Performance/Exam BoosterStater’s Kit

By Daniel Nistico

PrefaceUnfortunately, classical musicians of today are generally not taught to perform extraordinarily. We are often taught to play it safe, and to play it like how everyone else plays it. But this just doesn't go down well with someone who is listening to you.

When we perform we want it to be extraordinary, not just technically polished. Throw technical polish out of the window, because that is not what listeners want. They want to be transported by the music, and have emotions flood their entire being, uplifting them to places above and beyond Earth.

This book can help you get started on the journey to make your next performance extraordinary, by boosting your skills and resources to their maximum potential.

Contents

Musicality - 1

Recording - 2

Listening - 3

Studying - 5

Technical Excellence - 8

Optimum Health - 10

Copyright 2016 Daniel Nistico. All Rights Reserved

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1. Put Musicality and Expression First and Foremost in your Playing and Practice

A lot of classical musicians play music from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras - i.e. music written between the 17th to the 19th centuries. How did extraordinary musicians from these centuries affect their audiences? You can find many accounts about the performances of great musicians from the past, including Bach, Beethoven, Paganini, and Liszt.

They weren't remembered for their technical polish - great musicians/performers were remembered for their ability to move audiences to tears, and could transform their instruments to imitate human expressions - sighing, laughing, trembling, etc. - and create orchestral effects to make their instrument sound like another.

Always remember that technique should be at the service of art, and not the other way around. A quote is below from Carlevaro's Guitar School, where he explains this message very nicely.

“A performer is always faced with two problems. One concerts the purely mechanical difficulties contained within a musical work, the other the interpretative and expressive aspects of the music. It is highly advisable to tackle the latter problem first, for the artistic domain should be entered from the very beginning. Is it conceivable to plunge into a piece before knowing what is to be expressed? This is a point that should never be lost sight of since without it would come the risk of distorting the very nature of art. Were the trade, in its literal sense ever to become the main goal, the outcome would be devoid of art itself...”

When you're practicing your program, think about the expression, emotion, and atmosphere of the music before you work on the technical aspects. Write these down into your score!

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2. Record Yourself Frequently

It is very easy to record ourselves in this digital age.  If you have a smartphone, tablet, or computer then you should know how to do this, so take full advantage of it! You can usually do both audio and video recordings on these devices, and I recommend using a mixture of both.

Audio: We often think that we're playing very expressively, but in reality we're not. Recording yourself will immediately tell you how your playing actually sounds, and this is what the audience hears - they don't hear what's in your head!

Once you've made a musical decision about a phrase, section, or piece, immediately record yourself and see if that intention is actually coming through. If it's coming through 90%, then make it 110% the next take! If you don't like the original intention, then don't be afraid to change it to something else, even if it's drastically different - this is like taste testing.

Video: I'm going to be the first to admit it - when I play my face usually looks stern and serious, even if the music is playful and light. The audience loves it when performers look like they're enjoying themselves. Your listeners can also can relate to the music better if your body language conveys the musical meanings and emotions. However, performers can go overboard and can actually hinder the audience's connection to the music by moving too much, or using body language that doesn't sincerely convey the music's meaning.

The solution? Video some practice sessions and performances, and watch back to see how you look when you perform. You can turn off the sound and analyze your stage presence from a purely visual standpoint.

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3. Listen to a lot of Music - not just "the Greats"

When was the last time that you listened to a style of music that you weren't familiar with?How about a composer that you'd never heard of before?Or a performer that you'd never heard of before?

This digital age allows us to listen to just about any style, performer, or genre we can imagine, so take advantage of it! You might discover new works along the way that you could add to your repertoire - unfortunately conservatories and exams provide us with a very narrow and limited range of repertoire. Don't just adhere to this system - find your own niche and surprise your listeners with pieces that they're not familiar with, and inform your playing by listening to lots of different types of music!

Listen to a genre of music that you've never listened to before. It could be some kind of folk, jazz, opera, etc. - be adventurous!

Psuedo-traditionsOne problem that arose throughout the 20th century is the pseudo-tradition. This is a tradition of performing pieces that is created by certain great performers and teachers, who then pass it on to listeners (through recordings and concerts) and students (through conservatories).

This has now led to performers sounding very similar to one another, playing the same repertoire in the same way. The beauty about music is that each performance can be different, not only from one artist to another, but even when one artist performs the same piece multiple times. Audiences don't want to hear another Segovia of the Guitar, Lang Lang of the piano, or Rostropovich of the cello - they want to hear you!

What are your ideas about the music you play?The more variety of music you listen to, the more your idea bank will grow.

Choose one of the pieces you're working on and listen to at least two performances/recordings that you've never heard before.

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Authentic ListeningFinally, I'd like to introduce the idea of what I call authentic listening. For example, if you're playing a piece by Piazzolla, then make sure you listen to Piazzolla's recordings. If you're playing Bach, then make sure you listen to musicians who specialize in that style of music (I recommend Gustav Leondhardt for keyboard works, and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra for Orchestral works like the Brandenburg Concertos).

