Recent neurophysiologic studies confirm that just imagining the movements in your mind fires neurons in the motor cortex and facilitates the motor learning of complex movements. Many athletes and musicians instinctively 'practice' this way - by just imagining the movement - it speeds the acquisition of these motor skills but must best be done with focused attention and detailed imagery. . ..talk about zen. tj
-----Original Message----- From: Daniel Winheld <[email protected]> To: David van Ooijen <[email protected]>; [email protected] Sent: Fri, Sep 10, 2010 12:07 pm Subject: [LUTE] Re: Newsidler's Lamora, Benedictus, La Bernadina & Unnecessarie Zen >I have another take on this. Study slowly and precisely. Streamlining >the motion of both hands. In other words, know what the fingers do, >get rid of superfluous movements and work on muscle memory. Slowly, >don't speed up. Don't fall into the trap of studying your mistakes. >Chop the runs into groups of 4 notes (or whatever is appropriate) and >think of each group of four notes as a unit. Study the unit. String >the units together. The speed up. This can go remarkably fast, the >speeding up that is. I think it has to do, my theory anyway, with how >fast we can think. Speeding up the metronome, but remainign to think >about every note individually, will have an upper limit in thinking, >an upper limit in control. When thinking of four notes as one unit, we >can suddenly think, or control, the music at quadruple speed. > >David "...it is most necessarie to handle the lute often, yet never but when thy genius favours thee, that is, when thou feelest thyself inclyned to musicke: For there is a certaine natural disposition, for learning the arts naturally infused into us, and shewing in us rather at one time than another, which if one will provoke by immoderate labor, he shall fight against Nature. Therefore when thou shalt finde thy selfe aptlie disposed, and hast time and opportunitie, spare no paynes, yet keepe this course. Chuse one lesson thy selfe according to thy capacitie, which give not over by looking over others, or straggling from one to another, till thou have got it reasonably perfect, and doe not onely beginne it by going through it to the end at first sight, but EXAMINE EACH PART OF IT DILIGENTLY, AND STAY UPON ANY ONE POINT (THOUGH THOU PLAY IT OVER A THOUSAND TIMES) until thou get it in some sort. The like you shall doe in all parts of the said song, till you shall finde your selfe prettily seene in it. .I dare promise you faithfully and without deceit, that nothing is more fit to second this businesse than patience in the beginning: for nothing can be gotten in an instant, and you must not thinke to play your lessons presently (perfectly?) at first sight, for that is impossible. Wherefore take no other care but onely to strike all the Griffes (chords?) and Notes and notes that are in the middle betwixt them well and plainely, though slowly: for within a while, whether you will or no, you will get a habit of swiftness. Neither can you get that cleere expressing of Notes, unlesse you doe use your selfe to that in the beginning; which cleane delivery every man that favours Musicke, doth farre preferre before all the swiftness and unreasonable noyse that can be. Take this for a farewell: that this divine Art, which at this time is by so great men followed, ought to be used by thee with that great gracefulnesse which is fit for learned men to use, and with a kinde of majestie: yea, so that thou have any skill in it be not ashamed at the request of honest friends to shew thy cunning: but if thou chancest to get an habit of perfection, prophane not the Goddesse, with making thy selfe cheape for a sleight gaine." Dr. J.B. Besardo, "Varietie of Lute Lessons" 1610 -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
