Improve your sight-reading

Every musician has their own qualities. Some are able to play the technically most challenging pieces with great ease, while others play a piece so delicately they move an audience to tears. Some things come naturally to you, while other skills must be developed in time.

This is the endless pursuit of classical musicians: working hard to perfect all skills needed to master the art of making music (technical skills, musicality, dynamics, toucher etc.)

Sight-reading is quite important for classical musicians. I say 'quite' because I don't believe sight-reading is essential for making music. Technically speaking, you need only hands and a good ear to play the piano. (Having legs and feets for using the pedals is useful too though...)

However, I do believe the ability of reading sheet music allows you to better understand the structure of a piece and the composer's intentions. I see sheet music as a treasure map the composer left behind so we can try to discover his musical treasure. It's full of hidden clues. The dynamics, great structures you discover, interesting notes... Learn to love it!

Sight-reading or 'sigh-reading'?

It is really a matter of exercise. Let me share my own experiences with sight reading in the past. I think everyone goes through the same phases:

1. It all starts with a huge obsession with a piece. Let's say for example Rachmaninoff piano concerto no. You hear it all day long for weeks until you decide you want to play it too. On a grand piano in a concert hall with the Berliner Philharmoniker, preferably tomorrow. So you take the sheet music and start with a cup of coffee and good dose of concentration and disciplin.

2.You read the score until +- page four. You stumble upon an impossible scale, no, two impossible scales, with both hands, simultaneously. Skip the passage, turn the page and go to the easy stuff.

3. After a few more pages, you just get bored, tired and frustrated because you realise you won't be able to play the Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker tomorrow -not even with the amateur orchestra from your neighbourhood-

4. You put the sheet music away and leave it on a shelf, doomed to get yellow and dusty.

Now, all these things are completely normal and human, except for phase 4!
Let's erase it and try again.

4. You put the sheet music away, left on a shelf, doomed to get yellow and dusty. Think about how nice it would be to be able to play it. Remember practise makes perfect. Divide the 1st movement of the concerto in smaller pieces (for example page 1-5, 6-10, 10-15, whatever) and decide to read and practice one extract at the time! Don't get desperate. Patience is the key. 

So, what to do when you face a difficult passage?

Score analysis (the game)

 Remember the parlor game Concentration? With cards laid face down on the table and you have to turn two cards over each turn and try and find a pair of matching cards? Also called Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Pexeso according to wiki.Well, here is good news: Sheet music is almost the same thing! Nay, it's better because the 'cards' (sheet music) are not facing down! 
You don't even need a piano to play this game. 

Get away from the piano, have some more coffee, go and sit on the sofa and take a look at the sheet music.

Let's look at an excerpt from a piece I played a while ago, Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 3. 

Now, let's find the matching pairs. 

This passage may look unreadable at first. 11 'Groups of notes', hence the red numbers.

Now let's take a look again. Here's what I did on the sofa with my cup of coffee: 

The same groups of notes share the same color now. We reduced 11 unreadable groups to only 5 and it took me no more than a few minutes!

 NOTE: Don't use the original score. Make a copy first, then draw as much as you like!

Now practise the groups and memorize them. Find the patterns, look for similarities.
Thinking in 'groups' and patterns rather than just notes will help you a lot when sight-reading future new pieces. You will 'get' the piece much quicker.

 In short, what is the best way to improve your sight-reading?

Just do it. I know this sounds very boring, but that's honestly the best way in my opinion. There are some books and methods out there made especially to help you improve your sight-reading, but reading random pieces from great composers works too.
The analysis game works great if you face difficult passages, but it's also good to just 'plod on.'

Our brains are very efficient at remembering patterns and elements. (Google 'synaptic strengthening' ) After reading for example a difficult Mozart piece, it will be easier to read other classical pieces because you will recognize the same kind of patterns and elements you stumbled upon in Mozart.

Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven are good composers to start with. The rhytmical structures of classical music are not so complex in general, thus you can focus completely on reading the notes. 

In my opinion, reading impressionistic, romantic, contemporary music, say Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Stravinsky (ouch!) can be as hard as eating soup with a fork, depending on the piece.

The most important thing is: choose pieces you like! Skip the boring stuff, look for pieces you are passionate about. You will not even notice you're practising your sight-reading skills because you will be too excited playing and discovering your favourite piece through our treasured treasure maps: scores.

Make practising the piano less boring

I'm not very easy to please with a random classical music performance. I should blame my father for that. He taught me to be critical, to seek for beauty in music to strive for perfection in musicality. Not because he is being difficult. It's his job as a teacher, to help students to become the best musicians they can be. His job as a pianist to captivate the audience. Every musicians' job.
But you know, musicians don't always do justice to the piece they are playing. Sometimes they play very beautifully and then suddenly, a hideous staccato, rushed scale or a weird interpretation of the dynamics and rubato that ruins everything for me. Or the well known phenomenon of pianists playing the piano like they're typing on a computer in their office. Of course, everything is a matter of taste. But it's important to remember the fact that performing is not easy. Neither is interpreting.

