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Hello again, Bruno.
There are at least four reasons why you have problem keeping your momentum
throughout an entire piece. They may be contributing individually or
together to various degrees.
1. You don't know how to play the piece well enough.
Have you learnt the piece by heart? Do you know how the piece works, what
each phrase, each note is doing, where it is going? Do you know when to
change dynamics, tone colour? Are you conscious of how long each inhalation
should be? How about the pause between ending an exhalation and beginning an
inhalation? How are you ending each phrase? Why?
2. You do not have the strength and stamina to keep the momentum up for the
whole piece.
Playing shakuhachi is a physical activity. Sometimes we simply tire before
the piece is finished. This is related to #1. It is also related to the
quantity and quality of your practice. Rule of thumb: One's practice is
never enough and also never high quality enough. High quality practice
implies good energy levels, good concentration, alertness and awareness, in
other words, good physical, mental and emotional health. It also implies
stretching one's limits, including those of your sense of hearing.
A good way to practice long pieces is to sometimes start your practice
two-thirds into the piece. If you always start from the beginning and you
tend to tire half way through, you may soon develop the habit of loosing the
momentum before the end. This problem can be helped by sometimes practicing
the end sections as if they were the beginning ones.
3. The piece does not resonate with you. We all have our favourite pieces.
Likewise, few if any of us like all honkyoku, or even all of the honkyoku
that we have been taught. Don't spend your precious and limited time playing
pieces that don't excite you. Some pieces need rest from playing too. The
piece for you today may not be the same one tomorrow (people who play only
one piece all their lives not withstanding).
4. The piece isn't a very good one. This may be subjective, and might be the
same thing as #2. There are however, some pieces that I learned, and even
more that I have heard, that I feel no obligation or inclination to play or
to pass on.
Honkyoku was not originally 'stage music', but it can be. A 20 minute
version of Reibo can be appreciated by audiences larger and more diverse
than one might think. Solo concerts lasting 90 minutes or more of just
honkyoku, performed on a single length of bamboo can be well received if the
pieces are chosen and performed well.
If the performer is not inspired by a piece, then the audience certainly
will not be. Even if the performer is very inspired and transfixed by
his/her own playing of a piece, the audience still might not be. To play
honkyoku as a meditation is one thing; to play it as music to be appreciated
by an audience is another. Elements overlap here, but technique and
musicality are far more important with the latter.
Best regards, Riley
--Dr. Riley Lee Sound of Bamboo PO Box 939 Manly NSW 1655 Australia Tel: 02 9976 6904 mobile: 0414 626 453 www.rileylee.net
Bruno,
I get the same when playing to people. Honkyoku is not stage music. To adapt it for concerts even before ofay audiences you need to make deep cuts. Half length seems to work usually.
Art Tatum had the same problem, if that's any comfort.
Paul
Hi everyone,
There is something I am having problem with when playing honkyoku pieces. It is the question of what I would call momentum. When we listen a Western classical piece, we know of the melody, of different parts in the piece, some more quiet, some more alive, then the theme comes back and then there is the ending. With songs it is much simpler. A melody that is repeated.
With honkyoku pieces, because of the way they are, there is no such clear defined parts and melodies. My problem is to keep the piece "alive" and musical all the way to the end. There is some form of climax in most pieces, but yet, because of their meditative characters, it is hard to keep a momentum, especially if the piece if long and hard to play. I can start a piece with a good feeling, but then I kind of get tired, or I can even loose "focus" and at the end, the only feeling I have is that I was able to get to the end.
I hope I am clear.
Anyone has some thoughts on that.
Thanks!
