"Nailing" Down the Evidence...

     Entering into an early evening sunlit practice room, everything gave off a sense that all was right with the world.  Lighting for the piano was well placed, a small trash receptacle could be seen in the far corner of the room, and there was even an extra piano bench poised for seating.

     After unfolding my music stand (Side note:  Practice rooms NEVER have decent music stands available for use.  Probably due to the inevitability of each one growing its own set of legs with which to quietly leave the building...),  I flip on the light switch, to my horror I see it!  "La maccabbee"!  Wait!  As I step further into the room I see even more... parts are everywhere!  Some are in piles, others are strewn as litter on the practice room floor, and still others are present on the piano keyboard itself!  "OMG!", I scream in disgust, quickly fleeing this "crime scene" to find another practice room...

     Yes, there it was, a proverbial collection of "evidence" - Fingernail clippings.  Some freshly cut and left out openly in place, and NOT put in the small, unassuming trash receptacle sitting in the corner of the practice room.  No need to bring in the CSI Unit, or any form of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  CCTV will never uncover the guilty party or parties either, as the alleged criminal acts occurred just outside the scope of the camera's lens in the room...

     Learning very early on, the words of my Piano professor "Missy, what is that 'clicking' sound on the keyboard?" still resound in my head.  It was then I realized that my life would be as any other music student's, and that "tell tale" clicking sound would eventually be my "undoing".  Even now,  my professor's voice continues to remind me to "clip", but "clip" elsewhere...

     It is intuitive that clipped nails are a "must" for most Instrument players.  This, of course, would not necessarily include those who utilize the Computer keyboard, which is usually the victim of "blunt force trauma"; or Nail biting, which is a completely different issue altogether.  It comes down to risk assessments of distraction, and cost.  There is a distraction to the rhythmic action of the instrument, affecting timing and clarity during practice and performance; as well as the great cost for String players whose unclipped nails cause damaging marks on their fingerboards.  NOT GOOD!

     So, say "Hello!" to the Practice room for me as you Music students enter into the new 2016 - 2017 Academic year, and remember...  Be courteous - "Clip" fairly, practice diligently, and most importantly, play well.



   




Illustration:  Jacob GROSSMANN, Bucket Elevator, In: The Elements of Chemical Engineering, 1906.  Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons.    

Master Class - The "Unholy" Grail

"...the fourth finger 'D' in the passage should be EMPHASIZED to bring out the idea in the phrase.. like this..." says the Clinician while playing in front of the Master Class.  "Uh-huh", say the staring, wide-eyed 'victim' of impending slaughter.  "Play it AGAIN", says the Clinician.  As the Master Class student begins to mimic what was just played, after several attempts the Clinician exclaims, "Now, you get IT!".  This is usually followed by the now profusely bleeding "victim" gratefully hobbling off to hide in the nearest available cave somewhere.

     A student having studied his or her craft beginning in the womb, by their teenage years will have discovered the method for achieving a certain level of sound quality and production that has been woven together from a variety of different quarters.  This includes the mastering of rudimentary standards such as "stance".  In the case of a violinist, during practice does one stand or sit?  In doing so, does one stand or sit 'flat-footed' or with one leg forward?  What exactly are the standards to help improve projection and stamina, anyway?  Enter the infamous "Master Class"

     Among friends and colleagues, the weekly or monthly Master Class may be viewed as a learning experience in grappling with "constructive" criticism, and developping an openness to new ideas and suggestions.  For the Music student, proverbial "pain" and performance fears slowly begin to wane within the classroom or school recital hall as the year progresses.  That is, of course, until the day Auditions are held for open spots in a Master Class entitled, "Performance Enhancement and Improvement in the Technical Understanding of Styles" from a seasoned Clinician who has "paid their dues" and "earned their stripes" on the musical "battlefield".  It is then, on stage, the truth of the bathroom/shower/practice room sound - that roaringly sweet, melodious and accomplished sound -seems to dissolve away.  It is then that the student's "id" begins to respond to the "ego" in a private, internal conversation along the lines of "What in the world am I doing here?".

     The work of the Clinician is very short, yet concentrated.  Within that alloted time, help is administered to those who need to grasp the concepts necessary to overcome problem areas in their playing, which everyone has encountered at one time or another.  For a string player, for example, when is the use of "open string" as opposed to "covered string" appropriate in a passage?  For voice, when are "strident" tones not acceptable?

     In the years of study and teaching that has contributed to a Clinician's "stellar" qualifications, surely in life there must have been moments of doubt and fear that had to be overcome before an eventually great performance.  These real life experiences serve as invaluable assets to "Up and Comers" who are now attempting to "quiet the enemy from within".

     This ideal of perfection sought by us all in some form or another requires "blood, sweat and tears" on an enormous level.  Therefore, "kudos" extended to the fearless Clinician and the intrepid Master Class student are in order - whose performances do not reveal the actual level of "SCHVITZ", produced, because it is never measured in a bottle!




Elevator Photo:  "Hall y ascensor principal del edifice de oficinas en Chacabuco 78, Buenos Aires.  Arquitecto Julián Garcia NÚÑEZ, año 1910".  Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

"Talent"

     Listening intently to an "Honorable One" answering the question of recognizing and defining a person who has "talent", how does talent define itself?  The answer was difficulty and at some point rather lost to me.

     Historically, a "talent" could be defined as a weight, and unit of measure that was sometimes manifested in "coinage" or any monetary unit of exchange.

     With the help from one who is acquainted with mathematical equations, the Quadratic formula was chosen as a novel avenue of defining a rather abstract description within the language of "the Maths", as follows:

                                   

                                          _______

                           x = -b ±√ b² - 4ac

                                           2a

where x = “Talent”; a = Marketability; b = Natural Ability/Technique; and c = Prestige Level of Music Professor or School.  

  With all three attributes being equally important for a Musician; a, b, and c are equal to 1.

Therefore, "Talent" may be defined as follows:

                   ___________

 x = -(1) ±√ (1)² - 4(1)(1)

                      2(1)

                   ______

 x = -(1) ±√ (1 - 4)

                  2

                ____

 x = -1 ±√ (-3)

               2

               _____

x = -1 ±√ 3(-1)

             2

  

                _

 x = -1 ±√3(i)

              2

where i = An imaginary number.

     Confused?  Join the cast of thousands - Composers, Artists of all genres - whose works were or are never seen or heard.  History reminds us of known celebrated Composers and Artists whose works were extolled as "talented, ground-breaking genius" only after they were no longer with us.

Quoting Margareet Wolfe HUNGERFORD, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".  This leads one to aptly conclude that in fact "Talent" is in the "i" (imagination) or "Aye" (accolades) of the Ticket holder, as calculated using the Quadratic equation.

     

Elevator Photo:  "Hall y ascensor principal del edifice de oficinas en Chacabuco 78, Buenos Aires.  Arquitecto Julián Garcia NÚÑEZ, año 1910".  Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.