Just wondering if anyone can manage this feat because i certainly can't. The other day i was busy playing away on my box when my wife stood over me and asked me a question and i found i had to stop to answer her. Just wondering if this is the case with all instruments (Apart from ones you actually put in your mouth).
Or can you intensely play away while chatting to someone, i find it's a bit like patting your head while rubbing your belly.
I often play on my mandolin when my wife is chatting to me. Over the years I have learned how to look attentive, smile in the appropriate places and nod in agreement in all the right spots. I can manage the occasional "Could do..." or "Sounds good to me ...", but I am working on the "Not sure about that because ...." response.
It's a useful gauge of how well I know a tune. If i can play through her conversation and manage to understand the gist of what she is saying then I know the tune.
Now all I have to do is make sure she never sees this response or I am so seriously dead you would not believe it!!!
I know of a classical pianist who, when he's getting ready for a concert, will ask that a couple of friends come to his house and hold a conversation with him while he's playing. The conversation can be in depth, even about fingerings he's using in the piece itself, and if his answers peter out or if he makes a mistake, he marks that spot for further practice. I've seen other pianists do this while warming up before concerts.
Can't do it myself beyond quick and stilted responses of a word or two, but this goes to show that it is possible to hold a deep and fully coherent conversation while playing. (It is freaky to watch though!) As Welshman says, it all depends on how well you know the particular tune.
Some of the heart/spontaneity goes out of the playing, sure, but this trick is used when preparing for a performance, not for the performance itself.
There is of course the other scenario where someone starts talking at you- and *then* you pick up your instrument - though that's more a test of bravery than actually knowing the tune
I've seen people carry on a conversation whilst playing...I'm sure that a psychological profile of such people would reveal a massive brain with increased left hemisphere activity and long periods of REM type sleep.
And proper table manners.
I can't talk in complete sentences when playing, but I can manage to utter a few words that make sense.
I think its to do with the type of accordion and the type of tune been played. Playing a diatonic instrument you are inclined to breath in and out with the bellows, so therefor it must be easier to talk while playing a piano type box. I wouldn't have a hope in hell of speaking while playing a reel for instance on my button key. I might get a few words out if I was playing an easy waltz but even then I'm inclined to keep my trap shut. Having said all that I know a few heads who can sing while playing a diatonic, all a matter of practice I'd imagine. The bit that always amuses me is when someone stands in front of you and trys to give you a pint while you are playing. I often hold up my foot and indicate 'Put it on there'
As one who can talk and play at the same time, I have noticed that some people can't listen and play at the same time.
Try saying "Don't speed up" to the accompanist, "Its your round" to the banjo-man or "Stop drooling" to the goat-basher and you get no reaction at all.
During the reasonable weather I often play a few tunes in the park near my office at lunch. Not once, but several times, I've had people come up to me, in the middle of a tune, and signal that they wanted to talk to me - and when I stopped playing to chat, they told me how much they liked my playing, and I should play more. I usually just thanked them and didn't ask "why'd you make me stop, then?".
I also had several people insist on giving me money - generally a dollar, although the woman with the handful of change was a bit of a trial. I wondered about that a bit, since I certainly didn't have a case open, I wasn't playing in a place where people would naturally walk by, in other words I wasn't acting like I was soliciting tips, and I was dressed for working in an office - certainly didn't look destitute, especially not playing six hundred dollars worth of accordion (how do you make some money with an accordion? sell the accordion!)
In any case, no, I can't hold a conversation while playing any music. When I'm teaching, I can grunt at the spots that a student should attend to - "this bit" or something like that - but I can't really discuss it without stopping. Funny, though, I can certainly play while talking, in that I can discuss a piece of music, and then play a snip of it as an example, and keep talking. But if I were playing, I couldn't just stop, say a few words, and then pick up where I left off.
