A manual for students of guitar performanceRIGARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING A manual for students of guitar performanceRICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA (ON PRACTICING INDEX PREFACE abi 3 |. BASIS OF GOOD PRACTICE 3 1. roduction 3 2 Inner Poise 4 38: Outer Poise 5 ll NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT AFFECT PRACTICE. 6 Material or Tangible Factors... 6 2 Intangible or Psychological Focto‘s | 8 Ill, PURPOSE AND METHOD OF GOOD PRACTICE 11 IV. PRACTICE HYGIENE: THE SYSTEM OF PRACTICE 2 NwAlccate cfMateals © 11. V. ESSENCE OF GOOD PRACTICE: PROBLEMSOLVING . . . Wk gels VL. MEMORY AND SIGHTREADING: THE QUESTION OF ACCURACY IN PRACTICE AND THE ROLE OF VISUALIZATION imentNo.) se Experiment No. 2 Experiment No. 3: VIL. THE FUEL FOR GOOD PRACTICE: THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INNER AND OUTERMOTIVATION 2... J. anor Motivation: Discipline |!) 1 | 22 2. Outer Motivation: Duly 2 ‘SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING 24 Sous nn ROR BP MIE, "if ton 442072 awa! CO BOOda USA Biden con Tis non pith iho, KGW, 200 eto bony He RS 2 el re ue 3000060, USA Copyright © 1992, 1994 & 2000 by Rico All ight reverved 2 PREFACE This brief manual answers some of the most commonly asked questions ‘obout how to practice effectively. Italso addresses a few issues frequently let unexplained in discussions on the subject. The curious reader may wentto explore the writings of other authors such cs Mathay, Borpensiere, Paves, Galomian, Leimer,Stnislavsk-ollof whom fave been influential in shaping the practice opproach and philosophy described in this booklet. Please also refer to the “Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of the booklet. A BASIS OF GOOD PRACTICE 1 INTRODUCTION ‘Whot happens on the concert stage is @ direct consequence of what opens in ihe practice rcom, There is no magic and no: mystery practice results in good performances. Poor practice will produce poor performances: In order to learn to practice effectively the performer must first understand the notur ofthe pecular challange posed by a public performance and his capacity to face it not only successfully, but actually enjoy doing it. loving music, and even loving to play music [for oneself], ore not guarantees for ssasa ;. One must feel the share with others one's ee eee memes eeeee treet ‘The practice approach described here is focused on the ultimate goal of successful public To practice well, in this context, means to ‘achieve the goal of playing wel in public.RICARDO IZNAOLA 2, INNER POISE ON PRACTICING The foundation of gpd prac isthe asin! and mainlenance one poise. Inner poise can be defined os a mental/spirtual state of alertness and ‘readiness for intellectual activity, without emotional tension. It is characterized by the absence of judgmental ctitudes about ourselves and by @ heightened sense of curisily. Inner poise can be achieved only when the following conditions ore met: a. Emotional detachment from the material being practiced. We are dinpeasonnie ard rele, enctionaly nafected by he neural opsond downs which happen in the course of practicing. We do not condemn ourselves for the mistakes, allhough we realistically ake notice of hem. We behave, and feel, ike scientists in a lab. We observe, dispassionotely, the results of our experiments b, Objective observation of what we ore doing and he results we are getting. We a aaa es We do nl soy ening nent eveything we do. We do not slop observing the physical sensations produced in our playing mechanism by the act of playing. c. Ease of action in what we are doing. We develop a keen sense for the ea ee ea aciaine ool comhackay ave to diminish it, We do not allow difficulty, much less fatigue or pain, to become pete ou cperooch plying ensues Ease ofdction the direct resul ‘of our developing a refined muscular sense for outer poise (described later) ‘When our inner poise is disturbed our practice cannotbe optimal. Frequently, this happens when things don't go wall'and wre make ee es toes frusroied ct our own iagompetence and begin to condermn ourselves. Ansley begins o creep in: Emotional tension builds up and produces physical tension which makes on even more Bre a we i ease of ee a consequence ofthis process, we al listening objectively, parlly because Seicnondyefopotdousees tombe Painful feelings ofinedequacy ord boaters We thus enter a vicious circle thal only gels worse the more persistent we become in our pseudopractice. We also gradually lose our motivation and our desire to practice. We must lear to identify the process described above so that we can stop it athe beginning, before it takes contrl of our practice. + ON PRACTICING 8. OUTER POISE RICARDO IZNAOLA The physical equivalent of inner poise is outer poise. Outer poise can be defined os the stote of alertness ond readiness for action ofa