*Playing Bach Partita No. 3, BWV 1006*
Uh! Guten Morgen.
Don't touch my organ.
*Quickly finishing the piece*
All right!
Welcome back to another episode of TwoSet Violin.
Today we will be answering your questions that you have
about what it's like to learn and practice an instrument.
Wooo!
Many of you we often meet say
that you picked up an instrument because of us.
DON'T DO IT! Nah, I'm just joking.
- It's so painful! - It's so painful!
You don't wanna practice that hard!
The sufferin— actually, do you know?
I learnt a cool fact, the cool motivational fact today.
The word "passion," in I think Latin?
Means "to suffer."
- Whoaaaaa! - Eddy: So,
you're not really passionate about something
unless you suffer for it.
You gotta push through and endure!
- Brett: So you gotta... - *Playing Bach Partita again*
...PRACTICE!!!
First question from Igotmoreproblems:
Depends what you mean by "difficulty."
Some people might be quick at learning notes,
some people might be good at vibrato...
Everyone finds different parts
more difficult than others, right?
And also outside of, like, the technical spectrum,
some people might be better at rhythm,
some people might be better at phrasing,
have better musical ideas.
There's the emphasis on difficulty, right?
As if we want it to be easy.
But again...
if you're passionate about something,
- if you wanna do great things, - Hmmm...
I guess what you're trying to ask probably is
how much impact talent has on learning an instrument.
All right, let's take an extreme example, all right?
Like, someone that we might think of as
super talented and gifted.
And again,
someone might look talented,
but they practice like, 80 hours a day
- and you just don't know, right? - Brett: Yeah.
Someone like Ziyu He who goes,
"Ah, just look like it's easy, hahaha!"
He still put in a looot of hours.
- Yeah. He's— he... - I mean you can't just be like, "Oh, it's easy!"
and just play Paganini without practicing.
- Eddy: It doesn't work that way. - Yeah.
He's put in a lot of hours.
So, I think the ability to persist
and put in the work
even when things get rough and tough,
is the most important part.
Because even if you're talented but you don't do that,
- I mean— yeah. - your talent's wasted.
- There's a lot of stories of "talented" people, - Yeah.
whatever you define it as,
who just give up and quit
because they just didn't have the ability to
push through.
And I will also say the work isn't always just
physical work or practicing.
- Brett: Yes. - It's also, um, emotional work.
'Cause there are also talented people,
you know, they were young,
they were pushed hard by their parents,
and then they kind of developed
a really kind of weird relationship with their instrument,
and then they just couldn't play anymore.
And so, part of pushing through the challenge is also
emotional aspect of how you
- come to terms with the journey. - For sure.
- 'Cause the journey is meant to be challenging. - Yes.
Well, clearly...
...not.
- You tell us! - Yeah, you tell us!
Do you think it worked?
- I don't knowww! - I don't knnnow!
*Shredding*
I think it definitely helps you develop,
like, different aspects of your life.
I mean, there's so much science research.
It does, like, activate parts of your brain
that normally is not activated.
Especially because it's a lot of
finger movement, kinesthetic stuff,
and also linking towards how you think about things.
- Yeah. And rhythmic stuff helps with mathematics. - Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, it really does help.
I don't know the specifics,
but I remember seeing a lot of research about that.
I mean, just look at Bach, how high-IQ he is.
Brett: Yeah!
The art of fugue!
Well, if you saw that video we did
of guessing how long someone's played,
that adult beginner that self-taught herself to play...
- That was pretty impressive! - That was pretty impressive.
Like, normally, I would've said no,
but then, I feel like more and more
I'm seeing examples of people that teach themselves
and it's just... blowing my mind.
I also feel like it's probably in relation to,
because there's more information on the internet now.
Yes!
20 years ago had like, zilch.
20 years ago there were like, books,
but the book, you can't see or hear.
Yeah, the books...
You're just reading, like, "Place your index finger...
- ...two centimeters from your knuckle - Yeah! It's like, it's like—
for the Russian vs. the Franco-Belgian bow—"
- Yeah! - Like, what the—?!
I think it's... yes. Short answer.
But it is always... and I think it will be a long time before
- we can actually have someone have no teacher. - Mm.
