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I have more articles to add soon. I'll keep you posted. The most recent archives are below.
PDN Publish date: 3/17/11
THE ROAD TO GREATNESS
by James Gardner
In my last column, I wrote about my personal practice habits. I did this, in part, to demystify the aura that surrounds piano playing. People tend to see pianists as magicians of sound. It's as if God sprinkled magic dust on a choice few who find themselves helplessly compelled to make music beyond their control.
Truth be told, there is a spiritual side of music that I won't even pretend to understand. When an evil spirit terrorized King Saul in the Old Testament, the shepherd David was summoned to play his harp for the king. Each time David played, Saul would get well, and the evil spirit would leave (see 1 Samuel 16:23).
But "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets" (1 Corinthians 14:32), and the same applies to musicians. Even the most mystical of gifts should be tamed. That's where practice comes in.
My students will tell you that one of my favorite phrases is, "Practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT practices makes perfect." We have a rule in our studio that whenever you play a wrong note, you have to go back and play that spot five times right. My students hate it. But it reinforces the good habits over the bad ones. It also builds muscle memory that kicks in when the mind can't keep up. Before long, the bad notes are erased.
The purpose of this column is to foster growth. As I chronicle my own journey toward maturity, my hope is that you'll grow along with me.
I shared a personal milestone with you last time: my Poteau banquet music debut. This time, I have another milestone to share. I'd like to invite each of you to celebrate the opening of my studio with me.
On Wednesday, March 23 at 11:30am, I'll have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for my new teaching studio. GARDNER MUSIC is located at 2601 N. Broadway at the Hughes intersection. It's the last stoplight before Wal-Mart, if you're headed north. We're on the north side of State Farm insurance agent James T. Smith's office. We'll have refreshments and live music provided by the Clark kids (my students). The event is FREE and open to the public. So feel free to bring a friend.
Whether you can make it or not, I hope you'll commit to your own personal growth, as I have to mine. In biology, we learn that whatever's not growing is dying. We've got too much to live for to just give up. So let's work together to be all that we were made to be. And if I can help you get there, please let me know.
PDN Publish date: 3/5/11
Behind the Banquet
By James Gardner
On Thursday, Feb. 24, I played the piano for the Chamber of Commerce banquet. It felt good to be in the cocktail pianist's seat again, for the first time since I moved to Oklahoma in December, 2009. Playing background music for social events is as natural to me as breathing. Assuming that familiar "musical wallpaper" position made me feel like I'd finally found my stride in my new home, here in Poteau.
Most people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes for such a performance. Though it may seem like I fly across the keys with the greatest of ease, I actually put considerable preparation into these performances.
Contrary to popular belief, musical talent is not just something you're born with. It takes a lot of work! Granted, those with higher natural aptitude get results quicker than those with less musical inclination. But whether your talent comes naturally or with great effort, EVERYONE has to practice! I am no exception.
When you've done this as long as I have, you have certain pieces you gravitate to, by default. These are your "core repertoire." I always begin my programs by planning selections I've played for years. Then I fill in newer songs around them. Some of my "standards" are Fly Me to the Moon, The Entertainer, Claire de Lune, and Girl from Ipanema. I can play these songs with my eyes shut.
Then there are the newer songs I throw in to make the set new and fresh. Route 66 was one such song that I played at my student recital with one of my students in December. It's a high-energy crowd-pleaser. So I put it at the end.
Interestingly, my newer songs didn't take any more practice time than the old ones. I found myself going "back to the drawing board" with pieces I've played for 20 years. It's very revealing to look at the sheet music for compositions you've played that long. I actually found a few notes I'd been playing wrong for decades!
Even in places where the notes were right, I found musical dynamics (loud, soft, medium loud, gradually louder, etc.) I'd either forgotten or never learned. This is one reason why I am a strong believer in using music for public performances. That is a topic for another day. Suffice to say, there are many in the music field who believed it is "improper" to perform piano solos with the aid of printed music. I couldn't disagree more.
After revisiting the notes and dynamics, I subjected myself to the painfully honest examination of the dreaded metronome. There is no quicker way to deflate the ego of a pianist! For the musically un-inclined, the metronome is a device that emits a steady click or beat in time. It can be sped up or slow down, but whatever tempo is chosen must be maintained consistently throughout.
