Browsing around on the intertubes, inspired by the question of the material factos affecting tonality of an instrument, I came across a very interesting report from a fellow who had judged a high-level classical flute competition.
The notes themselves are (to me) fascinating, since this is a rare chance to be a fly on the wall when classical players talk amongst themselves about what they do. Others might be bored stiff, I imagine, but anyway, the link is here: http://www.larrykrantz.com/geneva.htm
This quote, I think, fits in with any number of discussions that have happened on this board, and it's worth pulling out:
One of the best descriptions of how to excel under pressure comes from Reggie Jackson, the great American home run hitter in baseball. Since I don't have the exact quote I shall paraphrase: "I never try to isolate myself, to cut off awareness of the crowd or to feel alone as if only I and the pitcher are there", he said. "When I can embrace the energy of EVERYONE in the stadium, feel aware of everything -- then I can hit the home run".
Wow. So Reggie assumes everyone in the stadium wants him to hit the home run. Wonder if that works for away games....
So it *should* work at sessions and concerts, since most listeners really do want the musician to play well.
Then again, hitting a home run takes only one good swing. You can foul off a lot of pitches and you're still batting great. Swinging a fiddle bow at the notes doesn't allow for taking balls, fouling off iffy pitches, or taking the wait sign. And the damn notes just keep flying at you, 95 mph, fastballs, curve balls, knucklers, change ups.
Thanks, Jon. I have new appreciation for my ability to bat notes around with my bow, even if two-thirds don't end up in play.
Pressure is all relative to me.
If I'm worried or afraid of screwing up, then I will screw up. If I feel pressured and I'm worried and afraid, I'm just being a fool. The movers and shakers turn pressure into positive energy much like Reggie is describing. Pressure can allow us to focus on the task at hand more seriously when approached with no worries or fear.
What is there to be worried or afraid about? Failure?
Oh C'mon I tell me. Don't be a wimp. I'm gonna get out there and be the best Gol Durn failure who ever shook a stick!!!!
"We of the jury could clearly hear who was striving to participate in a trio creation and who was playing a flute solo with two other instruments.
Off subject but anyone else notice this type of thing in sessions?
I didn't read everything from the link, but the one thing that jumped out at me was the guy's description of music that is "torture":
"torture" -- An Andersen virtuoso salon piece that simply never ended. Its terrible music and its programming reflects immature musicianship. By the time one gets to third round in a competition like Geneva, the jury is already fully aware that one can play the chromatic scale and does not need to hear it and other hollow bravura nonsense for over twenty minutes. Advice to future contestants: stay away from nonensical "bladder-busters" in which the listener can only focus on "when will the end come so I can go?".
I apologize that this is slightly off-topic (looking at len's post, I guess there's several parallels that can be drawn between classical and Irish), but I can just imagine a similar thing happening in Irish sessions.
Apart from music competitions, which are a special case, 99% of audiences (concert hall, gig, pub session etc) don't notice mistakes, either in notes or technique (shaky bow* for example), basically because they are not concentrating at anything approaching the musician's level. The 1% who do notice will likely have been there themselves, will have the tee-shirt, and will understand.
* shaky bow (usually from nervousness).
Cause: If the bow is moving as you start the note (e.g. if you are dropping the moving bow onto the string) then any stiffness in the arm or hand will cause a bow bounce or shake which will propagate along the the length of the bow stroke.
Cure: Make sure the bowing arm and hand are relaxed, take a breath and start with the bow stationary on the string and engaging the string (it's only for a tiny fraction of a second) before you start the note.
For me it's totally in the mind. If you know the tune and how to play it at a certain level, the only difference is the suroundings.
That said, I'm pretty comfortable with my session roll, so the "pressure" is almost non existant. Playing lead tip in a highland pipe band competition is where this hits me.
I know the beatings, but I know that my left hand is weaker than my right. It's all in my what my "inner voice " is saying that day. I've literally been in the circle staring at my left hand mumbling"Relax, and don't f*ck up. There's usually a bit in the first tune to test whether I get through it. If it goes bad, I'm looking for the next weird part and end up getting marked down on the easy stuff also.