Yeah, I definitely think you need a teacher.
And a good teacher that can guide you
- along the right direction. - Eddy: Yes.
It makes your life easier in some ways,
and also gives you quick fixes,
because a lot of the time,
we don't even know our own problems.
Teacher's just, like, this awareness person.
"You look a bit tense on the neck, there."
- "You look a bit tense on that finger..." - Mm.
And you might not even realize what you're playing.
Yeah. I'll give you another caveat, too, um:
it has to be a good teacher.
- Oh, yeah. - 'Cause we... know someone...
who unfortunately had not that great of a teacher,
and advice and tips she was given just...
didn't feel very right,
and I was telling my friend the opposite
and then she just got really confused. So,
I do think having a bad teacher can also be
quite detrimental, unfortunately.
Short answer:
- That's... - It's tricky, because I know if I google violin teachers...
I've seen those website directories, and it's like,
yeah 30 percent of them are people I know are legit,
but then 70 percent of them... I'm suspicious.
Yeah, it's a bit sus.
If you're new and you have no idea,
no one to ask,
I would try multiple lessons with multiple teachers,
just to get a feel.
And then maybe check on YouTube or some other videos
or read some books and then,
kind of cross that information over with each other.
Just make sure you're in the right direction.
In general, a good teacher will provide, like, strong frameworks,
- Brett: Yeah. - And you will feel, like a video game,
that you're just progressing comfortably
and can feel the improvement.
If you feel like you're thrown into this deep end
where you're just like,
"I don't know what I'm doing. I can't do this."
It might mean that that teacher isn't very good at
knowing where you're at.
They should be able to pace out your improvement for you.
And your first piece literally should just be something like this:
*Playing open A string*
Not even a piece.
Eddy: Yeah, like... yeah.
I would also say the teacher asks you questions,
so they actually want to know about what you want.
That's generally a good sign, versus...
I've had teachers that just talk.
I, I hate that.
They charge you so much money for, like, 60 minutes,
and they're, like, talking about their grandson
or, like, Shakespeare,
and you're just like, "Bro, like... I don't care."
I think finding a teacher that's passionate is really important too.
Someone that's not just doing it because
they're, like, trying to get a paycheck,
but you can tell that they love teaching.
And also, some teachers are great players,
but not good teachers.
- Oh yeah, that's true. - That's something you have to keep in mind, too, like...
- The art of teaching is something else. - Eddy: Yeah.
- *Sharp inhale* - Wooo!!
That's... tricky. I think if you know
what to look for in an instrument,
then you can buy one first.
But if you don't know,
having a teacher there to help you will... be good.
But again, the problem is,
there are teachers that... scam students
- by recommending bad instruments for a lot of money, - Ah, yeah...
and then take a hidden cut.
It's happened to me.
It's happened to me~!
It's happened to a lot of people.
Don't just blindly buy the instrument—
go cross-check it.
- Brett: Yeah. - The same way how Brett said
have a few different teachers if you're starting,
and just see which one feels right.
If a teacher recommends an instrument,
- you can usually be like, "Hey, can I try it first?" - Yeah.
And when you try it, take it to other teachers,
play it for them, and get different opinions.
- Oh, that's the best way, actually. - Yeah.
And don't feel awkward, don't feel bad about it.
- Don't let the teacher gaslight you into thinking that - Yeah!
"Oh, you're not trusting the teacher."
Yeah, yeah, no, you—
- Oh, ok—ooooh! - That's a good question!
A good teacher will tell you
- when it's time, you're ready for a change. - Yes.
But unfortunately, I think a lot of teachers
- won't tell you. - Brett: Yeah.
I've been quite fortunate
that at the beginning I've had teachers
- that told me to change 'cause I've outgrown them. - Eddy: Yes.
But I've also had times when teachers...
A. They just can't tell, they don't want you to leave,
Not saying I was a... good player,
but if you're like, a decent student, and then,
they just wanna keep you because
it's like a representation of the teacher's "work,"
and they just kind of, like, want to show you off,
like, "Look, look, look!
If you come learn from me, you play like this guy!"
Just be careful of that.