limb, without dslirctonal lenin. Ws characterized by sensarlon of weightless ‘ond rtlessness. [lis an attitude of the limb approximately mid-way between collapse (toto! relaxation) and rigidity (maximum tension). Learning to identify and use poise as a norm for physical activity on the instrument is the key 10 ochieving ease In order lo do s0, we must distinguish between sensations of weight and sensations of effort. Sensations of weight (falling) are produced when we ollow gravity o act ou limbs. Sensations of elon iting: overcoming 0 rexstonce] ore produced when we overcome the pull of gravity, or some other resistance, through muscular activity. The poised limb feels as if it were floating because of the balanced coppotition between the pul of gravity and the muscular effort needed just to ‘overcome it, It must be clearly understood that poise is a norm, a reference that Frelps us corirol the amount of effort needed for a particular motion. A whole spectrum of degrees of exertion is necessary to play the instrument properly. When and how much exertion fo use at any given moments the problem. Conirolling poise ot wills the key to the problem.RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING 0 NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT AFFECT PRACTICE There are a number of factors tha, for the most part subconsciously and unwillingly, may offect the quality of our practice. 1. MATERIAL OR TANGIBLE FACTORS o. Dif the tendency to tackle material that is to dificult for our present level of development. The difficully may be technical, musical, or a combination of both. b. Amount of material-the fondency to tackle too many shows in the sheer number of pieces fo be studied and int areas in each piece are dealt with. The tendency is to work: are too long when dealing with specific problems within the piece. . Lack offime -the tendency to rush the practice approach because there is nof enough lime. The sensation that we don't have enough time is always produced by "c" above, and by certain implicit expectations d. The inertia of the rhythmic flow - the tendency to play through a piece from beginning to end, caused by our natural inclination ePor te ic "groove" of the piece. When we play through we are not practicing, but performing. Remember these basic principles: 1F one is performing, the rhythmic Row must not be interrupted, no ‘matter what incident (mistakes) occur. A performonce is a complete, uninterrupted statement. Fone is practicing, one does not continue playing the piece until one hos achieved the preset specific goals for that particular kagment. Practicing is, findamentally, a goolorientated, detaiocused process ‘of correction and experimentation fo improve what has been done before. Although one also practices performing, as we shal see later, tis ste cinfalng stage of practi ond can never ube forthe preliminary, detailed work which is the ue core of good practice. ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA e. Tempo - closely associated with ‘d'. The tendency to practice ot formance tempo prematurely, before our mechanism is really ready to do Se Tepe eye oct cee no ee head imb is the following schedule of learning stages for a new piece {opplies equally 1o etudes, exercises, solos, ensemble pars, etc}: 1. Prethythmic practice - only concemed with identifying and achieving ins ‘through easy, flowing motions. No rhythm, no meter, no tempo. 2. Premetrical rhythmic practice-identifying patterns, "gestures", thythmic groups, and working on their connection without a rigorous metrical Continuity. Overriding importance of achieving ease of action. 3. Pre-tempo metrical practice {tempo manipulation) - playing through the en a wavicted Eat tempos as needed to eco perfect execution of the more iffeut passages. This is the first step towards integration. The idea is to play through without stopping and to manipulate your tempo so that canny is played without mistakes and without excess tension. nt 4, Slow metrical practice - playing through in time but with a consi slow fompo. Physical ease Is alwaye a first prioily. Allerton previous slages of practice, for further improvement of detail. 5. Tempo practice the culminating goal If taken forthe piece as a whole, itis identical to performing lime proctice described late). tshould olso be used for fragmentary, spofing practice (see ChopterV). Bear two things in mind: Jalpseadinal Jcing. The goals ond processes of good sight. Bipondis He Te entory and indispensable, but hey fol Sutide the realm of proetcing os discssed here: We willdeol wil this question in more detail later on. Socalled "slow practics® is. ihe stags inproper proccng. ‘As our plan suggests, there are preliminary stages that have to ‘assimilated before slow practice can become effective.RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING Also, remember that no matter how well we know a piece, all ofthe above approaches wil be usfl in keeping our mechanism werking wih elfectve ‘e082. Do not hesitate to employ all of these strategies, even with material you know very well. The ovoh va be tremendous. 