Practicing (Piano, Cello) Makes Perfect
November 6, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
8 to 11 year olds who studied either piano or a string instrument for a minimum of three years outperformed children with no musical training in auditory discrimination, finger dexterity, verbal ability and non-verbal reasoning. Science Daily reports on a study published in the October 29th PLoS One.
Yes, Charlie has been practicing……….
So?
I have had no lessons on the flute. I do have long fingers however and that makes all the difference.
Look at the photographs of the hands of any famous musician and look at the length of the fingers, from Jimi Hendrix to Seamus Ennis to Gustav Leonhardt.
Practice may make perfect, but if you ain’t got the inclination, you ain’t gonna practice either, and if you even out the playing field, the unpracticed but naturally talented will always be more efficient,it’s biomechanics and neurology.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lLe9etQ0iwQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6SmPk6mIhCk
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrGQGi4lvA
Nature + nurture……
You can find a lot more of that sort of info at http://www.menc.org.
My son is on year 2 of violin…not quite ready to perform at the same level as those his age in his grades orchestra group…but thats ok. His music teacher is amazing and respects my decision to have him learn and is willing to go at HIS pace. I don’t have any higher expectation of him, other than he find joy in it…that is enough.
Over the past few weeks, I have totally lost my desire to play the piano, and am passing it on to my niece. She, by the way, has really long fingers. Very few people I associate with on a daily basis play any instrument at all, and I don’t have any friends who play any musical instruments. No one seemed to appreciate my efforts, most of the time not even bothering to give me a listen, including even my closest family. Interests come and go, and sometimes quite abruptly. Music was a part of my life, but I am moving on. And parents should never, ever, force their children to play musical instruments, not if they want their children to enjoy music as adults.