If you feel like the teacher can't even offer
anything else,
honestly, even after like... a few months—
six months, let's say—within six months,
if there's a lot of repeats happening,
- 'cause it takes a while to recognize that. - Yeah.
You're learning your piece, it takes time to learn,
once you play a new piece they say the same thing,
you fix it, but they say the same thing...
that's probably a sign.
I would also try and get lessons from other teachers as well
to see if they have different ideas that make your playing better.
I've been fortunate that my teachers
have been like, yeah. They encourage me.
If you're traveling to different countries,
have a lesson with the teachers in those countries;
- see what it's like! - Brett: Yeah.
There is a culture—and, understandably—
where, y'know, you should in some ways
be loyal to a teacher.
I dunno, like, there's something to be said about
when a teacher gives so much
of their time and passion into developing you,
and then you take other lessons behind their back.
But at the same time,
there's just so many examples where
students are just stuck with bad teachers.
And that to me is...
- ...worse. - ...worse. It's such a waste of those students' potential
just because there's this culture where
you kind of get guilted
for having lessons with different teachers.
I get it, but man, teachers, you just gotta step up your game.
- Teachers should be constantly striving - Teachers should be striving to get better.
- to improve as well. - Teachers should be striving to get better,
and I know a lot of teachers don't,
but I know a lot of teachers do as well, and props to them.
- Yeah. - Because if teachers get better,
- everyone gets better! - Eddy: Yeah.
I know teachers that go watch other teachers teach.
And I'm like, "Wow!"
If you're scared, 'cause it doesn't hurt,
it might be a bit intimidating to ask the teacher,
"Hey, can I get some other lesson from here?"
I mean, if you're worried to even ask that,
just start by being like, "Hey,
I feel like I haven't really improved."
And start the conversation.
Yeah, yeah. True.
We kinda addressed that, but I will now
- present the other side of the argument, which is: - Brett: Yes.
If you have different teachers, sometimes you will be confused.
- Oh, yeah. - 'Cause different teachers have different approaches.
'Cause things take time. You don't learn something overnight.
Imagine every second day you change your workout routine;
and you, every second day you change your diet.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Like, there's more than one good diet out there,
- but you can't be changing all the time. - Just imagine you have two teachers
that disagree on the type of bow hold.
Yeah, right?!
- You're gonna have problems! Like, - That's true!
one is like the Franco-Belgian, one is a Russian,
you're just like, "Ah! Ah!" You keep changing; you're screwed.
I think once you feel like there's a teacher
you connect and resonate with,
it's probably good to stick with them for
at least some amount of time.
But then over time as you get better,
and you get more experience,
you'll start to learn for yourself where you're at
and when you need a different teacher.
I think trust that inner voice.
- I don't think so! - No.
I feel like as long as you know what you want,
- it's all right. Give it a shot. - Hmm!
I mean, if you wanna play, like, Paganiniana
- within like a year? Okay, probably not. - Yeah.
But if you want to, like, play some piece,
you have a goal in mind—"Hey, I want to learn
Hungarian Dance or Humoresque within a year or two"—
Maybe! It's doable.
I think the good thing about violin playing is
it's still physical but it's not like tennis.
I think as long as you don't have, like...
too much joint pain.
If your body's feeling okay, you can learn.
Yeah. Exactly.
And make sure you get a teacher just to check.
Because,
they have given up on their dreams,
and so they don't like seeing you
go for your dreams!
*Wah-wah-wah-waaah*
Up to you, really.
I mean, we both learned two instruments.
- You learned three for a bit. - It's true. That's true.
- You learned cello for a little bit. - It's true. That's true.
I think... why not?
Especially in the beginning,
again, like the teachers, you don't know what you'll like.
Maybe you'll find that you play the violin,
and that you play the...
...recorder,
and somehow you just like the recorder,
then good for you! You should play the recorder!
- Don't let, you know... - Yeah, no, we love the recorder, it's...
- It's important to try things out - Yeah.
- and see what resonates with you. - Yes.
But, it also gives you more perspective, actually.
There's a, y'know, there's a trade-off.
On one hand, you're getting less time
to get good at your instrument.
On the other hand, you develop
more perspectives that can help.
Was it Julia Fischer that plays both violin and piano
- at an elite level? - Yep. Yeah.
It's doable!
