2 Learning How to Learn

‘The mind is the limit. As long as you can envision something, you can do it.’
– ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

When we are at school there are several different methods that teachers use to try and impart the subject matter to us; for example reading, lectures, lecturettes, open questions (Socratic and non Socratic styles), slides, films, videos, practical experiments etc.

Sometimes you got it, sometimes you didn’t. It depended on the skill of the teacher, your own interest in the subject area and how it was presented to you.

At school we are not taught how we think or learn. The situation is changing slowly but its still the case the world over that they don’t teach this!

Keep reading - I’m going to let you into a few secrets.

Did you get given a recorder to play when you were in kindergarten or nursery? If you did, how many hours did you spend holding it wrong, or blowing it wrong?

Eventually most children give up on the thing even though the teacher was trying to show them how to play. It’s a terrible shame because that sets in their mind the belief that they are not musical, they don’t have any musical talent, and they don’t have the aptitude. WRONG!

The same thing happens in art class by the way. Got given a pencil and paper and told to draw what you see? Unhappy with the results? Not artistic, no artistic talent, no aptitude for art? WRONG!

Then some people don’t get maths, or can’t read or spell.

 

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!

What’s missing from all this. Three things: Always do this before any other exercises, and before beginning practicing. It gets the blood moving in your hands, heightens your finger sensitivity and thus touch - and reduces the possibility of injury.

First shake both your hands vigorously for a count of 20, using a backwards and forwards ‘flapping motion’

 

Figure 5-1 Flapping Hands
Hand warm-up twist

 

This loosens the wrist and gets blood pumping through your hands

 

Twist your hands backwards and forwards in a circular motion vigorously for a count of 20.

 

Figure 5-2 Twisting Hands
Finger independence

 

Bend each finger down in turn. Try to do each finger independently and use your other hand to correct the movement or go the full path.

To build some stamina and strength, when you’ve mastered doing each finger independently then hold a stress ball (or orange) against your palm with your right hand and press into the ball lightly with each bending finger. Do this 10 times with each hand. (Yes both hands we want them to remain balanced)

Figure 5-3 Five finger bends
Finger side stretches

Using your right hand fingers, separate and stretch out the gaps between your fingers. Do this ten times. The first time through be gentle and only use one or two fingers as a spacer. Widen the gap a little more each time. Repeat the exercise, without using your right hand as a guide (just move the fingers to make the gap on your left hand).

Figure 5-4 Finger sideways stretching

Massage the gaps between each knuckle. Top and sides. Start on first finger near the tip and work inwards. Then do the second finger, third finger etc.

Finally shake your hands again with the flapping motion and then rest.

The beauty of this set of exercises is that it only takes a couple of minutes to do, and can be done anywhere.
For the first week you should do it 4 or 5 times over each day, increasing to 10 times daily for a month. Then back to 3-4 times a day. After a month your hands will be naturally more supple and stronger and just need a little movement to keep them in form.

It should also be done before and after your daily practice session.

There are lots of exercises that improve speed, accuracy etc. out on the Internet. Some of them are very good, but most of them are very boring and repetitive.

Pianists use some practice exercises to warm their hands and extend their playing ability; one of the most popular is the set of Hanon exercises. Good but very boring after a while.

Problem with boring is that the repetition becomes the norm and your mind shuts off concentrating on what you’re doing pretty quickly. If you don’t get it right at the beginning – bad habits and poor playing set in.

The alternative is to make it so complex that your conscious mind is focused on the complexity and your unconscious does all the muscle memory learning etc. yet still have the desired benefit.