Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

In this engaging discussion, Erica Sipes, a talented pianist and host of the live show Sightreading Maverick, dives into the art of sightreading. She emphasizes the crucial balance of physical tools alongside the often-overlooked emotional and mindset aspects. Erica shares practical techniques for managing dense chord structures and the importance of music theory. With insights on pattern recognition and collaboration, this conversation is a rich resource for musicians looking to enhance their skills and confidence in sightreading.

Discover the two essential phases of music practice and how to avoid common pitfalls that lead to sloppy performances. Learn to recognize the difference between a halfway effort and true mastery. The podcast emphasizes quality over quantity in practice, sharing transformative moments that mark real progress. Plus, get insights from listener feedback on terminology to enhance understanding. Tune in to find out what good practice really looks like!

There's nothing wrong with being average at anything.  As I once heard another podcaster say, "Most people, on average, are mediocre at most things".  To go from average to good takes some effort, but it's a smaller and seemingly less daunting step than to go from good to great.  If you're stuck on being average or good as a performer, one or more of the 7 reasons that are mentioned in this episode might be why. The YouTube clip mentioning the performance of the Hammerklavier Sonata can be found here: https://youtu.be/yRDcgjvjj2E?t=17 From this episode, what most resonated with you, or what do you think I should have included?  Let me know by telling me directly at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.  

Frank Lehman, a musicologist and Tufts University professor, dives into the genius of John Williams, the iconic film composer celebrating his 91st birthday. They explore Williams' various influences and unique composition techniques, shedding light on lesser-known scores like 'Sabrina' and 'Images.' The discussion highlights how classical music and humor weave into his legendary scores, along with an exploration of the evolving landscape of film music. Lehman’s insights reveal the profound impact Williams has had on both film and composers alike.

Creating music on acoustic instruments (ones that don't require electricity to produce the sound) are operating on properties of physics.  Sound waves have attributes, and each pitch on an actual instrument is producing multiple sound waves at once, with the fundamental (the sound you actually hear) and overtones, which create resonance.  Overtones are inaudible unless you isolate them, which you can do on most instruments.  This is a topic that intimidates a lot of musicians, but it's important to try to dive in.  It not opens your mind to new instrumental effects, but it helps you understand the secrets to creating RICH harmony, and explains why some chord choices just don't work as well as others. This episode is meant to work in podcast format only.  However there are a number of videos, charts, and sheet music examples that might make the video version of this a better choice for some of you.  You can find that here: https://youtu.be/_fNUPW-l5YM Special thanks to Jennifer Lane and Harlan Feinstein for their contributions! If you have a question or feedback after listening to this episode you can leave a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Whether you're a student pianist or you're already accomplished when it comes to classical music and reading fully notated scores, it's a different experience to take a lead sheet (with just a melody line and chord symbols) and perform it with accuracy, creativity, good voice-leading, and then add some improvisation.  But if you're a well-rounded musician, this world shouldn't be intimidating. Federico Pivetta is a great pianist who is comfortable in both the classical and jazz worlds, where he is in local and regional demand as one of the best jazz pianists in the area.  He helps us learn about the harmonic language of jazz, how to work with a lead sheet, the basics of improvisation and some exercises to develop this skill, and an intro to some of the various rhythmic styles. If you have a question or feedback after listening to this episode you can leave a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.  

There are dozens and dozens of genres, but there are really 2 ways of learning music (with small variations of each).  One way can be helped by strong skills of sight reading, knowledge of music theory, and the ability to read written rhythms.  The other way can be helped by a well-developed ear, improvisation skills, and great applied knowledge of music theory.  I call it the Classical vs Jazz approach but (again) I'm not talking about the genres.  For example, you can use a classical approach to learn jazz repertoire and a jazz approach to learn classical repertoire.  Check out the episode to hear the pros and cons and each, and which one I recommend. If you have a question or feedback after listening to this episode you can leave a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Bruce Tippette, an accomplished composer focusing on music for schools and churches, shares his insights on the composition process. He discusses the often-overlooked path of publishing music, emphasizing the need for creativity tailored to various age groups. Bruce delves into the complexities of navigating the grading system for ensembles, balancing artistic expression with marketability. He also offers strategies for getting published and building relationships in the music industry, highlighting the importance of adaptability and resilience for aspiring composers.

Geoff Colvin, an author renowned for his insights on success and talent, discusses the pitfalls of labeling musicians as 'talented.' He emphasizes that this label can diminish recognition of hard work and dedication. The conversation delves into how focusing on effort over innate ability fosters resilience and growth. Colvin encourages a shift in compliments, advocating for praise that highlights consistent practice and commitment rather than simplistic notions of talent. This new perspective could revolutionize how we appreciate artistic accomplishments.

When you work on music, there's so much to think about: rhythm, notes, fingerings, dynamics, articulation, tempo, and so on.  If the piece challenges you, and you're having trouble getting better, you may be trying to do too many things at once.  Hint: 2 things is too many things.  This episode offers 20 examples of how you can reduce your practice challenges down to 1 task. If you have a practice tip specific to your instrument related to "one problem at a time" that you'd like to share, please consider leaving a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit If you're not comfortable leaving a voice message, you can send me a message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact *Episode note: I mentioned that you should increase tempo on a metronome by 1-2%.  It should be 5-10%. If you loved this, please share with your friends, and please leave a 5-star rating and review! You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.