i) “The practice of practising — Telegraph Blogs Follow ( 12.7K followers The practice of practising By Stephen Hough Music Last updated: October 14th, 2013 31Co Comment on this article The following article appears in the November/December issue of International Piano magazine. For full, free acce (0 the other articles in that issue see here. Concert pianists spend much more of their lifetimes practising than they do playing concerts. I's not just that pieces need to be kept in the memory (muscle and mind), but the very act of playing the piano is physical and athletic. It involves reflex and endurance. It may be true that you never forget how to ride a bicycle, but if you and it are rusty there's not much hope of winning or even completing the Tour de France. blogs telegraph co.lfcuturestepherinough 0070897!the-pracce-of-pracising! 2atras “The practice of practsing —Teleproph Blogs So we need to practise, But the key is how we make our time offstage best serve our briefer time onstage, A pianist who plays many concerts has ltte time to spare so i's important that those spare hours, even minutes, are used well ‘My teacher, Gordon Green, used to say, "in practise a perfectionist, in performance a realist". In other words, prepare assiduously, tirelessly at home, but when onstage accept the situation at hand without wishing the piano were more in tune, the audience were more appreciative (or larger), you hadn't made a mess of that octave passage and so on. But being a "realist" sounds rather prosaic when faced with bringing to poetic, passionate life the masterworks of master composers. I might put it differently from Gordon: in practice an engineer, in performance a pilot. Nuts and bots in a plane are incomparably important, but when you sit at the cockpit of a Steinway concert grand your eyes need to look ahead not undemeath, The purpose of practising is so that we (offstage as engineers) make sure that we (onstage as pilots) are completely free to fly to the destination of our choice. That destination is one involving imagination and creativity and spirituality and danger and cestasy of course, not merely the A to B of playing the notes, but without the nuts and bolts in place we will never be airborne. The greatest interpretative vision of the final pages of the final sonata of Beethoven will nosedive to oblivion if we can't play an even trill eee So, moving inside the hangar, spanner at the ready, how do we practise? There are as many answers to that question as pieces in our repertoire, but maybe some signposts can help: Study Relish the task, whether beginning to leam a piece or whether revising one long familiar. Examine the score like a rabbi poring over a rare parchment. Decode the message behind the notation. Map out the joumey. Look for the obstacles. Know the (good) tradition of historical evidence; distrust the (bad) tradition of tits always done like this'. You may be Brahms's secretary in the practice room, but on stage you are his mouthpiece. And a composer’s message is always more than words: i's a drama in which you and Brahms are as one character. Finger ‘When starting to learn a piece T always write in fingerings. It aids memory, it emphasises the act of study, it discourages a sloppy "sight-read till ready" attitude, it forestalls nerves in a performance, it personalises the score. In the early years ofa career we can be asked to step in at the last moment for a colleague who has cancelled, I remember an occasion when I was in my carly 20s getting a call to play Bartok’s 3rd concerto with the Chicago Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen, There was about a day's notice and I hadn't played the piece fora couple of years, I could accept the date because the nasty, twisting passage towards the end of the third movement was fingered and thus still in my motor memory. It saved me a couple of hours work when I only had 24 hours to pack my bags and fly across the Atlantic, Dissect We need to know what might go wrong in a performance and why. There is no such thing as a difficult piece There are merely moments in pieces which are problematic, The notorious coda of the 2nd movement of Schumann's Fantasie op. 17 is a good example: blogs telegraph co.lfcuturestepherinough 0070897!the-pracce-of-pracising! ana“The practice of practising — Telegraph Blogs Ais easy for the lei-hand, moderately tricky for the right; B is hard for both hands; C isa litle easier for both because the Sth fingers land on black notes; D is easy for both, To face this passage like a rabbit looking into the headlights of an approaching car is totally counter-productive. We do not fice a steamroller. ‘There are four wheels (or two which are parallel) and if the rabbit is not in the line of these it can scamper off into the forest unscathed. Slow Slow practice can be a complete waste of time if the mind is not working quickly. Simply to trawl through passages like a contented tortoise is a waste of the felt on your piano's hammers. Good slow practice is more like a hare pausing to survey the scene — sharp in analysis, watching through the blades of grass, calculating the next sprint. My favourite kind of slow practice is the halfand half variety. For example in a semiquaver passage I will play four notes at performance tempo then four notes exactly half the speed — then reverse the ‘groups. It can sometimes be usefil to do this with eight-note groups. It stops any tortoisian ambling and it focuses the mind quickly from one reflex to another. It is a hare with alert eyes. Audience ‘There are two dangers to avoid in practising, firstly not to play as if you're onstage, fing the hours crashing through pieces without improvement. This is a common occurrence in conservatories — Rachmaninov concertos pounded with adolescent passion and coarse, crude effects. But the second, more subtle danger is not fo get stuck in a practising mode. This is