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Digital recorders | Scores | General references & resources | Listening |
Warm-ups | Sight-reading | Interpretation | Memorization | Collaboration | Technology
Portable digital recorders (see pages 16-18 of The Musician's Way)
Audio recorders:
Zoom H2 (manufacturer site). Excellent for self-recording in practice. Lowest cost, small size, great value (about $140 US). Purchase at a discount from Buy.com.
Zoom H4n (manufacturer site). Bulkier than the H2 but still portable and with finer sound quality and additional features. Purchase at a discount from Buy.com.
Edirol R-09HR (manufacturer site). Comparable in cost and sound quality to the H4n but ultra-compact like the H2. Purchase at a discount from Buy.com.
Video recorders:
Zoom Q3 handy video recorder (manufacturer site). Purchase at a discount from SamAsh.com. High-quality audio and convenient size like the Zoom H4n; standard-quality video (not hi-def). Can be used in audio-only mode.
Excellent selection of camcorders at discount prices available at Buy.com. Buy.com coupons for 1st-time buyers (use after you place an item in your cart): $10 off $200 or more; $5 off $100 or more.
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Sources for scores (see also Instrument-Specific Resources and For Singers )
International Music Score Library Project. Free scores to download.
Free online scores from the Indiana University Music Library.
Digital scores and libretti in the collection of the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University.
The Neue Mozart Ausgabe free digital version. The complete works of Mozart, courtesy of Bärenreiter.
Schubert Autographs. Free online viewing of Schubert's manuscripts and other documents.
The Werner Icking Music Archive. Free scores to download; hosted by the Dept. of Computer Science at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
LibraryMusicSource.com. Free and subscription offerings of downloadable sheet music.
American Sheet Music, 1820-1885. Approx. 110,000 scores; from the Library of Congress.
African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. Approx. 1,300 pieces; from the collections of Brown University and cataloged at the Library of Congress.
Low-cost downloads from EveryNote.com.
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General references & resources
Multimedia Music Dictionary from Virginia Tech.
Stylistic Timeline of Music History, by Steven Estrella.
Articles about practice from The Musician's Way Blog.
HowToPractice.com. Tips and resources by Mike Saville.
“Worldwide Internet Music Resources,” from the Indiana University Music Library.
Carnegie Hall Podcasts. "On music, music personalities, and Carnegie Hall."
Special collections in the Indiana University Music Library. Audio, print, and mixed collections.
Internet Resources for Music from the Library of Congress.
Reference resources from Andante.com.
Classical.net. Articles, reviews, and other resources for classical musicians.
Videos and tips for students and educators from TheLessonRoom.com.
Teoría.com. Practice basic music theory and ear training.
Improvisation resources on MusiciansWay.com are listed under Jazz.
Links to national organizations promoting new music, from the International Association of Music Information Centres. “Specialised music resources for music students, performers, composers and music teachers.”
Read the Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science, 2009. Numerous articles summarizing current research.
Read “Practice,” by Nancy H. Barry and Susan Hallam, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, 151-166 (Oxford, 2002).
Read “Strategies for Individual Practice,” by Harald Jørgensen, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 85-103 (Oxford, 2004).
Preview “Mental Skills Training," by Christopher Connolly and Aaron Williamon, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 221-246 (Oxford, 2004).
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Listening (see p. 98-99 of The Musician's Way)
Classical Archives. Over 600,000 audio tracks - free and subscription offerings.
Medici.tv. Free and subscription access to high-quality classical music videos.
PristineClassical.com. Historic recordings remastered by Andrew Rose.
Primarily classical repertoire; some jazz and blues.
Classical Webcast. “An attempt to collect all live-broadcasting classical radio stations on the Web.”
Pandora Internet Radio (U.S. only).
Recordings from Naxos (classical and jazz).
Blue Note records. Jazz recordings and news.
Listen to and watch current and vintage videos of musical performances on YouTube. Search by performer, composer, and/or title.
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Warm-ups/restorative movements (see p. 37-39/75-82 of The Musician's Way)
The following are pertinent to both instrumentalists and singers; warm-ups specifically designed for singers are indexed here.
“A Proper Warm-up Has Important Benefits.” A concise 2008 article by exercise physiologist Elizabeth Quinn posted on About.com and endorsed by a medical review board. Contains crucial guidelines for designing a warm-up routine and cautions against stretching when cold. Although geared to athletes, the content applies to all musicians; links included.
Pre-playing warm-ups recommended by the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (may also be employed post-playing and during breaks). A 3-page factsheet with images and instructions for doing 12 gentle movements. Please read the above article by Elizabeth Quinn and study all the factsheet instructions before you try out these movements.
Watch a 3-minute video by guitarist David Russell in which he talks about the importance of warming up, practicing first thing in the morning, maintaining a repertoire of accessible pieces, and preserving the fun in music making.
Preview Relax and Renew, by Judith Lasater, Ph.D., P.T., a book that features images and instructions for doing numerous restorative poses.
Preview The Breathing Book, by Donna Farhi. Instructions and photos for doing restorative breathing and healthful movements.
