I think it's because as we practice we are basically trying to 'crack the code' of a piece.
As with a magic eye picture, some can see the image immediately, some it takes a moment, and some never seem to get it. The ones who see it right away say it's a snap and can't believe the others don't get it, whereas the ones that don't get it, don't even believe there is a picture to be seen :D Yet, everyone has eyes and unless there is some vision problem, should be equal, but they are not, and it's all to do with perception.
Music is the same.
Sure some music is technically difficult, but it's surprising how rarely that's actually the case once you reach a certain level. It's more figuring out the code. That doesn't mean you practice less, it's that you really dissect the piece, practice little sections at a time and do whatever it takes for you to crack it.
Back to the magic eye; The ones in the middle (most of us) squint, turn our heads, move closer, move back, cover one eye, ask for hints :D, all kinds of things to crack it...it's the same with music...and the best part of all, is once you have cracked one type, the next song in that style or genre is that much easier as you have the code partially cracked already.
That's why I post up and do lots of different genres; more codes.
One of the best examples of this is the Pink Panther. It's a very easy song, once you get past all the accidentals and unusual chromatic movement. Some say it's really easy, some say it's really hard...but I think it's just a 'code' we don't see often...like magic eye, some see it, some don't.
Hi! first i have to say sorry, my english is very bad, i will try to do my best, i am from argentina, i'm 30 years old and starting to play flute (on my own and in my free time). Looking in the web for sheet music found your page and need to say thank you! I think is great and beatifull what you do, i have seen your youtube videos too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI´m from Argentina too, I´m 29 and a few weeks ago I got my first flute, I´ve never studied music before, exept for a few clases at school about 15 years ago so I get a little frustrated when I see that still can´t get the music code, but you've made me realize that as with the magic eye (I can see the image immediately) I´ll have to wait untill I get one song to get others.
ReplyDeleteGreetings and many thanks
Hi Penny. I made my way over to your website after finding your Videosheetmusic on Youtube. I think you draw an apt analogy between the "Magic Eye" images and playing music. As a 49 year old flute student, some pieces just seem to "click" for me, while others don't. Thanks for a great resource!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI think it has to do with what we're familiar with of course, but I know what it is for me that makes it easy to read a piece of music. For example - there is not ANY classical (baroque / classical / romantic) piece that I have come across that I've not been able to play. That's because they are all of them mostly based on the scales and appegios. And any music that remains within the scale should be easy for a trained musician to pick up. It's so important to learn scales because they do form the basis of all music. And you get to a certain point where, when you hear the ensemble and accompaniment without the melody, half the time one can guess what's coming! I like classical music because it's mathematical and like you say, a code. It always amazes me how classical composers had only their own minds to hear this music when they were writing it! But because of that, it didn't enable them to diverge much from the tonic scale which for me as an oboeist (I also play flute), makes things much easier. So when I go onto your Youtube channel and start having palpitations of excitement because you've done a new upload (!), and see something that looks extremely difficult, I find that if I clear my mind my fingers usually know how to act faster than my brain because they are so used to making the same shapes and transitions!
Deiniolclarke