Tag Archives: Musicianship

Hear Hear!

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One of the most interesting things you might hear a musician say is that they can’t learn by ear.

Ok, when I say interesting, I really mean odd (and maybe a little horrifying).

Because it is kind of funny that people who enjoy making and sharing sound admit that they don’t think of themselves as being able to learn via that same sound!  And I’ve heard a lot of harpers say they are not able to learn by ear.  Typically, I hear this as I prepare to teach them … you guessed it, by ear.

Hear Hear - ear trainingBut learning by ear is an important skill.  It really is central to playing.  And like any skill, it can be learned and needs to be practiced – and the more you do it, the easier it will feel and the better you will get at it.

You might be one of those who resists learning by ear. You might wonder why you should bother.  After all, there’s loads of written music and it tells you everything you need to know.  Or you might not be interested in playing traditional tunes, focusing on classical or modern music – and that’s all written*.

But there are loads of reasons to learn to play by ear:

  • You will learn music faster.  After all, making music is an auditory activity, so listening is pretty much essential!
  • You will think about the music differently (than if you’re simply reading).  Of course, when you look at the music you see relationships of the notes and rhythm, but when you listen you perceive those relationships differently and detect other relationships.
  • You might just be more playful and creative with the music – without the tyranny of the dots telling you what you must do, you might just branch out and play what you feel rather than what’s written.
  • You may learn things about your instrument while you’re playing (and maybe about yourself?).
  • You will learn to hear.  Really hear, not just listen.
  • You will become a better musician (ear training is taught at conservatories!).
  • You will understand theory better – because you’ll be experiencing it in a new way.
  • You will gain confidence as you become more proficient…and you’ll not be held back by a lack of (sheet) music again!

All this for the low, low price of – listening.  

Just listen. 

Don’t be fooled – it isn’t easy at first.  The first tune I learned from a CD took me forever.  I had listened to it a lot, than then I started counting… I listened to the tune over 1000 times (after I started counting).  I’d get lost. I’d be listening and then realize I was enamored with the accompaniment and hadn’t been listening to the melody.  Or I couldn’t tell the parts apart (not realizing it was a four-part tune not a two parter).   Even now, when I listen to music, I hear it in layers (and the most important layers hide from me until last … maybe I should have been a drummer?).

You’ve probably been told,

“If you can sing (or hum) the tune, you can play it”

If so, you have been given the nugget to begin to understand how this works.  When you can sing the tune, you know the pitches, the relative lengths of those pitches, and the relationships of the pitches to one another (up or down to the next one? a small interval or a large one? a third or a sixth? (ok, that last one takes more practice)).  But think about it – if you “can’t learn by ear” and I challenged you to find Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – you could do it.  You know the tune and that’s a big part of the challenge.  When you know where it’s going, you are a long way down the road of playing the tune!

Now, to find Twinkle, you might have to do some picking at the harp.  After all, if learning by ear is new to you, you’re not practiced at finding the first note, nor are you adept at identifying intervals (yet).  But you can find the tune (even if by trial and error) … because you know how it goes. And that’s all you need to get started.

Let’s not put lipstick on a pig – it does take practice and it can be frustrating.  But stop comparing yourself to that person sitting next to you at a workshop – just keep at it.  Practice on your own.  Hear, hear.  Listen and Hear.  Start with something you can sing – and go from there. 

If you want to build up your ear, practice, just like everything else we do –

  • Start by finding a tune you already know – Twinkle?  Happy Birthday?  Frere Jacques?  Memory (from Cats)?  Back in Black (from AC/DC)?  What it is doesn’t matter as long as you actually know it and are patient enough to pick it out on your harp.  I’d suggest you start with simple children’s tunes – they are designed to be easy to learn!
  • Be patient – you’re trying to capture and recreate an entire conversation (or soliloquy) – give yourself permission to take your time.  And even if you’re a product person, try to enjoy the ride…because this ride will take you to many destinations!
  • Keep track of your progress.  Remember that learning by ear is more than just finding the tune on your harp – this is just a first step to playing new music.
  • Don’t be afraid to mess up – if you really know the tune (can sing it) then you’ll get back on track quickly.  And if you don’t – you’ll need to go back and practice listening to it more, but you also might find some cool stuff on your harp along the way.
  • Don’t forget to record it – use whatever mnemonic devices you need to keep what you’ve found available to you.
  • Like everything else we do, the more you do this, the easier it gets.  But if you avoid it, when you “have to” do it you will not only not have that practice under your belt, but that lack of practice will chivvy away at your confidence. 