Then , when I'm at the next practice and play everything fine, I usually get caught mumbling at my left hand again. "Why couldn't you do that on Saturday!"
The mind can be evil when let about on it's own.
PS- I'm from Boston... I never gave Reggie any positive energy.
Surely the whole point of the Jackson quote was that he would take the energy from EVERYONE in the stadium, ie those rooting for him as well as those against him, and use it all in making his play. I think that's the trick, if you're into competitive stuff, including music, such as in music competitions.
However, fortunately, I only want to have fun, mainly in sessions, where, as long as I'm with decent people, we'll have a ball in any case, and sometimes in gigs, where I really don't care so much about the music as about the 'conversation' between performers and audience. And that doesn't rely on the performers being technically perfect.
Reggie might be mistaken--personally, I doubt he is thinking about anything but the ball, as it approaches the plate. Supremely talented people are not always good judges of what makes them so talented.
And I think that we're all trying to excel, in our little sessions. We're just realistic about it.
I suppose I have a rather, uh, broad definition of "excel"--as in, "plays mostly the right notes, instead of mostly wrong ones."
We might not be trying for a home run every time, but let's be honest--we do care about our on-base percentage. (For the non-baseballers out there: I'm saying that we strive to maintain a tolerable level of mediocrity, at least--we have to have some standards....)
I like to try to excel - even if nobody notices, I shoot for excellent. The quote from Reggie to me points up the importance of being open to the whole situation, rather than trying to reduce it to just "playing the right notes".
If the point of turning up a session is to enjoy being in a place with a set of people, then it seems to me excellent playing necessarily entails playing that is in the whole place, not just in the space with me and the tune. It's far too easy to get trapped in that space, and then we have "a solo with other instruments".
This isn't so much a matter of "pressure to excel" as simply trying to play as well as possible. I know that there's nothing to win and nothing to lose here.
It can also be an opportunity to experiment & make some mistakes, with very low pressure. The only pressure I sense, playing tunes, is what we place on our own shoulders. Unless it is a session with zero banter.
I prefer Crash Davis. He says to get out of your head. I do better when I'm not thinking so hard about the next chord/note but go with the music - learn it but then hear it and feel it. Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical - Yogi Berra (also a Yankee - but his quotes are great)
How to excel under pressure
How to excel under pressure
Browsing around on the intertubes, inspired by the question of the material factos affecting tonality of an instrument, I came across a very interesting report from a fellow who had judged a high-level classical flute competition.
The notes themselves are (to me) fascinating, since this is a rare chance to be a fly on the wall when classical players talk amongst themselves about what they do. Others might be bored stiff, I imagine, but anyway, the link is here: http://www.larrykrantz.com/geneva.htm
This quote, I think, fits in with any number of discussions that have happened on this board, and it's worth pulling out:
One of the best descriptions of how to excel under pressure comes from Reggie Jackson, the great American home run hitter in baseball. Since I don't have the exact quote I shall paraphrase: "I never try to isolate myself, to cut off awareness of the crowd or to feel alone as if only I and the pitcher are there", he said. "When I can embrace the energy of EVERYONE in the stadium, feel aware of everything -- then I can hit the home run".
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: How to excel under pressure
Wow. So Reggie assumes everyone in the stadium wants him to hit the home run. Wonder if that works for away games....
So it *should* work at sessions and concerts, since most listeners really do want the musician to play well.
Then again, hitting a home run takes only one good swing. You can foul off a lot of pitches and you're still batting great. Swinging a fiddle bow at the notes doesn't allow for taking balls, fouling off iffy pitches, or taking the wait sign. And the damn notes just keep flying at you, 95 mph, fastballs, curve balls, knucklers, change ups.