Thanks, upmine3 (what happened to the other two?) for highlighting a MAJOR problem for us whistle (and flute) players. Namely, if someone asks if we want a drink while we're playing, we can, of course, just nod or shake our head, BUT, and this is a BIG BUTT, suppose you want a DIFFERENT drink from the one you have just finished, AND you're in the middle of a riproaring, rocking tune for once? Well, my dear, it's a quandary, isn't it? A di-f**king-lemma, no less.
Any ideas, anyone?
I want to go back to fledermaus' post and the conversing pianist. I imaging that the idea is to be sure that the music is internalized, not merely learned. There is ample evidence that there are two pathways for learned behavior: one is the "I am learning this new skill and must pay attention to the motions that must be executed" and the other is "I am so comfortable with this that my brain doesn't need my interference anymore". The latter state allows you to do other things, such as talk or whatever.
I cannot talk AT ALL when I am playing; a source of unending frustration for my guitar guy. So is this something learned or hardwired?
"and this is a BIG BUTT" maxF? Is that a problem for whistle players? Not enough exercise, perhaps?
I have seen accordion players call a dance without missing a note. I used to be able to talk fluently while playing guitar, but now often can't get in a word while playing mandolin or banjo.
I think Batlady is correct. I've thought for some time that some of my wires must have come loose.
The most impressive feat I've witnessed in this respect was a 17-year old boy at school who sight-read a full symphony score onto the piano while talking easily to those around him - and he wasn't playing something he already had in his head, you understand. He went on to get a doctorate in music at Cambridge, followed by a flourishing career as an organist and director of a major music conservatory.
Oh, and to cap all this, in order to get into Cambridge on his scholarship he had to attain the Ordinary Level qualification in Latin (which he'd never studied before). He did that with no trouble at all from scratch in 6 months. I haven't spoken to him since
This is a very interesting discussion, especially for someone with an interest in neurology.
My theory is it's partly training and partly talent (for example, the amazing 17-year-old in lazyhound's post). I know that the high-caliber classical musicians routinely practice 6 hours or more a day, and the 6 hours are spent on exercises, plus maybe half a dozen pieces that they will work on intensively for 6 months or more. So they know those tunes REALLY well, plus they tend to play them mostly the same way each time. Still only some of the ones who do that can really converse while playing.
I can read text (whole paragraphs) while playing the flute. (Though I ought not to; I'm sure that once I stop really listening, my playing suffers) Do any of you who have trouble speaking while playing still find yourselves able to read while playing?
I can read while playing. I practice generic bowing exercises that way after a teacher suggested it. It is sort of like listening to music while running; you get the benefit without concentrating on the pain.
I just finished reading Oliver Sacks' book about music and the brain. He describes people with various types and severity of memory loss who are still able to play or sing at the same level of competence that they had before losing their brain function. Evidently, music has its own way of being processed and expressed in our mind. However, these individuals sometimes forget that they have this ability, and need to be reminded.
Try lilting a different tune to someone while you are playing ...
Batlady: Have you seen the other book, "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel J Levitin? Written by a musican and record producer who became a neuropsychological researcher, it goes deeply into how the different areas in the brain work together to recognize music. Great read, even of you have already read the Sacks book.
What's the name of the Oliver Sacks book? It sounds like a fascinating read, and I generally love his stuff.
Back to multitasking accordions... I have watched an accordion player (Jimmy Keane of Bohola) do the usual melody plus harmony playing, as well as drums simultaneously with a foot pedal. And all that on a keyboard accordion! Maybe not as weird as talking while playing, but it was an impressive amount of music coming from just one player, and it definitely rocked.
I remember someone laughing at a session when Rose Flanagan and I were talking to each other while playing. I often do talk without thinking, it's real bad when you talk to a flute player and actually expect an answer~
Like fliedermaus and Batlady I can read text while playing (whistle). I can also sing while reading, and often do. My mother finds this very unnerving and strange, but I take it completely for granted.
