Jenius Creations

Author: Jen

  • Practice Makes Practice

    No one is born with so much talent that they don’t have to practice. We ALL have to practice. And the real difference between those people we admire so much and the rest of us is usually the amount of time spent practicing. I once heard someone tell a group that playing the harp came so easily to (another person) and that she just sat down and started playing.  That was a very hurtful comment – No one who plays well does so without practice (they just make it seem that way!).

    We spend a lot of time practicing. And those people we admire practice even more.  If you get consistent practice you might spend between 5 – 20 hours a week practicing (I know, 20 hours might sound like an impossible dream for most, but it is not unreasonable – really – if you seek to gain mastery). There is a popular statistic going around that it takes about 10000 hours of practice to gain mastery of anything. If your calculator is handy that is 417 days of practice – 24 hour days…if we make it “work days” instead – it’s a much more reasonable 1250 days ( or 3 ½ years – no days off of course) and if you think of it as work years (including vacations and weekends, and holidays) its just about 5 ½ work years….ouch!

    So, it is essential that you use your practice time well (since it will add up – but only slowly). And to acknowledge that true mastery will take a while (remember that 10000 is a hand-wave – not a minimum). And work slowly and steadily toward mastery through practice.

    In a later post we talk about specific techniques to improve your practice.

  • The Creativity Habit

    Do you think of yourself as creative? Or do you think that’s something other people are – and you just enjoy the outputs of their creativity?

    I know someone who has an amazing capacity to think up interesting meals. All my life, I have been in awe of her ability to look into the pantry and visualize a tasty, appealing and filling meal. When I look in there – crickets. Seriously!

    We are all creative in some way. And the best way to tap into that creativity is to get into the habit of being creative. Are you in the habit of being creative? Do you thrive on your own creativity or do you stew on what you’re not good at?

    To be more creative – to write new compositions, to develop new arrangements for tunes, to paint, to write, or to plan interesting meals, it is essential that you get into a creativity habit. Set aside time to be creative- free from distractions and surrounded by the things that help you create. Make certain to schedule this time with yourself – put it on your planner. Stick to your schedule. Make sure to “attend” the meeting you have scheduled with yourself and pursue your goals.

    In a later post, we’ll talk about techniques for being productively creative and ways to channel your creativity into completing projects.

  • Thinking about injuries

    In my other life, I work in ergonomics and that makes me prone to thinking about injuries, injury prevention and the development and practice of good technique. I am keenly aware of challenges to playing that may result in injury. Using good technique is about more than getting good tone – it also helps to keep you focused on playing without injury or pain.

    While I’ll rail on some other day on technique at the harp, let’s focus on something far more insidious today. One thing that many people do not think about when considering their technique is the time spent away from the harp. Spending hours a day slumped over a poorly placed computer screen and keyboard, or sloped into a couch watching television can impact the time spent at the harp.

    In addition, our technique must include many things beyond playing the harp. Do you spend hours a day working on your computer? Playing games? On the phone? Walking around?

    All of these things have an impact on your technique. Consider this: if you work on a computer all day and practice for an hour every day, your technique at the computer has 8 times more practice (in terms of time) than your technique at the harp. Eight times! This is akin to a recent blurb I saw that reminded that, even if you spend 15 minutes a day working your abs (to get your washboard tummy back), that is a drop in the bucket compared to the 23.75 hours you spend not working your abs!

    All these “mundane” activities can also cause injury – either at the harp or away from it. So be mindful of your posture and technique throughout the day and in all your activities. When speaking on the phone, keep your head up and your neck aligned. Breathe. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Stretch your body more often than you think it needs it. Use good technique when typing, or slaying monsters or slacking on the couch. Every day all the time…this will improve your technique at the harp.

    Like everything you learn while playing the harp, having good general technique requires practice – so be sure to check yourself out throughout the day and use good technique for all those mundane activities. Then you’ll have that strong foundation when you sit to your harp.

  • Make Sure You Count!

    Music certainly encompasses the notes, but it also includes the silences, the relationships between the notes and each other, as well as the relationship of the notes to the not-notes (or silences). Sometimes, as harp players, we become inured to the silence – we get so little of it with our wonderful resonant instruments. Harps love to keep on playing and that lovely sound “hanging around” may make us lazy – it’s easy to get away with not counting.

    But it is essential to be true to the melody, share the message, communicate with our listeners. An essential element in that communication is time. Be aware of the full times and the empty times – and don’t rush through them (or become a sonic squatter and languish in between).

    Counting can be a challenge when you first begin to actively use it. Time is challenging but it can be so rewarding! It will help you audience follow you message, it will make playing with other musicians a greater joy, and it will help ensure your tune is what the original composer meant it to be.

    I’m not advocating rigid adherence to the beat – espeically if you’re engaged in a particularly poignant piece in which expression is conveyed with each toying of the time. After all, a Lament needs to convey sorrow but it should never be lamentable!

