Re: [Harp-L] Re: Practice makes better

[The Iceman <icemanle@xxxxxxx>]

This is a cool concept. I was first made aware of it by watching the film "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould" (1993).


These are 32 short segments about some aspect of Glenn Gould's life, performances, concepts, practice regimen, etc.


One segment was called, I believe, "Practice". It shows Glenn standing next to a grand piano. The music plays in his head as he stands there, moving to it, expression on his face reflects it, fingers moving, and as the music comes to a close, he walks over and shuts the fallboard over the keys of the piano.


Of course, an actor plays the part of Glenn, but it is a fascinating portrait of a musician and his artistry.



-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 7:12 am
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Practice makes better


One type of practicing, which all the pro musicians I've spoken to about it 
unanimously agree is something they do frequently, is practicing mentally 
without an instrument. I certainly do so myself. This is related to Lee Sankey's 
groundbreaking concept of "Brainstruments", the mental model of the instrument 
which every accomplished player on any instrument has internalized. The exact 
nature of this model varies considerably from one person to another but a highly 
developed mental model is thought to be one of the things which distinguishes 
creative improvisers from those who basically repeat patterns they've learned.

I've invited Lee to give a special seminar on this fascinating subject at the 
Harmonica Masters Workshops in Trossingen. This year will be the biggest 
Harmonica Masters ever, with around 120 registrations to date. Lee's class is on 
Saturday November 3rd. More info at www.harmonica-masters.de

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de
www.european-music-workshops.com
www.harmonica-masters.de