I've heard of a piper who can lilt a completely different tune while playing away. I can manage a grunt here and there or kick people under the table. I can rarely attract the waitress's attention, so I never get a second pint.
I used to read ebooks on the computer and practice the box at the same time. It sort of works, except that I can't really remember much of what i've read afterwards. So now I'm going to have to go all the way back to the beginning to find out what ever happened to Frodo and his smallish pals.
I can talk while playing guitar. And if something wasn't in the way, I could talk while playing whistle or harmonica.
But I am still at the stage on the accordion where I am thinking of mechanics, so I must focus full attention. I have gotten to the point where I can lift a foot or hup for the next tune without dropping a stitch, but that is about it.
this is an interesting topic that I've often wondered about. I always assumed it had something to do with "how much" of your brain you were using at any given time as to whether you could talk. As a relatively new fiddle player I find it impossible to utter even a single letter (key of tune)! However as a long time mandolin player I find with very comfortable tunes - I can have a modest conversation. While playing back-up guitar, I can deliver an oratory (unless I actually want it to sound good).
Maybe its just me!
Talking while playing accordion
Talking while playing accordion
Just wondering if anyone can manage this feat because i certainly can't. The other day i was busy playing away on my box when my wife stood over me and asked me a question and i found i had to stop to answer her. Just wondering if this is the case with all instruments (Apart from ones you actually put in your mouth).
Or can you intensely play away while chatting to someone, i find it's a bit like patting your head while rubbing your belly.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by upmine3
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I used to be able to, but now I can't. ;-( I wish I could explain that.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by kjay_bc_box
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I often play on my mandolin when my wife is chatting to me. Over the years I have learned how to look attentive, smile in the appropriate places and nod in agreement in all the right spots. I can manage the occasional "Could do..." or "Sounds good to me ...", but I am working on the "Not sure about that because ...." response.
It's a useful gauge of how well I know a tune. If i can play through her conversation and manage to understand the gist of what she is saying then I know the tune.
Now all I have to do is make sure she never sees this response or I am so seriously dead you would not believe it!!!
D
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by Welshman
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I know of a classical pianist who, when he's getting ready for a concert, will ask that a couple of friends come to his house and hold a conversation with him while he's playing. The conversation can be in depth, even about fingerings he's using in the piece itself, and if his answers peter out or if he makes a mistake, he marks that spot for further practice. I've seen other pianists do this while warming up before concerts.
Can't do it myself beyond quick and stilted responses of a word or two, but this goes to show that it is possible to hold a deep and fully coherent conversation while playing. (It is freaky to watch though!) As Welshman says, it all depends on how well you know the particular tune.
Some of the heart/spontaneity goes out of the playing, sure, but this trick is used when preparing for a performance, not for the performance itself.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by fliedermaus
Re: Talking while playing accordion
There is of course the other scenario where someone starts talking at you- and *then* you pick up your instrument - though that's more a test of bravery than actually knowing the tune
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by P-K
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I can't; and can't explain it either.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Haven't managed to talk and play the flute yet. can't even nod to say that I want another beer....
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by mehere
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I've seen people carry on a conversation whilst playing...I'm sure that a psychological profile of such people would reveal a massive brain with increased left hemisphere activity and long periods of REM type sleep.
And proper table manners.
I can't talk in complete sentences when playing, but I can manage to utter a few words that make sense.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by rogfox
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I can't play the accordion. I can just about manage a nod while playing the mandolin, but you'd have to wait for a downbeat.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by granama
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I think its to do with the type of accordion and the type of tune been played. Playing a diatonic instrument you are inclined to breath in and out with the bellows, so therefor it must be easier to talk while playing a piano type box. I wouldn't have a hope in hell of speaking while playing a reel for instance on my button key. I might get a few words out if I was playing an easy waltz but even then I'm inclined to keep my trap shut. Having said all that I know a few heads who can sing while playing a diatonic, all a matter of practice I'd imagine. The bit that always amuses me is when someone stands in front of you and trys to give you a pint while you are playing. I often hold up my foot and indicate 'Put it on there'
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by Free Reed
Re: Talking while playing accordion
As one who can talk and play at the same time, I have noticed that some people can't listen and play at the same time.