    You must learn to count and to maintain that counting. Only when you have mastered this tool of communication can you begin to modify its application as appropriate.
    So, stand up for music – make sure you count!

  • Warming up

    While it is full on January where I live, and (to paraphrase the song):
    the weather outside may be frightful,
    at my harp, it’s so delightful,
    and since I’ve no place to go,
    glissando, glissando, glissando!

    But seriously, no matter the weather, it is essential that you make sure you take care of your hands.  They are central to our craft!  We talked about hand health earlier, but it is that important, so we’ll talk about it again

    I suggest a two pronged approach:  On the one hand (get it?) Life behind your harp and on the other hand, Life in general.

    In the Life Behind your Harp:

    • Be sure to warm up before you play 
    • Scales and other small exercises are excellent for this
    • Don’t play forcefully as soon as you sit down
    • “ease” into your practice
    • Perform specific exercises to warm up such as making fists, tapping your palm with each of its associated fingers, stretching your fingers as far away from your palm and each other as possible
  • Be very mindful of your hand position
    • Are you making “clam hands” or “relaxed fists” (or whatever you were taught) – have you fully relaxed your hands with each note?
    • Are your arms and shoulders relaxed?
    • Are you sitting up and breathing (yes, these all impact your hands!)
  • Work your way up to working hard
    • Start with simpler pieces
    • Work on learning or difficult passages only when you have warmed up
  • When you are finished practicing
    • Do a “cool down” – play gently, slowly
    • Stretch – your hands, your arms, your shoulders, your chest

    In the Life in General:

    • Stay warm:
    • Wear gloves when it’s cold (I do this, especially before performing)
    • Wear gloves for common household tasks (dishwashing, gardening, etc)
    • Wear a sweater when its chilly (many people carry tension, including the stress of being chilled, in their hands)
  • Be careful of your hands:
    • Be careful of your nails and fingertips. If you are a wire harp player you know to be careful of your nails – but all of us need to care for our nails.  Nails protect your fingers from injury but it is also very difficult to play if your nail breaks very low – it hurts!
    • Be sure to wash your hands frequently (not only to avoid disease but also to help keep your strings clean)
    • Be sure to use moisturizer to help keep your hands supple – it is very difficult to play if your skin is so dry (or chapped or cracked) that each movement hurts!
  • Stay healthy – get some exercise (remember that while you’re hands are important, it is your core that holds you up to play and your aerobic capacity that supports all that breathing that I know you’re remembering to do!)
  • Be careful in the kitchen – use sharp knives with proper technique

    • There are many ways we should care for ourselves, but these are just a few.  Another time we’ll talk more about taking care of yourself while you’re not at your harp.

  • Do you seek quality or quantity?

    Since it was Marting Luther King’s birthday this week, its seems opportune to pinch one of his quotes and twist it to our purposes!  If he was a harp player he might have said something to the effect that:

    the quality, not the longevity, of one’s practice is what is important*

    Often, if we “make” the time to practice, we think it sufficient simply to sit to the harp.  And sometimes, we are lucky just to do that much.  But it is important that we infuse our practice time with Quality not just a quantity of minutes. 

    But, if we are to improve and become more accomplished, it is essential that we add not just time at the harp, but that we add QUALITY time at the harp. 

    This means we have to have a plan, a “schedule” if you will, for what we’ll be doing while we’re there.  And we have to know and understand what that plan will bring to our improvement.  We don’t just rip through music to check the box and say we’re done. 

    What is your plan for practicing?  How do you intend to get better and how do you structure your practice to do so?  How does your plan move you toward the goals you set or your resolutions?  Drop me a comment, let me know.

    * I believe the original quote from Dr. King was, “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”  That too bears reflection.

  • Just four more months!

    I’m very excited that the Harp in the Highlands and Islands Tours are rapidly approaching! We leave for the inaugural trip on 15th April, spending an entire week on a customized tour of the Scottish Highlandsand Islands. See some of the places you’ve played about! This is the first of four trips scheduled in 2010.

    As described in previous posts, this tour will take you through some of the most beautiful scenery to be seen anywhere and includes the Isle of Skye, the western highlands, the Spey valley and Cairngorm Mountains.  Each day you’ll learn a tune and add to your harp lore. Whether you’re new to the harp or are an advanced player, you are sure to enjoy this trip. To ease your travels, a lovely small harp will be awaiting you, allowing you to travel without fear. Invite another harp player or bring a harp loving companion.

    This intimate tour will consist of four travelers on each of four outings planned in 2010. This very small group size allows flexibility so each day David can show you the very best Scotland has to offer as well as those special things that can’t be planned. I’ll teach tunes that match our travels, experiences, and mood (to learn more about David and me, see the earlier posts and check out the website).

