The Inner Game of Music

SimonC

I recently delved into this book on the basis of several good reviews and recommendations:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Music-Timothy-Gallwey/dp/0330300172/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

To be honest, I'm finding it's claims to unlock the inner musician etc all a bit hard to swallow at the moment.

As far as I can tell, once you've waded through all the waffle, the entire book cam be paraphrased into:

1. Concentrate and don't be distracted while you're practising.

2. Practice things slowly before you attempt to play them fast.

Maybe I'm missing something.

Has anyone else read this book?

frankus

Yes, I think you're missing something and yes I've read the book.

If you think it's waffle then it's not going to work so stop wasting your time. Life's too short - find a method that will work for you.

I'm not going to act as an apologist for the book, I'll leave it at this:

just because you can "paraphrase" it, doesn't mean you can do it.

if you don't get on with this book also don't try Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery.

Cacofonix

I read it.  I thought it well worth the time investment.

relic245

Not read it bit have a lot of time for Timothy gallwey.

Inner game of golf can be similarly paraphrased in 2 sentences but there's a lot of wisdom in those 2 sentences.

frankus

All the inner game books apply the same principle, which is the basis for a whole section of Zen philosophy and the Transactional Analysis...it has a great amount of truthiness

Barney

Are these music books or ways to learn books..like how and what to practice rather than a method book.....?

frankus

There's a book called The Art of Practice by Madeline Bruser which is about physiology whilst playing.

The Inner Game of Music is like the Inner Game of Skiing, Tennis or Golf - it's a book on self-coarching focussed on one set of skills.

I was so impressed with the Inner Game stuff I started reading books on coaching as I realised it's a massively overlooked aspect of teaching ... there's only one or two teachers, I know, who wouldn't benefit from reading coaching books like Inner game and Joan and John Whitmore books on coaching (Justin Sandercoe and Dario Cortese - already at the top of their game).

Basically these two guys are the only teachers I know who watch their students for doubt, confusion or loss of motivation and respond accordingly - it's all too familiar for a teacher to think "well they should deal with that shit themselves and if they don't want to be here... I'm here to teach notes and technique" etc ... but those two guys rarely have a free place in their schedules and their rates are a little bit higher because people really value their expertise.

Drew_TNBD

frankus said:

Basically these two guys are the only teachers I know who watch their students for doubt, confusion or loss of motivation and respond accordingly

This is one of the things I am really appreciating about my vocal teacher. He seems to be able to sense when my head isn't in the game, and when I'm thinking "what the fuck am I doing with all this, I'm a guitarist not a fucking singer..." and he kinda pulls me back from the edge with a few focused exercises that remind me of what the end-game actually is.

Technique and exercises can be such a bore. Sometimes you just need to dive into the actual creation... make a mistake, and then jump back and go "why did that go wrong...." and correct for it.

Phil_aka_Pip

I read it a long time ago and it made a lot of sense. Then some years later I read it again, and it made no sense at all. Maybe I went senile in the meantime

frankus

I keep a journal Phil, sometimes I'd love to be the chilled dude I was say 3 years ago - omething has changed

so sometimes past self appears better in some way.

Phil_aka_Pip

frankus said:

I keep a journal Phil, sometimes I'd love to be the chilled dude I was say 3 years ago - omething has changed

so sometimes past self appears better in some way.

I see what you mean ... there's more of my life behind me than I've got in front of me, its not going to get any better and there's nothing I can do about it, might as well have another gin and stop worrying

JAYJO

Phil_aka_Pip said:

frankus said:

I keep a journal Phil, sometimes I'd love to be the chilled dude I was say 3 years ago - omething has changed

so sometimes past self appears better in some way.

I see what you mean ... there's more of my life behind me than I've got in front of me, its not going to get any better and there's nothing I can do about it, might as well have another gin and stop worrying

I would recommend 80  years of youth by Herbert N Casson. It may not be easy to get hold of but its ace . I think he wrote it in 1953 when he was 80. Ive read it a few times its really uplifting .

IF You can see yourself as old when your 79 and if you pop your clogs at 80 then youve had 1 year at being old. If you see yourself as being old at 40 you could have 40yrs at being old.

frankus

Phil_aka_Pip;262222" said:

frankus said:

I keep a journal Phil, sometimes I'd love to be the chilled dude I was say 3 years ago - omething has changed



so sometimes past self appears better in some way.










I see what you mean ... there's more of my life behind me than I've got in front of me, its not going to get any better and there's nothing I can do about it, might as well have another gin and stop worryin

It's a funny thought, but I hope you don't believe that in the slightest.

There's http://www.u3a.org.uk/ for starters...