 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: plastictrophy
Date: 2006-07-18 01:59
So I know everyone gets frustrated, and everyone has their own ways of dealing with it. My frustration is, and has been, affecting the effectiveness of my practicing which is consequently affecting my playing. I think a lot of my frustration comes from my personality, but also from too much stress.
Anyway, babbling. How do other people deal with frustration in a constructive way that doesn't negatively affect your practicing? How do you keep yourself from obsessing over one passage or measure or note until you're too frustrated to practice anymore?
My teacher and I talk about how I need to change the attitude I have during practice, and we have been for about a year. I've been trying, but I just can't seem to maintain a positive attitude toward practice. Any advice on how to do that?
I'm sorry, there's a lot of questions there, and I hope it all makes sense. Thanks.
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2006-07-18 02:15
Sometimes I may simply take a day off from practice - it seems every so often nothing works.
Other methods I use: slow down while practicing.
Sometimes your fingers just fumble. Then just warm up by playing all your scales and mine usually jump back into sync after that.
I'm sure other ppl have other helpful tips
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Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Markael
Date: 2006-07-18 03:09
Playing an instrument is a mental game. It requires a sense of perspective.
The reason that you practice is that you know that your playing could be better and you want to improve. That’s a good thing—up to a point.
The problem is that you can only improve so much in a short time, and even in a lifetime you may not be as good as Eddie Daniels or John Mannasse, or—whoever. You can become so dissatisfied with your playing that it is never “good enough.” The world would be a sadder place if only the finest virtuosos played.
What I’m saying is that you have to learn to be comfortable with your present level of musicianship. Enjoy it. Be willing to make music at your level, while at the same time working hard to improve.
To give a personal example: A few weeks ago I was working on the first Brahms sonata. It seems that most parts of the sonata aren’t technically difficult, except that each movement seems to have at least one passage to bust your chops.
I was working on some octuplets and sextuplets, and I came to the realization that I would only improve the execution of the passage so much in a week’s time, or even in a month.
You work on things, you put them away for a while and work on other things. “A while” may be ten minutes of a practice session, or it may be a year. Then you come back to the old pieces with a fresh perspective.
Sometimes I have to put something away because my lip is tired, or my fingers are tired. Other times it is my brain that is tired. Any time your practice time feels like flailing away at a dead horse, it’s time to do something else.
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Author: claclaws
Date: 2006-07-18 03:28
Great answer from Markus, above. It helps me too.
Lucy Lee Jang
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-07-18 05:40
This is probaly terrible advice... but this summer I didn't play for like 2 weeks, kind of played a bit, then got my wisdom teeth out.
Seems like a terrible idea, I know, but it's been great having no stress and just enjoying a few weeks of summer! The weird part is I don't even feel the slightest bit bad about it... it just needed to happen I guess.
The best part is the practice sessions I had just before I got my wisdom teeth out were incredible... some of the best I've had in a long time. Because of this, I know in few days I'll be ecstatic to start getting ready for the performances I have in August and will be able to approach everything with a fresh new take, and be totally refreshed for school in the fall.
Probably not advice to follow.. but it's just what I needed this summer. I dont' hate the clarinet... and I've still been posting here frequently, just needed a mental break from it I guess. anyone had a similar situation?
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: ClariTone
Date: 2006-07-18 13:37
Is it that you aren't noticing results as fast as you were before. As one progresses on clarinet (or any other musical instrument), the learning curve continues to kind of flat line. It takes longer and longer to accomplish things, because it is simply a harder concept. But once you nail it, it is there forever (as long as you maintain it that is.) and usually gives off a noticeably better technique.
Some things to consider.
1) Practice should be both fun and work. Practice the stuff your teacher assigns, then get out a fun piece. For me it could be anywhere from the Debussy Rhapsody and some excerpts from "Scherazade", to "Take the 'A' Train" or "Harlem Nocturne". Just stuff you enjoy. I try to play these at the end of each practice session so that when I return to the clarinet, I can remember the fun I had at the end, you know? Makes me want to practice more.
2) Take breaks as often as necessary. Practicing should not be dull, methodical scale-playing for 5 hours. When you notice yourself losing concentration, put the clarinet down/up and go read a chapter in a book, or excersize, or watch tv. Something to get your mind off of clarinet. Then return to practice once you can concentrate again.
