Who knows what? There are obviously relevant research findings and theories in the fields of neuroscience and psychology which may help us describe the phenomena that emerge when we investigate our practice processes. Our practice is an extremely complex and refined interaction between conscious and automated actions, where the goal is strong communication between people. At the same time, we have probably the most abstract system of mediation of all art forms, namely the musical notation, which is basically built up mathematically with halving and doubling as the formal basis. Therefore, we have the opportunity to draw on a great many types of knowledge if we want to put other… Read More
Continue ReadingAbout Paul von Klenau
The Danish composer Paul von Klenau (1883-1946) was born in Copenhagen, as a child of a very wealthy family. His mother was born Berggreen and was the descendant of the composer A.P. Berggreen. Klenau began his education at the Conservatory of Copenhagen, with Otto Malling as his teacher in music theory among others, but travelled in 1902 to Berlin. His plan was to study violin with Joseph Joachim, but Klenau did not pass the entrance examination. But instead, on the basis of his compositions, he was admitted as “master student” with Max Bruch. This was the starting point for a great career as composer and conductor in Germany and Austria,… Read More
Continue ReadingAbout Marc Jeannerod
Marc Jeannerod (1935-2011) was an internationally recognized researcher in cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology. His research focused on the cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms that lie behind motor control, motor cognition, emotion and self-awareness. Marc Jeannerod specialized in medicine and subsequent neurology at the University of Lyon. His further research training was under the guidance of Michel Jouvet, one of the discoverers of REM sleep. Later, he moved to the United States to work at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, before returning to Lyon, where he became a professor at the university. He founded and chaired the French Institute of Cognitive Sciences at… Read More
Continue ReadingOn spending time at the piano.
When you start becoming serious with your musical education, especially as a pianist, a lot of concern is going into “how many hours do I have to practice”? In the beginning of your college education we often assume, that the more hours we spend at the piano, the better we will become. Gradually most students become more reflected over time, and start to realize that our body and mind has a limit to, how long stretches we can work, and that the quality of our time spend at the piano matters. A lot. So how many hours? Arthur Rubinstein famously said, that in general you should not to practice more… Read More
Continue Reading