Hear hear – work on learning by ear.  You CAN do this!  It might be a challenge, but you can do it.  Focus on the music rather than on the voice in your head telling you that you can’t. 

What are you learning by ear?  How’s it going? Let me know in the comments below!  Are you hopelessly lost or so frustrated you can’t speak?  Let me know and we can schedule a lesson – I’d love to help you!

*BTW – classical musicians also learn ear training.  Never mistake written music for instructions.  If you learn to think of it as a “cheat sheet” – a quick and easy memory aid – you’ll temper your love affair with the staves!  More on that another time.

 

You’re not a cat!

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You know how cats are.  You can buy them a gagillion fancy (and expensive) toys and a princely bed and an over-the-top “cat condo” and they will eschew it all for a discarded cardboard box.  And typically, the mankier the box, the better they like it.

Who knows why?  They’re cats, it’s what they do.

But you?  You’re no cat.  At best, you’re staff to a cat, the human tasked with finding towers of treats, truckloads of toys, loads of litter, in the vain hope that your cat will deign to love you back.  So, why are you in a box?

Get out of your box!“What box?” you ask.  The box of your playing life!  We express this box in many ways:

  •  “I’m not very good”
  • “I’m going to be a beginner forever”
  • “I could never learn by ear”
  • “I’ll never be able to read”
  • “I will only ever play in my living room”
  • “I know lots of tunes; I just can’t play them”
  • “I’ll never be prepared enough to play on stage”
  • “I don’t want to get too good”
  • “There’s so much I haven’t learned yet – I’m not ready”
  • “I only play well documented, ancient, traditional cadenzas published by Schirmer”

I have heard all of these (ok, except that last one, I made that one up).  But here’s what I hear you actually saying:

“I’m afraid”

I’m scared.  That’s why I sit here in this manky, tattered old box.  I have convinced myself that I like it here.  And even though it’s small, I’d rather be smooshed in here than free in the unknown. 

Because fear is a powerful force.  Just a tiny kernel of fear can paralyze a fully grown, capable, talented, inquisitive smart person.  And we plant that little bit of fear in the box with us so we can grow together – so we forget where we end and the fear begins. 

So, how are you going to break out of the box?  There are many ways but here are seven that are may help with your harping:

  1. Acknowledge you’re in a box.  It’s not a bad thing, it just is (unless it’s preventing you from growing and moving – then it is bad).
  2. Define the box(es).  What does your box look like?  Remember that a box can be made of many things and have multiple sides – so try to get them all.  Always play solo/alone?  Never really mailed down a particular phrase?  Only play one type of music?  Always playing a 1 – 5 – 8?  Never leave your home?  Call your box by its name.
  3. Pick one of the less terrifying fears you’ve just identified.  Really break it down – why does it scare you?  Be honest.  For example, are you afraid to read because everyone else reads better?  This common fear has a fairly simple solution – first, remember that reading takes practice (even though no one wants to do stuff that is hard – keep practicing and it will get easier…remember first grade? you learned to read books by practicing e-v-e-r-y day) so add some reading into your practice schedule.  Second, the next time you’re with other people reading music, spend a moment watching them – and notice that you are likely not the only one having a bit of a struggle.  Don’t compare yourself, just notice that you’re not alone.
  4. Get to work!  Now that you know what you’re fear is and how to take action on it, actually take it on!  Do the work.
  5. As the fear recedes (and the sides of the box get lower) – rejoice!  Enjoy the feeling.
  6. Move on to the next fear – lather, rinse, repeat.
  7. Be vigilant – these little fears can build a box so quickly and quietly, you might not notice a new fear building a new box around you.  So, check in occasionally, see what you’re avoiding and take it on.

And if you’re not really ready to get out of your box, you can still acknowledge that it exists and learn what it looks like – then you’ll be that much farther ahead when you decide you’d like to move!

What’s printed on the side of your box?  Willing to share it in the comments?   Think your musical fear is a little more than you can take on by yourself?  You can work with me to learn and apply approaches to take those fears on and cut down the box – just contact me for coaching.

Theory Moment (redux) – Get it your way

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Last week, we talked about why theory is good for you.  But I know that not all of you believed me.  So, this week, I’m going to show you that you’ve got this – but you might have to gut it out!

But what if you don’t feel the need to share your musical ideas? Do you think that leaves you off the hook?  Of course not! But there is always hope and it comes in two bite sized pieces.

