# Classical Music is The Best



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I love how hard these musicians work to make their performances so perfect, It's what I aim to achieve in my own performance and have eliminated performing until I can do so. 

Hours and hours will go into my practicing till I am on their level, rock and roll has lowered my acceptance level of performance, I intend to remedy that.

I still love rock music and other forms, but Classical is the bees knees!


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

What & where do you perform, Captain?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

laurie said:


> What & where do you perform, Captain?


Check out the Today's Composers forum, he sings too!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

laurie said:


> What & where do you perform, Captain?


Original compositions mostly at nursing homes. Thanks Phil for the vote of praise! You are just as great for just having started to explore composition just months ago.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

I think the best members signature I have seen touches this subject and is by our mate Krummhorn it goes something like this
*" Amateurs practices until they get it right Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong"*


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Dan Ante said:


> I think the best members signature I have seen touches this subject and is by our mate Krummhorn it goes something like this
> *" Amateurs practices until they get it right Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong"*


Strangely, I recall one of the children in the film of "The Sound of Music" saying she learned that lesson from Julie Andrews on set. My respect for Ms. Andrews increased significantly.

I, myself, remain an amateur.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

jegreenwood said:


> I, myself, remain an amateur.


Alas, me to......


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

It's good Salearie forgave all mediocrity!

:lol:


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I love how hard these musicians work to make their performances so perfect, It's what I aim to achieve in my own performance and have eliminated performing until I can do so.


Only rarely do we ever get it "perfect"...there's always something. professional musicians are by nature incurable perfectionists. They may play 100s of thousands of notes during a concert - but they will remember, most certainly, those handful that they missed!! I plead guilty as charged!! 
Do not get carried away by an obsession with perfection - concentrate on playing beautifully, and expressively, and the rest will take care of itself. 
Boris Goldovsky - the wise opera guru - fine conductor, great musician, great teacher - always mentioned his Rule #6 <<_*Let us not take ourselves too seriously*_>>



> Hours and hours will go into my practicing till I am on their level,


practicing intelligently is a great skill to be learned - quality prevails over quantity - a 1/2 hour of intense, productive practice will probably yield more benefit than 5 hours of sloppy, unfocused practice. Know exactly what you want to achieve, isolate the problem, the flaw, and work it out - slowly, at first....do not practice mistakes. if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast. That's what is meant by "learning it wrong".


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Heck148 said:


> Only rarely do we ever get it "perfect"...there's always something. professional musicians are by nature incurable perfectionists. They may play 100s of thousands of notes during a concert - but they will remember, most certainly, those handful that they missed!! I plead guilty as charged!!
> Do not get carried away by an obsession with perfection - concentrate on playing beautifully, and expressively, and the rest will take care of itself.
> Boris Goldovsky - the wise opera guru - fine conductor, great musician, great teacher - always mentioned his Rule #6 <<_*Let us not take ourselves too seriously*_>>
> 
> practicing intelligently is a great skill to be learned - quality prevails over quantity - a 1/2 hour of intense, productive practice will probably yield more benefit than 5 hours of sloppy, unfocused practice. Know exactly what you want to achieve, isolate the problem, the flaw, and work it out - slowly, at first....do not practice mistakes. if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast. That's what is meant by "learning it wrong".


Perhaps my ear just isn't as good at hearing mistakes in classical music, yet! It's actually kind of a blessing to not have that kind of an ear.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

I remember years ago in a Nigel Kennedy interview he was asked if he practised on tour he replied "I practice every day a minimum of 4 hours" I well believe that as the truth at one concert that I attended you could hear him playing before he came on stage.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Horowitz, from my failing memory: "If I don't practice for a day, my wife notices. If for a week, the audience notices."


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

KenOC said:


> Horowitz, from my failing memory: "If I don't practice for a day, my wife notices. If for a week, the audience notices."


Yes, I must practice more! I care very much about it, even if it's for free performances at nursing homes. I won't be happy if I'm not satisfied with what I've done!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

What do you all do during practice?

