BWW Blog: Micah Young - Back To Basics

As we advance in our given profession, we become able to tackle more complicated and difficult tasks. When I started taking piano lessons, as many of us did, there was the beginner book, with increasing levels of difficulty. I'd work through one book, then to the next, graduating to the next level and so on. But are the more complex works better than the simpler ones?

I worked with a singer recently who came with a very difficult song. There were several high loud notes- the money notes to be exact. As impressive as that sounds, when we worked on a simple melodic line, it exposed inconsistencies in the breath, which affected the sound. All of those inconsistencies were hidden in the bigger, more raucous song.

I find myself, every once and a while, going back to the simple exercises in my playing. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the flashy performances that we can lose sight of the nuance in something simple. Whether it's a dance, or a scene in a play, not everything has to be at full volume, or full speed. And even if we don't perform the exercises, or simpler pieces for study, they help to inform the larger pieces we do perform. They provide the support and technique needed to perform healthily and consistently.

Photo Credit: cbcs