Also, try to expand your authentic listening to include music by other composers of the same era - i.e. music by composers who were living around the same time as the composer who wrote the piece you're working on. This gives you a sense of the kind of music that might have inspired the composer, and can help you to understand their style all the more.

Do some "authentic listening" for one of the piece you're working on. If the composer lived around the early 20th century, then there might recordings of them playing.

For example Villa-Lobos playing Villa-Lobos, Barrios playing Barrios, Llobet playing Llobet etc.

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4. Study and Apply The Knowledge You Encounter

The Internet is a tremendous resource for finding information. If you know where to look, you can find amazing information that can help your playing become that more extraordinary! You don't need to attend a college to do this - it's online 24/7 just waiting for you to find.

One great place to start is by studying historical performance practice. This equips you with tools and techniques for bringing Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music to life.

On the next page is one piece of information that might interest you...This is from a method book published around 1859If you play music from the 19th century - Sor, Giuliani, Aguado, Legnani, Regondi, Mertz, etc. - then this applies to you.

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The lines represent plucking regions - there are five in total!

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It is then shown how one can apply these plucking regions to a passage of music

This information tells us that guitarists of the 19th century were using a lot of color in their playing.

The musical example shows five distinct changes of color, and therefore hand positions, in just six measures.

You can use this information in your playing right now!

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5. Technical ExcellenceProfessional athletes have very thorough warm-up routines that get their mind and body in peak shape. As we are small-muscle athletes, we should also have thorough warm-ups and regimes that ensure we are in peak shape on our instrument.

Now, we all have different needs, strengths, and weaknesses. That means that everybody's routines and regimes should be different.

I do, however, recommend dividing your time between two distinct areas of technique; musical technique and physical technique.

Musical technique Is working on what I like to call the building blocks of music. This includes things like scales, arpeggios, and chords that are foundational to the construction and composition of guitar music.

If you're preparing for an exam, then you probably have set requirements to play certain scales and arpeggios. This is all well and good, but I challenge you to go far beyond what is required. If you do this, then your required workload will be easy and you'll ace your technical work in the exam. Your knowledge and understanding of musical structures will be much deeper, and lead to more nuanced and expressive interpretations.

Below is an example of musical technique, taken from my book Fundamental Harmony.

Have you ever practiced the triads of C Major in all positions and inversions before? Go ahead and give it a try!

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Physical technique is focused on the more abstract and mechanical aspects of playing, such as:

-Shifting horizontally and laterally-Stretching-Barring-Pressure-Strength-Finger independence-Right hand arpeggios

The best overall resource that I know of that covers many of these is Carlevaro's Serie Didactica para Guitarra, which is in four volumes. It is very hard to find in print, but I will give you the exact exercises you need.

I’ll also teach you how to create your own, based on the pieces you’re working on.

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6. Optimum Health - Feel Amazing for your Performance so that you Deliver Amazing Results

Now don't get me wrong, I'm no health expert. But I have spent many years performing full recitals, and I know how being in optimum physical and mental health can affect a concert for the better.

There are three main categories relating to health, which we are always told to improve on - diet, sleep, and exercise.

I'm only going to recommend one task for maintaining the health of these three things. You already know what is healthy and unhealthy for you - it's just a matter of keeping track of these three crucial aspects of health.

Keep a daily journal for one week that lists everything you eat and drink, the times that you sleep and wake, and all exercise you do.

Strive to improve on each category after each day passes.

About the AuthorDaniel Nistico is quickly establishing himself as one of the leading guitarists of his generation. Daniel is a passionate performer, teacher, and pedagogue, and specializes in the performance practice of 18th and 19th century guitar music. His teaching and research aims to revitalize the concept of being a well-rounded musician, with emphasis on musical ideas that can lead to deeper interpretive understanding, and tools for composing and improvising.

“Daniel is one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation”--- Nicholas Goluses: Professor of Guitar, Eastman School of Music

Daniel constantly strives to promote guitar music that has not had the fortune of being widely performed, and his debut solo album Un Viaje Mistico... A Mystical Journey contains some hidden gems of the guitar's repertoire. Speaking on the inspiration for the album, Daniel says that “it is a testament to my experience learning under [teachers] Tonié Field and Dr. Donna Coleman at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.” 

“Daniel’s interpretation [of Sevilla] brings a quality that I’ve not heard in many recordings. It’s rather laid-back, unhurried, unfussy and the lines, voices and phrasing within the music are so very clear... I may even be so bold as to say this is currently my favourite recorded version of Sevilla.”--- Nicole Neal: Classical Guitar n Stuff CD Review

Daniel has performed around the world, both as a soloist, and with his wife and flute partner as Duo Vela. Daniel's goal through performance is to spread greater awareness of the scope and expressive power that the guitar and its repertoire is capable of.

"Nistico gave an outstanding performance of Nikita Koshkin’s Poe-indebted Usher Waltz ... a demonstration of technical virtuosity harnessed to a real interpretation."--- Clive O'Connel: The Age Reviewer