These are such good questions, guys.
- I love it. - I wish we had more time as well.
Actually, yeah. Look, we've got so many questions.
This will be our last one,
'cause we're going quite in-depth.
If you guys want more,
if you think this is something you like, let us know.
- We'll do a part 2. - Yes.
- ...So feeling stuck. - Ohh.
I totally know what they mean.
Sometimes it does feel like you just wanna quit.
Or you just don't feel like it, right?
But especially when it feels like you're not really improving.
But don't worry if you're going through it, first of all,
because everyone goes through it.
I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.
It's okay to feel that way.
Check with your teacher for sure.
There's two possibilities.
One is, you are actually making progress,
you just don't know it.
- Yeah. - 'Cause it doesn't feel like you're making progress.
The other one is, you're genuinely not making progress.
And maybe you know that, or maybe you don't know.
Maybe you think you're progressing, but you're not.
I think these are two different questions.
The first one's interesting.
Sometimes it feels like you're not progressing,
but if you push through and look back at six months
- you've come a long way. - And then when you play for someone they're like, "Whoa."
I'm butchering the metaphor, but like,
let's say you're flying and you're just
one degree off.
In the beginning, it feels like...
minuscule difference.
But in a long enough distance,
it's the difference between landing in New York or Brazil, right?
So sometimes, every day, the progress is just one degree,
So it doesn't feel like you're progressing,
but over a large enough time,
- there is genuine progress. - Yeah, it kind of stacks up.
One year ago, you were trying to learn a concerto.
A year later, you can play the whole concerto, WHOA.
But then what if you're not? What if you're not progressing?
How do they know?
How can we help them know if they're progressing or not?
Look at yourself in the mirror?
Brett was joking, looking at yourself in the mirror,
- but actually, record yourself. - Look at yourself in the mirror... yeah.
- Record yourself, because... - That's the first one.
It's hard, I know, we all don't wanna record our—
but you have to record yourself because
it exposes you, it exposes everything that you do.
And it'll pick up everything
that you don't even hear while you're playing.
- Yeah. - I guarantee you when you're playing,
half the time your ears are not even switched on
'cause you're worried about all these other things.
I also think you need to know what you're working on.
You have to have a goal.
If you just practice what your teacher gives you
but you don't really know what you're striving for,
then how does one even know if they're progressing or not?
Progress has to be relative to a destination.
- Yep. And it could be anything, right? - Yeah.
It could be, "I want better tone for this part."
"I want to make sure I memorize these things!"
If it's a memory thing, well...
maybe by day 20 you memorize one page
- or something, you know? - Exactly.
Intonation!
- Yeah, exactly! - I remember for Mendelssohn, for example:
*Playing opening of Mendelssohn Violin Concerto*
That shift was really annoying.
- Mm. - Ah, my goal was, I was like,
"Okay. In the next three days,
I need to be able to do it properly." By the end:
*Playing shift in tune*
...and never miss that.
- Yeah! Exactly. - And the goal was that I never miss that five times in a row.
Secondly, you need to figure out
if it's a perception problem or an execution problem.
Do you KNOW that you're playing out of tune?
Do you know what good tone is meant to sound like?
Or do you know, but you just can't do it?
If you have perception problems,
you need someone that can help teach you,
or you just listen to recordings and try to figure it out.
Listen to great musicians; go to concerts.
You have to develop your senses.
But once you can perceive it,
then it's just about, can you execute?
And if you're getting stuck on the execution part,
find a teacher that can solve your answers.
That's it, everyone!
Thank you for coming to TwoSet Education,
TwoSet-Versity! Hahaha!
All of you guys out there,
I know we meet a lot of you
who all decided to learn instruments;
I meet parents that are saying thank you,
'cause their kids are actually practicing now
and they're learning.
Parents also, keep an eye out for your kids.
I hope that this helps.
It's important for parents to check for their kids
what the teacher's doing.
- Don't just leave them to do their own thing. - Yeah.
Help them out.
And if you're practicing yourself,
check with your teachers.
You know, get friends to listen to you.
If you're at uni, check your friends.
That's what it's all about; the community comes together.
We help each other.
All right, that's it! Please like and subscribe!
As always, PRACTICE!