PHRASING
A stupid phrase is better than no phrase! Do something!
A stupid phrase is better than no phrase! Do something!
There are a million ways to play a musical phrase, just like there are a million ways to read a poem. Each can mean something different; be it subtly or profoundly different. A silly example could be "Let's eat, Bob" vs. "Let's eat Bob" (commas are important). A more serious example would be the soliloquy from Hamlet (for a more tongue-in-cheek take). A great deal can be learned from actors. IF you are interested, check out Sonnet 29 and Macbeth's Soliloquy.
There's art in the writing – and there's art in the reading! Music should have "syntax": nouns, verbs, commas, periods, exclamation points, etc. – and of course . . . dynamics. Don't play monotonous, flatline, run-on "sentences" – phrase!
Tell a story! Laugh. Weep. Pause. Whisper. Shout! Don't just recite – PERFORM.
In The Rules of the Game*, Christopher Leuba wrote, “bad taste is better than no taste.” I agree. Bad taste can be improved. Listening to great performances (Singers, too) leads to learning how to phrase. (Also see Steal 'Em Blind)
*I don't agree with everything Leuba wrote, but there is a lot of wisdom there (again, Elephants).
There's art in the writing – and there's art in the reading! Music should have "syntax": nouns, verbs, commas, periods, exclamation points, etc. – and of course . . . dynamics. Don't play monotonous, flatline, run-on "sentences" – phrase!
Tell a story! Laugh. Weep. Pause. Whisper. Shout! Don't just recite – PERFORM.
In The Rules of the Game*, Christopher Leuba wrote, “bad taste is better than no taste.” I agree. Bad taste can be improved. Listening to great performances (Singers, too) leads to learning how to phrase. (Also see Steal 'Em Blind)
*I don't agree with everything Leuba wrote, but there is a lot of wisdom there (again, Elephants).