Dear Friends,

Recently, I read an interview with pianist Marie-Catherine Girod, where she said: “I remember very well, when I was young, I said: 'I am a pianist.' When I was about 30, I said: 'I am a musician.' It’s not the same. Probably too late, I understood that it was more important to try to play music, instead of just the piano.”

This led me to ponder the difference between the terms “pianist” and “musician.” Here are some I came up with:

A pianist cares about improving technique for its own sake.

A musician uses technique to express emotions and connect with other people.

A pianist values fast and loud playing above all else.

A musician enjoys the poetry of a long lyrical line.

A pianist mostly listens to piano music and often compares or assesses the performers.

A musician listens to all kinds of music and derives inspiration from it.

A pianist spends a lot of time practicing technical exercises for their own sake, separate from any utility in playing repertoire.

A musician practices technical exercises in order to supplement repertoire they are playing and increase their ease at the instrument.

A pianist focuses on the mechanics of producing sound.

A musician is attentive to the quality of the sound being produced and constantly works to improve and mold it.

Which are you? Be a musician, not just a pianist!

Happy Practicing! 🎹

-Kate

P.S. Marie-Catherine Giraud is known, among other things, for her recordings of the complete piano works of Felix Mendelssohn. Here is a link to her beautiful recording of the 6 Mendelssohn Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35.

In every newsletter I share one practice tip based on that month’s practice theme. November’s theme is “Gaining Security.”

Today's Practice Tip: Use Spaced Repetition!

Spaced repetition is a powerful learning technique that can greatly aid in memorizing and internalizing the notes for a new piece at the piano. This method involves reviewing the material at increasing intervals over time, allowing for optimal retention and long-term learning.

The key to spaced repetition is to learn the music and revisit the material at gradually increasing intervals. For example, learn a segment of music to the point where you can play it well - usually this happens after drilling it 5-7 times. And then, practice a different segment from the same piece. After a few minutes, go back to the first segment you were working on and practice it again. Then, revist the second segment. After that, you’ll be ready to tackle the third segment, and add it to your spaced-repetition mix.

By leaving space between repetitions, the brain will forget it just a little bit and then you’ll go back and re-learn it. When something is brand new, the repetitions should be quite close together (5 minutes or so). As you get to know the music better and better, you can spread out the repetitions, adding more time between them.

This week’s exercise: Using a piece that you are currently in the note-learning phase of, start by breaking the music into smaller sections. Begin with the first section and practice it until you can play it comfortably without errors. Then, set your timer for 5 minutes, and move on to the next section and practice that.

When the timer goes off, return to the first section and practice it again by drilling it 5-7 more times and getting it to the point where you can play it comfortably. This will take less time than it did the first time.

Then, set your timer for another five minutes and return to the second section, drilling it during that time frame.

When you’re comfortable with the first section, you can tackle the third section in the piece using the same method. Every now and then, play the first section to just review it and re-learn the notes.

Quote of the Week