Hi Dave
I echo Gill's comments on that one. What I have done in the past with pupils who have wanted a tangible measure of their progress but either not wanted to or not been able to raise the courage to take exams officially is to prepare them for the exam and then just given them a pseudo exam, or performance appraisal, call it what you will, so they know what standard they have achieved. (Incidentally, as far as the confidence goes, I've always waited until they feel really comfortable with me - I won't go as far as to say less intimidated by me as I don't do scary very well, as my 9 year old has often told me!)
I wasn't thinking of exams when I asked you what level you play at, although I suppose it should have occured to me that they are the way most people measure their level. I suppose it would have been better to ask what sort of thing you play.
As for my lessons, I haven't had another one yet. We've agreed on once a month on the basis that it's the motivation I need rather than instruction, as such, and being realistic, the amount I get to practice would make more frequent lessons pointless. I have already noticed, however, the mere fact I know that whatever I'm practicing will ultimately have to be played to my mentor has toned up my practice techniques and self criticism, making me much less slap dash than I might otherwise have been. (There's a confession for you!)
I love the term pianorak, not heard it before! Good job we're not cellists, really, isn't it? Cellorak would make us sound like some kind of vegetable.
Motivation
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano
Hi again Dave
It will be interesting to see if you have the same problem when it comes to playing to a teacher. It's very common to make a complete hash of something you can play with your eyes shut when there's a teacher or anyone else listening. How about this as a mental approach? If you could play everything perfectly you wouldn't need a teacher in the first place. The whole point of having lessons is to sort out the problems, ergo no problems, no need for lessons! I will be the first to admit I have all sorts of areas in my playing which will benefit from my mentoring. The time you think you can do it perfectly is the time to quit, imho!
It will be interesting to see if you have the same problem when it comes to playing to a teacher. It's very common to make a complete hash of something you can play with your eyes shut when there's a teacher or anyone else listening. How about this as a mental approach? If you could play everything perfectly you wouldn't need a teacher in the first place. The whole point of having lessons is to sort out the problems, ergo no problems, no need for lessons! I will be the first to admit I have all sorts of areas in my playing which will benefit from my mentoring. The time you think you can do it perfectly is the time to quit, imho!
You are welcome!
I somehow think Herefordshire would push the term "distance learning" a bit far! Funny you should mention Reiki but I was discussing it with some friends yesterday along with the idea of trying to find someone to teach us Tai Chi. Are you a Reiki master, then?
Grade 1 (like all the other grades) consisits of scales for the grade, in this case C, G, D and F majors, A minor, C major contrary motion and broken chords and arrpegios in the keys of C. G, F majors and A and D minors, 3 pieces chosen from the syllabus, a piece of sight reading and some aural tests. None of which is anywhere near as daunting as it sounds. Cost is £28.20 and there will be various centres you could take it at, I'll check it out and let you know.
You would deserve more than just a certificate if you did go for it, but what an achievement, eh? I have a great mate who's favourite saying is "feel the fear and do it".
I somehow think Herefordshire would push the term "distance learning" a bit far! Funny you should mention Reiki but I was discussing it with some friends yesterday along with the idea of trying to find someone to teach us Tai Chi. Are you a Reiki master, then?
Grade 1 (like all the other grades) consisits of scales for the grade, in this case C, G, D and F majors, A minor, C major contrary motion and broken chords and arrpegios in the keys of C. G, F majors and A and D minors, 3 pieces chosen from the syllabus, a piece of sight reading and some aural tests. None of which is anywhere near as daunting as it sounds. Cost is £28.20 and there will be various centres you could take it at, I'll check it out and let you know.
You would deserve more than just a certificate if you did go for it, but what an achievement, eh? I have a great mate who's favourite saying is "feel the fear and do it".
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Gill the Piano
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My friend taught a kid who called arpeggios 'arcaboos'. It's catching...
For nerves, Dave, read 'The Inner Game Of Music' by somebody Green. You can get a 2nd hand one on Amazon. Also Rescue Remedy is good. Or alcohol - performance goes to hell, but you don't care. Also, you could just say 'no' when someone tries to make you play for 'em and you don't want to!
For nerves, Dave, read 'The Inner Game Of Music' by somebody Green. You can get a 2nd hand one on Amazon. Also Rescue Remedy is good. Or alcohol - performance goes to hell, but you don't care. Also, you could just say 'no' when someone tries to make you play for 'em and you don't want to!
