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Practice and Musicality
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Grisha
Posts: 1263
Joined: Mar. 17 2005
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 Practice and Musicality
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I have noticed the same thing over the years. Whenever I practice a lot my playing becomes tighter, clearer, more controlled and detailed. But something else disappears in the process. I am not dying and being born when I play, I am not falling in love, there is no jealousy or joy, no disappointment, no pain, no drama whatsoever. It's just a satisfying experience of playing (almost) perfectly. But there is no musicality, no honesty in my playing. However, when I don't practice so intensely, I have all these things in abundance, almost too much. I am usually overfilled with emotions and they make me make mistakes.
How can this be? I still love music and some recordings really touch my heart. I just can't express my emotions when playing guitar.
I have had a busy concert schedule for the last 2 months, so I am currently experiencing this musical block. Any comments?
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Date May 4 2012 1:09:10
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Ramon Amira
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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Grisha –
You said something interesting that I can speak to: "a satisfying experience of playing (almost) perfectly - but there is no musicality, no honesty in my playing." In my days as a classical and flamenco guitar critic I reviewed more than one concert where the guitarist played utterly perfectly - but that just means he was note perfect – clearly the result of long hours of practice.
But there was no – as you say – musicality. Sometimes long and severe practice distorts our focus - so intent was he on the notes that he forgot about the music. I also reviewed some players who made several mistakes but moved me so emotionally that I couldn't have cared less about the mistakes.
There are a couple of things you might give some thought to. First is to not worry about making an occasional mistake. I have watched some of the most famous musicians in the world make mistakes. There are two main reasons for long practice. One is obviously A) to learn the music. The other is B) to preclude making a mistake in performance. I think perhaps you might be spending more time than is necessary on B. A performer at your level of virtuosity is not going to make many mistakes. And if you don't worry about it and just allow yourself to make an occasional one, you probably won't.
I have one other suggestion you might think about – not right away, but to ponder over time. I know you also play classical guitar, so I'm referring now only to flamenco. You might give some thought to not playing set pieces. I know there is a long history of concert flamenco guitarists playing set pieces in performance. And I know it gives something of a sense of security to know where you're going. But Sabicas or Paco, or any of the great virtuosos were also accompanists, and they certainly never played a set accompaniment. And you didn't see them making mistakes despite the fact that they didn't know where they were going. Nor did you see them hesitating trying to figure out what falseta to play next.
Accompanying is also performing. An advanced flamenco guitarist knows a substantial number of falsetas in any given palo. And when performing as an accompanist, he just plays them in whatever order they come out of his head and hands. There is no reason not to play the same way when performing as a soloist. If you just practice various falsetas as independent entities, which they are, practice becomes more relaxed and fun, because you don't have to concentrate on a long rigid sequence. Moreover, your playing stays fresh and interesting, because you never play any given palo the same way twice. This is the very essence of flamenco – constant variety within a fixed framework.
If in any given palo you knew just ten falsetas – and obviously we all know a lot more than that – but with only ten, the number of different sequences that you could play them in is hard to believe. I have asked for guesses, and the answers range from "dozens" to "hundreds," with some guessing "a few thousand." The actual number of possible sequences with only ten falsetas is more than three million. That means that by playing falsetas in random order you can never play any palo the same way twice.
I think that you might give some thought to simply practicing less, and once you have the music down pat ease up.
Ramon
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Classical and flamenco guitars from Spain Ramon Amira Guitars
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Date May 4 2012 4:24:42
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Ramon Amira
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Arash)
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quote:
I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but when i hear a recording too often, daily , for several weeks, i get tired., even if its paco, i don't get goose bumps anymore. i have to make a pause to be able to feel that again with that recording. also when i practice something again and again for several days and weeks, the joy at the beginning is not there anymore. it becomes "boring". whatever composition it is, it becomes boring. same here, i have to make a pause to enjoy that again
I don't think your case is something special.
I think everyone has that experience.