5 2. INTANGIBLE OR PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS <, Expectotions- we all have explicit and implicit expectations, both long- nd short, concorning whal we should do, ochiewe or walize. Some cf these expectations are healthy and necessary fo keep our motivation alive. ‘Others, however, have to be understood as negative and detrimental to our ‘organic development as performing artist. In general terms, he problem begins when we have a non-obiectve vision ‘of our own capabiliies which makes us confuse what we desire or wish with ‘what the realiy is. Typical examples of negative expectations are: - "Ihave been playing now for 3 years. | should be able to play 0, bor." “1 will be ready to play x, y or z by next month.* ; We mustundersand thatthe proces oflearing to play an nrument wall in general, skill trainin Sor) is essentially @ process of growth whiel aa ir ‘We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling its branches. Honest realism iso fundamental virtue for all performers. Respect your individual pace of growth. Beat allow you fli) expectation [heft] to dup the nctrl unflding of your proce [he presen ‘Approact your practice foll ind he ade of he grea! usin hate director Stanislavsk: "today, he now". past experiences, bd. The good ones serve as fuel for future ‘accomplishments. The bad ones must be let ouiside the door of our practice room b. seta ol ap ol coin, We all carry the burden of our RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING Do not allow your negative] memories [he pas! to disrupt the natural unfolding of your practice [he present). "Today, here, now." c. Comparisons other people's achievements can be « positive, inspiring influence, More offen than rt, they become an obstacleto our selfcevelopment ifwe make value judgments based on comparisons with others The tendency to compare ourselves to others is natural in all ofus. tis based con that cihletic component In human personality that makes us competitive. Because of the very physical nature of performance, its easy to fall into the trop of teing prowess os the umole goo andthe measuring rod for our ‘accomplishments. One ofthe keys to successful practice is learning to control these feelings without denying them. We do need a degree of technical prowess io become creel performers, People do expect agily, volume ond speed in musical performance ‘Audiences do not attend concerts to compare previous performances with the current one. In many ways, a concert resembles many aspects of a love relationship: it is the unique attractiveness of your artistic message and personality that will make you successful. Audiences are, in this context, Fpromiscuous"; they have an unlimited copacity to “fll in love" with all possible unique artistic messages and personalities. The old truism sill opplies: you are only competing with yoursel ‘We should alter our motto from, "today, here, now", to: "Me, today, here, now."RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA mm Iv PURPOSE AND METHOD PRACTICE HYGIENE: OF GOOD PRACTICE ‘THE SYSTEM OF PRACTICE The purpose of good practice is to achieve specific goals while focusing con conlinuous improvement in quality and ease of execution. The arecs in which this process occurs are: technique, musicianship, and performance. The great violin pedagogue Galamian proposed the methodical distribution of practice time into three timeslots: we Bldg toe = in which purely technical concerns ore addressed techni i b. Interpretive time - in which the musicianly elements of expression are tried out and incorporated into the piece (musical detail) <. Performing time -in which the integration offechnique and musicianship ‘occurs, playing through complete pieces or sections, paying attention to the imagined circumstances of «real performance and dealing with problems of concert etiqueti, stage fight, etc. Typically, "a" and *b" deal with detailed, fragmentary, sectional practice, while "c" works on the piece as a whole, as an aesthetically relevant event, ‘ol fo be interupied or stopped Ofcourse, not all practice sessions have to be rigorously divided this way. different stages of development, more or less emphosis wll be given to one or the other steps. However, one should always be consciously aware of what type of practice isin effect. Do not allow yourself random, blind pseudo- practice, taking it to be true practice. When one wants fo jut "foo! around!" with the instrument, one should do s0 by all means. Be aware, however, that this is not proclcing 1. MATERIALS Good practice should incorporate a bolanced blend of materials which will include: a. Exercises - whose purpose is