How to Study-Practice: Knowing a Piece of Music

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Preparation for performance is not about brute force "memorization" of unrelated dots on a page... It's about internalizing the musical patterns so that they become a permanent part of you using all four musical intelligences: ears, intellect, eyes, and muscles. In doing so, you are going to go beyond just "playing the piano" by learning what … Continue reading How to Study-Practice: Knowing a Piece of Music

How to Study-Practice: Theory & Practice

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Some insightful commentary regarding both the utility and limitations of Music Theory... Lesson #1. Whether you read music or play by ear, a strong theoretical foundation in scales, chords, chord progressions, tonality, form, rhythm, and ear training will transform you into a superior musician. image source unknown Lesson #2. A theory is an attempt to … Continue reading How to Study-Practice: Theory & Practice

How to Study-Practice: Managing Your Expectations

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It's crucial to realize that failure is an essential part of any successful musical journey... Here are a few of those expectations... Expect to make mistakes... LOTS of mistakes. Nobody's perfect, no matter now good they are... and neither are you or me. Imperfection will always be an integral part of the learning process. Expect … Continue reading How to Study-Practice: Managing Your Expectations

How to Study-Practice: “Memorization”

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“Memorization” is in quotes because the goal of studying is not to memorize something like you memorize a sequence of random numbers... Instead, you want to know something intimately in multiple dimensions. Knowing transcends mere memorization; it is deeper and broader and all encompassing. Such intimacy with the music is achieved by getting its patterns and … Continue reading How to Study-Practice: “Memorization”

How to Study-Practice: Studying, Practicing, & Exercising

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Studying, Practicing, and Exercising are three very different behaviors with three very different goals... Studying Studying is the act of focusing ones attention on something with the goal of learning a fact, concept, principle, skill, and so on. The learning goal is to store this information in long-term memory as a declarative memory (one that … Continue reading How to Study-Practice: Studying, Practicing, & Exercising