Thanks, Jon. I have new appreciation for my ability to bat notes around with my bow, even if two-thirds don't end up in play.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: How to excel under pressure
I think a little pressure in most situations where we aim to do well is a good thing, for me at any rate. Stops me from becoming complacent.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Solidmahog
Re: How to excel under pressure
Pressure is all relative to me.
If I'm worried or afraid of screwing up, then I will screw up. If I feel pressured and I'm worried and afraid, I'm just being a fool. The movers and shakers turn pressure into positive energy much like Reggie is describing. Pressure can allow us to focus on the task at hand more seriously when approached with no worries or fear.
What is there to be worried or afraid about? Failure?
Oh C'mon I tell me. Don't be a wimp. I'm gonna get out there and be the best Gol Durn failure who ever shook a stick!!!!
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Gone to work
Re: How to excel under pressure
Quote from above article :-
"We of the jury could clearly hear who was striving to participate in a trio creation and who was playing a flute solo with two other instruments.
Off subject but anyone else notice this type of thing in sessions?
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by len
Re: How to excel under pressure
len, IMO that IS a majority of session players by far Im sorry to say.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by piobagusfidil
Re: How to excel under pressure
Fascinating article, Jon. Musicians from all genres should read and take note.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by DonaldK
Re: How to excel under pressure
I didn't read everything from the link, but the one thing that jumped out at me was the guy's description of music that is "torture":
"torture" -- An Andersen virtuoso salon piece that simply never ended. Its terrible music and its programming reflects immature musicianship. By the time one gets to third round in a competition like Geneva, the jury is already fully aware that one can play the chromatic scale and does not need to hear it and other hollow bravura nonsense for over twenty minutes. Advice to future contestants: stay away from nonensical "bladder-busters" in which the listener can only focus on "when will the end come so I can go?".
I apologize that this is slightly off-topic (looking at len's post, I guess there's several parallels that can be drawn between classical and Irish), but I can just imagine a similar thing happening in Irish sessions.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Jason G
Re: How to excel under pressure
The point in Jackson's quote is that energy is neutral, its just what it is. Whether its directed for positive or negative reasons is immaterial.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by piobagusfidil
Re: How to excel under pressure
Apart from music competitions, which are a special case, 99% of audiences (concert hall, gig, pub session etc) don't notice mistakes, either in notes or technique (shaky bow* for example), basically because they are not concentrating at anything approaching the musician's level. The 1% who do notice will likely have been there themselves, will have the tee-shirt, and will understand.
* shaky bow (usually from nervousness).
Cause: If the bow is moving as you start the note (e.g. if you are dropping the moving bow onto the string) then any stiffness in the arm or hand will cause a bow bounce or shake which will propagate along the the length of the bow stroke.
Cure: Make sure the bowing arm and hand are relaxed, take a breath and start with the bow stationary on the string and engaging the string (it's only for a tiny fraction of a second) before you start the note.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Trevor Jennings
Re: How to excel under pressure
<<The keys to success are musicality, creativity and drive.>>
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by piobagusfidil
Re: How to excel under pressure
For me it's totally in the mind. If you know the tune and how to play it at a certain level, the only difference is the suroundings.
That said, I'm pretty comfortable with my session roll, so the "pressure" is almost non existant. Playing lead tip in a highland pipe band competition is where this hits me.
I know the beatings, but I know that my left hand is weaker than my right. It's all in my what my "inner voice " is saying that day. I've literally been in the circle staring at my left hand mumbling"Relax, and don't f*ck up. There's usually a bit in the first tune to test whether I get through it. If it goes bad, I'm looking for the next weird part and end up getting marked down on the easy stuff also.
Then , when I'm at the next practice and play everything fine, I usually get caught mumbling at my left hand again. "Why couldn't you do that on Saturday!"
The mind can be evil when let about on it's own.
