[LAU] A Bach in appology and completeness :-)

[Julien Claassen]

Hello Josh!
   thanks for the kind comment. Yes the piano is quite fabulous. Very life. I 
thought so, when I heard it for the first time. :-)
   So how do I learn: It will be different for different people. But I can't 
read braille notation. I never learnt it. I know it exists and people can work 
with it, but it was never something for me. I have a notion of note lengths, 
rhythms and the like, but since my step sequencing days - long gone - it has 
drastically diminished. :-)
   In my piano lessons I always learnt by ear and talk. So I've learnt Bach 
almost exclussively for the last 10 to 12 years. I got very used to the 
harmonies and in any case I'm not bad a hearing intervals. So we start with 
one hand (right or left, which is suites us at the moment) and then move 
forward at most four bars. Then we look at the other hand and finally we try 
to merge them. :-) I'm usually in the advantage, since I have recordings of 
all the pieces I learn. So I have a good imagination of what the piece should 
sound like. Beyond that, of course the general idea of note length and basic 
musical knowledge helps.
   So I learn a piece in small bites. Very rarely my teacher tells me what to 
play and which length the note has, but it's quite slow. OK, we've worked 
together for more than 18 years now. We got used to each other and our methods 
of learning/teaching. Sohe usually knows, what I'm asking for, if there's a 
problem or uncertainty. He knows where to look mostly, when I discovfer a 
problem in a piece/part already learnt. It's quite effective I think. We at 
least manage four bars per half an hour. Mostly it's more than that. But some 
Bach fugues can be quite tricky. Also the beginning of a fugue is complicated 
for my teacher, as he has to look at the fingering and has to be comfortable 
with the flats and double flats and the sharps and double sharps. :-) But when 
he's had some time, we get through it quite well. :-) My teacher is closing in 
on 90, so I think it's pretty amazing, that we get along this well in 
personalities and manner of learning. I think it's quite a difference teaching 
a student by ear only, if you're used to reading notes and teaching your 
pupils to read notes and let them go rather quickly. :-)
   Sorry for ranting, but I like the way I work and I love the way my teacher 
adapted to it. It shows me, that a lot of things are possible if you only put 
your mind to it. You need to be open for it, but with an open mind, you can 
perform quite efficiently and in a very kind and productive atmosphere.
   Kindest regards
            Julien

--------
Music was my first love and it will be my last (John Miles)

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