I attended a masterclass of Valentina Lisitsa in de Doelen, last January. I was in the audience, taking notes. She helped some students with some Chopin Etudes I am working on, so that was very helpful to me.
At the end there was time to ask questions. I asked a question about some technical problems I had and she helped me very kindly. It was a great instructive afternoon.
Anyways, I've been looking through my notes to find interesting thoughts to share with you. I'm going to quote one of the first things she said when she actually got on stage:

"We musicians are private investigators, we have to investigate what composers meant. A pianist's job is to recreate composers' thoughts." 

This is the key to interpretation. But before interpretation, those first steps... You know what I mean... The horror word.

practice

"Boring," you might think. If you think it's boring, there's probably something wrong with the way you practise.
This article is about my views on this 'boredom'. Essential stuff. Things that help me on the crucial moments after I finally gathered my strength to practise a bit. Things that help me to make it fun.

'It's not about how long  you practise, but how  you practise.' 

Quality over quantity. Fact. You can reach a higher level by practising effectively over a short time, let's say one hour then fooling around on the piano for five hours. That being said, you will probably not be the next Ashkenazy if you practise effectively for about ten minutes a week.

'Isolate the difficult passages'

I know, I know, this is the hard part. It means we actually have to practise. I'm one of those oersons that likes playing and fooling around. Playing the piece from A to Z. But playing and practising is not the same thing. Playing can be helpful because it helps you to know the piece by ear, to play fluently eventually. But this doesn't help in mastering obstacles. Sorry. You will need to isolate the hard parts.
Here is one useful tip not a lot of students think about... Think of an airplane. Taking off and landing are things you focus on, you do it over and over again and focus on the process of taking off and landing until you can do it. It's normal, because those are the most important things. But how about the part inbetween, the flying? Are you neglecting that part and merely focussing on the process of taking off and landing? Would you feel safe if a pilot would be amazing at taking off and landing but doesn't know how to keep the plane in the air?
Analyze one difficult measure in your score. How do you practise? Do you start at the bar-line and stop at the next bar-line? Try starting in the middle of the bar, at the second or third beat. They need your full attention too.
My father (Léon Bak) calls this: "the weak third". You can use this principle to practise not only bars, but also phrases and motives, sometimes even the whole piece. All kind of musical structures. Don't neglect the middle part. Write down your fingerings to avoid a brain crash and start practising in the middle of the piece/phrase/whatever.

'Don't underestimate slow motion practising' 

We all know practising some measures slowly can be very helpful. But there's a difference between slow tempo and slow motion practising. I quote Lisitsa: "Have you ever seen a sprinter, say Usain Bolt, preparing for a race by just walking?"
No, it's visualizing, making the same movements, using the same positions, dynamics as you will do later in a fast tempo.

'Relax' 

This is actually a quite important issue.  I got very tensed, especially my fore-arms when playing Rachmaninoff Prelude op. 23. no. 5. Maki Miyashita, an excellent pianist by the way, gave me some advice. Relaxation is a way to reach your goal. It's not a goal you set for yourself after mastering the piece. You have to learn to play the piece through being relaxed.

Here's a small guide to help you with relaxation:

1. Be sure you are completely relaxed. Everything. Back, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, fingertips. Breathe. (note: The back and shoulders should be relaxed always.)
2. Place your hands on the keyboard
3. Press the key(s) using the natural weight of your body. Contract your finger muscles to make the movement of pressing, and decontract immediatly after pressing the keys: Your fingers are still on the keys, the keys are down but you are not pushing anymore, you're completely relaxed.
4. Try this a few times very slowly and feel the contraction - decontraction of the hands.

So. Back to reality. Rachmaninoff. The goal is to be able to play this piece as relaxed as possible and of course in the right tempo without wrong notes. I have to practise slowly until my body understands the process I just described, then slowly speed up. Or, as, Valentina Lisitsa told the audience: "Playing the piano should be like swimming, easy, relaxed."

'Pencils are genius'

Unless you a genius yourself, don't practise without having the score and a pencil somewhere around you (preferably in front of you). No matter how advanced you are, we are humans, we can't remember everything we have to think about. A five second effort can make a huge difference: It would be sad, to miss a beautiful crescendo or a tenuto, just because you didn't take the effort to write it down.