to train the gymnastic capabilities of the playing mechanism {foundation or basic technique). b. Etudes - whose purpose is fo present paricular technical procedures within musical context of moderate extension applied technique}. « ire - which is the artistic goal and where the true integration of cart and craftsmanship, technique and musicianship, occurs (expressive technique). The belief that technique can be acquired through work on the repertoire clone is @ common fallacy. Since good technique relies on o physically fi playing mechanism, and since artistically conceived works do not have a pro- Eesigned formative technical purpose, technical equipment built on the study of the repertoire alone will always have many weak creas. Is physical fitness ‘component will not be thoroughly trained. ‘One cannot rain one's body to play professional fooiball by just playing. By doing 20, one rss injury or, ot bes playing a mediocre game, ‘The same applies, for the same reasons, lo musical performance, ‘Once one has reached an advanced stage of technical development, tecricl mntenonce con be kept up by isolating spots rom he reperoke, ‘ond saloctng a ew etudesthot we find perticuary help, etc. This approach, however, ion prducve oncethe fomatve sages fechnicalrtting oe well assimilated.RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING 2. TIME-ALLOCATION OF MATERIALS Traditionally, practicing has been undertaken, and isresulis evaluated, on 1a dayoday basis. It is here proposed that the timeunit for practice be ‘considered to be the week: distribute the materials to be practiced (exercises, tudes, repertoire) throughout the week, so that ot the end of the week everything has been covered. This way itis easier to control the omount of time devoted to particular areas, what needs more or less work, while al the same lime avoiding the nagging feeling tha here is not enough me to work on everything. (Discussed in our previous section on negative Factors). The week should consist of six days only, with « seventh day of rest from practice (although you may play all you want that day! For collegelevel professional students, no practice approach will produce resus if done fr lose than on overage of Te'3 hours aay Practicing more thon 5 to 6 hours, on the other hand, will begin to produce diminishing returns. Ideally, daily practice should be divided into three sessions, wih sufficient resting time left in between sessions (certainly no less than 10 to 15 minute breaks). IFany particular session should go beyond 60 minvies, then further breoks should be taken, but more bref in duration ‘An intelligent, flexible and consistent approach fo the time allocated to proctice will avoid a lot of possible problems related with injuries of the sical mechanism, stress symptoms, deterioration of technique, general reath condition, lack of motivation, ele. Nothing bad hopes fone doesn't practice for a couple of days. At the very early stages of development some momentary loss of ability may be noticed which is ropidly corrected once proper practice limes are resumed. With regard to technical practice, such as exercises and etudes, itis wise to-alernat the technical procedures used, sothat some physical element rest ‘and rebuild, while others are worked out. In conclusion, remember that having six days a week as a time-unit of practice means that not everything has fo be worked on every day! ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA Vv ESSENCE OF GOOD PRACTICE: PROBLEM-SOLVING The purpose of good practice was defined in Chapter Ill as being "to ‘achieve specific goals while focusing on continuous improvement in quality ‘and ease of execitio These specific goals may be as detailed and small aso single, particular conefret shif, or as general and big as deciding on how to approach dynamically the first theme in @ recap section of a sonata-allegro movement. In ony ond all cases the approach is the some: to consider the goal to be wed as 0 portculor problem presented by the piece al thot specific moment. Practicing, then, becomes a method of problem-solving. Our approach to Bichlemseliag, In is conlexd, has three skoges: . Identification of the fact that, o) there is a problem, b} what itis, c] where a bogie Itis easy to fall into the rap of over! cone problem whatis in reali detailed os you can in determining the boundaries of a problem area. b. Understanding the exact causes of a problem. This is « difficult stage for most beginners, as they have not yet acquired sufficient experiences or Krowledge ofthe insument fo beable epnpointspcticly whol eects ‘problem. Understanding usually brings with it an appropriate solution to the problem, but italso may require experimentation with several opiions before the best solution is found. great deol of what teachers doin the studio isto help the student identity, cond understond, the problems presenied