How Two Come to Play As One

I don’t know whether you are a fan of figure skating, and if not please forgive the brief digression from the subject of this newsletter.

Last night the senior ladies skated the first of 2 programs that will decide the national champion and lead to the selection of 2 skaters to go to the winter Olympics next month. The big news was the amazingly artistic and talented Sasha Cohen, who began her much anticipated come back by landing herself in second place, and just tenths of a point from edging out another extraordinary talent Marai Nagasu for first.

Mind you, this is someone who has not competed in four years, a tremendously long absence in a sport as physically and psychologically challenging as figure skating.

We were able to watch the competition live online last night. On Saturday you can catch the action in the ‘long’ program on NBC. At this point the top 3 gals are within a point of each other. Only 2 will be able to go to the Olympics.

It’s going to be quite a dogfight.

Alrighty, just had to get that off my chest, hope you’re still with me.

A couple days ago I had a question regarding the Bach ‘double’. Specifically I was asked how to go about creating ensemble with another player.

Now with Bach the challenge is really just two-fold. Both players must play in tune and in time, it’s about as simple as that. But hang on, that is certainly easier said than done. And don’t think I don’t know it.

So here’s how you train.

To begin with, you’re not going to get anywhere if you cannot ‘live’ within a tempo. The first challenge, therefore is mastering the flow of time.

And this is where my counting technique is so important. Though metronomes are well and good, they are no substitute for being able to take personal responsibility for ‘time’ while playing.

Now this may mean an investment of time in playing SLOWLY while you master the ability to verbalize the beats while playing the music. As you begin this process, you may even surrender keeping a steady tempo all together in favor of putting beat labels and notes together.

When you force yourself to account for the beats as you play, you began to get control of the music at a much deeper level.

Yet I’ll say it again. This takes patience and discipline. You must believe me when I say there is a breakthrough moment when the mind opens and the learning process springs forward like water bursting through a dam.

The secret is to take it down to the lowest common denominator. Where speech and physical movement can be absolutely knit together.

Once you CAN verbalize as you play only THEN do you begin focusing on the steadiness of the time, gradually raising the bar as you are able.

A brief note here. In a previous email I said that I don’t spend a lot of time at ‘medium’ tempos, and this is true. Yet someone new to the process of verbalizing the beat will find these medium tempos very necessary. After you’ve gained experience with the technique you may find that a couple times through at a slow tempo will suffice for getting most music ‘in your fingers.’

Of course the other challenge is playing in tune, and with that I include ‘cleanness’ of execution. Now we are getting into all matter of issues involving left and right hand technique. And though I’d like to, there is no way I’m going to be able to ‘work through’ the Bach Double in an email.

What I would recommend, however, if you want to master works of Bach such as this, is to subscribe to my Allegro Players. In this course I take you all manner of works, including a Handel Sonata, which will prepare you beautifully for Bach. And it’s a great time to do so as ALL the prices on my courses have just been reduced 20% for 2010.

All the best, Clayton Haslop

P.S. One final word about this counting thing. Once you have the control to do this playing with another person becomes a snap simply because all the excess conscious control you have can now be brought to bear on LISTENING to your partner, with no sacrifice in what is coming from your own instrument. Now all you’ve got to do is convince your partner to do the same for you!