Regina Spektor

[velvetpage]

It's a very different experience to listen to an album while reading through the sheet music for the songs. You see and hear things you don't when you're just listening or just playing. When I take the time to do stuff like this - read through the music I want to play while listening to it - I'm always reminded that the dividing line between oral, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles is never cut-and-dried.

You'd think it would be obvious. Learning to play an instrument seems like it should be first an auditory pursuit and then a kinesthetic one. Really, though, it's a perfect fusion of all three. You can often become a decent musician if you're weak at one. A not-very-co-ordinated person can still learn to play an instrument if they avoid certain musical styles and develop their muscle memory through memorization; a non-visual person can play by ear or from fake books; a tone-deaf person can learn to play from the music, though I would question why they'd want to. But to really get it, to really make the music count, you have to have the whole package.

Anyway. I read through the Soviet Kitsch album with the sheet music open in a PDF in front of me, and heard things I would have missed otherwise. It was a much more active form of listening than what I usually do, because I need to be doing something with my hands or eyes while I listen, so my attention is often divided.

My conclusion: I can play her stuff. I can probably sing most of it, though some of her vocal acrobatics do not fit my skill set. Her range is very similar to mine, and I can make it sound good, if not quite the way it sounds when she sings it. Some of the songs don't appeal to me much - Poor Little Rich Boy, for example - but several of them are intriguing. I'm going to have fun with this.

First, though, I need to clear out the kitchen sinks and do some contrast baths on my arms. I've been warned by my wonderful massage therapist that if I really do glue myself to the piano, I'm going to totally mess with my forearm flexors, and I doubt she has a lot of emergency appointments available.

I need a piano icon. I don't even know where to go to get one. Any tips?

Comments

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

happy birthday!!! I wish I'd stuck with piano...I never was very good at getting each of my hands to do something different at the same time!!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

It just takes practice. There are times when it still gives me trouble - mostly when the rhythm in one hand is divided in multiples different from those in the other hand, like triplets and twos.

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

There's always google image searching... I found this:

I need to put together a userpic that uses pianos and guitars.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I wish I could use STFU, but it's not a good default music icon. I'll make one for the playing keys, though!

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

I just noticed that the playing keys is playing the D-minor 3rds. Hee!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Yes, I noticed that. :)

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

You know what's odd? I've gone over sheet music with people and had them say the same thing, but they often point out things I already heard. It happens most often for songs I'm really familiar with and have played tons and tons. IDK what it means; I think my brain is wired funny.

Piano icons: I found this (http://mollsex.livejournal.com/14234.html) on a quick look. There's probably music icon communities on LJ that might have more.

Also, happy birthday. =)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I took three of those!