by a given piece. c. ion-the word assimilation means "becoming one with", being Bleodoal Bris tae ‘of something a3RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING In our context this means the process by which, having found @ valid talon foo praben, we sive to improve tough ion. In doing 50 we make the solion a part of us, thus assuring tha! in performance oe Rites good gurantee oF success when decling with thot porcular possoge. This last stage is what is most frequently understood as practicing. The problem is that assimilation through repetition occurs regardless of whether we Fhe previous process of identification are doing yething right or wrong sre cidetsionding has token place ina lesethan-coreful monner, and we jst pela in what might be called ‘blind repetition’, the results could be worse than if we had not practiced at alll Keep the score at hand at all times during fice , even when the material Io eter ihe connection betwoon thc writen cod of the score wi he ‘ovrol events and the physical action of playing is of fundamental importance in developing both fechnical and memory assurance, as we shall see in Chapter VI below. Avery effective to solve technical problems quickly and correctly is the eeheene ot anating, in which ie faree slopes of kdenfication, tMscraondlng ond’ ation ae clearly difeeniaed ond controled. you or the teacher identifies o problem, marking it on the score s il brockat ht cident Petar, ond ond slighty cfr, problem spo: a. Eil with @ hor the spec Write repeat signs at both ends of the bracket: lac a b. You and/or your teacher then study the causes of the problem until a valid solution is found. This is the second stage of understanding the problem. . Once the problem has been understood and is solution found, begin icing he contents ofthe bracket repeatedly os on uninterrupted exercise, ferent onpos should be used, This stog axsiaon willbe compae when correct habits are formed in the way the parcular spot is handled. Depending on the dificulty level ofthe problem, the assimilation stage will take more or less time. Typically, finding a good solution fora particular spot will momentarily allow the player to play through it well. At that point a (ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOIA understanding (or what might be called the click reaction) occurs, and the third ae laeimbanen ticerk soted pean ney bape ‘Once the problem is on its way to being solved, put it back in context, ‘adding several bars before and after the specific spo. Both when defining the spot, and when itis put back in context, care should be given to creating Fragments that make thythmie sense When spotting, make sure you don't begin, working on the bracker's content [repelition} until you have a precise idea of what the correct approach to the problem should be. Remember thatthe process of ossimilation - which is, essentially, conditioning of the autonomous, spinal nervous system - ‘work against you if your th is faulty. If you practice mistakes, you will a. Itshould be emphasized thatthe stages of identification and understonding core the most dificult ones for less experienced players fo command. The role ofthe teacher, in this regard, is indispensable in assuring o correct definition of the exact extent, causes and solution of each particular problem. As ‘mentioned before, the lendency is 1 consider asa single problem what is, in fac, series of different problems. Keep in mind that anything that goes wrong, feels wrong or sdifcul, no rma Now small may seem, is tobe treated as.cn folted problem ond improved, or corrected, through proper practice,RICARDO IZNAOLA ‘question of achieving per become more relevant than others. Also, th change as different slages of development are achieved. The last three creas enter the picture ota relatively advanced stage. ON PRACTICING VI MEMORY AND SIGHT-READING: ‘THE QUESTION OF ACCURACY IN PRACTICE AND THE ROLE OF VISUALIZATION All of the preceding discussion deals, in fact, with the fundamental tect accuracy in our practice. Only then willwe have < solid foundation for building a truly artistic performance. 2. Getting the right notes (interpreting pitch notation). & Goting the ight duration (lrpreting nolovalve nla ¢ d :. Getting the rightaccentuation [interpreting rhythmic/metrical notation). Seting he rgitopcedn ne evel tloodnes ferreting tempocrd ion markings) the right fingering [interpreting insrumental/technicalnotafion). the right phrasing [interpreting structure ting the right connections throughout the different sections of the Biece [inierpreting form). Geting he right emotional and historical feel forthe piace (interpreting charocler and sie) Depending on the type of moteril bei ative level of importance will ‘Most of the problems affecting many students of musical performance are iustinaccuracies in one of more ofthe areas marked from ‘ao 'e' above, that