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How Being a Musician Helps with Marathon Training

When I started running four years ago, I was surprised at the crossover between sports and music. Here are some things I have found.

That’s right, I’m training for a marathon. I’m not an athletic person. Up until four years ago, I avoided the gym at all costs. I was naturally skinny, so I didn’t think I needed to work out.

When I started running four years ago, I was surprised at the crossover between sports and music. Here are some things I have found.

Breathing

Flutes use more air than tubas. I know three major ways to breathe so that I’m maximizing my air. I felt like this gave me a leg-up for learning how to run. I actually use breathing patterns to govern my pace.

Cadence

In running, cadence is the speed that your feet hit the ground. You’re supposed to aim for 180. As a musician, I know the beats per minute that my body naturally gravitates towards, so I didn’t have to search around on the metronome as much when I was starting my cadence training.

Scheduling

I know how to move around my schedule in order to fit in practice on two instruments. I use those skills for running. It’s actually a little easier because for running, I don’t have to worry about waking anyone up by making too much noise.

Persistence

I know from being a classically trained musician that there will be good days and bad days for anything. The bad days are actually the best because that’s when you get better. When that first mile isn’t lying and I’m in for a bad run, I keep going because I know it will make me better.

Knowing When to Stop

Sharp pain = stop.
Burning = you’re getting stronger.

Overdoing it is so easy in both running and in practicing. When you’re in pain, it’s time to stop. You don’t want to get seriously injured.

We’re told by shoe companies and conventional wisdom to keep going, no matter what. Work through the pain. That might work if you’re working with a personal trainer and have a staff of medical professionals waiting in the wings. For the rest of us, pain means stop.

Patience

Musicians are used to taking a few months to learn a tough piece of music. We’re used to someone taking years to get into intermediate music. We know that some things take time. We know that there will always be someone better or faster.

The marathon plan I chose is a 4-month plan. I need to follow that plan to the letter because the person who wrote that plan is smarter than me in this arena. I know how to follow plans to complete big projects, like learning advanced music for a recital. I have the patience to get through my training and not quit.

Warm-Ups

As a musician, I spend the beginning of my practice time doing warm-ups. I know that if I don’t, my fingers will tangle up on themselves and my tone will go down the drain. I also know that it can prevent injury.

Because of this, I understand the importance of warm-ups in running, and the structure of certain workouts. There are a ton of runners who forget to stretch. Not me. I don’t like having pain the next day.

Have you done anything that your musical training helped with?

Technique: Your Secret Weapon

Ever have that friend who improves faster than you and you can’t figure out why? You know you’re both practicing the same amount of time every day. You’re working on a similar level of music in your ensemble. How is this possible?

Your friend has a secret – she is using a technique book during practice. Sometimes they’re called studies, sometimes they’re called journalliers. Whatever you want to call them, they work like magic.

The Purpose of Technique

Technique takes the hard parts from most music and pulls them apart into easy exercises. The goal of technique is usually speed. How fast can you play this simple, little, nonsensical exercise?

Because you have pulled that tough portion apart and worked on it piece-by-piece, when you find it in music, you just breeze through it like it’s nothing.

When to Start on Technique

I usually don’t start my students on technique until I think they’re ready. For piano, that means they need to be reading the notes on the staff because I prefer the technique books that don’t go with the lesson books.

For flute, there are technique studies in the lesson books, so I start kids on separate technique books when they’re out of the lesson books. If you want to see my picks, check out my favorite repertoire page here for flute and here for piano. The piano page will be coming next week.

How Do I Start on Technique?

First contact your teacher. See if your teacher has a master plan for you, or has a preference on technique books. I will be posting my lists of favorites soon.

How Does Technique Fit into Practice?

In the order of your practice, technique should be played after scales and before etudes. It should be part of your warm-up, because scales don’t always completely warm up your muscles. It also helps you play your etudes and repertoire better.

When I started using technique, it was a difference of night and day. My musicianship exploded. I hope this helps you out.

How about you? Has technique affected your playing?

The First Lesson on Tone for Flute

Do you need to work on tone but don’t know where to start? Here’s the starting point.

This is a lesson that usually only takes 5 minutes. I like to go over it before we start working in-depth on tone.

Where to Start?

Start with the B natural in the middle of the staff. Adjust your mouth, jaw, lips, and throat while listening to yourself. Try to memorize where everything sounds the best.

How Will It End Up?