Draw  things in your score if you need to. I did this with a sweet nine years old violin student when I was rehearsing with her. I drew flowers on notes she was playing wrongly. It worked immediately.
At my age, 21, it still works. Might still work even if you're older (wink wink).
One day I used colors to figure out a passage in a Chopin etude I couldn't get through. I was colouring the chords and structures that were the same and it helped me a lot to understand the score. Draw things, write words like: 'bells ringing / water / thunderstorm,' to remind you of the effect you want to create.

'Enjoy!'

While practising: listen to the chords you are playing. Learn to love dissonants. They make music interesting because dissonants sound like a 'problem' you are going to resolve in the next chord. Play with soul and passion like street musicians. Get that cavemen feeling, find the 'roots' of the piece. What feeling do you get? Think about what you like about that particular composition.
And remember, we pianists are private investigators, DIY relaxation therapists, storytellers and painters on this blank canvas: silence.

Maybe I'll post more about this subject, 'practising', in a next blogpost. My father has made a checklist with more than hundred principles, quotes of musicians he worked with, small pieces of advice, based on 25+ years of experience. About the basics of practising the piano, rhythm, melodies, harmonies, phrases, use of pedal, interpretation... I will share this with you as soon as I find the time to translate it to English.


In the meanwhile, I hope this article clarified some things for you and I sincerely hope it can help you a little bit to make practising less boring. The more interesting you make your practice sessions, the better the results.
Good luck!


Regards,


someone who needs to practise more often   Alexandra

Brahms, violas & J.M. Hernandez

 Is the viola more than a 'small cello' or a 'big violin'? What has Brahms' clarinet sonata op. 120 no. 2 to do with this string instrument?  

The viola always fascinated me. I love it's warm timbre. It doesnt squeak like a violin, doesn't hum like a cello. No, the viola sounds almost like a human voice, very natural and familiar.
Besides, the viola is crucial for orchestras and ensembles. It's needed to fill in harmonies, it's good for playing melodies or bass lines, but the viola is also an amazing solo instrument!

Small cello

Is it enough to describe the viola as a 'big violin' or a 'small cello'? Absolutely not! Although the viola has a lot in common with both instruments, it has an unique sound.

The viola dates from the same time as the violin.
Both instruments came to existence in the early to middle 16th century. It's tuning is C-G-D-A, a fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello. The viola is bigger than the violin but there is a problem. The size of the sound box is still too small for it's tuning, therefore the resonance is not optimal. But this is the key to the typical viola sound. The 'imperfect' proportions of the sound box compared to it's tuning give the viola it's unique pleasant, warm timbre.

After reading this hymn, I think it's very clear for you to understand why I started to play the viola. The first phase was squeaking and scratching, but after some practise I (almost) left this stage behind... I love how playing a string instrument feels, the way you feel the vibration of the sound in your body. It feels much more 'intense' than playing the piano. When playing the piano, there is always a considerable distance between your head and the keys. When playing the viola however, your chin is resting on the instrument. The first weeks are very heavy and tiresome for your muscles, but after getting used to the uncomfortable position, holding the viola starts to feel like a cuddle.

Jokes

Q: How was the canon invented?

A: Two violists tried to play the same passage together

 There's nothing more entertaining to me than sitting behind my computer and reading music jokes because I can relate to them in one way or another. False notes, bad viola players, poor jazz musicians, insufferable directors... Jokes are funny because we know deep inside there is something true in it, right? Some violists actually are second-rate violinists. But let's focus on the good violists: the viola is more than excellent firewood!

Since I mentioned before that the viola is an amazing solo instrument, I'm hearing a lot of imaginary "Prove it!" comments in my head. I'm fervently going to defend the reputation of the viola, ruined by those stupid, but very funny jokes by giving you the prove that the viola is indeed a very fine solo instrument. 

The answer is Johannes Brahms' sonata op. 120. no 2, which seems to fit the viola perfectly although it is actually originally written for clarinet. The composer himself transcribed the piece for the viola.

Brahms

Johannes Brahms was born on May 7th, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany. He got his very first music lessons from his father who was a double bassist. He then continued his studies with Otto Friedrich Cossel, then Eduard Marxsen, a famous piano teacher in his hometown. Brahms became a brilliant pianist at young age and gave his first public performance in 1848. Schumann esteemed him highly, and wrote an article about him in his Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. Brahms remained friends with Robert Schumann and his wife Clara. He worked as a conductor in Detmold, Hamburg and Vienna.
Trademark: elegance, seriousness, melancholy, heavyness, somewhat classical structures, folk themes.

J.M. Hernandez & M. Hirata
Brahms visited the mountains a couple of times. He lived in Vienna, and he spent some vacations near the Thuner See in Switzerland. I have been there too some time ago and to me it is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world! This sonata makes me think of the mountains. It made me think of mountains even before I knew Brahms went there.
Knowing a little bit of background information now, I invite you to listen to the Brahms - Viola sonata op 120. no 2, wonderfully performed by International Johannes Brahms competition winner Juan Miguel Hernandez and Makiko Hirata.

