from the cadenza in Scheherazade, Mvt II
If you wrangle all the groceries into the house in a single trip but you forget your carton of eggs in the car trunk overnight, were you truly efficient? [Yes, this actually happened to a friend!]
What is the sense in trying to pull all of the clean clothes out of the washer at once, just to dump half the load on the filthy floor?
When you’re in a rehearsal (or even a lesson), have you noticed that you are asked to synthesize a dozen separate controls and stimuli all at the same time? You’re asked to diminuendo without slowing down, to play more detached, to listen to the 2nd trombone counter-melody while you play that phrase-- all at once. But if you were asked to play that diminuendo again tomorrow, could you do it the first time without making a mistake?
Start with a single, simple, and specific inquiry.
Are my LH distal phalanges curved naturally in this 16th triplet passage?
-If yes, keep checking in at 30-second intervals over 5 minutes to maintain.
-If no, keep playing and focus on adjusting to natural curvature.
Allow yourself to focus on just one control at a time.
Keep it simple. Keep it specific.