You’ll find that your throat will be open like you’re yawning. Your jaw will be as open as possible. Your lips will be relaxed and focused.

Your Throat

It’s really hard to remember to hold your throat open at first. It’s also really hard to remember how to keep your throat open. Try yawning. That will remind you what it feels like to have it open.

Your Jaw

It’s hard to imagine without doing it, but you’ll notice that you will drop your jaw as much as your lips will allow. This will help with the richness of your tone.

Your Mouth

Your mouth (not including your lips) will be as open as possible. This gives the air a chance to resonate. If it helps, you’re trying to blow out hot air rather than cold air.

Your Lips

Find a way to keep your lips relaxed while still focusing your sound. The opening (aperture) should be close to, if not at, the center of your lips.

Some people have to play a little to the side because of the shape of their lips.  The most common reason for that is because the top lip comes to a point. I personally have to go a little to the left side because I have a mole on the right side of my top lip that makes that side not work quite as well. We have to work with what God gave us.

Note that I’m saying a little to the side. The aperture should still be in the center third of the lips.

How to Practice Tone

Every day, at the beginning of practice, play your B natural and find your best tone. Look at yourself in the mirror. You will see how your mouth, lips, jaw, and throat change when your tone changes.

Results

Your tone will naturally improve when you start working on tone. It will transfer to the rest of your practice. Try to do this every time you play, it only takes a minute.

Getting Multiple Kids to Practice

Two ways to motivate all your kids to practice, at the same time, with minimal effort.

I was talking to one of my piano moms the other day. All of her kids are taking music lessons, most of which play two instruments. She told me what she’s been doing lately to get her kids to practice. Here’s what she’s doing. She gave me permission to share her story.

Sibling Rivalry

Usually sibling rivalry isn’t a good thing, but sometimes it’s good to take advantage of it. What she’s doing is having her kids write down their practice minutes. At the end of the week, the one who has the most minutes gets a shake.

How Is It Working?

She says it’s working fantastically.

On the first day, the younger kid would practice half an hour, then the older kid would practice 45 minutes. Then the younger one would practice 20 minutes, to catch up with a 5 minute buffer. The second day turned out similarly.

I have yet to find out who won last week, but they were definitely determined to win that shake!

What if My Kids Aren’t Competitive?

Personally, my kids are not competitive. At all. Ever.

The older one would let the younger one win because she felt bad. The younger would let the older one win because she wanted to give her sister the gift of a shake. All practicing would halt.

In order to motivate my kids with a reward, I have to set a bar and anyone who passes the bar by the allotted time gets the prize.

For example, I would have to say that whoever gets 300 minutes of practice by Saturday 9AM gets to go for a shake. That’s 30 minutes at 5 days a week x 2 instruments. Knowing them, the challenge would be done by Thursday.

So, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to tape a piece of paper to the wall and find a coupon for shakes.

I did this in 2 seconds. Their initials are on the top.

My Normal Practice Routine

Need a new practice routine to up your game? Steal mine. 🙂

This is about my normal practice routine. I have three basic ways to practice. Normal, Extra Fun, and Rushed. The other two ways will come out later, but I think it’s important to talk about the normal day because that’s what increases your level of ability.

Here’s my basic outline.

1. Warm-ups
a. Tone (flute only)
b. Scales/Chords/Cadences/Arpeggios
c. Technique

2. Meat and Potatoes
a. Etudes (lesson books would count here)
b. Sight Reading

3. Repertoire
a. The piece(s) I’m working on
b. One piece I’ve already learned (keeps things fun).

Here’s Why in a Story

Imagine a medieval army. There are kings, knights, dukes, horses, and catapults.

The tone is the swords because they make you fight better.

The scales, etc, are your shields because they make hard music easy.

The technique is the cavalry (horses) because it attacks the hard music at a different angle.

The lesson book/etudes are the people of your army because that is your basic playing level.

The sight reading is your armor because it keeps your army feeling safe, so your army moves forward faster.

The repertoire pieces are your catapults because they knock down the walls in front of you so it’s easier to move faster through your musical journey.

Amount of Time

I just do one or two items per category, so I don’t have a goal for the amount of time that I practice, I have goals of what I want to cover. The farther along you are in your musical journey, the longer you will practice each day.

While these aren’t hard and fast guidelines, here are some things to expect:

  1. First 6 months – 15 minutes per day.
  2. 6 months to Early Intermediate – 30 minutes per day.
  3. Early Intermediate to Late Intermediate – 45 minutes per day.
  4. Late Intermediate to Advanced – an hour or more.
  5. College – 2 hours
  6. Pro – up to 5 hours.