Evening Dave and Gill!
How unfair is it that alcohol makes you utterly fearless but gives you a handful of left thumbs? My performance nerves always manifest themselves with the most dreadful shakes, not helpful in this profession, and I did once try beta blockers to combat this. They worked brilliantly for stopping the shakes but numbed the reactions to the extent that when one of "those" moments came where you think "oh heck (or words to that effect) what comes next?" there was no response and it took me a lot longer to get back on track (by bluffing my way through until I remembered what came next!) The only thing I've found which makes any real difference is just to keep doing it lots. I had to prepare for a diploma up in London once (no pressure!) and wanted to do well so I took a deep breath and for the fortnight preceeding the exam played to somebody at least once a day, preferably the scariest lecturers I could find at college. On the day, instinct took over and I got the best mark I'd ever got in any exam. I guess it's a case of what I said earlier about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
In my case, however much I would have loved to have been a concert pianist, although I have (or rather had) the ability, I just didn't have the nerves and self belief to make it, so I empathise entirely, Dave.
How unfair is it that alcohol makes you utterly fearless but gives you a handful of left thumbs? My performance nerves always manifest themselves with the most dreadful shakes, not helpful in this profession, and I did once try beta blockers to combat this. They worked brilliantly for stopping the shakes but numbed the reactions to the extent that when one of "those" moments came where you think "oh heck (or words to that effect) what comes next?" there was no response and it took me a lot longer to get back on track (by bluffing my way through until I remembered what came next!) The only thing I've found which makes any real difference is just to keep doing it lots. I had to prepare for a diploma up in London once (no pressure!) and wanted to do well so I took a deep breath and for the fortnight preceeding the exam played to somebody at least once a day, preferably the scariest lecturers I could find at college. On the day, instinct took over and I got the best mark I'd ever got in any exam. I guess it's a case of what I said earlier about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
In my case, however much I would have loved to have been a concert pianist, although I have (or rather had) the ability, I just didn't have the nerves and self belief to make it, so I empathise entirely, Dave.
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Gill the Piano
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Hiya Everybody!
Just an update on progress. I saw my mentor again today and came away truly inspired, as last time. It is so encouraging to hear a fellow pianist comment on just how (and I use her exact words) "bloody difficult" something is when I've been berating myself for not making better progress with it (in this case, a Scarlatti Sonata). She was hugely complimentary about my playing - I'm still convinced she's being overly kind and working on confidence building!
Anyway, I have come away enthused to get cracking in the morning when both little ones are out the house and who knows, I might even manage to get the impetus to go out in the conservatory and get it together with Roland once the kids are in bed during the school holidays (where I'd previously resigned myself to the fact I won't anywhere near the ivories for the next fortnight.)
Watch this space!
Just an update on progress. I saw my mentor again today and came away truly inspired, as last time. It is so encouraging to hear a fellow pianist comment on just how (and I use her exact words) "bloody difficult" something is when I've been berating myself for not making better progress with it (in this case, a Scarlatti Sonata). She was hugely complimentary about my playing - I'm still convinced she's being overly kind and working on confidence building!
Anyway, I have come away enthused to get cracking in the morning when both little ones are out the house and who knows, I might even manage to get the impetus to go out in the conservatory and get it together with Roland once the kids are in bed during the school holidays (where I'd previously resigned myself to the fact I won't anywhere near the ivories for the next fortnight.)
Watch this space!
Oh most definitely! I find my self working my schedule and juggling all the different balls in my pond around making time to fit in piano time as near to daily as I can, whereas before it was only happening when I had to, eg if I knew I had some accompanying coming up. It felt very odd going back to having lessons at first, especially with the first Psycho episode, but having found out that my current mentor has been in exactly the same situation and is coming from the same direction on this one (in fact she still sees a mentor herself periodically) I feel a whole lot less ridiculous about the whole thing and am looking forward so much to the time when I have unlimited access to the ivories.
Ok Guys, moving on from the motivation theme, I'm now faced with another dilemma. Having got myself playing for 90 mins. most days and had another meeting with my mentor, she's now asking me to take part a) in her pupil concert in June and b) in an EPTA recital in October for accompnists.
I've whimped out completely on the June concert but would love to be able to say yes to the EPTA concert. Trouble is, I haven't given a public recital in years and when I did used to play in public the performance nerves had to be seen to be believed. Although my audiences always said how much they enjoyed my performances, to me, the nerves became very destructive (not least of all because of the amount they made my hands shake) and the whole performance became sheer torture for me.