3) Organize you practicing. Keep a practice journal and record in it after/during practice. This way, once you accomplish something, you can write it down and visually see that Heck Yes, you did it. This also gives you a visual "roadmap" so to speak of your goals that you want to accomplish.
These are just a few of the methods that I try incorporate into my daily practicing. Hope they Help!!!
Best of Luck!!!
Clayton
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Author: am0032
Date: 2006-07-18 13:49
I usually take the philosophy that I'm not as good as I think on my good days and not as awful as I think on my bad days. It's humbling in both good and bad ways. I have found that sometimes I just didn't have the ability to play things at certain times of my musical growth. There were excerpts that I couldn't play at all 2 years ago that I can now play with much more confidence. Frustration means you are growing up as a musician because you can hear things that you could not before. All the advice above is great and I agree with most of it. Now go get your wisdom teeth pulled =).
Adam
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Author: am0032
Date: 2006-07-18 18:26
The statement was made in jest so that he(plastictrophy) would have to take some time off to recover and get away from the clarinet for a while. Hence the =).
Adam
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Author: plastictrophy
Date: 2006-07-18 21:08
Thank you for all your advice. I really appreciate it. I'll definitely try these things out. Hopefully I get the hang of this before I'm off to college... Thanks again to everyone.
Haha, and Adam, thanks, but I had my wisdom teeth out three years ago. I guess I'll have to find some other reason to take some time off. : )
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-07-18 23:33
^^^
Oh I see.... I guess I'm a bit slow. Hopefully it's the pain meds, even though I stopped taking those a few days ago. Haha.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: skitrees
Date: 2006-07-20 08:25
Adam,
I think you nailed it on the head with, "I'm not as good as I think on my good days and not as awful as I think on my bad days" - I think how true this really is (at least for me).
I find that when I leave the clarinet for a while (a few days, or a week), that EVERY time I return, it feels like I'm a totally new player - I feel invincible. Luckily, I have two things working for me: a studio to record in, and an honest wife. Each of these two things inform me (one more subltly than the other) that I am NOT playing any better - in fact, that I have lost a little ground or held steady.
However, the renewal of spirit and drive is almost always worth the little break that I took, and I do overtake my pre-brake status more quickly than had I gone without a break. Even my clarinet instructor in College was amazed by this (Professor Ralph Strouff - a great player, and a kind man).
My recent addition of the recording studio allows me fully to see that your statement "I'm not as good as I think. . . not as awful as I think. . ." is so VERY true. While I don't recommend that everyone record every practice session - I basically did this while optimizing my studio, and it had startling results: I found that my personal mood on any given day had more to do with my perspective of how my practice session went than anything else, and was rarely near the "truth."
Has anyone else come to find this true? That perception of good/bad practice depends on how your day has been going - and then coming to terms that your perception is actually wrong? This incorrect perception can either make you look like a fool or a god!  Now that I am aware of this, it has helped me tremendously with frustration, ego, and other little battles I have with myself from time to time.
Perhaps it is this humanity which embues music with the qualities we all love?
- Skitrees
Make music, not ego ôô
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Author: BTBob
Date: 2006-07-20 16:33
You said your professor was a great player and a kind man. Many great players, or even teachers, are pretty blunt spoken invididuals, and justify it by the "business" attitude, i.e., there is always an oversupply of good players. So they have no problem with scaring anybody off. Food for thought??
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Author: Richard Salzman
Date: 2006-07-21 20:18
if i have in my mind the concept of how something "should" sound and i keep pounding and pounding at practice to attain that sound i very soon become frustrated and annoyed. what i do to unlock my mind is to throw out the concept. i can do this by changing the style in which the piece is supposed to be played, as for example , playing a straight piece in swing, purposely varying the tempo, exagerating tone quality, note length etc. this relaxes my inner critic, and i begin to enjoy what i'm playing plus i actually discover musical possibilities in a piece that i didnt see before, possibilities to enhance my own creativity.i wind up playing the piece better and more joyfully.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-07-22 05:10
OK, so I've been practicing the 3rd movement clarinet solo of Capriccio Espagnol for my college ensemble auditions. I have been royally frustrated with it and have gotten down on my playing over it. I started it at 40 and could play it fine, but anything over 60 would squeak and sound sloppy.
Then, lately..... after many hours of frustration, I just decided to start my practice session with the Capriccio and play slowly over and over and then gradually boost up my speed. I've now gone from 40 to 80. Now, I still have awhile to go, but you know what I did when I got to 80? I CELEBRATED!!!!!! It was a huge leap for me out of my frustration and now I know I can play it.