Notice that there is some overlap? Notice that as you progress, the amount of time gets fuzzier and fuzzier? That’s because it depends upon your repertoire choices, any extra things you want to work on, etc. For example, if you play flute and you want to learn vibrato, you would do vibrato exercises in attition to the tone exercises.

Timing Within Practice Sessions

There is a general rule that if you’re practicing more than half an hour, you need to take practicing in 20 minute chunks. Since I usually practice well over that mark, I set the timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, I take a few minutes to stretch, drink some water, and massage my forearms. Then I set the timer again for 20 minutes and continue my practice.

There are two main reasons for the 20-minute mark. The first reason is that when you work on something for longer than 20 minutes, your brain starts working in loops. This keeps your brain working at an optimal level.

The second reason to keep it at 20-minute chunks is to make sure that you’re not overworking your muscles or accidentally creating tension. It helps prevent injury. This is one reason why I stretch between my 20-minutes sessions.

I hope this helps someone who is looking for a new routine or doesn’t have a routine. How about you? What is your practice routine?

What Etudes Are and What they Aren’t

When I was in high school and college, my flute teacher assigned me an etude every week. I dutifully learned them, but I had no idea why. I figured they were just a wind instrument thing, but it turns out I was wrong.

When I was in high school and college, my flute teacher assigned me an etude every week. I dutifully learned them, but I had no idea why. I figured they were just a wind instrument thing, but it turns out I was wrong.

What Is An Etude?

An etude is also called a study. Lesson books are almost entirely made of etudes. They take something that’s hard about playing your instrument and helps you learn how to conquer it.

Etudes Are Different than Technique

The definition of an etude sounds a lot like technique, right? It’s related to that genre, but not quite. A big difference is that etudes are melodious, which make them more fun to play.

Another big difference is they don’t break up the hard parts of your music into tiny bits that are easy. They keep those hard parts whole and make you play them several times within those beautiful melodies.

Etudes Aren’t a Substitute for Technique

Etudes are their own entity and should be part of your regular practice routine. They should come after technique and before repertoire. Scales and technique help you learn your etudes better and faster.

Etudes Are A Measure of Your Current Level

Repertoire is usually what people point to in order to show how well they can play their instrument, but they spend months, sometimes over a year, learning that music. That’s not a true measure.

Etudes are designed to be learned in a week. If you’re taking longer than that to learn the etudes, then you should back up to a lower level. If you’re breezing through the etudes, then you need to go up to the next level.

Conclusion

Etudes are a tool, written for you by some of the best performers of their time. They are a gift to you from these people, to help you play like they do. Once you go beyond the lesson book, etudes can sometimes go away. Don’t let them.

What Can You Learn from the Other Musical Instruments?

I teach both flute and piano. When I’m in piano world and tell people that I also play flute, pianists remark on how well flutists know their ornamentation. When I’m in flute world and tell people that I also play piano, the other flutists remark on how pianists tend to find patterns and think in chords.

It’s good to know who to talk to when you get stumped on something. Certain instruments are better at teaching certain things better than others for 3 reasons:

1.) The design of their instruments

2.) The most common music written for their instrument

3.) The types of people that certain instruments attract

Here’s a list of what I’ve observed. I’ll try to go in concert order, but there will be some skipped instruments because either I haven’t had enough access to them or because I haven’t had a recommendation.

Singers – Tone and Breathing.

Flutes – Ornamentation

Oboes – Anything about reeds

Clarinets – Organization (of anything)

Saxophones – Playing with attitude

Trumpets – Confidence (only ask the nice ones)

French Horns – Keeping off-beats from going onto the on-beats

Trombones – Articulation

Percussion – Rhythm

Pianos – Hearing the entire song, not just the melody. Thinking in chords and patterns.

What have you heard about the strengths of other instruments?

To the Parent Getting Free Music Lessons Through their Child

When we met for the first time, you told me that you wish you could take lessons, too, because you either used to play or you have always wanted to play the flute or the piano. You wanted to take lessons, too, but you didn’t want to take the extra time or money away from the family for yourself. The kids come first. I saw right through you.

When we met for the first time, you told me that you wish you could take lessons, too, because you either used to play or you have always wanted to play the flute or the piano. You wanted to take lessons, too, but you didn’t want to take the extra time or money away from the family for yourself. The kids come first.