    Book Now!  Seats are filling up so don’t miss your opportunity! For details and more information go to http://www.jeniuscreations.com/Harp_Tours_of_Scotland.php.

  • Marking Time

    Well, it’s the beginning of the year and so we’re all quite mindful of time.  And as musicians, that couldn’t be more essential.

    Thelonious Monk is reported to have said something to the effect of: just because you’re not a drummer doesn’t mean that you don’t have to keep time.

    I am often struck by how many musicians don’t keep time.  They actually don’t count – they “go with the feel”.  They believe that because they aren’t drummers (or because they are playing alone) that they don’t have to be a slave to the beat and can play tunes as the spirit moves them.

    But this misses an important point about music: music is a form of communication.  Whether you’re playing for an concert hall audience or your mother, you are sharing a message.  Isn’t the message worth getting across correctly? One of the essential tools for this is time.

    Music isn’t just about the notes.  And we’ll talk later about various ways to convey those messages.  Today, let’s focus on counting and time.  If you don’t currently count, if your timing comes from the “feel”, I heartily urge you to begin…right now!

    One of the reasons many people don’t count is because it is challenging – when you’re learning a new piece, you are doing a lot of work – reading, finding the notes on your harp, learning the relationships, determining the message, trying to learn some of the tune so it will be easier to play the next time, thinking variously how much you love this piece of music (if you love it) or how much you hate this piece of music (if you’re being made to learn something that is not coming easily), breathing, thinking about your posture and your hand position, etc. 

    See, I told you there was a lot to think about – and so we often don’t bother with that pesky timing.   We want to get on to the tune, we want to play (after all, we don’t say, “I work the harp” do we!), we want to do all this quickly.  And so, we let the timing go.  But, this is one of those gotcha’s – because we never go back, we never work on the timing, we just keep pushing along…..until, eventually, the message gets lost – and so do we.

    So, the next time you sit to learn a piece (or if you’re really dedicated, the next time you sit to a piece you already know), start with the timing, work that out before you spend a great deal of time on the notes.  See how the timing is really the key and not the prison.

    Let me know how you come along – I’d love to hear it.

  • Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot…or, "There’s goal in them thar hills!"

    It’s that time of year – the beginning. 

    It is that time in which we have every intention of making and keeping resolutions to improve ourselves. But we often fail. We fail because while we have intentions, we also expect to succeed on improvisation. We hold a vague idea but we have absolutely no concrete idea how we will get to that resolution.

    And so we sit at our harps with every intention to spend more time practicing, play more, enjoy more, perform more, arrange more, learn more, master more…but how? We think we will improvise our time – that we’ll figure it out as we go. And we state our approach as simply I’ll find more time.

    But this is one instance in which improvisation will not work. To accomplish anything we have resolved, we have to have a plan. We have to perform some Goal Setting.

    I do this every year, personally and with my students. And to help make it real, we write it down. And we check on it periodically throughout the year. We monitor our progress toward our goal – mostly to see how we’re doing. And later on in the year, this monitoring is even more to see what we thought was important. What, at the beginning of the year, did we think was important that we have subsequently forgotten. This let’s us focus or resolve our resolutions – to modify our goals. Or to review them to see if they were reasonable.

    Goals don’t have to be set in stone.  They are just a way for you to remind yourself, periodically, what you resolved to do and how you set about getting there.  There is nothing special about writing them down, although this does give you a reference later on when you’re wondering why you’re bothering!  Its just an aid to remember where you’re trying to go and how you thought you might go about getting there.

    Setting goals is just like looking at a map – it helps remind you where you were trying to go, but what looks like it will work on the map is just a representation of the path – it isn’t the path itself. ..remember, it’s the journey. See you there!

    Happy New Year!

  • Happy Holidays

    It’s that time of year again.  You know the time – when all you play is music everyone knows.  Unfortunately, we only play for about a month so it doesn’t get as much practice as we might like!  Very nerve wracking!  If you make a mistake everyone will know it because they are so familiar with the tunes.  That puts a lot of pressure on you.

    But that everyone knows the music is exactly what makes this repertoire so much fun!  You can insert “jazz improvisations” (in my studio we don’t make mistakes in performance, only jazz improvisations)  into the music (planned or unplanned). But even better, this is a great opportunity for you to start to make the easy leap to generating your own arrangements. 

    If you are skittish about doing your own arrangements, you might start by staying very close to an existing arrangement (many people would consider this still their arrangement – but the important thing here is to start to flex your arranging muscles in a safe way). You could use lead sheets to let yourself go.  Or, as I noticed I was really doing this year, you can just work on those little jazz improvisations building them into your own arrangements. 

    Because, let’s face it, much of the music of the season has a tendency to be trite. If everyone plays all the same tunes in the same way in the same arrangements, how will you every stand out (and not go barking mad)? Easy – amp up your own arrangements!

    And don’t forget to note how you amp those arrangements up – you could use them again next year!