Band musicians tend to have a much easier time with with this than pianists. That's because pianists spend most of their time practicing by themselves, whereas band musicians spend most of their time playing with others. When you practice by yourself, you can speed up and slow down all you want. Nobody notices or even cares. But when you're playing with other musicians, even the slightest deviation of rhythm can be catastrophic to the ensemble. As a result, I've found that rhythm is the musical aspect I need most work on.
Finally, I carefully arrange my selections in an order that encourages the energy to build throughout my set at, key points. As an arranger/composer, I take this opportunity to invent new intros and outros, transitions and groove patterns. This whets my musical palette enough to make the old songs new, so they feel fresh, even after years of performance. It also makes my renditions unique, setting apart my performance of Misty from everyone else's. Others may play it louder, softer, faster, slower, in the same key or different keys, but they will never play it exactly like I do.
When the day of the performance comes, all this careful preparation and thought has to be pushed aside. Whatever comes out comes out. Hopefully, by this point, they things I've practiced are ingrained in my playing habits, so that they come out naturally. But when the lights are on and the audience is listening, there's no telling what will come out! That's the most exciting part for me: being spontaneous! I always come up with my best stuff on the spot.
Hopefully, those of you who heard my performance last week will agree. From my seat, it was a great success! I thoroughly enjoyed playing and look forward to many more performances like this on the horizon.
PDN publish date: 3/5/11
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I appreciate Bobbie McAuliffe's letter to the editor (2/22/11) regarding my recent column entitled "Ducks and People" (2/17/11). I always enjoy hearing other viewpoints.
I agree with Ms. McAuliffe when she says she would rather that "people would be more inclined to take care of aging family members" and wouldn't need Social Security. I also agree that those like Ms. McAuliffe who have paid into the system for 45 years deserve to benefit from the same system they contributed to.
I do not believe Social Security is a freebie, however, and never said that it was. Many of its recipients have earned it. But what I do believe is that the system makes some of its beneficiaries so dependent on it that they can't work if they want to. I have a close friend who is in this situation right now.
My friend has a disability that prevents her from working full-time. She is no closer to retirement age than I am. She has received Social Security and Medicare for her disability for most of her adult life. Recently, however, she was informed that she would lose her medical benefits if she earned more than $1000 a month.
Her medicine costs more than $2000 a month. There is no way she can afford this on her own. In effect, the government is requiring her to earn $3000 + a month if she earns $1001. There is no middle ground for her to earn between $1000 and $3000 a month. Since she cannot work full time, earning $3000 a month is physically impossible for her. She is stuck inside the system with no foreseeable way to get out.
When I compared people to ducks, I was in no way implying that those who are on Social Security or disability are lazy or freeloaders. Quite the opposite. I started out by saying, "government programs like disability and Social Security can be helpful to those in need." I don't fault the people who are victims of the system any more than I do the ducks who come to my back door. If anyone is to blame, it is those who do the feeding, not the ones fed.
My role with the ducks is the same as the governments' role with its citizens: to empower us to feed ourselves. That doesn't mean they should never help us out. But when they do, it should always be with the aim of helping us get back on our feet. As an old Chinese proverb says, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
I hope this helps clarify my position. Thanks for writing.
PDN Publish date: 2/17/11
"Ducks and People"
By James Gardner
I live on a lake at the bottom of Cavanal. Four ducks and a goose also live on that lake. When my family moved here four years ago, we'd occasionally go down and feed the ducks. Having never lived on a lake before, it was fun to have our own ducks to feed.
Over time, the ducks became friendly enough to eat from our hands. Then they'd hear us come out and start meeting us halfway, anxious to be fed. Before long, they were in our backyard. Eventually, they became so bold that they'd stand at our back door and knock on the glass with their beaks! Now they come to us every day for food. I'm not sure if they ever feed themselves anymore.
Ducks and humans aren't too different in this regard. Who doesn't like a free meal? We'll slave away, day after day, just to put food on the table. But given the chance, most of us would gladly take that same meal without the hard work.
Government programs like disability and social security can be helpful to those in need. But just like the ducks, humans can quickly get accustomed to these free benefits. Before long, we don't remember how to live without them.
We forget how to find a job. Our social skills grow lax. We stop contributing to society and depend on the government to feed us. The more we make, the less they give us, re-enforcing our dependence on them. Many of those who want to get out can't.
So what did I do about those ducks on the lake? I let the dogs out on them. They scrambled back to the lake just as fast as they could! They'll think twice before coming back for handouts. Now they start running when they see me.
Hopefully soon, they'll remember how to find food on their own. That way, they can truly live how they were made to: independent and free. May we do the same.