That's exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned not playing set pieces. With a set piece, after you've practiced it to death, you're bored with it and don't want to play it or hear it anymore. But if you play falsetas in random order any palo remains interesting because you never play it the same way twice.
Ramon
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Classical and flamenco guitars from Spain Ramon Amira Guitars
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Date May 4 2012 5:09:36
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manicfingers
Posts: 47
Joined: Nov. 19 2011
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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It's as if at any given moment of performing or practicing, the technical side of the brain (requiring conscious thought) is overwhelming the subtler emotional/artistics energies that arise naturally *specifically in the absence of conscious thought*.
There's a battle going on, and your technical side is winning. Being anxious also shuts down the emotional/artistic subtler energies.
So to force a rebalance in favour of the artistic/emotional energies, take each palo in turn and completely strip it down complexity wise until it holds zero technical challenge/anxiety in playing for you, then while playing it, trying to emotionally inhabit the space that's left.
Use the palos as intended.. alegrias.. play the simplest most authentic construction you can, and try to infuse it with joy. And the opposite for Siguiriyas etc.
For me, the two videos of Moraito at the Bimhuis is an amazing performance of simple authentic flamenco. That guy is living in the moment when he plays that stuff, and as a listener you can 'feel Moraito' when he plays it.. you don't just listen to it.- you feel connected. He's projecting something that is specifically not technical, and is coming from the artistic / emotional centre.
Who am I, a random off the internet, to give Grisha advice ?  . Anyway.. you asked.
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Date May 4 2012 8:03:51
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xirdneH_imiJ
Posts: 1891
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to manicfingers)
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i have found that whenever i practice someone else's piece or falseta, i try to go for a note for note perfection, i want to hear "that" piece coming out of my fingers...but when i practice my own stuff, i automatically switch into emotional mode, i don't really care about the notes, mistakes, sometimes change things, play with a different technique, etc...i have no explanation for this, it's automatic...
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Date May 4 2012 10:30:07
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Ricardo
Posts: 14819
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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Smoke some weed? Just kidding.
You are not required to emote anything when playing. But you have to get all the notes, or most of em. Don't worry about the cliche "all tech, no feel"....its BS unless you have been lobatamized, everybody has emotion and emotes unless deliberately trying to hide it. When you hear an edited recording, you can still feel emotional because it's about the listener more then the player at that point. Or the composer. If you simply performed only your own compositions you would not have this personal problem. Nunez or Moraito play technically perfectly because every note they play is like one of their own children, not becaue what they wrote is "easy" to play. Technique is a non issue, its simple expressing a creation. THe only alternative if you MUST interpret other's works is to, as others have said, take away any technique issue with any piece. THat means don't play stuff that is so DAMN hard!!  Play pieces you can play in any state drunk sober not warmed up etc, and you will feel just great about how your "emoting". Won't mean much for the audience but YOU'LL be happy.
the issue about 5 notes vs 100 are EXREMELY technical details. One guy vs the other has no rights to more emotion then the other. But timing, dynamic, vibrato style, tone, attack, etc etc sure "Musical" but extreme technical reasons having nothing to do with happy or sad feelings that day.
Steve VAi had a great technique exercise. Take a phrase, a melody, or lets say falseta. TRY your hardest to simpley play the notes as they are meaning ZERO expression, just purely flat. Good luck it's not as easy as it sounds, at least for guitar players..
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Date May 4 2012 13:27:24
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jamh2000
Posts: 41
Joined: Jan. 13 2012
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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I can absolutley relate to what you say.
For example, after going on holiday and coming back to the guitar after two weeks, I 'hear' the real sound of the guitar much more fully. Hearing the sound, its beauty, colour and complexity, gives you the tools to play with emotion- the 'brushes' to start painting with the guitar again, to use a dodgy metaphor.