Try saying "Don't speed up" to the accompanist, "Its your round" to the banjo-man or "Stop drooling" to the goat-basher and you get no reaction at all.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by geoffwright
Re: Talking while playing accordion
During the reasonable weather I often play a few tunes in the park near my office at lunch. Not once, but several times, I've had people come up to me, in the middle of a tune, and signal that they wanted to talk to me - and when I stopped playing to chat, they told me how much they liked my playing, and I should play more. I usually just thanked them and didn't ask "why'd you make me stop, then?".
I also had several people insist on giving me money - generally a dollar, although the woman with the handful of change was a bit of a trial. I wondered about that a bit, since I certainly didn't have a case open, I wasn't playing in a place where people would naturally walk by, in other words I wasn't acting like I was soliciting tips, and I was dressed for working in an office - certainly didn't look destitute, especially not playing six hundred dollars worth of accordion (how do you make some money with an accordion? sell the accordion!)
In any case, no, I can't hold a conversation while playing any music. When I'm teaching, I can grunt at the spots that a student should attend to - "this bit" or something like that - but I can't really discuss it without stopping. Funny, though, I can certainly play while talking, in that I can discuss a piece of music, and then play a snip of it as an example, and keep talking. But if I were playing, I couldn't just stop, say a few words, and then pick up where I left off.
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Thanks, upmine3 (what happened to the other two?) for highlighting a MAJOR problem for us whistle (and flute) players. Namely, if someone asks if we want a drink while we're playing, we can, of course, just nod or shake our head, BUT, and this is a BIG BUTT, suppose you want a DIFFERENT drink from the one you have just finished, AND you're in the middle of a riproaring, rocking tune for once? Well, my dear, it's a quandary, isn't it? A di-f**king-lemma, no less.
Any ideas, anyone?
# Posted on November 25th 2007 by maxF
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I want to go back to fledermaus' post and the conversing pianist. I imaging that the idea is to be sure that the music is internalized, not merely learned. There is ample evidence that there are two pathways for learned behavior: one is the "I am learning this new skill and must pay attention to the motions that must be executed" and the other is "I am so comfortable with this that my brain doesn't need my interference anymore". The latter state allows you to do other things, such as talk or whatever.
I cannot talk AT ALL when I am playing; a source of unending frustration for my guitar guy. So is this something learned or hardwired?
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by Batlady
Re: Talking while playing accordion
"and this is a BIG BUTT" maxF? Is that a problem for whistle players? Not enough exercise, perhaps?
I have seen accordion players call a dance without missing a note. I used to be able to talk fluently while playing guitar, but now often can't get in a word while playing mandolin or banjo.
I think Batlady is correct. I've thought for some time that some of my wires must have come loose.
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by oldstrings
Re: Talking while playing accordion
The most impressive feat I've witnessed in this respect was a 17-year old boy at school who sight-read a full symphony score onto the piano while talking easily to those around him - and he wasn't playing something he already had in his head, you understand. He went on to get a doctorate in music at Cambridge, followed by a flourishing career as an organist and director of a major music conservatory.
Oh, and to cap all this, in order to get into Cambridge on his scholarship he had to attain the Ordinary Level qualification in Latin (which he'd never studied before). He did that with no trouble at all from scratch in 6 months. I haven't spoken to him since
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Can't do it. Even without putting the banjo in my mouth.
I'm always amazed at the multi-tasking accordian players can do while playing at dance competitions.
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by grego
Re: Talking while playing accordion
This is a very interesting discussion, especially for someone with an interest in neurology.
