Some students become so wrapped up in being able to play a specific piece of music technically perfect, they end up forgetting to really learn the piece as a whole. They forget to truly understand the piece and make the piece their own. But how do you do this? To show you how, here are 5 questions to ask yourself to grasp a deeper understanding of your piece.
What is the history behind this piece?
Ask yourself questions about the history surrounding your piece. What era was your piece written in? What were some of the historical milestones that happening are the time? What were people like in the time period of this piece? Understanding the history will give you a deeper understanding of the historical context and underlying importance of certain characteristics of the piece.
What is my score saying?
Analyze your score. Identify and understand the markings throughout the piece. If you don't know, look them up or ask your teacher. Understanding your musical score will give you the ability to get inside of the composers mind. The musical markings, although sometimes done by the editor, are our best way to understand the mind behind the music. By following the musical markings throughout the music, it will give you a sense of how the composer wanted the piece to be played.
Who was the composer and what's their story?
Knowing about the composer will open your mind to a whole new understanding of the music. Learning about the life of the composer gives you insight on how they composed their pieces. They often wrote pieces reflecting their lives, it's neat to see how much of their life is reflected in the music.
How have other musicians interpreted this piece?
It can't be stressed enough how much google, YouTube, and Spotify are your friends! These three services give you exponential access to thousands of performances and recordings. Do a little research and learn which artists/musicians were the best in those pieces. For example, if one were to analyze Mozart's leading ladies...they would listen to Carol Vaness' interpretations of all the leading ladies as she was known for those roles. Which artists are known for performing your piece? Watching other performances of your piece give you ideas of what is good and what is great playing.
What story are you telling through this piece?
Whats most important about music making is your interpretation of the piece. Combined with all the knowledge in the history of the piece, knowing about the composer, listening to other interpretations, and understanding the musical map....your performance will not only be well informed, but also be above the bar.
So, my musical friend, what question are you going to ask yourself today? What piece are you working on? Let us know in the comments so we can cheer you on!
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