“Qi Gong [Tai Chi] Exercises for Musicians.” A 14-minute video by Scott Lee, courtesy of Artists House Music.
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Sight-reading (see p. 99-102 of The Musician's Way)
“Eye Movement in Music Reading.” A well-referenced article on Wikipedia.
Preview “Sight-Reading,” by Andreas Lehmann and Victoria McArthur, a chapter in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, 135-150 (Oxford, 2002).
Preview “Strategies for Sight-reading and Improvising Music,” a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 143-159 (Oxford, 2004).
Selected sight-reading/sight singing materials suited to both instrumentalists and singers:
Solfèges des Solfèges, by A. Dannhäuser (3 vols.).
A New Approach to Sight Singing, by Berkowitz, Frontrier, & Kraft.
Rhythmical Articulation, by Pasquale Bona.
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Interpretation (see p. 23-34 of The Musician's Way)
Read Musical Interpretation: Its Laws and Principles, a classic 160-page book by Tobias Matthay (Schirmer, 1918).
Preview Note Grouping, by James Thurmond (Meredith, 1982).
Preview The Rhythmic Structure of Music, by Cooper and Meyer (Chicago, 1960).
Preview The Composer’s Advocate, by Erich Leinsdorf (Yale, 1982).
Preview Singing in Style: A Guide to Vocal Performance Practices, by Martha Elliott (Yale, 2006).
Read about Deepening Musical Performance Through Movement: The Theory and Practice of Embodied Interpretation, by Alexandra Pierce (Indiana, 2007).
Preview Baroque Music: Style and Performance Handbook, by Robert Donington (Norton, 1982).
Preview The End of Early Music: A Period Performer's History of Music for the Twenty-First Century, by Bruce Haynes (Oxford, 2007).
Preview Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard, by Paul Badura-Skoda (Oxford, 1995).
Watch videos on YouTube of master musicians teaching interpretation. For example, you might search using the keywords "Pavarotti masterclass."
Dalcroze Eurythmics. Merging interpretation with movement.
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Memorization (see p. 82-93 of The Musician's Way)
Read “Strategies for Memorizing Music,” by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance edited by Aaron Williamon, 123-141 (Oxford, 2004). The author says, “The use of conceptual memory is the crucial overarching strategy that no musician can do without.”
“Memorization: Psychological Data and Some Practical Tips,” by pianist and educator Dr. Scott McBride Smith.
Read “Memory,” by Rita Aiello and Aaron Williamon, a chapter in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, 167-181 (Oxford, 2002).
Read “Singing by Heart: Memorization Strategies for the Words and Music of Songs,” by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in The Music Practitioner: Research for the Music Performer, Teacher and Listener, edited by Jane W. Davidson, 149-160 (Ashgate, 2004).
Read the abstract of “The Value of Performing from Memory,” by Aaron Williamon, in Psychology of Music, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 84-95 (1999).
Preview “Memorising Music,” by Aaron Williamon, in Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding, edited by John Rink, 113-126 (Cambridge, 2002).
Preview “Performing from Memory,” by Chaffin, Logan, and Begosh, in The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, edited by Hallam, Cross, and Thaut (Oxford, 2008, p. 352-363).
Read the Preface to Guide to Memorizing Music, by Alfred John Goodrich (1906). The author, more than a century ago, eschews rote learning and “finger memory” and advises musicians to learn their material deeply by, in his words, “apprehending the design” of a composition.
Preview Practicing Perfection: Memory and Piano Performance, by Chaffin, Imreh, and Crawford (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002).
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Collaboration (see p. 114-129 of The Musician's Way)
"Toward Better Collaboration." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
"Eleven steps to fixing the problem that occurs when you work harder than everyone else in the band," by Bruce Warila. Applicable to all egalitarian groups.
Read “The Role of Chamber Music in Learning to Perform: A Case Study,” an article by Rosie Burt-Perkins and Janet Mills, in Music Performance Research, Vol. 2 (2008).
Read “Strategies for Ensemble Practice,” a chapter by Jane Davidson and Elaine King, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 105-122 (Oxford, 2004).
Preview The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum (Cornell, 1987).
Preview The Power of Positive Criticism, by Hendrie Weisinger (Amacom, 2000).
Preview Toxic Criticism, by Eric Maisel (McGraw Hill, 2006).
Preview The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner, by Martin Katz (Oxford, 2009).
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Technology and music making (see also Digital Recorders)
Recording and sound reinforcement articles & guides from Shure.
Notation & composing software: Sibelius; Finale.
MusicMeetsTech.com. The website of pianist Hugh Sung: “Helping musicians adopt technology to enhance their art and lifestyle.”
Preview “Physiological Self-regulation: Biofeedback and Neurofeedback,” by John H Gruzelier and Tobias Egner, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 197-219 (Oxford, 2004).
Read “Free Your Mind: A Scientific Approach to Unleashing Creativity,” a brief 2007 article posted on MindModulations.com, a site with "the latest on biofeedback, consciousness, neuroscience, and neurotechnology."
PianoPerceptions.com. Dr. Kathleen Riley’s method that combines surface electromyography, video analysis, and sensory awareness training to optimize instrumentalists’ technical habits.
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