ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 explores ways of incorporating variety in practice to aid the development of technique, to relieve the boredom that can result from mindless drilling, and to help envision higher and more detailed levels of interpretive nuance.
Learning that requires effort forces the brain to reconstruct previously learned knowledge and skill, which makes them stronger. Psychologist Robert Bjork calls these obstacles “desirable difficulties.” Practicing a passage from a piece with varying rhythms requires the brain and hands to “reconstruct” the skill. This practice technique allows one to play and hear a passage from different perspectives; it helps reveal vulnerable spots that might remain hidden if practiced only one way; it provides variety to the muscles involved and reduces the chances of developing repetitive stress injuries; and it provides for envisioning more and different interpretive nuances.
Applications of this practice technique appear in most serious books on how to develop piano and violin technique written by great artists and outstanding teachers. Galamian, Lhévinne, Rachmaninoff, Paderewski, and many lesser-known artists wrote about the benefits of incorporating variety in repetition. Neurophysiologist Nikolai Bernstein put it compactly in 1967: “repetition without repetition.”
It’s not only rhythms that are to be varied: Many pianists and violinists recommend that when different rhythm patterns are applied to exercises or portions of a piece that variations in dynamics, accent, and articulation also be practiced. As an example of the artistic benefits to be gained by incorporating variety in practice, chapter 6 looks at Alfred Cortot’s suggestions for practicing Chopin’s Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20.