So, always celebrate that you have succeeded. It makes failing worthwhile when you can say to yourself, "I've worked hard and I achieved something!"
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-07-22 18:38
plastictrophy -
I have a piece by Crusell that does this to me. I cannot play it as well as I would like, though it is not that hard in the grand scheme of things. I have been trying for perhaps twenty years. It frustrates me, and I get angry with it. When that happens I put it away and play other things, perhaps for months. Then maybe I feel brave one day and go back to it - and lo and behold it sounds completely different, and the problems I had have gone away and new ones have replaced them.
Sometimes practicing the piece is not the way to learn it. Sometimes you have to go away and play other things to learn the thing you want to play.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-07-22 19:46
I find taking a break from the clarinet part, and just listening really helps me enjoy a piece more and when I go back to it.... it's more exciting.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: skitrees
Date: 2006-07-22 20:34
BTBob,
Good point about the "blunt" folks. I gotta tell you, when I went to school back in the late 80s - the staff was exceptionally friendly and older. Most of the staff had played professionally during the 40s, 50s, and 60s, then, as the popular music of our culture began to favor other idioms, these people came in to teach at our local University. They had all already lived a little of thier dreams, learned a lot, performed with other greats of the era, recorded soundtracks for Classic movies we have all watched, and had great stories to share about their individual histories. These were what I viewed (and still view) as "true" musicians. Their love of music transcended themselves, and they wanted to share this with their students. Out of the entire music department, there was only one professor who had the reputation for being "gruff." The average age was somewhere in the upper 50s.
Well, life had it's way of changing things for me, and I wasn't able to complete school at the time, so I had to leave and pursue other trails that life laid before me. However, I went back to school in 2003 to complete my musical studies. Upon returning to school, all but one of the professors was gone. She was now the director of the department, and she was to leave before my schooling ended.
What I found in the place of the wonderful, caring, insightful, easy-going attitude of the older staff was a new staff - all young (average age 29), brilliant, go-getters, proving themselves over and over to the world. They treat the students like trash - some making comments near me that they wouldn't make to the yonger students, bragging about how they have made every student cry at least once coming into their studio. The student stress level is through the roof and the overall quality of the ensembles is terrible compared to the earlier years I attended. However, solo work has somehow excelled in this new, harsher atmosphere.
The new harshness does, indeed, weed out the weak-willed - or the student who might not be putting their all into the studies, but I feel that it has also made many people leave thier love of music - too many are the wonderful instrumentalists and vocalists I have seen walk away from the department to become accountants, chemists, engineers - not at the "normal" level we used to refer to, and much more talented people than we used to see leave for such reasons.
I hope that this is just a fluke at my local university and not a nationwide trend. I have watched a bunch of beautiful, caring future teachers be turned into corporate drones by our university, and I have watched monstrous soloists come from the university doors - so I'm happy that the techniques have at least one good result, but even the good result seems to have a twist - it seems that these great soloists being produced enter the program as kind, nice, people, and they leave the program having learned the rude, arrogant attitude of the staff that has teached them.
I have conversed with Buddy Rich, Mark O'Connor, Maynard Fergeson, Bob Wilbur, Paquito D'Rivera, Tim Laughlin, and some other greats over the years. While I'm sure that a few of them might have just put on their "public" face for me, I have spent more than just "face time" with a few of the individuals mentioned above, and found them to have the same love of music that my original professors had - and the desire to share this (at least one of the above sponsors / hosts summer camps to help young people learn to love music and expand; another listed above will give you his direct phone number (and cell) and asks you to call and talk to him about this common love of music). This is a stark contrast to the harsh, snobby personalities that I have encountered in the new education at our local university.
Is ego the hidden lesson being taught?
--Skitrees
Make music, not ego ôô
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Author: clarinetmaniac101
Date: 2006-07-23 02:03
What I do is take a day off, for it me it works and the next day when I come back I feel relaxed and ready to tackle any hard passage or measure.When I do come back to it I get it perfect that's because I don't think about it I know it so I have to let it flow out and not say OMG here comes that note that I always mess up on NO don't do that relax and don't think about it and you will get it right.
Rashad
*clarinet
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-07-23 09:24
Good essay, skitrees. Beating the music into submission does not make it music.
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