If you make a mistake, do you keep going, or work on problem areas? 

I need some guidance!


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Captainnumber36 said:


> What do you all do during practice?
> 
> If you make a mistake, do you keep going, or work on problem areas?
> 
> I need some guidance!


work on problem areas. Everything has to be smooth and even. in performance or exams you have to keep going, or else it could count as 2 mistakes instead of one.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> work on problem areas. Everything has to be smooth and even. in performance or exams you have to keep going, or else it could count as 2 mistakes instead of one.


Sometimes I think my major issue is getting distracted in my mind. I lose focus and make mistakes moreso than having specific problem areas.

In other words, my whole setlist is a potential problem area if I lose focus.

Any ideas?


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

Phil loves classical said:


> work on problem areas. Everything has to be smooth and even. in performance or exams you have to keep going, or else it could count as 2 mistakes instead of one.


I agree and that brings back memories of a pianist I played with, who at practice sessions would stop instead of playing through it was just something that I had to hammer into him all the time, although he knew to keep playing but stopped anyway.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Dan Ante said:


> I remember years ago in a Nigel Kennedy interview he was asked if he practised on tour he replied "I practice every day a minimum of 4 hours" I well believe that as the truth at one concert that I attended you could hear him playing before he came on stage.


Mmm, just 4 hours a day. It shows in his playing too - rated highly in the UK but nowhere else.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

stomanek said:


> Mmm, just 4 hours a day. It shows in his playing too - rated highly in the UK but nowhere else.


Oh I don't know he was well received down this end of the globe. He was never hailed as a top violinist but could certainly make that old fiddle talk even if with put on accent, his Elgar con is amongst the top performances, any way whether you like or hate him he was a dedicated musician if I was half as good on my instruments I would be very happy, the point being that if you want to be any good you have to practice and if you want to stay at the top you still need practice.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Sometimes I think my major issue is getting distracted in my mind. I lose focus and make mistakes moreso than having specific problem areas.
> 
> In other words, my whole setlist is a potential problem area if I lose focus.
> 
> Any ideas?


Do you play with other musicians even just for fun that makes a world of difference as you *must* concentrate and listen to what they are doing.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

stomanek said:


> Mmm, just 4 hours a day. It shows in his playing too - rated highly in the UK but nowhere else.


Shows in his playing? He's well-known as a perfectionist and also someone who insists on more performance practice sessions than is usual.
Only his strange false persona could be criticised; his playing not so much.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Captainnumber36 said:


> What do you all do during practice?
> 
> If you make a mistake, do you keep going, or work on problem areas?
> 
> I need some guidance!


I had teachers with different approaches. My early piano instructor always told me to just keep going when I made slips during a piece. Then when I was done he would have me play the problem bars repeatedly, slowly and then with increasing speed.

My later tutor would stop me and ask me to repeat bars where I'd made mistakes, analysing the fingering and whatnot.Then I would replay the entire piece.

It seems to me now they were just doing the same thing from a different perspective. I don't think it matters if you stop or carry on when playing a piece. Whether you stop or wait until the end you'll still address the problem bars/notes/rhythms/fingerings etc.

It's years since I had piano lessons, but I did recently see a friend's daughter having lessons at home and the tutor put far less emphasis on playing scales and other finger exercises. I don't know if this is now common. I always felt these gave me a basis in finger dexterity and motor control, which is what they were designed for.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

eugeneonagain said:


> I had teachers with different approaches. My early piano instructor always told me to just keep going when I made slips during a piece. Then when I was done he would have me play the problem bars repeatedly, slowly and then with increasing speed.


I agree and playing through your mistakes is a good habit to acquire for when you play with others.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I have played in many bands...


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I have played in many bands...


Well if it only happens when you are alone perhaps you are not interested in what you are playing and I wouldn't worry about it, if I am doing things that don't really interest me such as gardening or house work my mind wanders, it did happen once when I was playing in a quintet and we were asked to play some pop stuff I just couldn't give a jo jo I realise that's not very professional but we all have our weak points.


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