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MODERN MUSICOLOGY
> Musicianship

Musicianship

Ear Training Resources

TonedEar.com
Ear Training Games with Adam Neely and Ben Levin (YouTube Video)
Can you guess this note? Perfect Pitch and Physics by Physics Girl (YouTube video)

Musicianship

What is Musicianship?

Ear training and transcription are the heart and soul of standard collegiate musicianship.   But another fundamental subject tied into musicianship is metacognition.

This page is setup to share all kinds of thought and ideas on developing as a musician.

Please join the conversation and post a comment!  For those of us who are passionate about studying music, this is a space to gain and share tips on great books, articles, videos and web content, and other resources.

met·a·cog·ni·tion
/ˌmedəˌkäɡˈniSH(ə)n/
noun
PSYCHOLOGY
awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes

The quest to learn and grow as a musician is one of many twists and turns.  We all know that mastery is something won only with hours of practice, but the bitter truth is that long hours of practice do not guarantee desired results.

So let's take a deeper dive into more effective and efficient modalities of developing as a musician.

BOOKS FOR THE MUSICIAN'S MIND

aSopranoOnHerHead
InnerGameOfTennis
PracticingMind
PowerHabit
SmarterFasterBetter

LINKS BY TOPIC

Wellness Strategy Improvisation Analysis Reading Memorizing
Wellness

Physical wellness is important to anyone who sits for hours on end using small muscle groups (musicians).  But beyond the physical realm, let's consider mental wellness.  Lack of self worth, fear of failure, and performance anxiety are only a few of the things that plague musicians of all levels.  Fostering physical and mental health is all in a good days practice.

Physical Wellness
Musicians and Their Healthcare - by Musical America

Mental Wellness
Practicing Smarter Not Harder (for singers) - by  St. Olaf Collage

Strategy

In a way it all boils down to how much time you spend and what you spend it doing.

Some great books on this are Smarter Better Faster, The Power of Habit, and The Practicing Mind.

Thomas Frank has great resources on strategy. Some that I have enjoyed are The Most Powerful Way to Remember What You Study How to Make Consistent Progress on Your Goals, How to Learn Faster with the Feynman Technique and How Ben Franklin Structured His Day.

The "Big 5" Skills of Modern Musicianship, with Dr. Chad West (Interview)

Improvisation

Free Improvisation
Tonic Music - Games for Free Improvisation

Structured Improvisations
Blues Improvisations
The Improvisation Myth - (video) by Anthony Stauffer at Texas Blues Alley
10 Rules For Blues Soloing - (video) by by Anthony Stauffer at Texas Blues Alley
BB King Workshop (video)
Jazz Improvisations
Creating a Lyrical Melodic Line in Jazz - (video) by Saxophonist Todd Williams at Lincoln Jazz Center
Eli Yamin and Tom Dempsey Discuss Comping on Guitar with a Full Band - by Jazz at Lincoln Center
Search Jazz at Lincoln Center

Analysis

Schenker Guide  - by Tom Pankhurst Schenkerian analysis outlines how larger pieces fit together with smaller ones forming sets and subset of harmonic progression.

Redit Music Theory Forum

Reading

The Science Behind Reading Speed - College Info Geek - This video goes into some concepts that relate to sight reading such as eye movement, comprehension v. understanding and the pros and cons of 'skimming' content.

 

Memorizing

How to Memorize Music 5 Times Faster - by Your Music Lessons
How I Memorize Piano Music Video - by Jocelyn Swigger, TEDx Gettysburg College

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If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.

― Albert Einstein

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