PRACTICE TIPS #5: Stopping the "Dreaded Stopsies"

[Brent Hugh <bhugh@griffon.mwsc.edu>]

======================================================================

PRACTICE TIPS is an occasional email newsletter with practical

piano practice tips and ideas, by Brent Hugh



You are receiving PRACTICE TIPS because you subscribed

to PRACTICE TIPS at the Practice Tips Web Page or because you

are a student of Brent Hugh.  To end your subscription to PRACTICE

TIPS, see the instructions at the end of this message.

======================================================================



PRACTICE TIPS #5: Stopping the "Dreaded Stopsies"

=================================================

Here is a common problem experienced by piano students: A talented, 

hard-working, and conscientious student is working on a piece.  The student 

is working hour after hour on the piece, but in performance for the teacher 

or anyone else, it seems impossible for the student to play with complete 

fluency.  The performance is marred by numerous  stops, start-overs, and 

stutters.  The student continually finds him- or herself making some small 

error and then circling back a couple of notes or beats to correct the error.



In short, the student has a bad case of the Dreaded Stopsies.





What causes the Dreaded Stopsies?

--------------------------------------------------------------

The cause of the Stopsies is found in this simple truth about piano playing:



    As you practice, so will you play.



So, if you are *playing in a performance* with the Stopsies, it is because 

you have been *practicing* with the Stopsies.



"But I didn't notice myself practicing with any stops, stutters, or 

start-overs!"



Of course you didn't!  The mind has the most amazing way of editing out of 

your conscious awareness things you didn't really mean, but just because 

you "didn't really mean it" does NOT mean that it didn't really 

happen.  And if it happens often enough, it becomes part of that "picture . 

. . imprinted on the brain" that is associated with the passage you are 

practicing.  Whenever you perform that passage, you follow the picture 

imprinted on your brain for the passage, and since that picture now 

includes a stop, stutter, and start-over, you will play that, too.



If you start paying attention carefully to your playing while practicing, 

you will find the "Stopsie Scenario" happening, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 

times every minute you are practicing:



    1. You are practicing a passage.

    2. You make a mistake in notes, fingerings, or something else.

    3. You notice the mistake immediately.

    4. You immediately back up a few notes or beats and try again,

       this time (or perhaps after a few tries) playing correctly.



Let's stop and do a little math.  Suppose you have a fairly mild case of 

the Dreaded  Stopsies.  The Stopsie Scenario is happening, say, 3 or 4 

times every minute you practice.  If you are practicing 10 hours per week, 

this means you are practicing the Stopsie Scenario over *two thousand times 

per week*!  Even if you practice only three hours per week, you may still 

be "practicing" the Stopsie Scenario between 500 and 1000 times per week.



With that number of repetitions, it is no wonder that the Stopsies become 

an ingrained part of your performance!





How do you stop the Dreaded Stopsies in their tracks?

-----------------------------------------------------

The short answer to the Stopsies is this: STOP practicing them!



In practicing and in performance, NEVER allow yourself to be stopped by an 

error.  ALWAYS push through the error, playing with wrong notes and fingers 

if you must, but keeping the rhythm and pulse as steady as possible.  NEVER 

skip backwards and repeat the notes leading up to an error.  If you must 

skip, skip forwards, cutting out a beat or a measure, but *never* repeat a 

beat or a measure.



Then, when you have pushed through the problem spot and are again in 

control of your performance, you may stop, evaluate what caused the problem 

spot, and fix it.



You may stop yourself while practicing, but never, never, Never, NEVER 

allow a mistake to stop you!



More on this in future issues . . .





Happy Practicing!



--Brent



---------------------------------------------------------------------

PRACTICE TIPS is by pianist, teacher, composer, and internet nerd

Brent Hugh.  Brent knows about practicing mostly because he *does*

it, and in fact is toddling off to do some of it just about now . . .



Several people have asked about PRACTICE TIPS archives.  World-wide

Web Archives of PRACTICE TIPS ISSUES are planned, but it may be a

few weeks or months before they become a reality.  I will announce

the archives here when they appear.



Responses to PRACTICE TIPS articles are welcome, as are your ideas

and thoughts about practicing--part of the idea of PRACTICE TIPS is

to establish an online community of people who are interested in

interesting and innovative approaches to learning music.  So I

welcome your responses and ideas and may use them (with due

credit given, of course) as the basis for future articles. (Private

responses are welcome, too--just mark them clearly "Private Response".)



To unsubscribe from PRACTICE TIPS, send a message



     TO: listserv@griffon.mwsc.edu

     SUBJECT: [leave blank, it is ignored]

     MESSAGE BODY: unsubscribe practice



You are welcome to forward PRACTICE TIPS to others as long as the

ENTIRE message, including this trailer, is forwarded.  Friends can

find out how to subscribe to PRACTICE TIPS at

           <http://www.mwsc.edu/~bhugh/practice-tips.html>

---------------------------------------------------------------------



Online Piano Pedagogy Message Board:

http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb175278





+++++++++++++++++++ Brent Hugh / bhugh@griffon.mwsc.edu ++++++++++++++++++

+   Missouri Western State College Dept of Music, St. Joseph, Missouri   +

+               Piano Home Page: http://www.mwsc.edu/~bhugh              +

+ Internet Piano Concert:  http://cctr.umkc.edu/userx/bhugh/recital.html +

++++++++++ Classical Piano MP3s http://www.mp3.com/brent_d_hugh ++++++++++