J.M. Hernandez plays with a beautiful warm, thick sound and a very nice round vibrato. Rubato is perfectly applied. The performance is sensitive, passionate, and solid at the same time.
Hernandez and Hirata slightly change their colour palettes when transitioning to another theme. The interaction and balance between both instruments is beautiful and well-thought-of.
The melodical line goes on and flows naturally, the sonata sounds pleasant and not too heavy nor too loaded. Brahms did well when he transcribed this piece. His sonata explains the beauty of the instrument, the warmth, robustness and familiarity I wrote about in the introduction. The vigorous, vivid Viola.

Brahms picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

Operation Opera (part I)

The word operation sounds interesting. More interesting than the actual project I'm doing. I'm not going to sing in an opera or something. Nor is it a code name of a James Bond mission. No, I'm going to explore the world of Faust, Mimi and Carmen. Let me explain.

Aida, without a doubt one of the most famous operas of history. And, shame on me, I'm not well acquainted with it. I think I have been to the opera a few times when I was a teeny-weeny little girl. I would recognize some arias or choirs, and I've heard of Aida, but that's it.

Time to discover it! While writing this article, on my phone, in bed, with closed curtains to prevent the cold from coming in my bedroom, I'm listening to the beautiful opera performed by Katia Ricciarelli, Placido Domingo, Elena Obratsova, Leo Nucci, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Ruggero Raimondi and the 'Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala', conducted by Claudio Abbado. (Deutsche Grammophon, highlights)

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opera_Garnier_Grand_Escalier.jpg 
Photographer: Benh LIEU SONG

Long

To be honest, I wasn't that into opera at all until recently when I got more serious about singing and acting. I did however, always respect opera singers. I honestly think, and you may agree with me, that they are one of the best artists out there. An opera is a musical, concert and dramatic theater piece at the same time. And operas are long. Have you seen the Charles Heston movie 'Ben Hur' or 'the Ten Commandments'? That's the feeling you get. An opera is long, takes at least a couple of hours. You get to know the characters really well, and well, it's quite long. Did I mention an opera is long? But what a piece of art it is! And so emotional. How skilled the actors are. To memorize the words, the acts, the melodies in such a piece of substantial duration... It's emotionally exhausting. Not everyone is able to do that, only the best artists can be opera stars. I'm listening to Domingo's soothing voice (I have a weak spot for beautiful male voices) and Verdi's imagination.

What I like very much about Verdi is the atmosphere he creates. The ambience of grandeur, majesty and confidence. The epitome of Italian opera. I must confess something else... My mother told me the story of Aida when I was little but I forgot it. Yes, someone dies in the end. But I don't know if remembering that particular detail is a sign of my good memory or a sign of good judgement I occasionnally have. Since I don't know the story very well and I only understand Italian when spoken slowly, I'm just going to guess where the story is about and after posting this article I'll read the actual story.

Romanza
HA. Something I recognize. The first song sung by Radamès. I know it because this romanza is on a Benjamino Gigli CD I've listened like a thousand times as background music while painting. I never knew it was from Aida. 

Se quel guerrier io fossi!
Se il mio sogno si avverasse!
Un esercito di prodi da me guidato
E la vittoria e il plauso di Menfi tutta!
E a te, mia dolce Aïda,
Tornar di lauri cinto
Dirti: per te ho pugnato,
Per te ho vinto!

Celeste Aïda, forma divina,
Mistico serto di luce e fior,
Del mio pensiero tu sei regina,
Tu di mia vita sei lo splendor.
Il tuo bel cielo vorrei ridarti,
Le dolci brezze del patrio suol
Un regal serto sul crin posarti,

Ergerti un trono vicino al sol,

You don't need to have a lot of knowledge of the Italian language to know that it is a love song. Your ears will tell you. I find it so beautiful. Only music can touch your soul this way.
Let's start with my version based on what I'm hearing... I could be completely wrong. This is just one big guess. You are allowed to laugh at my ignorance.

Amonasro is the bad guy
Radamès and Aida are in love. It's a secret relationship. But they can never love each other because Aida is only a poor girl and Radamès a strong warrior. Amonasro should be the bad guy, his name sounds criminal. And the King of Egypt should be evil aswell. Aida sings: "Ritorna vincitor!". Perhaps because her Radamès has gone to war and she is very concerned about his wellbeing. He kills Amonasro, returns and finds Aida ill. They are happy to be together and he holds her in his arms. 

In the end, the King of Egypt condems her to death because he is jalous. 

I cannot wait to post this so I can finally read where Aida is about...

... to be followed...