Comments on: The Bad Habit that’s Holding Your Technique Back

By: Doron Orenstein

Doron Orenstein — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:27:38 +0000

I would say, practice *slowly* so you can catch yourself and make corrections while the notes aren’t flying by beyond your control.

By: Matt Doran

Matt Doran — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:39:37 +0000

A bad habit I have developed is inadvertent scooping into some of my notes. I have been recording myself a lot in order to identify these scoops and when they occur, what I am thinking etc. Man this is a tough habit to break-anyone with any suggestions/ideas or corrective measure are very welcome…I assume I am dropping my jaw during these scoops

By: 9 Tips Guaranteed to Make You Play Better by Relaxing More | Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 03:55:44 +0000

[...] The Bad Habit that’s Holding Your Technique Back [...]

By: Doron Orenstein

Doron Orenstein — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:33:01 +0000

Yeah, clarinet is pretty tricky fingering-wise at first. As far as my sax playing goes, it’s still my experience that thinking about my fingers while I’m playing throws me off. But perhaps I could practice holding my fingers on the keys properly, without even blowing through the horn, just to get what the feeling is like when the fingers are positioned properly. I think that the main goal is to avoid tension, even if it means that fingers aren’t as close to the keys as they could be.

By: Larry Weintraub

Larry Weintraub — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:11:47 +0000

Doron:

I have my students play with a curved hand like they are going to grip a baseball bat. I make sure they do not go past the pearls that they are on the pearls perfectly. Usually in my experience the right hand is the problem. So many students go past the pearls, some even miss the pearls and hit the brass. That doesn’t last long. I correct both these problems real quick.

I explain that if they played clarinet or open holed flute they would have to hit the keys perfect or a) either the sound will not come out or b) especially on clarinet it will sound like they stepped on the cats tail.

An aside. We had a hotshot tpt player in college who was always making fun of clarinet players for the ocassional squeak. Well he had to play clarinet in woodwind class. Man you should have heard him squeaking and squawking every time he didn’t cover the tone holes properly. After a week or 2 he came out and said that clarinet was hard and he wasn’t going to make fun of clarinet players anymore.

By: Doron Orenstein

Doron Orenstein — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:19:37 +0000

Glad you enjoyed that! Hey, whatever works, right?

By: Jason the Obscure

Jason the Obscure — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:21:56 +0000

Exit sign above the door………I laughed out loud!
Great series of postings. Thanks.

By: Doron Orenstein

Doron Orenstein — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:54:46 +0000

Yeah, I guess it’s hard to tell the difference between using the conscious mind less or using the conscious mind in a more constructive manner. I know that there’s been research with top performers in athletics, music, and other activities that shows that the people best in their field have a far smaller number of thoughts going through their minds than the average person undertaking the same activity. With music, like you say in your wonderful article, there is just too much to think about as separate areas of thought. So for me, the goal is to direct the brain to the best place where I can take in “the big picture” as effortlessly as possible, whether it means focusing on the body, or focusing on the sound around me, or I would dare say, focusing on the exit sign above the door. :-)

By: Bill Plake

Bill Plake — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:31:05 +0000

Doron, I don’t think it’s a matter of making your brain less active (or more active for that matter) so much as it is directing your thinking in such a way as to help you the most. Many of us feel like we’re “over-thinking” things when in fact were just thinking unhelpful thoughts (usually micro-managing the details of our activity with an ongoing editorial tone) that lead to self-consciousness (as opposed to self-awareness). But I hear what you’re saying. The primary goal is to quiet the unhelpful chatter of the mind. As for writing an article on my blog about “inclusive attention”, I already have. Here’s the link: http://wp.me/p1IgZc-5M

By: Doron Orenstein

Doron Orenstein — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:42:30 +0000

Great point, Bill! What you’re describing could be seen as the next level of what’s being covered in this article. For me, I’ve found it helpful to learn to get my overactive brain out of the way first and foremost. Of course, the brain is crucial, but the less thinking, the better in my opinion.

Inclusive attention is indeed something requires practice but in the end, I would think that many of the great players are taking in the totality of their physical being as well as the musical picture being painted around them. I think that this method is highly useful because it’s yet another way to get the overly active brain out of the way so that the music that comes out is pure and natural.

I’d love to learn more about this concept of inclusive attention, though. Do I hear an idea for a post on BillPlakeMusic.com…? :-)