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bbenzel
Lokahi
USA
130 Posts |
 Posted - 06/09/2008 : 06:49:08 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Retro
quote:
Originally posted by Larry Goldstein
Anyone understand the neurophysiology, or otherwise, of why so many of us "rush the beat?" Mahalo.
And whether or not it's a more prominent phenomenon in urban (high-pressure, rushrushrush) environments?
Q: How can you tell when there's a drummer at your door?
A: The knocking keeps speeding up.
(Ow. Ow. Ow.)
Q: How can you tell when the drummer at your door has been hittin' on the pakalolo?
A: The knocking keeps slowing down. |
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bbenzel
Lokahi
USA
130 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2008 : 06:56:36 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Peter Medeiros
As a player you try to stay away from big words, they can affect your playing. The problem with rushing the beat is over anticipation and thinking too much. If you know the piece or the form of the piece there shouldn't be a problem. Unless there are parts which are rubato (without strict rhythm - adlibbed) the tempo for a piece should be even unless there is a clear indication of a change in tempo. Get used to using a metronome if one is available. You don't have to play perfect, just try and come close -- at the very least you'll have more fun by not worrying throughout the piece. After all this is Hawaiian folk music.
The other thing is to set the beat in your head (or even count out loud) at the beginning of the piece. I think what tends to happen is that pieces naturally find their own tempo and it's easy to start out with your internal clock set too slow, especially after a rubato intro with a long ritard at the end right before you go into the main body. You need to think and count out your tempo during that ritard and set it in your head then and there. If you can memorize the natural tempo of the piece and start there, it will stay there by itself. |
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Leonard
Lokahi
USA
124 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2008 : 11:01:37 AM
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For me, I think this has to do with the way I tend to practice. We often practice technique and we forget to practice the expression of the music too. So sometimes, when I have this problem, I realize that I'm just "fingerflinging" - the fingers are on autopilot and they seem to want to get done quickly. Peter is right - you can't think too much because it takes the fun out. But if I remember to rehearse the feeling of a piece, what my emotions are doing while I play, that usually keeps me from rushing through it. In performance there's a different issue sometimes, which is that nervousness can make everything seem more frantic and the tempo increases. In fact, that happened to me when I was playing for Peter. Never played worse. Again, concentrating on your emotions may help there.
I read an article somewhere (Acoustic Guitar mag?) that suggested that when you practice for a gig, you should set yourself up in a situation as close to the gig as possible - same chair, same mic setup, etc, because you're really practicing the gig, not just the pieces. Have a list of the pieces. Do the pieces in the right order. Between pieces, think about what you may want to say. Figure out when you'll have to change tuning in that sequence. I think that was good advice. It keeps the distractions down. Your mind and heart can concentrate on the music and not be thinking "What's the next piece?" or "My leg feels funny in this chair". And there will be a flow of tempi from piece to piece that you'll be practicing too. Just random thoughts on a problem most of us face. LRR |
Be the change that you wish to see in the world. M. Gandhi |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2008 : 5:20:50 PM
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Two things to dovetale on Leonard --
For me it is not so much "practicing" the emotions. For me, it is important to listen closely to the music as I play it. To have the mechanics down so that I can let myself listen to the beauty of the music and get carried into the song. Expression then takes care of itself, at least to the best my technique will allow.
Stagefright is a very interesting and complex phenomenon. Many of the world's great musicians had/have horrendous stage fright. I've had many musicians and artists as patients -- it gets very complicated and individual. However, I found one way to "work on" the speeding up. In practice I play the pieces I will do in public faster and faster, until I can handle them at 1.5 tp 2 times their intended tempo. Then I go back and "relearn" the piece with a metronone. What that does for me is that if I start to speed up in performance, I won't make as many of the "jitters" mistakes, which then makes me more nervous, and the cycle gets worse. I can focus on bringing the tempo back to where I want it. |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2008 : 06:41:54 AM
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| The audience mainly is rooting for you. Most don't understand the instrument, practice or technique. they just want to be entertained by someone who can do something relatively well. I've found that even those who seem critical can be mollified if you pay some attention to them and acknowledge their existance. Don't stress, mistakes are honest, not Memorex (dating myself), have fun. It's only music, they're only people. |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2008 : 10:05:22 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by thumbstruck
The audience mainly is rooting for you. Most don't understand the instrument, practice or technique. they just want to be entertained by someone who can do something relatively well. I've found that even those who seem critical can be mollified if you pay some attention to them and acknowledge their existance. Don't stress, mistakes are honest, not Memorex (dating myself), have fun. It's only music, they're only people.
I agree. I've been lurking around this thread wondering whether or how I could respond, so here it goes. In all art, the observer does not know the intent of the artist. We are fortunate as musicians because our art is volitile; there is no painting, sculpture, bookcase, weaving, etc that can be viewed for a long time. Of course, when we record, it is different. There are times when I get off the stage and think "Gawd, I sucked!" only to have someone congratulate me on how beautifuly I played, and, conversely, when I thought I really was hot, get told that I suck. The listener only hears what was played and knows what their response was. They do not know your intent. I almost never am satisfied with what I play, because I am striving for something at the limits of my ability - I've never been happy to play it safe (Hmmm - if I did, maybe I could be as rich as Kenny G!), although I try to not blow it for playing something I know I can't. So, you just have to do your best, hope for the best and don't worry about it. I should add here that I'm talking about playing without written music and about improvisation. If you don't know the melody, you shouldn't be playing the tune. BTW - you can get away with a lot on the steel guitar. When I first started playing Hawaiian steel in public, Iwalane Kamahele, bless her heart, would hum the tune in my ear while I was soloing to help me out when I had no idea of what the tune was - just the changes. |
keaka |
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