is to say, errors in reading/memorization of the material. Sightreading ond memorization are wo sides ofthe same coin. The ability = read and remember the pitches, nole-values, rhythms, dynamics (ou. ‘and musical goals depend, jances in loudness), agogics (nuances ‘in duration and pacing) ond ering ofo piece of music, is the primary goal upon which all other technical (ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA ‘Many performers falsely believe that they are bad readers, or have bad memories, bocause they have not discovered the relatively simple principles | that guide o era re rupli mabey oan a The following might be of help: a. Ifitis easy enough for you, you can visualize it. B. Ifyou can visualize it, you can sightread i c. Ifyou can visualize it without he instrument and withoutthe score, you can remember it. To visualize, inthis context, means both fo see your hands in the motions of playing ond to heat the music internally, with your mind's eye and eor. d. Fit is too difficul, you won't sightread it well The problem with sightveading is thot most players atempt material beyond the reach oftheir present capabilities. (Note: The last point (4) should be taken with a grain of salt—a fost rule. Sirtching your capabil if, is a great motivating stimulus.) eral precaution, rather han as a hard and ‘when done in a healthy spirit of 'whot The following experiments will give you opportunites to develop these skills while having some challenging fun as well EXPERIMENT NO. 1 Select a short piece or fragment: no more than 2 staves, no more than Scesinlngh lin rkeacond att er Pitches should not nd the frstledger line in ether direction. Note-values should not be shorter than 1/8th notes. ‘Meter should be simple duple. Texture should be in two voices mainly, with occasional 3- voice chords. No more than one sharp or latin key signature. ‘Moderale tempo Expression markings (dynamics, agogics) should be few in number. ‘Make sure you know what each term means. Fingering indications should be few ond unobtrusive FOo™ sa0eRICARDO IZNAOLA ‘Step 1 -Read the fragment without the instrument rying to see, mentelly, ‘ahora pout lel ard Sorel Pace Boe ee ree meer or empo ot this point. Just figure out and visualize what the left hand must do, ON PRACTICING Step 2 - Add visualization of the right hand activity. IFright hand fingers cre nol indicated, mark them before starting. Again, concentrate only on seeing (in your mind] the hands et werk for each move, disregarding rhythm, tempo, ete NOTE: If visualization of the right hand proves to be too demanding, delete this step. ” E ‘4 Step 3 - jin to feel the thmic flow of the piece. Just sing, in motte ha tiioeuarunta oie estes your ight hand. DS this at {a very slow pace. Don't visualize hand activity while dofng this sep. Step 4-Try to "see" the hands in action while beating time and singing the acto boa! volves n'a monctone, You wil probably ned ie nsbdniee Re fragment into even smaller pieces to be able to do this correcily. Do this very ol stop until you manage fo "play" mentally through the entire pea Daa ee inl eee odlanrer Fi Sep 5- REST! What you have done i exhoustng! Step 6 - Pick up your instrument and prepare to play. Now you are tryin, to sghtvecd throgh the whole ragment rom boptning ie ond wih stopping. You will probably miss many things: notes, values, shythms ond, of course, lingering and expression markings. Noto worry. Your only goal isto Play through, trying to maintain rhythmic continuity with the least amount of inlerruption. Begin lo play. ‘Step 7 - Toke a breather and try again. Waich your tempo (don't rush]. 3 - You may want to try once more, if your fious attempts have been tm hasten hou fel aly soled paced ic —— Step 9 - Try 'Step 4" again - visualization without the instrument - but this, time your goal isto hear the music "internally", in all its detail. Many things will be "blurred". Don't worry. Repeat a couple of times and rest. (ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA ‘The process described previously can be applied to all levels of reading cond playing ability. The exampla given ossumes the player is rellive Beginner with some reading ability. If you are sill finding notes on the insirument, try the process on litle melodic fragments, using mainly open + stings {wih @ Few first postion notes), very simple rhythms nd long note volves (half and quarter notes only). The point is that you should begin to internalize music and technique as s00n as possible. ‘As your musical experience and knowledge grow and mature, the process willbe helped by anclyical stile which develop lst, These wl reinforce the ther three elements involved: visual, aural and tactile/kinesthetic. ‘EXPERIMENT NO. 2 ‘A common misconception isthe belie that one plays from memory only when playing without reading the score. On the contrary, even sighteading anon marry ob seca