________________ Bruno Deschenes Tel.: (514) 277-4665 * Fax: (514) 844-5498 E-mail: musis@videotron.ca
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<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: re Momentum</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Hello again, Bruno.<BR> <BR> There are at least four reasons why you have problem keeping your momentum = throughout an entire piece. They may be contributing individually or togethe= r to various degrees.<BR> <BR> <B>1. You don't know how to play the piece well enough.</B> <BR> Have you learnt the piece by heart? Do you know how the piece works, what e= ach phrase, each note is doing, where it is going? Do you know when to chang= e dynamics, tone colour? Are you conscious of how long each inhalation shoul= d be? How about the pause between ending an exhalation and beginning an inha= lation? How are you ending each phrase? Why? <BR> <BR> <B>2. You do not have the strength and stamina to keep the momentum up for = the whole piece.</B> <BR> Playing shakuhachi is a physical activity. Sometimes we simply tire before = the piece is finished. This is related to #1. It is also related to the quan= tity and quality of your practice. Rule of thumb: One's practice is never en= ough and also never high quality enough. High quality practice implies good = energy levels, good concentration, alertness and awareness, in other words, = good physical, mental and emotional health. It also implies stretching one's= limits, including those of your sense of hearing.<BR> <BR> A good way to practice long pieces is to sometimes start your practice two-= thirds into the piece. If you always start from the beginning and you tend t= o tire half way through, you may soon develop the habit of loosing the momen= tum before the end. This problem can be helped by sometimes practicing the e= nd sections as if they were the beginning ones.<BR> <B><BR> 3. The piece does not resonate with you.</B> We all have our favourite piec= es. Likewise, few if any of us like all honkyoku, or even all of the honkyok= u that we have been taught. Don't spend your precious and limited time playi= ng pieces that don't excite you. Some pieces need rest from playing too. The= piece for you today may not be the same one tomorrow (people who play only = one piece all their lives not withstanding).<BR> <BR> <B>4. The piece isn't a very good one.</B> This may be subjective, and migh= t be the same thing as #2. There are however, some pieces that I learned, an= d even more that I have heard, that I feel no obligation or inclination to p= lay or to pass on. <BR> <BR> <BR> Honkyoku was not originally 'stage music', but it can be. A 20 minute versi= on of Reibo can be appreciated by audiences larger and more diverse than one= might think. Solo concerts lasting 90 minutes or more of just honkyoku, per= formed on a single length of bamboo can be well received if the pieces are c= hosen and performed well.<BR> <BR> If the performer is not inspired by a piece, then the audience certainly wi= ll not be. Even if the performer is very inspired and transfixed by his/her = own playing of a piece, the audience still might not be. To play honkyoku as= a meditation is one thing; to play it as music to be appreciated by an audi= ence is another. Elements overlap here, but technique and musicality are far= more important with the latter. <BR> <BR> Best regards, Riley<BR> --<BR> <BR> Dr. Riley Lee<BR> Sound of Bamboo <BR> PO Box 939 Manly NSW 1655 Australia<BR> Tel: 02 9976 6904 mobile: 0414 626 453<BR> www.rileylee.net<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <BR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>Bruno, <BR> <BR> I get the same when playing to people. Honkyoku is not stage music. To adap= t it for concerts even before ofay audiences you need to make deep cuts. Hal= f length seems to work usually.<BR> <BR> Art Tatum had the same problem, if that's any comfort.<BR> <BR> Paul<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE><BR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Hi everyone,<BR> <BR> There is something I am having problem with when playing honkyoku<BR> pieces. It is the question of what I would call momentum. When we listen<BR= > a Western classical piece, we know of the melody, of different parts in<BR> the piece, some more quiet, some more alive, then the theme comes back<BR> and then there is the ending. With songs it is much simpler. A melody<BR> that is repeated. <BR> <BR> With honkyoku pieces, because of the way they are, there is no such<BR> clear defined parts and melodies. My problem is to keep the piece<BR> "alive" and musical all the way to the end. There is some form of= climax<BR> in most pieces, but yet, because of their meditative characters, it is<BR> hard to keep a momentum, especially if the piece if long and hard to<BR> play. I can start a piece with a good feeling, but then I kind of get<BR> tired, or I can even loose "focus" and at the end, the only feeli= ng I<BR> have is that I was able to get to the end.<BR> <BR> I hope I am clear. <BR> <BR> Anyone has some thoughts on that.<BR> <BR> Thanks!<BR> <BR> <BR> ________________<BR> Bruno Deschenes<BR> Tel.: (514) 277-4665 * Fax: (514) 844-5498 <BR> E-mail: <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>musis@videotron.ca<BR> </U></FONT><BR> </BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>
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