Playing Pointers
Frederick Fennell's Points for Performance
1. LISTEN!
2. Have some idea what the music should sound like before you play; learn to
listen for EVERYTHING – not just yourself
3. Line up your chair and stand so you look directly over the top of the music
at the conductor
4. The conductor must have your eyes before they begin the music -- especially
if you do not play
5. Play your whole instrument -- learn to listen
6. Prepare! Be attentive and ready to play -- Listen!
7. Play with intensity -- breath and finger support -- keep your stomach in it
8. Resonance is the whole reason for your instrument to exists and for you to
play it in the first place
9. Learn to look at the conductor once every bar in music of a slow pulse,
frequently in music with a rapid pulse -- Listen!
10. Music is also a waiting game -- wait for ONE!
11. Vibrate. Music is also controlled and ordered vibration; you, too, must
make it a vibrant sound; support your sound constantly.
12. Pulse is music's lifeblood as well as yours: learn to feel it -- it is
always present. Seek to play by it.
13. Learn to listen and look for the phrase -- listen for phrase endings.
14. Help stamp out mechanical error -- LISTEN!
15. The perfection of ensemble playing is not a matter of acquisition. Rather
it is a matter of elimination -- of mechanical error, unnecessary motion, the
wandering mind, and all those things that get in the way.
16. Don't repeat your mistakes – they become a disease
17. The group that plays together – Stays together
18. Get it the first time – get it right – LISTEN!
19. You can only read a piece of music for the first time once. Make that
time memorable.
20. Constantly widen your range of dynamics 00 avoid mezzo-nothing – LISTEN!
21. At a pianissimo release, let the sound evaporate.
22. When the dynamic is fortissimo, hear only yourself; when the dynamic is
pianissimo, hear only your neighbor 23. Uncontrolled silence is the enemy of
music
24. The group that breathes together – plays together – LISTEN!
25. Music is not an art for the chicken-hearted: seek what is right, but don't
be afraid to be wrong.
26. Give all your energies to performance. Avoid fatigue; blow out your
chops; shake out your hands.
27. The music turns you on, but only you can wind yourself up for it.
28. Legato playing is mostly a thu-thu business
29. Blow through the whole passage
30. Beware of practice-room sound – get out of that telephone booth
31. Good performances are planned that way
32. Seek the style of the music – and this you can only do by listening do and
for everything.
Helpful Tips for Young Musicians
The simplest suggestion may make a big difference! Read the suggestions below
and see if there is something that you might have overlooked or forgotten. Do
not be afraid to try something new!
Practice Tips for Students
~ Choose a quiet place to practice
~ Plan to take some short breaks during the practice session
~ Listen to a recording of the piece you are practicing
~ Set a specific amount of time for warm-ups
~ At the end of the practice time, play a favorite piece for parents or friends
~ Play along with a tape of simple chords or improvised accompaniments during
warm-ups
~ With the help of your teacher, choose some music you enjoy to work on during
each practice session
~ Take some time to create, improvise or compose your own music
~ Ask your teacher for suggestions on how to work on difficult passages
~ Record yourself playing
Weekly Practice Suggestion: Day 1 = Play through page. Mark target
areas.
Days 2 - 5 = Work on target areas. Use Practice tools.
Day 6 = Perform for family, friends, pets, etc.
Excellent Suggestions for Everyone
1. Be patient! Success takes time
2. Practice make permanent!
3. Due diligence-if something doesn't come right away, move on and come back
to it later.
4. Experiment-if something doesn't work for you, try a new technique,
position, mouthpiece, reed etc.
5. Question experts-can't figure it out? Consult a recognized professional.
6. Practice dynamics regularly (softs & louds) The best musicians can play any
selection at any volume with ease. 7. Take lessons! One lesson is better than
none. Get someone who can help you start correctly. Bad habits will limit your
success, and they are hard to break!
8. Practice all tempos. Many people can play notes quickly. A professional can
also play it slowly with expression. 9. Practice different styles of music.
Jazz, classical, rock, pop, folk, sacred. It will make you a better,
well-rounded musician and improve your technique.
10. Proficiency with scales will improve your technique.
11. Practice Everyday.
12. Practice Listening.
13. Model the Masters.