Every god hace wilson ha Ig ht nei aways reading sod of he sol bsng ployed, even fl proses ahead. The folowing experiment wil Ralp develop your shortterm Memory skills through visualization. - Using the same fragment as in Experiment No. 1, visualize the first Wo bars only, without the instrument, -Pick up the instrument and prepare to play. Close your eyes and ploy tse ‘two bars. = Open your eyes and play the same bars, looking only at your ae ‘Step 4 - Do the same, looking at your right hand. 5 - Repeat the process for the rest of he fragment, working on only two bars at a time. Once you have gone through the whole fragment (8 bars) in this fost? sn rong Wor: he lop opai, but ry fo ok one or tro bars ahead of where you are playing. Do this several limes. a9.ee ee er Sr | RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING Step 7 - Play the whole fragment from memory. Don't peek! (Don't worry if you ere not entely success. Eventually, you will be } Obviously these procedures are not easy and will lake quileabitoftime to master Do not mix. is alization practice. Practice sightreading/memorization independently of your regular practice with new material that is well below your true level of technical/musical development. material hal you ae jst begining to study, material which son a pr wih ‘your real skis as o player. The chances are that, unless you are a proficient visualizer already, you won't be too successful because of the technical/ musical complexity ofthis moterial. Yeu may wan! toy apphyng some ofthe visualization echriqueso new Once you have, begun to. regularly devole some time to pracicin, siapdtaaiy, yoo val atta evocation level of oeurocy 9 gathering information from the score will improve markedly and take less time. is on ideal The recommended seventh doy of rest from regular practic cpporeniy fo devote some fime fan hour or 30} visualization. Der! underesnce th power of vuln. Some da pedagogue: [Bonpensiere, leimer) believed thot wih proper trining one shiva right remealybecomeso ston rd viento for partial ortotl elimination of physiol practice. Some! performers af he notioodistant pos! achieved amazing resus rough visualization, for example Gieseking, Kreisler, Cortot or, more recently, Rubinstein and Arrau. These individvals were capable of leaming long, complex new works while con a prolonged rain or nansalfonic voyoge, performing them from m upon arrival without having once played the piece on the instrument, Everything is possible. ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA EXPERIMENT NO. 3 ‘After having worked for some time on experiments 1 and 2, try this more "advanced chollenge. Step 1-Select a very easy, short [4 o 8 bars) fragment. Visualize, without the instrument, as described in steps 1-4 of experiment 1 ‘Step 2-Workon the first wo bars, sill without he instrument, trying intently fo hear the music internally. Don't stop untl you achieve clear, precise visualization ofthese lwo bars. Describe aloud the contents ofthese bars. Sing the melody aloud, Get a piece of sll paper and write down, from memory, hove feo bors Try fo bs precisa in reproducing them ‘Step 4- Repeat the process for the whole fragment, working with two bars atatime. Step 5 - Once you have writen down the whole fragment from memory, without having once ouched he instrument, get the insrumentand prepare fo fly. Once ee vinalze the ogmen! whe aang your nonurt thout playing). ‘Step 6 - With eyes closed visualize the fragment once more. ‘Step 7--Put the score away and play the fragment from beginning to end 3m memory. ‘The first temps will most probably not be too successful. Tis is natural. frat foro vile ond ty egom Evenly, you il succeed. ‘As in the case of physical practice, your abiliies to visualize will develop yedvaly, Bo nol get mpatin! with yoursll. Keep in mind whot you have med abou! Inner Poise, iis Fundamental importance in good practice, and hhow to achieve and maintain i aRICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING VIL THE FUEL FOR GOOD PRACTICE: THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER MOTIVATION 1. INNER MOTIVATION: DISCIPLINE No practice opproach can be effective if one doesn't work regularly and consistently. One must, first ofall, want fo practice on o regular and consistent basis. Therefore, how to keep motivated about practicing becomes a fundamental question What is traditionally called discipline should be understood as inner motivation, that is to say, the assumed responsibility to actin a pre red way in order achieve goals that are importanttous spiritually as ind als. Discipline, o understood, is the consequence of a desire fo actin a goat oriented way, prompted by internal circumstances (non-material, or spiritual, needs). Those needs have todo with important values, ike love, ambition, self respect, etc. Having © drive, or being driven, implies the type