First, you know more theory than you know you know.  At those workshops we talked about before, they handed out sheet music at the end – could you read it?  I’m not quibbling over whether you’re an expert reader or if you should be sitting at the red bird reading table.  You can read it!  So you know those rules (or at least you know a large number of them).  You also know when you play a chord that just doesn’t “fit” – that’s the rules kicking in.  That “not fitting” is cultural and learned – it’s where a rules violation occurs.

So, you know those rules.  You have learned them and use them every day.  And they serve you when you’re playing music written and arranged by other people.  Give yourself credit!  (BTW – you know that to move past the red bird table – you just need to practice your reading, right?). 

Yes, you can just keep at it, learning how chords come together in their various forms, finding what sorts of intervals appeal to you (and which don’t), identifying sorts of chord progressions speak to you – all of that is just various ways of getting to know the rules.

You can experiment, explore, poke around.  You can thrill at sounds you love and cringe at stuff you don’t.  You can use your harps as a (much loved) tool and work the music until you’re happy.   You can record or make notes. And those notes can be in any form you like.  I once wrote a tune on an airline napkin with a relative scale so I wouldn’t forget it.  I have no idea now why I didn’t bother to sketch in the staff.

You can be a theory ninja – at your own level, for your own purposes.  But what if you want to make your own arrangements?  Or write them down? Well you can get out your theory book.

And whether you take the studious approach of learning theory in school or you take the hands-on approach of learning the rules doesn’t matter – as long as you learn the rules.

Regardless of your path, the point is to better understand the underlying structure of the music, it’s movement and flow, and to render the tune the way you mean to – with more ease and perhaps more confidence.  The road you choose to get there should be a personal choice.  The assumption is that if you “gut it out” you will work harder (and that might be true) but you may develop a deeper understanding if you feel those rules out rather than read them from a book – we all learn our own way.

Keep working on your theory – read the material and gut out the relationships – so long as you keep going!  Get your theory the best way for you.  Take a risk, explore, enjoy.

Theory Moment

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Theory is one of those things that people love to hate.  After all, it is the grammar of music.  The rules.  Written down.  To be learned, memorized, and used.  Theory is the liver and onions of being a musician!

Some people love liver and onions.  And it’s good for you*.

But for most of us, theory is hard and unapproachable.  It’s challenging to read.  It’s confusing to read.  It’s boring to read…and if you have to sit through lectures – ugh.  It’s torture to do those listening exercises.  And if you’re not formally trained (by which I mean forced to learn it), it may keep growing into a behemoth of stuff you are going to put off as long as possible.  Maybe you think you’ll hold your musical breath until it’s over.  If you find yourself in a workshop where the presenter starts spouting off theory, you just try to ride the wave, bide your time – does it really matter what key the tune is in? Don’t you just need to know which levers to set?  Why do you need to know that stuff?To be honest, there are loads of reasons to learn theory.  After all, it is the rules of our game.  Like golf, football, or figure skating, the rules are complex and complicated.  But just as a thorough understanding and knowledge of the rules is one of the things that distinguishes a great sports player, that knowing the rules of music will help you be a better harp player. 

Have you ever sat in a workshop and felt like you didn’t understand what was being said?  Do you have that weird feeling like, although there are harps and people you recognize…it also feels like you’re watching a foreign language film – with missing subtitles?  Knowing your theory makes you part of the club.  The people in the club don’t mean to exclude you (ok actually, unfortunately, sometimes they do, but it has been my experience that often those are the people who only think they know stuff).  It’s ok – you can learn that stuff (no really, you can!).  Knowing the rules is your passport to getting into the “club”. 

These rules of theory serve to create a language of music.  And that language allows people who know the rules to talk to – and to understand one another. They can easily share their musical ideas with loads of people…and be accurately understood.  They can have an impact!  And that’s kind of important.  Especially if you want to get as much from your musical life as you can – each workshop, each lesson, each harp circle, and each performance.

And if you want to share your ideas, it is helpful to speak the language.  It’s certainly easier than waving your arms making vague finger shapes in an effort to tell others what you’re thinking!

There are a number of books on theory if you want to study it yourself.  One of my favorites is Music Theory Made Easy by David Harp (and not just because of his name).  No, it’s not spectacular reading, but it is a handy reference.  I also like the Music Theory For Dummies (go figure) and I found the Alfred books while, if not approachable, at least they’re useful**. 

