 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2014-01-17 17:54
I got out a piece I had to play for an exam 6 months ago. I had never really got it under my fingers then and stumbled through it more or less on the day. After the exam, I hastily put it away. But when I played it yesterday, it was magic! Just tripped off the fingers with no difficulty. So what has happened?
Of course, this time I wasn't nervous - so it may just be that my relaxed state had worked the miracle. But I don't think so. Had the brain been working on it surreptitiously? Or has the practice and playing that I've been doing since then had an effect?
If it's the brain, then this has implications for my next exam! If I put away my pieces for a while, will I miraculously play them better when I bring them out again? Is there such a thing as over practice in a short space of time? Do we just need time for certain things to bed down?
Your thoughts please!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-01-17 23:35
Maruja wrote:
> Had the brain been working on it surreptitiously? Or has the
> practice and playing that I've been doing since then had an
> effect?
>
Probably both. There is research in education that suggests that the brain continues to work at learning material even when you aren't consciously involved with it. And of course, any technical facility you've developed since the audition will make things easier.
> If it's the brain, then this has implications for my next exam!
> If I put away my pieces for a while, will I miraculously play
> them better when I bring them out again?
Could be. It means starting farther in advance, but working on it and then putting it away may very well help.
Karl
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2014-01-18 02:38
I've seen it often. Put a piece that's very hard away for a few months. Come back after practicing other things and suddenly it's not "as hard" as I remember it.
Also, I find that after a week or two off (take about two weeks off a year), while my embouchure muscles need to work back up, the fingers seem to work better.
I don't question it, I just accept it and be happy (and practice those long tones to get the embouchure back up after some time off).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-01-17 23:34
It almost sounds as if you are saying that "not playing" makes you better.
I KNOW that is NOT what you are saying, but I would just put forth a cautionary word of advice that "not practicing" to get better, can very easily lead to "not playing at all."
When I go back to stuff I hadn't played in a while that used to be hard and now goes MUCH better, it is ALWAYS attributable to working rudiments or associated exercises that allow this leap in technical ability.
I DID just hear a story on NPR today about "mind exercises" that were administered to a group over a few days. Testing afterward compared to a control group (who got bupkus in training), they clearly improved their cognitive skills. But here is the weird part - follow up tests a year, several years later, and ten years later seemed to indicate that the group that received this short mental agility training were STILL demonstrably better many many years later. Point being, the mind will continue to benefit over time from worthwhile workouts.
Perhaps on some level this is true of our musical training as well.
......................Paul Aviles
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