Adieu Music Stand!
Last month I was asked to participate in a University of Iowa School of Music graduation recital for a violinist that I have recently been playing with. Crazy Critters is the group in the style of a Gypsy manouche Jazz, and it consists of Dave Hanson on upright bass, Oriana Ross on violin and myself on acoustic guitar. During our rehearsals, it was apparent that playing by memory would be important. Jazz music comes alive when players are listening to each other rather than staring at the notes in front of them.
Also, especially for guitarists, a music stand has the downside of blocking the audience from seeing what the player is doing. Although I have immersed myself in Jazz music for decades, the confidence and ability to memorize songs for a live performance has been a challenge.
Learning an instrument and playing live music is a chain of habits just like life itself. If we do something the same way over and over again, we excel at doing exactly that. Over the past few years, increased performances in various groups have made me question how efficient my song memorization process is. I discovered 3 flaws that held me back: over-analyzing small parts, creating a habit of using the written music while rehearsing and not being able to wean myself off of it for the actual live event.
After one of our rehearsals, I was frustrated that I still needed to look at the page to follow even a fairly simple song structure. Like an epiphany, an inner voice made it crystal clear that this was simply the result of habitually staring at the chart. How was it supposed to go differently if that was what I had been doing for years? I decided in that moment no more written music while memorizing songs! I repositioned myself facing the stereo speakers instead of the sheet music and just started playing along with our recorded practice tracks. Regardless of whether I got lost or not, I kept playing along and would jump back in at the spots that I remembered. There were plenty of moments when I was unsure of what the right chord changes were, and I also became very aware of the trickier spots in our arrangements. Only after I had the main structure of the song memorized would I then allow myself to look at the written music to register where I was off.
As there was limited time to prepare for the recital, I had to prioritize this new routine and run it daily. At The Critter’s next rehearsal, I decided to play without any written music. It worked! Sure there were flaws here and there, BUT the main goal of getting through the set was accomplished. Instead of spending hours on perfecting improvised guitar solos, which was a relatively small percentage of my playing, I had succeeded at effectively putting my energy into the bigger picture of holding the fort down.
Nonetheless, as the concert was approaching, I was nervous and unsure about the thought of leaving the music stand behind. Every time I felt fear creeping up, I decided to go run the tunes. It was during these times that more new practice ideas came to me. Why not visualize what it will be like at the recital, no music stand and all? I walked out of my studio, instrument in hand, closed the door, imagined waiting to go on stage and then marched into my room visualizing an audience, sat down and played the songs without the recording tracks to support me. This was a new routine that I incorporated during my final practice sessions for the concert. I am glad I did, and I believe it helped ease my nerves, which were uncannily calm before and during the entire performance.
I hope this newsletter is an encouragement to you. It is never too late to try a different way to get over a hurdle. The brain is far more flexible and capable of forming new synopses than we think. What it will take is a firm decision and the ability to resist the fear of failing. Thanks for reading, and here is the video link to Oriana Ross’s graduation recital that I was honored to be part of.
https://youtu.be/Q2MUJAkmJ9Y