I SO want to be able to do this! Any of you dear people out there have any suggestions and strategies for performing in public when the nerves are off the scale (oops, sorry about the pun) with the resulting plummeting of confidence?
I've whimped out completely on the June concert but would love to be able to say yes to the EPTA concert. Trouble is, I haven't given a public recital in years and when I did used to play in public the performance nerves had to be seen to be believed. Although my audiences always said how much they enjoyed my performances, to me, the nerves became very destructive (not least of all because of the amount they made my hands shake) and the whole performance became sheer torture for me.
I SO want to be able to do this! Any of you dear people out there have any suggestions and strategies for performing in public when the nerves are off the scale (oops, sorry about the pun) with the resulting plummeting of confidence?
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Gill the Piano
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Well, there are various homoeopathic remedies you can use (you need to consult a homoeopath because everybody's different and the remedies are also different according to character/temperament).
There's Bach Flower Remedies' Rescue Remedy - good stuff, works well.
There's meditation...or there's medication! Some performers use one beta-blocker taken before a performance which quietens the shaking and adrenalin response. Although a) there are those who say the adrenalin is what makes the performance, and b) if you're asthmatic they won't give it to you. You have to make it clear to your doctor that you only want ONE pill for ONE performance.
There's Bach Flower Remedies' Rescue Remedy - good stuff, works well.
There's meditation...or there's medication! Some performers use one beta-blocker taken before a performance which quietens the shaking and adrenalin response. Although a) there are those who say the adrenalin is what makes the performance, and b) if you're asthmatic they won't give it to you. You have to make it clear to your doctor that you only want ONE pill for ONE performance.
Hi Gill
Thanks for the advice, sorry it's taken so long to respond - life, kids, the universe, you know how it goes!
I'm a big fan of homeopathy and the Bach remedies but I think mine is a psychological rather than a physiological problem and I don't have great enough mental control to get control of the rest of me on stage! It all boils down to knowing I can do it but not being able to prove I can do it (and I know all the psychology that lies behind that one, but as I said, I don't have enough control over my brain and the tangents it goes off on to be able to combat it!) I did once try beta blockers for a recital I gave but whilst they worked brilliantly on the shaking hands, they numbed the senses to the extent I had very slow reactions when I needed to be completely on top of things.
However, I survived an emergency visit to the dentist last week and had I known what lay in store I would have taken all the normal sedation I use just to get myself into the chair. Since I thought I was just going in for a diagnosis I didn't take anything and drove myself there. 2 hours later, after 30 mins of drilling and an extraction, I came out thinking "if I can do that, I can do anything"! So you never know, I may yet conquer this spectre which has haunted me all my playing years!
Thanks for the advice, sorry it's taken so long to respond - life, kids, the universe, you know how it goes!
I'm a big fan of homeopathy and the Bach remedies but I think mine is a psychological rather than a physiological problem and I don't have great enough mental control to get control of the rest of me on stage! It all boils down to knowing I can do it but not being able to prove I can do it (and I know all the psychology that lies behind that one, but as I said, I don't have enough control over my brain and the tangents it goes off on to be able to combat it!) I did once try beta blockers for a recital I gave but whilst they worked brilliantly on the shaking hands, they numbed the senses to the extent I had very slow reactions when I needed to be completely on top of things.
However, I survived an emergency visit to the dentist last week and had I known what lay in store I would have taken all the normal sedation I use just to get myself into the chair. Since I thought I was just going in for a diagnosis I didn't take anything and drove myself there. 2 hours later, after 30 mins of drilling and an extraction, I came out thinking "if I can do that, I can do anything"! So you never know, I may yet conquer this spectre which has haunted me all my playing years!
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Gill the Piano
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Bach Flower Remedies ARE for psychological problems as well as physiological, as is homoeopathy.
Dave; Face yourself in the mirror, breathing deeply and evenly. Close your eyes, still breathing deeply and evenly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. When you're fully relaxed, open your eyes slowly, look yourself in the eye and then slap yourself round the head, shouting the mantra 'SNAP OUT OF IT!'
Works for me...
Dave; Face yourself in the mirror, breathing deeply and evenly. Close your eyes, still breathing deeply and evenly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. When you're fully relaxed, open your eyes slowly, look yourself in the eye and then slap yourself round the head, shouting the mantra 'SNAP OUT OF IT!'
Works for me...