Introduction

Aims:

·      Reflecting on and analysing the ways in which we practise: What am I looking for? What am I focusing on? What am I ignoring? What am I hearing?

·      Listening deeply and imagining more – how can I characterise the music?

·      Finding ways of using our techniques to serve these imaginative concepts

·      Applying this imagination to our exercises - practising these ways of characterising the music

·      Questioning the outcome – is this what I intended?

So, let’s say we practise our exercises, learn to play scales and arpeggios evenly but leave our analytical, creative and imaginative work to our pieces. Sound good? This may seem effective in principle but the problem I continually encounter is this idea of what exactly is ‘technical’ and what is ‘musical’ and whether we can, and should, truly isolate them. Every single technical choice impacts how the music sounds and every single musical choice requires something of our technical skill. They are inseparable. They are also in balance and this balance is important: we want our techniques to serve the musical choices we make but we also want our imaginations and ideas to push the boundaries of our technical capabilities.

Checklist

·     Balance. Musical expression requires technique and technique needs a purpose to serve

·     Technique serves the musical choices but our imagination pushes our techniques

Below is a short questionnaire which gives you a moment to reflect on the points I raise in the introduction. You will be asked the same questions at the end of the course! Feel free to print out this downloadable sheet or answer the questions in your head, as 'food for thought'.

© Elizabeth Bass 2020