A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
A famous folk tale, recounted in the Annals of Lu Buwei (239 BCE) tells the story of a special friendship which has become immortalised in Chinese lore…
Continue reading High Mountain, Flowing WaterA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
This striking passage from a classic of ancient Chinese wisdom offers many analogies and images that are worth pondering:
“Don’t run in place of horses,
or you’ll exhaust your strength.
Don’t fly in place of birds,
or you’ll wear out your wings.
Don’t act before others,
so you can observe their examples.
If you stir, you lose your position;
Be calm, and you’ll spontaneously succeed.”
Guanzi, attributed to Guan Yiwu (725-645 BCE), translated Thomas Cleary
The Way of the World: Readings in Chinese Philosophy (2009)
A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
“When all the world appears to be in a tumult, and nature itself is feeling the assault of climate change, the seasons retain their essential rhythm. Yes, fall gives us a premonition of winter, but then winter will be forced to relent, once again, to the new beginnings of soft greens, longer light, and the sweet air of spring.”
Madeleine M. Kunin
The Chinese New Year heralds the fifteen day Spring Festival, and culminates in the Lantern Festival celebrated this weekend.
It perhaps seems odd to celebrate the arrival of Spring as early as February, several weeks before the equinox, but the stirrings of new life and fresh shoots are surely well under way, and the blossom appearing on the trees in our neighbourhood suggest that the Chinese have it right!
Continue reading Spring AwakeningA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
Since ancient times, the Chinese have followed the lunar calendar, New Year coinciding with the first hint of Spring in the northern hemisphere, and this year falling on Saturday 10th February 2024. This date marks the beginning of the celebration of the Spring Festival, which culminates in the Festival of Lanterns on February 24th.
As ever, the year is named after one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. These are multiplied by the Wuxing ‘Five Element’ concept of traditional Daoist culture to create a 60 year cycle, and within this we are about to enter the Year of the Wood Dragon.
“Oh great!” you may be thinking, “just what we all need: another year of drama, turbulence, disruption, and fire-breathing egos.” But happily, the Year of the Dragon is traditionally an auspicious one in Chinese lore, heralding a time of positive transformation and renewal.
Continue reading The Year of the DragonA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
How do you feel when so-called “experts” say things that just don’t match your experience? Is their academic learning superior to your practical experience? Does their input leave you feeling more, or less confident than before?
Practical experience and academic learning ideally go hand in hand, the one neither replacing nor outbalancing the other. But it’s helpful to consider how the right balance between the two is best achieved.
Continue reading Developing Wisdom and ExpertiseA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
As Autumn turns to winter, dead leaves wither on our pathways, migrating birds have headed off in search of warmer climes, insects are crawling into holes, and many animals are settling down to hibernate until the spring thaw.
In Chinese medicine and Qigong practice, the human metabolism also slows down in the Winter, and our energy can become dormant. And yet we seem to largely ignore the challenges of the season. Instead, we work and play even more frenetically than usual as we head towards the Christmas season at breakneck speed.
There is a real danger that our over-exertion in the early winter leaves us physically depleted, mentally and emotionally exhausted, and more susceptible to infection, illness and a general sense of feeling “run down”. We need to take stock…
Continue reading “In the three moons of winter”A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
“In autumn everything is falling: the leaves, the temperature, the angle of the sun. Following the prolific expansion of summer and the warm fullness of harvest time, autumn begins the descent, the turning inwards. There is a sense of quieting. Autumn invites us to ponder the impermanence of all phenomena.”
John Kirkwood: The Way of the Five Seasons (2016, Singing Dragon)
We sometimes think about Autumn as a season of decay, of decline, in which the weather turns drab, and the nights draw in. And for those of a melancholic disposition, the words Seasonal Affective Disorder loom, an ominous spectre.
But I prefer to see the Autumn as a time of dynamic change and possibility, the old giving way to the new. Any gardener will tell you that plants sometimes need a good pruning, and the spectacular feast of autumn colour serves as a vivid reminder of nature’s inbuilt commitment to change, vitality and new beginnings.
What better time for us as pianists, teachers, and simply as people, to reflect on those changes that may be needed in our own lives?
Which “leaves” are turning yellow?
Here are some of the questions we might ponder…
A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
In this short post, I want to address our need for a balanced approach to our piano practice and playing. But first, let’s take a step back and consider some more universal principles.
It seems to be our Western way of thinking to categorise and put everything in separate boxes. We are not always so adept at making connections. We explain our world using artificial constructs that polarise, and that fixate on opposites. We speak of good and evil, black and white, hard and soft, male and female, hot and cold, fortissimo and pianissimo, night and day.
We may think that these opposites are mutually exclusive, but our experience of the world around us teaches a different lesson. Just as positive and negative ions charge the air we breathe, so too energy, movement and a living narrative are all impossible without the interaction of opposing forces.
Continue reading Avoiding Excess, Cultivating BalanceA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
What are we to say, and how are we to live, in times of trauma, escalating suffering and conflict? On this site I often quietly apply the wisdom of Daoism to our piano playing journey, but what of its broader relevance? Faced with misery on multiple fronts, can Daoism offer any hope?
The great Daoist sage Lao Tzu lived in tumultuous times, too. The details of his life may have been obscured by the mists of time, but the conflicts of that era are well known, and they were brutal. Reading his classic Tao Te Ching, no wonder his deeply-considered response to the world as he found it continues to resonate with so many to this day.
Continue reading The Supreme GoodA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
The image of an empty vessel is a common one found in many cultural and spiritual traditions. It is a concept which is marvellously introduced in these words from that great classic Tao Te Ching by the ancient sage Lao Tzu:
“Clay is folded into a vessel,
Yet it is the hollowness that makes the vessel useful;
Windows and doors are cut out,
Yet it is their empty space that makes the room useable.”