My theory is it's partly training and partly talent (for example, the amazing 17-year-old in lazyhound's post). I know that the high-caliber classical musicians routinely practice 6 hours or more a day, and the 6 hours are spent on exercises, plus maybe half a dozen pieces that they will work on intensively for 6 months or more. So they know those tunes REALLY well, plus they tend to play them mostly the same way each time. Still only some of the ones who do that can really converse while playing.
I can read text (whole paragraphs) while playing the flute. (Though I ought not to; I'm sure that once I stop really listening, my playing suffers) Do any of you who have trouble speaking while playing still find yourselves able to read while playing?
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by fliedermaus
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I can read while playing. I practice generic bowing exercises that way after a teacher suggested it. It is sort of like listening to music while running; you get the benefit without concentrating on the pain.
I just finished reading Oliver Sacks' book about music and the brain. He describes people with various types and severity of memory loss who are still able to play or sing at the same level of competence that they had before losing their brain function. Evidently, music has its own way of being processed and expressed in our mind. However, these individuals sometimes forget that they have this ability, and need to be reminded.
# Posted on November 26th 2007 by Batlady
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Try lilting a different tune to someone while you are playing ...
Batlady: Have you seen the other book, "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel J Levitin? Written by a musican and record producer who became a neuropsychological researcher, it goes deeply into how the different areas in the brain work together to recognize music. Great read, even of you have already read the Sacks book.
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by Laughtonb
Re: Talking while playing accordion
What's the name of the Oliver Sacks book? It sounds like a fascinating read, and I generally love his stuff.
Back to multitasking accordions... I have watched an accordion player (Jimmy Keane of Bohola) do the usual melody plus harmony playing, as well as drums simultaneously with a foot pedal. And all that on a keyboard accordion! Maybe not as weird as talking while playing, but it was an impressive amount of music coming from just one player, and it definitely rocked.
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by fliedermaus
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I remember someone laughing at a session when Rose Flanagan and I were talking to each other while playing. I often do talk without thinking, it's real bad when you talk to a flute player and actually expect an answer~
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by irisnevins
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Like fliedermaus and Batlady I can read text while playing (whistle). I can also sing while reading, and often do. My mother finds this very unnerving and strange, but I take it completely for granted.
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by E'Sullivan
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I've heard of a piper who can lilt a completely different tune while playing away. I can manage a grunt here and there or kick people under the table. I can rarely attract the waitress's attention, so I never get a second pint.
I used to read ebooks on the computer and practice the box at the same time. It sort of works, except that I can't really remember much of what i've read afterwards. So now I'm going to have to go all the way back to the beginning to find out what ever happened to Frodo and his smallish pals.
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by Gzeg
Re: Talking while playing accordion
Herself does that to me... It drives me nuts.
I have learned several phrases I can say and play simultaneously.
Primary one is Uh-huh. Another is Yup. Another is Nope.
She claims I am not listening when she bejabbers while I am playing. No comment on that one
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by zippydw
Re: Talking while playing accordion
I can talk while playing guitar. And if something wasn't in the way, I could talk while playing whistle or harmonica.
But I am still at the stage on the accordion where I am thinking of mechanics, so I must focus full attention. I have gotten to the point where I can lift a foot or hup for the next tune without dropping a stitch, but that is about it.
# Posted on November 27th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: Talking while playing accordion
One short sentence, that's all what I can do :(
A beer Please
# Posted on November 28th 2007 by RoLuPiN
Re: Talking while playing accordion
this is an interesting topic that I've often wondered about. I always assumed it had something to do with "how much" of your brain you were using at any given time as to whether you could talk. As a relatively new fiddle player I find it impossible to utter even a single letter (key of tune)! However as a long time mandolin player I find with very comfortable tunes - I can have a modest conversation. While playing back-up guitar, I can deliver an oratory (unless I actually want it to sound good).
Maybe its just me!
# Posted on December 5th 2007 by geoffmc