PS- I'm from Boston... I never gave Reggie any positive energy.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by mainiac
Re: How to excel under pressure
Have you read; ''the inner game of music ''mainiac? If not you might find it interesting.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by piobagusfidil
Re: How to excel under pressure
Surely the whole point of the Jackson quote was that he would take the energy from EVERYONE in the stadium, ie those rooting for him as well as those against him, and use it all in making his play. I think that's the trick, if you're into competitive stuff, including music, such as in music competitions.
However, fortunately, I only want to have fun, mainly in sessions, where, as long as I'm with decent people, we'll have a ball in any case, and sometimes in gigs, where I really don't care so much about the music as about the 'conversation' between performers and audience. And that doesn't rely on the performers being technically perfect.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by ethical blend
Re: How to excel under pressure
Thanks "piobagusfidil" for the recomendation. I'll put it on my winter read list.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by mainiac
Re: How to excel under pressure
To ethical blend- only a Yankee could be so devious as to feed on my negative energy! AARRGGH
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by mainiac
Re: How to excel under pressure
Reggie Jackson interview ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-kw231cGZs
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: How to excel under pressure
Interesting interview. The YouTube clip didn't have the quote from the OP in it though ...
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by ethical blend
Re: How to excel under pressure
Interesting to note that nobody seems to have responded to Daniel.
Daniel; you're a troll. Begone, foul denizen of the underworld !
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Guernsey Pete
Re: How to excel under pressure
Daniel is a machine. Jeremy has been notified, he'll go away as the others like him have. Pay it no mind.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: How to excel under pressure
Ridikulus! (I think that is the correct spell).
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: How to excel under pressure
I was just out for a laff about Reggie's concept working at away games....
For me, the thing about playing in sessions is that there is no pressure, and so no need to excel.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: How to excel under pressure
Reggie might be mistaken--personally, I doubt he is thinking about anything but the ball, as it approaches the plate. Supremely talented people are not always good judges of what makes them so talented.
And I think that we're all trying to excel, in our little sessions. We're just realistic about it.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by John Galt
Re: How to excel under pressure
Actually, no, I can honestly say that I'm not trying to excel in sessions. I just want to have fun.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by ethical blend
Re: How to excel under pressure
Hey, we're not in danger of getting competitive about not excelling are we?
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by ethical blend
Re: How to excel under pressure
I suppose I have a rather, uh, broad definition of "excel"--as in, "plays mostly the right notes, instead of mostly wrong ones."
We might not be trying for a home run every time, but let's be honest--we do care about our on-base percentage. (For the non-baseballers out there: I'm saying that we strive to maintain a tolerable level of mediocrity, at least--we have to have some standards....)
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by John Galt
Re: How to excel under pressure
I like to try to excel - even if nobody notices, I shoot for excellent. The quote from Reggie to me points up the importance of being open to the whole situation, rather than trying to reduce it to just "playing the right notes".
If the point of turning up a session is to enjoy being in a place with a set of people, then it seems to me excellent playing necessarily entails playing that is in the whole place, not just in the space with me and the tune. It's far too easy to get trapped in that space, and then we have "a solo with other instruments".
This isn't so much a matter of "pressure to excel" as simply trying to play as well as possible. I know that there's nothing to win and nothing to lose here.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: How to excel under pressure
It can also be an opportunity to experiment & make some mistakes, with very low pressure. The only pressure I sense, playing tunes, is what we place on our own shoulders. Unless it is a session with zero banter.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Ben Steen
Oh, & the pressure to play super fast.
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: How to excel under pressure
I don't know about pressure, but I do know that pinstripes make me feel a bit nauseous...
# Posted on November 28th 2010 by AlBrown
Re: How to excel under pressure
I live in a Cub household.
Who are the Yankees? The Cubs never play in post season so we are not that familiar with the other league
# Posted on November 29th 2010 by zippydw
Re: How to excel under pressure
I prefer Crash Davis. He says to get out of your head. I do better when I'm not thinking so hard about the next chord/note but go with the music - learn it but then hear it and feel it. Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical - Yogi Berra (also a Yankee - but his quotes are great)
# Posted on November 30th 2010 by grumblingoldwoman