Travel Practice, Method B.

Hi all!

 

This week I'll continue where I left of last week, showing you the highly effective method B of our three-part travel practice routine.

 

Method B. Seeing sounds.


Where does it work: train, bus, subway, tram, airplane or any other form of public transport + everywhere and every time you have to wait for one of the above (or something else).

 

Where doesn't it work: any form of transportation where you have to pay attention to the traffic.

 

Benefits: Practice 'thinking ahead' (a vital skill in playing piano), visualising chords, structures, scales and 'sounds', remembering / learning songs and musical phrases without actually playing / rehearsing them, enhancement of musical focus, understanding and concentration.

 

Possible scenario.

 

You're traveling by public transport and bored. Why not turn this otherwise waisted time into productive time?

 

Here's how.

 

 

The power of imagination.

 

When I look at a keyboard and think of a specific chord, scale, harmony or even a song that I know, it's as if all the possible notes that arise from that chord/scale/harmony 'light up' on the keyboard.

 

Not only do I know the names of the notes that are in a specific chord, I also know how they look together and form the chord on the keyboard. All over the keyboard.

 

When you 'see' what you can play, actually playing becomes a whole lot easier.

 

Imagine this:

 

Think of walking on the street, from point A to B.

If this is the first time you're walking this route, you have to stop a lot, think, look, read some signs, maybe ask somebody etc., right?
However, once you've taken the route a couple of times, you know where to go. You don't have to think anymore and just walk straight to your destination.

 

This is because you remember visual reference points that help guide you along the way.

 

Now imagine somebody explaining you how to get to point C. It's close to B, but in stead of going left at the very last turn, you now have to go right on the intersection just before where you'd turn left to get to point B.

 

Could you find it? Easily, right?

 

Think of what happens in your brain when, for example, your friend is explaining you this new route, getting from point A to C:

In your mind, you'd be taking all the turns, seeing all the streets, buildings and signs on your familiar way from point A to B.
Then comes the intersection. In stead of going straight (continuing to point B) your friend tells you to turn right and you'll be at C after about 100m. Ok. Done deal. Got it.

 

Now when you actually take the route a couple of minutes later in real life, it's almost as if you've already walked there a minute ago. You seem to have 'practiced' walking it, without actually walking.

 

 

Imagining one step further and taking it to piano-learning.

 

Structures of chords, scales, harmonies etc. on a keyboard, are like roads I've walked before. They're like my neighbourhood. I know where to go. I can go wherever I want. Maybe even take a shortcut that I've never taken before.

Because I'm so familiar with the neighbourhood, I know I'll end up just fine.

 

When I want to learn a 'new route' (a new song for example), just like with a familiar neighbourhood, I can imagine the 'map' and how everything looks.

From thereon I can start 'imagining' and 'walking' this new 'route' in my head, visualising the 'building blocks' I already know and re-arrange them into this new song.

 

The beauty of it: imagining playing the (new) stuff, just like imagining yourself walking somewhere you know your way around, works like an actual rehearsal for the mind.

 

Implementing.

 

Next time you have some kind of public transport trip ahead of you, try one of these options:

 

1. Learning/practicing (new) chords.

Preliminary step: Learn the notes of two or three new chords by heart.

Execution: When traveling, close your eyes and imagine the keyboard. Now try to make the notes from the chord you want to 'practice' light up. Inversions too? Imagine yourself playing it, pressing down the correct keys.

You can also do this with chords that you already know, to improve them. It's just like rehearsing.

 

2. Learning/practicing a (new) song.

Preliminary step: Learn the chord progression by heart, or print a 'cheat sheet' (learning by heart highly preferred).

Execution: Imagine yourself playing the chords after one another in the correct order. Strongly imagine what the chords and your hands look like on the keyboard.

Treat it like an actual, real-life practice: slowly at first. Your mind being able to follow will translate into your hands following much more easily.

 

3. You can do the same with a scale, lick, riff or whatever piano part. Important is just that you know how it looks, or can think of how it would, by re-arranging knowledge you already have.

 

Imagining playing something. Really strongly imagining it, works almost as good as actually doing it.

 

4. Try to combine this method with method A: Listen to a song on your headphones. Close your eyes and imagine playing along. How the keyboard and your hands look when you play along. The results will amaze you.

 

 

Next week I'll be back with the third and final method, which, thrown in and combined with these methods A and B, will give you the option of a complete piano-workout, during your travels.

 

Have fun learning and please, in the comments, let me know how this works for you or if you might have anything to add.

Of course this method/technique can be done with much more then just 'praciticing' playing piano.

 

What I'd say.

 

This weeks tutorial is an absolute classic from an absolute genius: Ray Charles.

Enjoy.

See ya next week!

 

Cheers,

 

Coen.

 

Questions? Remarks? Show me how you play this song! Please leave a comment below!
I'm also very curious which tutorial you'd like to see next!

Begrijp je niet wat hier gebeurt en wil je dat wel graag?
Leer zelf spelen, -alles wat er gebeurt op deze community en de piano echt begrijpen met Piano Couture's Basiscursus Pop Piano.

About Coen

Founder of Piano Couture and creator of the Hack the Piano method. Coen is a musician, reader, writer, web-designer, eater and traveler. Find him at CoenModder.com

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