Passionate Prac: The Musician's Guide to Learning, Memorizing and Performing

By Margret Elson

Passionate Practice provides the necessary steps in learning how to read, focus and concentrate. It includes concrete ways to free yourself from modes of thought and behavior that restrict the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587900211
• ISBN13: 9781587900211
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Regent Press
• Length: 109 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Elegant Pianist and Creative Teacher

As someone who has known Ms. Elson for several decades, I can attest to her pianistic artistry and her creative teaching. As an experienced piano teacher myself, I have found her ideas for performance preparation, including practice/preparation techniques and focussing techniques during performance, which draw upon many different sensory resources to be extremely helpful for both me and my students. A number of my students have sworn by it. What I appreciate about Margret is her ability to write a book that is both concise and yet rich in content, easily readable and humorous, yet effective in its step-by-step processes. She practices what she preaches by reaching the reader through many sensory approaches. Anyone who has heard her performances knows that she plays with exquisite taste, style and passion. I highly recommend this thoughtfully written book.

My Life as a Statue

What I look for in an instructional manual are easy-to-follow instructions, personality, and at least one good tip that I can internalize for longterm use. Margret Elson's Passionate Practice succeeds on all three counts. As soon as the book arrived, I began working my way methodically through the various exercises and I found them all easy to understand, if sometimes tricky to do. Elson's humor and straightforward, encouraging language helped me to stay on task. What have I internalized, now that this book is tucked away among my Mozart and Beethoven piano music? A greater awareness of tension in my hands, not only when I'm at the piano, but when I'm talking on the phone or driving. As soon as I notice my hands clenched on the steering wheel, remembering Passionate Practice, I relax them. Ditto for that tough phone call--and when I soften my grip on the handset and breathe, the phone call usually gets easier. I loved Elson's technique for attacking problems with memorization and/or wrong notes when two sections of the music are only slightly different. The short version is that you get into the position of two statues that express the feeling of the two passages, and it's surprising how very different statues One and Two can turn out to be. After practicing my statues away from the piano, I find my knowledge of the music substantially changed when I return to the keyboard. For more detailed accounts of this and other techniques, I recommend you get your own copy of Passionate Practice.

helpful for all interested in vocational life

Margaret Elson's "Passionate Practice" has been a source of wisdom and encouragement since I read it when it was first published. I have returned to it many times. Elson's blend of psychotherapeutic expertise with her experience as a musician makes this book helpful to many. The author is a scholar-practitioner whose work with pianists transfers to wisdom for people striving to enhance their vocational expression and freedom. I hope we will be seeing more books from this writer.

Excellent book

Contrary to what Mr. Schmidt has written, I have to differ that this book is one of those typical "new age" self-help books. There is real substance and common sense mixed in between the poetic quotes. What people might fail to see is that the author is an artist herself and is passionate about her subject. Rather than write in dry, technical jargon, she illuminates and illustrates her examples with a high degree of wit and philosophical reflection--the very grist we need to persevere in what is an otherwise, daunting artistic process. I have studied piano privately with the author for several years and can tell you that her book is just skimming the surface of what she is actually able to teach in person. The author knows her stuff and produces successful results.

Excellent self-help for musicians and others

While the book is clearly titled to attract musicians who aim to hone their practicing and focusing skills, I found this book useful for a completely different reason. When I read it, in place of "learning a piece" I read "speaking in public" and really benefitted from the awareness and focusing techniques that are emphasized. Since the book is an easy read, useful ideas and skills can be extracted by reading just a few paragraphs. On the other hand, the depth of the book, and integral and fundamental role of many of its teachings makes it the kind of book you can learn even more from by going back and reading it again, picking up on things you missed the first time. I recommend this book for people interested in learning new techniques for improving their skills, focus, and confidence. It has a very natural flow that makes it an enjoyable read as well.