In many ways, I think the ability to play the guitar well is overwhelmingly dependent on your ability to hear your playing 'objectively', and not let it be coloured by your opinion of yourself or anything else. This means hearing the good things as well as the bad things. Sometimes when I practice a lot, I have a tendency to start thinking too much about myself and losing the ability to be in the moment. But it's not really the amount I'm doing, its because I'm doing it in the wrong way.
Its easy to find this very depressing and start thinking I just don't have the capacity to do this, but when it clicks you realise that you do and things shoud always be like that! I think its about working out what practices help you live in the moment and what things push you away and towards thinking about yourself. As people have said, you have clearly been very very good at playing with emotion - I've loved many of your performances- particularly of thoe ones of Riqueni pieces- the gujiras video is really stunning and I often listen to it instead of the original version. You clearly 'have it' but just need to find how to keep it as consistently as you would like.
A person with limited talent but who can really hear the sound of the guitar and treat it with due seriousness will always play better than the person with phenomenal talent who thinks about themselves as they play. The person with pehnomenal talent has the potential to achieve better things, but they are also more at risk of falling into the traps described above.
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Date May 4 2012 16:24:17
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ToddK
Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004
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RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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quote:
Thanks, Todd! Has this been the case with you? For example, that beautiful alegrias that you composed a while back?
That alegrias just came to me one day, it was wierd.
That is a good example of what we're talking about. Im sure i could
write something else of equal quality, but it would probably take me
weeks instead of days, and it would be alot of labor and sweat.
Why am i not doing that?? I dont know. Its all about motivation. I enjoy
playing. Im not in a position where i am forced to write anything, so i dont.
I just have fun playing. I am SO thankful to God for giving me my right hand
back, i will never complain about anything else ever again in my life.
The thing is, just because people here are telling you to write, doesnt mean
thats what you should do.
You should do what your heart tells you to do. I think you are doing absolutely
wonderfully at what you're doing now.
I always felt like Paco was tortured by the expectation of his fans. But he
never had to be.
You dont have to be either. Play what you want. Im a huge fan of yours, and i just want to see you doing what you love, wether its writing your own stuff,
or playing a Paco Bulerias.
Just do your thing man. You are one of the best players on the planet right now.
The world is yours...
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Date May 4 2012 18:58:35
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Kalo
Posts: 400
Joined: Jan. 25 2011
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 RE: Practice and Musicality (in reply to Grisha)
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quote:
That alegrias just came to me one day, it was wierd.
That is a good example of what we're talking about. Im sure i could
write something else of equal quality, but it would probably take me
weeks instead of days, and it would be alot of labor and sweat.
Why am i not doing that?? I dont know. Its all about motivation. I enjoy
playing. Im not in a position where i am forced to write anything, so i dont.
I just have fun playing. I am SO thankful to God for giving me my right hand
back, i will never complain about anything else ever again in my life.
The thing is, just because people here are telling you to write, doesnt mean
thats what you should do.
You should do what your heart tells you to do. I think you are doing absolutely
wonderfully at what you're doing now.
I always felt like Paco was tortured by the expectation of his fans. But he
never had to be.
You dont have to be either. Play what you want. Im a huge fan of yours, and i just want to see you doing what you love, wether its writing your own stuff,
or playing a Paco Bulerias.
Just do your thing man. You are one of the best players on the planet right now.
The world is yours...
Well said ToddK, I enjoyed reading your reply
Grisha, your an awesome player and I very much enjoy listening to you!!! Maybe you are just too hard on yourself.....
I HOPE to one day play just a 10 as good as you and all the rest on this board...
If that happens, then I might worry about creating, but, being a rock guitarist...
I know something about creating and that is COPYING and you've done all that...
Who cares if it's not original...What really is??? Just take all those awesome ideas you've learnt and mix them up and let the FEELINGS pour out...Don't worry if the idea isn't NEW...It's all be done before..
Create, and don't worry about mistakes or orginiality...Then you'll have the feelings you desire...
OMG, who am I to give Grisha advise
Kalo
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Date May 4 2012 19:24:16
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