You didn’t know it, but I saw right through you. I offered you the easy chair in my studio, knowing you would learn, too. I’m happy about that.

Your eyes brightened when you saw that easy chair and you found out that I love it when parents watch the lesson. I told you that it works well to have a parent there, because they can solidify the information throughout the week. It becomes a 3-way conversation during the lessons.

I know that you’re going through your kids’ music every week and learning it, too. I know that you’re watching each lesson like a hawk, not because you don’t trust me, but because you want to learn everything you can during these lessons. You think I don’t notice, but I do.

I’m glad that you’re using your children’s lessons to learn the flute or the piano. I know that when your child hears you practicing, it normalizes practicing for your child. Your child hears you getting the music better and faster than her, and it drives her to do better. It actually makes your child one of the best in my studio.

I sincerely hope that your children’s lessons create a spark in you to learn the flute or piano better. I hope you will someday get to the point where you feel you can invest in yourself and get lessons.

4 Reasons to do Scales Before Playing

Maybe they’re boring, but scales make the rest of the music more fun. It always helps to know the reason behind doing the boring thing so you can get to the fun stuff faster.

When I say scales, I mean the whole shebang – scales, chords, arpeggios, cadences, etc. Everything that you would find in a good scale book.

Why do we do them? What is their purpose? Can we skip them when we’re in a hurry?

Scales may be boring to some people, but I’ve noticed that the boring stuff is easier to do when I know the purpose behind it. There are more, technical, reasons behind it, but these are the philosophical reasons.

1. They make your music easier.

When you’re playing through the music and come across a fast passage, 9 out of 10 times, it’s just a scale or an arpeggio.

You can look at that tough passage and say, “Oh, that’s just a scale!” and play it like a champ.

2. It helps you get into the key signature.

6 flats. Oof.

Why can’t it be 7? It’s easier to remember.

Why can’t it be 5? It makes more sense.

Practicing the Gb Major scale/cadence/chords/arpeggios helps you get into the 6 flat monstrosity of a key signature. Do the relative minor, too, while you’re at it.

3. It helps your brain and your fingers talk to each other better.

Ever have one of those days when your fingers seem to get tangled on each other or won’t move the way you want? The scales help your fingers work smoother and better together.

4. It warms up the muscles in your hands.

You know how in sports, your muscles work better and you’re less likely to get injured if you do a proper warm-up? Scales work the same way. They prevent injury by bringing the blood to the area so the fingers work better.

Conclusion

After reading all these reasons to do scales, would you ever want to skip them? Maybe they’re boring, but scales make the rest of the music more fun. It always helps to know the reason behind doing the boring thing so you can get to the fun stuff faster.

Tone on the Piano

Wait, you can have good tone on a piano? I thought you just pushed the key and it made a sound. I thought tone had everything to do with the piano and nothing to do with the player. That’s what I thought the first time my piano teacher talked to me about tone.

Wait, you can have good tone on a piano? I thought you just pushed the key and it made a sound. I thought tone had everything to do with the piano and nothing to do with the player.

That’s what I thought the first time my piano teacher talked to me about tone. I was playing Debussy. It was flowy and beautiful, so she taught me to stroke the keys as I played.

The other way to have good tone is to have perfect hand position – no collapsing fingers, no flat fingers, no collapsed wrists. Your hand needs to be perfectly rounded, wrists at or above the hand, and a strong (not stiff) first finger joint.

Scales

Scales are a great tool for any number of things because they’re simple and should be memorized. The other instruments begin their practice with tone, and piano should be no exception. Play your scales slowly and watch your hands like a hawk.

Scales are a separate category of practice from tone. This is practicing tone, and it should be done before scales. Scales usually have a different focus, given to you by your teacher or your personal goals.

Should I Practice Both Kinds Of Tone Each Day?

Maybe. It depends on how long you practice each day. If you’re practicing for half an hour per day, just pick one. Start with the perfect hand position one until it’s mastered. Afterwards, master the finger stroke. If you have already mastered both, then alternate each day.

If you’re practicing for an hour or longer per day, then practice each kind of tone each day. If you’re in the inbetweeny stage where you’re practicing between half an hour and an hour per day, then go with your gut. If it’s boring to you, just do it once. If you enjoy it, do both kinds.

What About My Other Music?

As you practice tone, your good tone will naturally expand to the other music. It will stay in the back of your mind because you began your practice with concentrating on it.