related to mindless slow practice. All the focus when in the practice studio should be how we will play when in the concert hall. If something comes apart, don't stop immediately. Guide the skidding wheels around the crashing comer for another meter or two, despite the sparks and screeches. A common student scenario: music flying along; train wreck; a second of silence; start at point of accident; continue. The point where things broke down is the fragile spot, the dodgy seam. It needs suflicient overlap of material to be strong. Go back before the mistake and practise beyond the mistake — then the mistake itself will be more safely repaired. Otherwise the very stopping and starting becomes a reflex — an ingrained repetition of breakdown, Mind ‘As important as itis to have strong fingers ~ muscles, tendons, joints loose and lithe - we need a strong mind too. Strong in concentration, on and off stage; ever striving for improvement, but relaxed when none seems to bogs telegraph co.uNeuturelstepherhough100070997!he-practce-of practising! anstaia90 “The practice of practising —Telepraph Bogs take place; aiming the dart tirelessly at every bullseye, but gentle and kind when it clatters to the floor. Muscles are effective when they are able to tense and relax at will, not just when they bulge in a ripple of aggression, This is true for the physical side of playing as well as for the mental challenges. The mind's clear vision is not a stare: it needs to be able to focus near and far with flexibility and wisdom. eee There is a well-worn saying: practice makes perfect. I don't believe this, at east in reference to playing the piano: abstract "perféction' is rarely what we seek; but good practising makes it more likely that we will give a good performance. Its attention, its concentration, its tightening of the screws enable the concert experience to take wing in freedom. Tags: Bartok. memory, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Esa Pekka Salonen, International Piano magazine, Bishare 4K Facebook 4K Twitter 273 Ed email Linkedin 48 S+i] 32 Recent Posts + Never mind the burka, we should all be wearing masks December 16th, 2013 8:39 720 Comments Daring to hope despite Aheimer's despairing inner world December 4th, 2013 7:44 37. Comments © Dressins {resi ywn it he I} n mncerts? 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Thinking of it as. entering a mental form of bullet-time both highlights the taffy-time feeling, and the fact that it's really a lot of work to do properly. I's really nice when you think about it -- bullet-time is hard mental work, but musicians are almost the only performers or athletes who can enter it 100% without any allowances for the laws of physics. And just like the movie version, it's almost magical when done habitually well. 3A |v - Shae» lancekupiak + 2monihs it's not just piano, everything will need constant practice for one to be excel in a particular field Mt My blog:http://pianosheetmusiconiine.c. Aly + Shae> sibyl + 2monihs ag 19 Iwas taught that, in a passage with leaps to the little finger, one should strike the white keys vertically (i.e. the finger upright, wrist arched, the other fingers hanging down towards the keyboard), and one should aim at the black keys at an angle with the hand on its side and the litle finger flat and parallel to the keyboard. | have found that this method gives me much better security than just aiming and hoping for the best- maybe because my hands are small A | + Shae> @ stevens Asiow! + 2monts sam That method may get results, but I remember something from the time when Iwas reading Tobias Matthay's main books... | think he said to develop a sense of landing on keys the very instant before you play them. it probably wouldn't be anything visible to someone watching. But | think one could practice this by landing on keys without continuina down to the sound. esneciallv with iumos. He also advised havina the bogs telegraph co.uNeuturestephernough100070997!he-practce-of practising! anasano “The practice of practising — Telegraph Blogs elbow about halfway between the two distant keys, also something you'd need to practice so that you don't have to stop and "do" it in the course of playing something. 2a 1 - Share» @ sidv! Aeteverr + 2montis ag sam. Thank you for responding, I's a hundred times easier to demonstrate something than to put it into words! However, I don't lke the idea of landing on keys without actually playing them - | think that could be counter-productive. The movement should be completely fluid and becomes instinctive after a bit of practice. a |» + Share» stevenr Asibyl + 2monits seam YeS, | would agree about no stop in the movement. | think it's just a Kind of "sense of location" and Iwas trying to imagine a way to develop it. 1A |v ~ Share» violinsensei + 2 months ag’ ‘And I thought | was the only one who scribbled on her music like it was a pregame play script from the coach. Aly + Shae> stevenr + 2months ag It’s interesting that the crescendo in your Schumann example is written to end on the B flat, after an accent mark on the C above it. What do you think of that? | would guess that the composer didn’t want the tone to fade away after the C. | have the music for this but haven't played it, Aly + Shae> prasanya + 2months ago Quite interesting post,Some interesting tips there Thanks for this priceless text Dream Destinations is a tour division started in Chennai with excellent packages...they are nice destinations The specialized tour packages are across Kerala, Tamilnadu and Goa visit:http://dreamdestinations .in/ Aly + Srae> Pamela Abrams Gordon + 2monihs agi As an older "new" pianist, striving to catch up for lost time, | found this article very helpful. It really gets to the logical nitty-gritty of advancing one's technique, and makes a lot of sense. I've experienced already some of the proposed ideas (ex: don't practice like it's a performance) and have seen firsthand how when a pianist lets him/herself go, one can get bogs telegraph co.uNeuturelstephernough00070997!he-practce-of practising! m3sano “The practice of practising - Telegraph Blogs some astonishingly surprising results. Also, the connection between the brain and the physical action is a fascinating interplay. Thank you, Mr. Hough! 