of attitude that results in discipline. People with drive are, by definition, disciplined in regards to thal towards which they ae driven. Thsis the fundamental form of motivation and the one that will eventually lead you to achieve your greatest potential. Youcannt eam fo cequire dive Wither asthe natal fal thal spake the internal combustion of what we call our vocation or calling. It is the {entbes! [nner gd) ofthe ancient Greeks from whch he word entusoum is deri Even when one has @ strong sense of drive, an indisputolable vocational calling, one's inner motivation {lscipie) may ale accaslonaly. We might not feel lke practicing. We are fired, or foo involved with other things i ‘academic work or an exciting romantic relationship or we Feel "blue", being way from home, jobless and poor. Nothing negative will happen if we interrupt our practice routine for 0 couple of days, We mus co pomp euraher emotionally ond somefines this requices a momentary retreat to lick our wounds. But the danger of aling En * 3. OUTER Morvatior ON PRACTICING RICARDO IZNAOLA into a rut always exists. We must learn fo counteract laziness before it takes ‘control over us, In artistic performance, the single most important difference between the professional and the amateur isin atitude towards practice. For the professional, practicing isthe most important activity; he amateur rests from other activities Fer th profesional, practicing isthe means to the higher goal formance; forthe amoteur, more often than not, practci 7 re are no public rmances. For ihe professional, performing, (and therefore practicing) is the job; for the amoteur, itis « hobby. ‘Acquiring the professional atitude towards practice is « key issue in the development of the performer. It implies accepting the duties inherent in the profession. ‘Asense of duty differs from discipline in hott is prompted by outer-social - circumstances: respect for someone's authority, fear of negative critical ‘evaluation, fear of public failure, or awareness of the stondards generally ‘expected by the professional community, lc. The student of performance has a duty to obey the teacher's instructions, to prepare wall for lessons, to attend classes, lessons, rehearsals, do Homework, eo, The prfesionl performer has cdi tobe ready to ploy the concert’ when scheduled; to know her/his, part for ensemble rehearsals; ond o duty to achieve the standards of quality required by the profession in general. This sense of duty will never be « primary motivating force, butitis of great imporionce fo help the student of performance initiate a positive course of ‘action with regard to practice when, for whotever reasons, inner motivation is lacking CCharacterisically, when one doesn't eel lke practicing but, nonetheless, ins to do so because one ought fo, the desire is gradvally awakened and itdoesn't take long before one is genuinely motivated to practice. Through our Sense of duty we ean, ths, regain discipline.RICARDO IZNAOLA ON PRACTICING Iti this interaction between our outer and inner motivation that will keep usalive, os prociiioners ofthe art, for he duration ofour professional careers, SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING. The following is a short list of books which may prove beneficial to the interested reader: Bonpensiere, Luigi: New Pathways to Piano Technique - A study of the Relations beween Mind and Body wih Specta Referee lo Piano layngy (New York: Philosophical ibrery, 1953) Galamian, Ivar inciples of Violin: ing and Teaching; (Englewood eNUo Presto sea ne sesey Havas, Kato: A New Approach to Violin Playing; (London: Bosworth, 1961) Hever, ates ‘Stoge Fright: Its Causes and Cures; (London: Bosworth, c. toimer, Karl wih Wale Gieseting: Piano Technique (New York Dove, Mama, Tobias: Musiclltereetation: ls ows and Principe, and Their Agplsion in Teaching and Performing; (London: Joseph Williams, c. matey, Tobias: On Memorizing; (London: Oxford University Press, c. Matthay, Tobias: The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Techniquo; london: Oxford University Press, 1932) ‘Moore, Sonia: The Stanislavski System; (New York: Penguin Books, 1984) evseipesan ABOUT THE AUTHOR One of the most attractive personalities of the guitar world, Ricardo Iznaola pursues a brilliant, multifaceted, musical career. Mr. Iznaola, an American citizen, was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1949. His activities as a performer, composer, pedagogue, lecturer, and writer have been distinguished by international critical acclaim and the admiration of colleagues and audiences alike. He has been called "one of the most seminal players, teachers and thinkers of the guitar scene today" (Soundboard Magazine) and an "expressive, full of character, persuasive and assured musician with flair as well as technique" (Los Angeles Times). 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