It’s true that knowledge is power.  I fought learning and studying this stuff for a long time. But once I had studied a little, things began to fall into place.  And once some things fell into place in my head, playing actually became easier…well, a little easier!  Whether it’s being more familiar with well used chord progressions, making better phrasing, or building sets that make sense, every little scrap of theory you pick up, encode, and use will move you a little farther along your journey

I hope you can see that actually studying theory may help you play better because you will have a better understanding and will start from a more knowledgeable place.  Do you have a reference you prefer?  Let me know what it is in the comments.

*  please don’t start a word war about nutrition – you might have noticed that I’m not a nutritionist.  It’s an analogy.

** these are suggestions and the links are provided so you can find the books if you want.  I’m not an affiliate, I won’t get any money if you buy the book, I just want you to know what I’m talking about.

Expand your musical reach – another stretch (or 7!)

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We have talked about stretching through making art and stretching our bodies.  There’s another place we need to stretch and that is in our music.  And it’s the perfect time to think about it – it will be the winter holidays and all the lovely opportunities to play will be coming.  I mention the holidays because they are the perfect foil for stretching our music.

The holidays are great from a repertoire perspective.  There is a relatively small set of tunes to work from and each year, those that have been on our set lists for a while seem to become easier to prepare and to play.  It’s also easier to knuckle under and practice – we know it’s coming; we know we’ll be playing; and we know the bulk of what we’ll bring to each performance.

That doesn’t exactly sound like stretching.

And that’s why it’s so great!  There are loads of holiday tunes – so you probably don’t know them all.  But you know some and so each year you can add another one or two to fill in your set list.  But we have to fight the urge to be lazy and just play all the same stuff. 

I don’t know about you, but I really like hearing new (to me) stuff at the holidays.  From countries whose music I don’t know well, from new sources, and from the set of those songs that hardly anyone records but are just so good. 

So, the holidays are an opportunity to stretch ourselves – musically.

What does stretching musically mean? Trying new things!  It can be adding techniques we don’t usually use, playing music we don’t usually play, finding stuff we didn’t know existed and fitting it into our lives, arranging music we like (from other instruments) and playing it on the harp, or more.

How is stretching musically good for us?  Here are seven unsurprising ways (some of these might sound familiar since they are as with making art)

  1. Stretching is (still) the opposite of static!  Static is not moving or changing.  Static introduces b-o-r-i-n-g into your playing.  It also means that you’re not growing as a musician.  So, learn how to do some effect you think is cool…and actually use it in your playing!  Do the work of technique practice.  And after learning some new technique, actually add it to your playing!
  2. Stretching makes you more flexible.  By adding new music, new sources, new techniques, new practice approaches, just new stuff to your playing, you will begin to explore yourself more and bring that into your playing and performance.  And you will be free to do more than you thought you could when you were less flexible.
  3. Stretching helps defeat stress.  The more you stretch your music, the more comfortable you become with playing it – because you’ll become more accustomed to being stretched.  In your practice, in performance, in ensemble, in sessions – no matter where you’re playing you will be more relaxed, able to enjoy the process and product of making music.  That comfort is an indication of your reduced stress.
  4. Stretching helps overcome pain and discomfort.  You might decide to stretch your music when you feel the discomfort be becoming bored.  Of course, once you decide to stretch your music, you might feel self-conscious, uneducated, or ignorant.  The music activities that stretch you might make you feel uncomfortable in and of themselves.  But keeping at it – a little bit each day – will help you be more comfortable and soon, you’ll be interested in the flexibility of trying new music.  I’d suggest adding time for creativity in your practice each day so you will be able to stretch musically with less (perceived) “stiffness”.
  5. Stretching helps you focus.  You can be mindful when you are stretching your music.  Mindful of what it is about the music that attracts (or repels) you, what technique elements you need to work on, what your harp really shines with.  In addition, a broader repertoire may help you to feel more accomplished and allow you to comfortably book gigs previously out of reach.  Be sure to pay attention as you’re stretching your music to identify what to keep on doing.
  6. Stretching improves your range.  As you add music to your toolbox, and include the listening, reading, technique and effects the new music might require of you, you will become more able to do more things with greater musicality – and add new things more quickly.
  7. Stretching stretches you.  There’s nothing like playing something you never thought you’d be able to (or possibly even that you never thought about adding) to boost your confidence and encourage you to try even more new things!

Stretching – the gentle kind that broadens your abilities, and leaves you relaxed and enjoying making music, is just what you need.  With these seven stretches you might become a better musician!  What kind of music might you add to stretch yourself?  What else might you do to stretch yourself musically?  Tell me in the comments – I can’t wait to hear!