 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-01 16:26
Question for absolutely everybody.... initially posted on the Oboe BBoard, I should ask other instruments too... the Clarinet one is apparently the only other one with "live" activity....
When I was a student, my teacher would encourage me to play scales etc. and also memorized pieces with my eyes closed. His contention was that this removes distractions.
He was right that it removes distractions, but I tend to "drift" and loose focus.
What are your thoughts / experience / recommendations on this?
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2011-06-01 16:30
If you would drift and lose focus, the method was somewhat counterproductive. I would think it would make more sense to teach students simply to ignore nearby distractions. Probably just as easy, and would probably not create the same problem you mention.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-06-01 18:51
You may do better to walk away from the music and play the passages with your eyes opened. When you performing on stage I doubt you will close your eyes while you play. I have suggested closed eyes for a small passage, a few measures. Play it many times then close your eyes and play it but for longer things like scales etc, open your eyes, just don't look. I used to practice things like that and wore out a good portion of my parents carpet, my mother was so proud, like a badge of courage, in this case, dedication. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-06-01 18:54
Playing (and listening) to music with eyes closed is a great way to remove distractions and focus on the music for me.
I also find it particularly valuable when listening to players who persist in performing gymnastics whilst playing.
If one drifts and loses focus one probably needs to get more sleep.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-06-01 18:57
>>I would think it would make more sense to teach students simply to ignore nearby distractions. Probably just as easy, and would probably not create the same problem you mention.
>>
That may be true for most people, but it won't work with someone who has extreme stage fright. I didn't have much of a problem playing the clarinet in school bands and orchestras because the clarinets were pretty well buried back there and the distractions were so many that they sort of cancelled each other out. Besides, the distractions inside the orchestra gave me something to use to block out the distraction of the audience.
For piano recitals, I learned that the only way I could play half-competently was by memorizing the music and playing with my eyes closed. When the orchestra split up for chamber music recitals, I had a hell of a time because there was nowhere to hide from the audience and I had to keep my eyes open to communicate with my fellow musicians in the small group. Afterwards I'd barely make it to the girls' room in time to throw up. My solution was to "quit forever" after high school. Yeah, that worked ... not ... but when I did go back to music, I gave myself permission never to play in public again, and that did work.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2011-06-01 18:59
I think it depends on the person. Some people are distracted by visual stimuli; others require them to remain "present" in their physical bodies.
I am an incredibly visual person with strong muscle/kinetic tendencies. I learn best by seeing something and also by copying it/writing/memorizing in the fingers. Closing my eyes is neither helpful nor unhelpful for me but there are different styles of playing and existing and for some it could be beneficial.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-06-02 01:40
To me, just based on thinking and theory, this seems counterproductive. I don't think I've EVERY been at a concert where there haven't been some sort of distractions around. People coughing, leaving/entering inbetween movements, the occasional cellphone ring, not to mention having to watch the other players and conductor to make sure we are all in sync.
I would say you want to know your scales backwards and forwards DESPITE distractions. If you can play all your stuff memorized WITH distractions, you should DEFINITELY be able to play them without.
I practice at home, in practice rooms, outside, with the TV on, etc. etc. So I know I can keep playing no matter WHAT happens in the theater/concert hall/stage/etc.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Cupcake
Date: 2011-06-02 02:33
It depends on the person. For me, closing my eyes improves my concentration on the sound being produced.
Of course, the only time I close my eyes is when I am playing harmonica, and don't have music to look at anyway. On my clarinet I usually don't memorize music, though I probably should...
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Author: Brent
Date: 2011-06-02 16:45
I find that practicing with my eyes closed is sometimes useful for isolating things that i cannot see, because it forces me to rely on my other senses. For most humans, sight is the dominant and most developed sense. However, i don't hear with my eyes, don't feel with my eyes, and when i close my eyes i'm better able to focus on other issues--what muscles am i using incorrectly, what aspect of my sound is disturbing me, what am i doing with my throat, etc. It's useful as a tool in some circumstances (and, apparently, only for some people) but i don't think that it is necessarily useful in general practice.
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-03 00:01
A lot of absolutely fantastic answers here. I have a lot to read.
Buster, your reply seems to have studied all the other replies on top of carefully detailing your own thoughts.... I will have a lot of fun studying that one.
My prof. told me to close my eyes in the hopes of improving my concentration which is mediocre today and abysmal back then.
I have no real opinion either way except that I seem to get dizzy with closed eyes. If I "look into nothingness", my attention can remain on what I'm doing. But as my playing gets better, I tend to focus on my satisfaction of success rather than on the musical activity.
This is why I asked the question. What do you think (what's your experience) with playing ANYTHING eyes closed?
Thanks again for your responses!
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: ned
Date: 2011-06-03 03:58
Buster wrote: ''Don't "study" my post too hard!! that might actually make you dizzy....''
I read the first short paragraph......but the three big ones!! Wheww!!......sorry, my eyes became sore.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-06-03 04:33
There is no reason not to try playing with your eyes closes. Whether it's practice or concert. Many people perform with eyes closed part of the time. Many don't. If you don't try it you won't find out how it affects you specifically, which is entirely possible very different from someone else. You can hear/read people's opinions, some who have never even tried it, some who have, but really that only gives some possibilities of whta might happen, nothing more than that.
Post Edited (2011-06-03 04:38)
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2011-06-03 15:23
I often use this as a teaching technique. I find that sometimes a student can play a difficult passage correctly with their eyes closed. I don't know why it works but sometimes it does. It's a good way to demonstrate to the student that they are able to play the passage.
I also teach that you have to be able to play a passage correctly three times in a row to really be sure that you know it.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
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