[Perform-Talk] General Discussion About Learning Music, with a Focus on Accuracy

Tue Sep 10 04:22:12 UTC 2024

I have never learned braille music. I’m a guitar player and I learn by ear. Lately, Im interested in trying to learn some guitar solos on some country songs that are familiar to me. Usually I’d just stick to playing rhythm because it was much easier. If I really knew the fret board better, I know that would help a lot. I don’t really make money at my playing, but I have played at a couple coffee shops and nursing homes which was a lot of fun. I’ve got a very nice Martin d18 that I really should play a lot more. Although lately I’ve been playing my Alvarez guitar with walnut back and sides. I love learning about different tone woulds 
Sent from Joshua’s radical chariot!!!

> On Sep 9, 2024, at 11:07 PM, Jason Castonguay via Perform-Talk <perform-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi, everyone!
> 
> This is a great topic, and I’ve seen it on at least one  other list. Although I’ve already posted elsewhere, I can’t help think it might be worthwhile to respond here, as well. Here are the original questions with my responses:
> 
>> 1. If you use braille music, what are your favourite reasons for doing so?
> 
> 
> I started learning braille music with a fellow PAD member, Leslie Hamric, about four years ago when my desire to speak on par with my sighted peers inspired me to learn. It wasn’t that my music theory knowledge was so lacking, but rather, I wasn’t always understanding the expression and rhythm that would sometimes be described during a lesson. I think my favorite reason for learning and reading braille music is to savor it. To take it all in, understanding that this is direct from the composer. Rather than guessing based on what I hear, I can see for myself that the composer wants a certain part soft and another loud, including any other markings and text to add to the expression of the music. For me, it is slower than learning something by ear. I imagine this can change, but I very much enjoy the reward of learning something by reading it. The effort it takes and then, the result of having pieced it all together. I have worked with piano music and trumpet music, and a little on the harp.
> 
>> 2. If you prefer learning by ear, how do you handle rhythm and accuracy without the written notation? What methods help you fully understand the music?
> 
> When I learn by ear, the rhythm usually comes pretty naturally to me. If there are difficulties, I will play the tough spot, one segment at a time, to process it in pieces, or I may refer to other recordings where the rhythm feels just different enough to put it into the right perspective. If these methods fail, I might try slowing the speed down or finding it in braille music to more accurately understand what is written. If braille wasn’t an option, I’d see if I could get the sheet music either digitally and review it with MuseScore or go over it with a sight reader. Generally, learning by ear is faster for me, so if I’m in a time crunch, that’ll likely be the way I’ll go about it.
> 
>> 3. For the vast majority of instrumentalists, reading braille music and playing at the same time is physically impossible, as we all know. How do we make braille music relevant and meaningful in this context? I feel that more people know braille music exists and that it can be useful, than, say, ten or twenty years ago, but the inability to read and play an instrument simultaneously (which isn’t anyone’s fault) still seems to be a notable point of resistance. I completely understand if this is one of the main reasons some of us prefer learning by ear.
> 
> I don’t think the fact that we can’t read and play at the same time should keep anyone from learning. We can read with one hand and play with the other in some cases. Of course, the left-over option is to hear the notes/rhythm in our heads and memorize while reading – a good skill to have, I should think. This is typically how I read, actually. It’s usually what I’m hearing in my head that helps me remember rather than the dot patterns themselves, but I won’t rule out dot patterns entirely. I just haven’t thought of it that way. I only find reading and playing at the same time helpful if there’s a disconnect in my brain and I need to feel my hand playing the part. I think memorizing is important for every music reader, whether sighted or blind. That having been said, I do envy folks in situations where they just pick up a sheet of music and go.
> 
> As far as the relevance of braille music, the level of access is better than it has ever been, and I’m hoping that trend will continue and accelerate. It feels important to me that we as blind people have the same opportunities and abilities to feel, play, and discuss the music as sight readers do. It sure has improved my working music theory knowledge and continues to improve it.
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> 
> -Jason
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Sep 8, 2024, at 22:33, Leslie Hamric via Perform-Talk <perform-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> This is a very cool discussion. Since I teach braille music I'm obviously a big advocate for it. However, I feel that the ear has its place too. For example, I use my ear when getting familiar with an entire orchestral piece. I listen to how the parts go together and what cues may be helpful for me to know when to get ready to come in. I agree with what others have said about thinking music sounds one way and then I look at it in the braille, and it's something totally different. Braille music helps me to get rhythms accurately, dynamics, articulations, etc. For example, does a particular note have a crescendo or sports Sando? There's a difference between the two. When I first learn a new piece, I listen to it day and night so by the time I get the braille music, I know how it's supposed to sound.
>> Leslie Hamric
>> Cello and Braille Music Teacher
>> 
>>>> On Sep 8, 2024, at 7:54 PM, Annie Davis via Perform-Talk <perform-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:perform-talk at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Ella,
>>> Great questions and I appreciate you bringing this up: This is honestly a subject I've often been nervous to talk about as I've been one to learn a ton of music, (including choral works) by ear.
>>> Note: I am classically trained, but have been singing more jazz and popular standards lately that are more open for interpretation.  That said, when it comes to YouTube videos, I try to be choosy about the ones I listen to because some jazz singers interpret songs in a way that makes it confusing to know the exact melody.  Same with church music.  As for custom-made recordings, I always try to ask the director (or whomever is recording) to clearly communicate the rhythmic intricasies, key changes, ETC. that are important to accurately learning the music.  I do feel that braille music is helpful for those things: rhythms, key signatures, ETC as you say.
>>> To be brutally honest however, I do not consider myself fluent☹.  Knowledgeable, sure, but fluent--not even close!  (this could also be me being self-conscious and critical.  While I have had success, I am always open to learning😊.
>>> -Annie
