth my time and effort?"
This essay deals with the first two questions, which are closely related.
Scale practice provides the following benefits to a pianist:
1. Increase manual dexterity
2. "Grooves in" to both the mind and hands which notes go together
They used to do one more thing - provide a sort of "pre-learning" for much of the material found in classical music. To clarify what I mean open any serious classical sheet music book. You will find that much of the music itself consists of "scale runs" up and down the notes in the various major and minor scales. When a pianist learned the scales, they could easily play this material when it appeared in the context of a piece.
This benefit is much less important today when so much of piano playing consists of renditions of popular songs, such as ballads, movie themes and show tunes. Of course, it still happens in much jazz music.
We have seen that scale practice DOES provide benefits, albeit fewer for the popular music player than the classical player. However, the "downside" is that many folks don't enjoy this practice and some simply won't do scales at all for any reason. For such players, the second question becomes most important and needs an answer: Can such hobbyists gain the benefits but avoid practicing scales altogether.
The answer is, "Yes!" and here's how:
Many, many activities produce manual dexterity and it really doesn't take a "rocket surgeon" to see that the particular brand of dexterity needed to play popular songs can best be produced by - playing popular songs! It's almost TOO simple. Do the thing you want to do and you will get better at doing it. All you have to be wary of is not realizing that this process means GETTING better, not just instantly BEING better. It takes some time, in other words. However, delaying full gratification is something most adults are familiar with, right? My experience tells me that some reasonable effort on your part will produce observable improvements that you will see and appreciate.
As for "knowing which notes go together, in both head and hand," the solution is the same - do what you wish to do with the scales you will encounter and you will learn those scales, in both head and hand. This means that you will learn that if there is a single sharp in the key signature of a tune that sharp is ALWAYS an F. You will very soon remember this fact and your hands will learn to include it automatically. Yeah, you can do this via scales, but you can also do this simply by playing tunes using that G Major Scale.
So the moral is to do what you want to do and you will get better at doing it. Just recognize that it will take some time.
"What will I, personally, get out of the effort that will help me play the music I want to play the way I want to play it?"
"If scales provide something I need, is there any other way to get the same skill/knowledge, perhaps in more enjoyable fashion?"
"Are all scales equally important?" meaning, "Which scales deserve the most attention?" and, "Are some scales not worth my time and effort?"
This essay deals with the first two questions, which are closely related.
Scale practice provides the following benefits to a pianist:
1. Increase manual dexterity
2. "Grooves in" to both the mind and hands which notes go together
They used to do one more thing - provide a sort of "pre-learning" for much of the material found in classical music. To clarify what I mean open any serious classical sheet music book. You will find that much of the music itself consists of "scale runs" up and down the notes in the various major and minor scales. When a pianist learned the scales, they could easily play this material when it appeared in the context of a piece.
This benefit is much less important today when so much of piano playing consists of renditions of popular songs, such as ballads, movie themes and show tunes. Of course, it still happens in much jazz music.
We have seen that scale practice DOES provide benefits, albeit fewer for the popular music player than the classical player. However, the "downside" is that many folks don't enjoy this practice and some simply won't do scales at all for any reason. For such players, the second question becomes most important and needs an answer: Can such hobbyists gain the benefits but avoid practicing scales altogether.
The answer is, "Yes!" and here's how:
Many, many activities produce manual dexterity and it really doesn't take a "rocket surgeon" to see that the particular brand of dexterity needed to play popular songs can best be produced by - playing popular songs! It's almost TOO simple. Do the thing you want to do and you will get better at doing it. All you have to be wary of is not realizing that this process means GETTING better, not just instantly BEING better. It takes some time, in other words. However, delaying full gratification is something most adults are familiar with, right? My experience tells me that some reasonable effort on your part will produce observable improvements that you will see and appreciate.
As for "knowing which notes go together, in both head and hand," the solution is the same - do what you wish to do with the scales you will encounter and you will learn those scales, in both head and hand. This means that you will learn that if there is a single sharp in the key signature of a tune that sharp is ALWAYS an F. You will very soon remember this fact and your hands will learn to include it automatically. Yeah, you can do this via scales, but you can also do this simply by playing tunes using that G Major Scale.
So the moral is to do what you want to do and you will get better at doing it. Just recognize that it will take some time.
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