1. Think long term but set short term goals.
Rome wasn't built in a day, good things take a while. But they'll also stick around if gained masterfully through solid practice habits. Own that next highest note, for example, by reaching for a half step higher on alternate days of practice. (See tip no. 2 for more about heavy v. light days of practice.) The long term goal is to increase range. The short term goal is to reach 1/2 step higher every 2-3 weeks. Be patient and be careful. Another example would be to take two sections of music that are difficult, and work only those sections - resisting the urge to play through the entire piece. One last example that we all are interested in is increasing our breath capacity. So pick a pattern or exercise (Clark Study or Stamps) that has repeats. Try to make it one time through in one breath. Then try for half again as much on one breath. Rest and try once more to maintain the half again amount. The next day, stretch to 2 times in one breath. It might take several days in between to achieve the half again amount, but soon you'll be able to play the exercise 3 or 4 times which also has the effect of increasing endurance and flexibility. 2. Follow a pattern of heavy days alternated with lighter days. On heavier days, stretch your range by reaching only 1/2 step higher than your current highest note. The next day, only warm up to your highest note. Stay on the 1/2 step higher note for your heavier days for a week or two. As you extend in the upper register, also extend the lower register. Use 123 fingering at first for all pedal tones (low F and below). James Stamps's book, Warm Ups+Studies is the go-to resource for this kind of extension. Remember: As you extend higher, you should also be extending lower. You say potato, I say potâto, you say tomato, I say… If fundamental differences arise in the visual perception chromatic spectrum, they can certainly arise in the aural spectrum as well. What seems like a disagreement isn’t, but as many observed when the dress hit Twitter recently, it generated vehement conflict. Musicians resolve conflicts of this nature on a steady basis, in fact, it might be argued that such negotiation of perception serves as the basis for strategies of musical instruction. Learning to see, or in the case of music, hear along similar lines of interpretation becomes the goal in creating harmonious sounds. Agreement is fostered through shared experiences in ensembles and in listening to others. What counts as harmonious or inharmonious is defined by how close to prescribed parameters pitch or rhythm attributes fall. About which everyone supposedly agrees. However, that closeness to prescribed parameters is itself open to debate in much the same way as the color of the viral Twitter dress. Hence the variety and value of individual preference. I dare assert that each human being on the planet experiences music in an entirely unique and individual way even when operating within a common framework of musical education. When there is difference of opinion of pitch, for example, we can and often do resort to a tuner. A given sound quality can sound higher or lower (sharp or flat) to our ears depending upon the concentration of frequencies within the given overtone series. A tuner sorts out our perception (which may skew the pitch), and reports on only one aspect of the sound, the dominant frequency. But is the tuner really the final arbiter of pitch? If a pitch sounds flat or sharp to one person, it becomes unpleasant no matter what the tuner pronounces it. While grateful to have that arbitration, musicians don’t rely upon it exclusively for reasons illustrated in the viral dress phenomenon, and neither should anyone in other contexts rely exclusively on one parameter. What can we learn from the disagreement over the color of a dress that can help us relate better to one another as musicians and as people within our own societies? · Capitalize on differences of perception to create a well-rounded and detailed picture. The more people and perceptions present, the more well-rounded the picture will be. We each have only two eyes and ears, but combined, we have infinitely more. Working together, as we observe within musical contexts like a symphony orchestra or within smaller ensembles of various kinds including all styles of music, creates beauty and art: Not disagreement, but profound integration and harmony. It also creates amazingly effective results. For an example of fully integrated data from disparate sources and locations, check out Palentir technologies. www.palentir.com (I have no connection to this company, but have been in awe of it since I discovered how it mightily coordinates disaster relief of all kinds.) What about those situations when we all need to be on the same page? Such as when the one who is most certainly playing flat simply needs to raise their pitch to agree with everyone else? · Negotiate the solution by appealing to prevailing perceptions, much like the tuner sorts out the dominant frequency within a given range of frequencies. As a group of people discuss various strategies, one or two will dominate. Giving mutual respect for all perceptions enhances the process and creates unity moving forward. Obviously shouting down someone who sees gold/white as an idiot serves no one. There may be more than one who see it a certain way, and effective communication can help persuade others when such unity is essential. After I learned that others saw the dress a different color than I did, I was able to see it through their eyes, so to speak. I’m sure I’m not the only one who experienced that. · Find the similarities or connections between seemingly opposite perceptions. For example, in a recent blog post, I detailed a situation where a student of mine was given competing instructions from his band director. Rather than call out the band director as a moron who couldn’t see plain colors for what they were, I was able to devise a method of instruction which incorporated what the band director required of the student into my existing method’s framework. (For more on that, head to my inaugural website blog post at www.TrumpetlySpeaking.Weebly.com and go to the blog page.) Although obvious to us all, it bears reminding ourselves that we are each very different within the framework of our common humanity. The viral dress illustrated the scientific facts behind our differences in perception. Though unseen, these differences can create harmony and beauty where war may well ensue, but only when respected and strategically utilized. I would even dare to assert that these solutions apply to the world of politics. When liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats can avoid vilifying each other, and instead work together to craft a whole picture, the result exponentially outweighs the effort required. Granted a lot more is at stake than the color of a dress. But if the argument taught us anything, it’s that if we’ll go to war over the color of a dress, maybe we’d better learn how to respect each other’s perceptions before we find ourselves at war over a simple difference in perception. |
GlendaI'm a trumpet player and music teacher aiming in this blog to help other Trumpeters, Music Enthusiasts, Music Educators, and aspiring professionals reach their highest potential in life through the study and cultivation of musical skills. Music Education
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