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Perform-Talk <perform-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Ella Yu via Perform-Talk
>>> Sent: Sunday, September 8, 2024 7:49 PM
>>> To: NFB Performing Arts Mailing List <perform-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Ella Yu <ellaxyu at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [Perform-Talk] General Discussion About Learning Music, with a Focus on Accuracy
>>> 
>>> Hi everyone,
>>> 
>>> I know this is a topic that has come up many times over the years in various settings—email lists, forums, and in-person conversations. However, since we all love sharing advice, I think it’s important to revisit the
>>> topic: should we learn braille music or not? What are the considerations for choosing to learn and use braille music (aside from the obvious need to acquire it)? There’s no simple, black-and-white answer to this question. I want to start by saying that I don’t mean to be judgmental about anyone’s approach. I just think it’s valuable to have a healthy conversation about this topic from time to time.
>>> 
>>> One of the most commonly cited reasons for learning braille music is to gain the same musical independence that sighted musicians have—learning music without being influenced by others’ interpretations and being able to see all the musical information in front of you. But one issue that doesn’t seem to get enough attention is learning music accurately. By "accurately,"
>>> I don’t just mean playing the right notes, I’m talking about rhythmic accuracy, especially in higher-level classical music, where precision is key.
>>> 
>>> For example, a highly syncopated or rhythmically complex passage in, say, 4/4, might feel/sound like it's in 3/8 or 6/8 or something else. How do you personally respond to that situation? Does your approach differ depending on whether you use braille music or learn by ear? For me personally, when I learn such material by ear, I tend to feel the music the way it sounds (i.e., in 3/8 or 6/8) rather than the way it’s written in 4/4. I've also had situations where learning by ear made it harder to get the rhythm exactly right because I didn’t have access to the notation, which led to my teachers having to correct me more than I would have liked. I find that braille music solves this problem for me because I can see exactly how the rhythm is written, even if I ultimately feel it differently. This information changes how I conceptualize and memorize music. Another thing is interpreting rubatos, ritardandos, and other tempo changes in recordings, especially with human-made recordings or YouTube videos.
>>> Without the written notation, the likelihood of misinterpreting these tempo fluctuations as extra beats, time signature changes, or rhythmic alterations, can be quite high, at least for me. Similarly, distinguishing between actual staccatos and short eighth notes in recordings can be fairly tricky, though it is possible, and braille music helps clarify those details.
>>> 
>>> Of course, there are ways to work around these issues if you learn by ear.
>>> For example, customized recordings can be made to provide all the information you need. Another option is generating MIDI recordings from notation software, which avoids human errors in rhythm and note accuracy and reduces the chance of being influenced by someone else's interpretation. However, MIDI-generated recordings typically lack spoken cues for dynamics, articulations, and other musical details. Whether using MIDI or human-made recordings, adding a metronome or click track can help with rhythmic accuracy.
>>> 
>>> So, my main questions for all of you are:
>>> 1. If you use braille music, what are your favourite reasons for doing so?
>>> 2. If you prefer learning by ear, how do you handle rhythm and accuracy without the written notation? What methods help you fully understand the music?
>>> 3. For the vast majority of instrumentalists, reading braille music and playing at the same time is physically impossible, as we all know. How do we make braille music relevant and meaningful in this context? I feel that more people know braille music exists and that it can be useful, than, say, ten or twenty years ago, but the inability to read and play an instrument simultaneously (which isn’t anyone’s fault) still seems to be a notable point of resistance. I completely understand if this is one of the main reasons some of us prefer learning by ear.
>>> 
>>> I think it’s important to have this discussion with nuance and respect for individual differences. As someone who is fluent in braille music and generally loves using it, especially for classical music (orchestra, chamber ensemble, and solo pieces), I understand it may not be the best fit for everyone. For full disclosure, I am a classically-oriented musician who has been totally blind since birth, and I play piano, violin, and viola at a relatively high amateur level. I personally like using braille music for learning classical pieces for both solo and ensemble contexts (though solo violin/viola music is easy to learn off YouTube recordings for the most part, though the two-handed nature of piano music is a different story). I am also fluent in learning by ear, which I find particularly useful in non-classical settings. My ear skills help me conceptualize the music I play, and I often pick up certain things more quickly by ear than through reading music, and I don’t think this is exactly an uncommon experience for sighted musicians, either. For ensemble music, I also practice extensively with recordings so I understand exactly how my part fits with the rest of the ensemble, so I pick up quite a bit of information by ear that way, even though I'm using braille music to learn all my notes, rhythms, articulations, etc.
>>> 
>>> I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
>>> Ella
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Perform-Talk mailing list
>>> Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/perform-talk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Perform-Talk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/perform-talk_nfbnet.org/annedonnellon%40gmail.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Perform-Talk mailing list
>>> Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/perform-talk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Perform-Talk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/perform-talk_nfbnet.org/lhamric930%40comcast.net
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Perform-Talk mailing list
>> Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/perform-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Perform-Talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/perform-talk_nfbnet.org/jcast77%40gmail.com
> 
> --
> Jason Castonguay <jcast77 at gmail.com>
> 
> Find me on Mastodon <https://www.mastodon.social/@jcast432>, Twitter <https://www.twitter.com/jcast>, Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/jcast>, Instagram <https://instagram.com/jcast432>, and LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcast77>.
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Perform-Talk mailing list
> Perform-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/perform-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Perform-Talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/perform-talk_nfbnet.org/louvins%40gmail.com