4a |v + Shae> FraxinusExcelsior + 2monihs Train hard, fight easy Aly « Shae> Cypsel + 3months ace Great article! We shared with our members at www.cypsel.com, where artists and musicians who wish to teach private lessons meet people who want to leam arts of music. ALY + Shae» radiogirlok + 3 months ag’ Spectacular article! S, is that you in the first photo? 1A Lv + Shae» @ _ Stephentiough Aadiositck + 8months « Its me - it's me! 2a 1 y + Share» @ _ esiosictok Asicprentoush + 3 monhs aa =) Aly + Shae> davidsheeks Araciogitlok + 2months ago seam Surely you recognized the hair wandering about on his forehead A |» + Share» Peter Timmerman + 3 monhsag ‘Ah, but getting to practising, that is the problem! A friend has a theory she calls the 15 minute mark, which is the unconscious mind awaiting the moment when the original impetus to get up and practice -- Oh yes, | remember why playing the piano is so much fun -- meets the 15 minute mark, when all the horrible reasons why one is such crap erupt. if one can get past that, then everything Stephen says is true.......or would be if | were a concert pianist. Av. Shae> Wan Predojevie APeler Timmerman + 3 months ago seam [5 Your question, how to get yourself to the piano, forcing yourself to practice? a |v + Share» Karim Gonzalez » 3months ag0 Quite interesting post, even though I'm not a pianist myset; it can be applied, | think, to a variety of activities, relating to music, as well as to other activities it would be also interestina to have a post on the act of listenina to music: that is. what do bogs telegraph co.uNeuturestephernough 100070997!he-practce-of practising! anssano “The practice of practising —Telepraph Bogs you have to do in order to get to know a piece. By the way: Excellent blog by an excellent pianist! 5 |v « Share» sinfoniadegalicia » 3 mon Born in the same year as you, m 16 weeks into learning the piano and mastering Little Bo Peep with two hands! This blog is a gem for me. I consumed it greedily and with relish | ook at the score on the piano in the photo (of you?) and am bowled over that someone so young could have such a prodigious talent. A gift. Truly. But then |am comforted to read that a "maestro" can countenance frailty! Your humility ( humanity?) is inspiring. Ihope to watch you perform again soon. Brahms at the Bridgewater was phenomenal Aly + Shae> traced + Smonths ac ‘Ah, but how do you train the ears. In the heyday of Classical Music the human world was fairly musical, being so neighbourly with Nature - birdsong, tree-tunes, rain-tinkling or roaring, horses rythmic clip-cloppery, night-watchmen singing out the time, & ‘alls welt’, flowergirls perfuming streets with fragrance & their own calling, hurdy-gurdies, one-man bands, farm-workers with their many songs ‘in praise of work’ & harvests, boys whistling tunes - from Classical Music. Tut! In place of all that? Maybe Nirvana on the car stereo as. you rev the motor & blast the horn at some nutter, Emergency sirens howling past, helicopters overhead, dumbos blabbering al you from every meeja outlet & screaming from every screen, neighbours blasting summer with mangling power-tools every time the sun shines... Oh, progress, progress, as ‘famous’ & victorious as Blenheim, in its own way Great article tho’ 2a |~ - Share» petersandiego 4tre * 3months agc seam You've put your finger on why Eliot Carter avoided repetitive rhythms in much of his music: he felt that such rhythms hearkened to bygone days, failing to reflect the ever- mutating rhythms of our present-day lives. a |» + Share» Ivan Predojevic + 3months Thanks for this priceless text. Is this a quick summary of your practicing advises series or we could expect more of them? ‘And what about "Mental Play", can you write something more on that aspect of practicing? Ifind that mental play is very important, even more if you are traveling and don't have keys under your finger. And also think that you should do a complete new text on that, | would love to hear your opinion on that. All best from Serbia, 'm hopping that | will hear you live here sometime, 1a |v - Share» bogs telegraph co.uNeuturelstepherhough100070997!he-practce-of practising! 913sano “The practice of practising —Telegraph Blogs Rush_is_Right + Smonths age ‘Some interesting tips there Stephen. Thank you. 4a |v - Share» SCSOMusic + 3 months ag ‘Ahhh the joys of practising and learning. A continuous and ever changing journey, a |» + Shae> assegai + 3months ag B doesn't look that hard except you have to stretch your hands over an octave. But a bit difficult to tell without knowing the key of the piece. A |v + Shae» e Michael Webb Aassegai + 3 months agx 3 flats. The hard part would be the fact that you have to jump over an octave in each hand a ly + Share» e Yeahbutstill Mvict seam Michael, you may be overlooking the fact that on the Internet, everyone is a Virtuoso pianist (even if they do not necessarily know that the second movement of the Schumann Fantasy is in E-flat major). 34 |v + Share» e Ivan Predojevic Ayeahbut: 3 months ago sam Here is interesting thing, in B section, right hand - first f, a flat. That first fis in left hand is bas in left. And first a flat in left is discant (or how do you call it on english) in right hand. And one more important thing and why its not so hard B section. is that whole B section is symmetrical... if you look a closer in shape of keyboard... so you can build tight mental map or is that net of reflex hand movement. a | + Share» bogs telegraph co.uNeuturelstepherhough100070997!he-practce-of practising! ros