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (chapter 11, excerpt)
translation, Edward Brennan and Tao Huang
Here’s a wonderfully pithy rendition of the first part, this time as translated by that great author Ursula K. Le Guin:
“Hollowed out, clay makes a pot.
Where the pot’s not is where it’s useful.“
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (chapter 11, excerpt)
translation: Ursula K. Le Guin
In her ever-thoughtful commentary, she notes,
Continue reading An Empty Vessel“One of the things I love about Lao Tzu is he is so funny. He’s explaining a profound and difficult truth here, one of those counterintuitive truths that, when the mind can accept them, suddenly double the size of the universe. He goes about it with this deadpan simplicity, talking about pots.”
Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by ANDREW EALES
Verse 64 of Lao Tau’s Tao te ching contains perhaps the most famous line in all Daoist philosophy (quoting here from Solala Towler’s rendition):
“The largest tree grows from a tiny shoot.
The highest tower is built brick by brick.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”
Preceding this great quote, and shedding further light on the philosophy of Daoism, we read in verse 63:
“Deal with the difficult while it is easy.
Create the large from the small.”
These words offer an important blueprint for how we might approach any task, including learning a new piece of piano music.
They also provide us with the ammunition we need in order to stop putting off our practice, and overcome procrastination.
Let’s consider each of these points in turn…
Continue reading The Pianist’s ProcrastinationSupporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by ANDREW EALES
Some years ago, a highly successful man from the world of finance approached me for lessons. Essentially a beginner, he had previously tried a few lessons with another teacher locally, and I asked him why it hadn’t worked out.
His explanation amounted to a cautionary tale:
“I told her that I was only interested in learning Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata, but she insisted on trying to teach me dull Grade 1 pieces. I had no interest in learning them, felt unmotivated and annoyed, and made no progress.”
Naturally I tried to explain (as undoubtedly the previous teacher had) that the Tempest is an incredibly difficult work, requiring a range of highly advanced musical and technical skills. It is possible to admire and be inspired by the achievements of the world’s greatest players while enjoying working at our own level.
Alas, he was not for turning, and within a short time the lessons stopped, my name presumably added to the list of stubborn failures who had been unable to teleport him directly into the Tempest without his needing to follow in the footsteps of those pianists who have previously made the journey with success.
Teaching with a sense of structured progression and an underlying curriculum is not a matter of professional hubris or a money-spinning scam; it is the means by which learners can progress towards their goals, realising their potential. It is an act of generosity.
Nor is it negative, lacking in faith or discouraging to recognise that as players we all have our limitations. On the contrary: it is foolish, arrogant and self-defeating to think otherwise. For a start, we don’t know what we don’t know.
Deng Ming-Dao reminds us,
“Every river has its banks,
Every ocean has its shores.”
Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao Daily Meditations, Harper Collins
Continue reading The Pianist’s LimitsSupporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by ANDREW EALES
“Those who follow Dao believe in using sixteen attributes on behalf of others: mercy, gentleness, patience, non attachment, control, skill, joy, spiritual love, humility, reflection, restfulness, seriousness, effort, controlled emotion, magnanimity, and concentration. Whenever you need to help another, draw on these qualities.”
Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao Daily Meditations, 188 (Harper Collins)
With these striking words, the contemporary Daoist author Deng Ming-Dao invites us to consider how our personal qualities can help us be the best people, and by extension, the best teachers that we can be.
What is on offer here is the secret of how to be successful in helping others, in any context. A lot of us will devote much of a lifetime to discovering the answers which are presented right here.
But how about applying this directly to our work as piano teachers? In this post I am going to look at each of these attributes in turn, briefly exploring the powerful links that exist between a teacher’s character and the quality and effectiveness of their teaching…
Continue reading 16 Attributes of a Good TeacherPlaying and Living • Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
At the time of writing, most of us are feeling uneasy. We are, after all, in the midst of a global pandemic, concerned for ourselves, our loved ones, our finances, and fearful of what our world might be like in a few months time.
But as we spend more time away from our usual routines, we might also discover a deeper unease. A rock has plunged into the pool of our lives. The ripples are still clearing, and a lot of mud has been churned up. As the waters settle again, we are coming to see things that were perhaps unclear to us before.
As pianists we might hope to see glimpses of answers to life’s most profound questions sat before our piano, absorbed in our playing. And certainly, as I’ve written here before, piano playing can provide a sanctuary from all else that is unfolding around us.
But while some presently find they can use their piano playing as an escape from grim news, many others are experiencing frustration at their lack of motivation, focus and inspiration.
In this entry to The Pianist’s Reflections Series I will consider some basic elements of self-care from a Daoist (Taoist) perspective in the hope that readers will find some helpful suggestions, and that each of us can enjoy a piano journey that reflects an easier, more connected and settled experience of life.
Continue reading The Pianist’s Self-CarePlaying and Living • Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
The start of any new year or season is for many a time for making resolutions: a time for ambition, grit and determination.
Whether it’s a fresh commitment to healthy eating and exercise, or a renewed self-discipline in setting aside time to practise the piano, this is a month where many make a decision to turn a new leaf.
But how can we foster perseverance and ultimately success?
Continue reading The Pianist’s ResolutionPlaying and Living • Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
I used to be a coffee addict. Seriously. I had several pots of fresh coffee a day, and when I tried to cut back I experienced acute withdrawal symptoms.
Unfortunately though, coffee has some fairly unhelpful side-effects; among other things, it is especially bad for us if we suffer from anxiety (which is so common among pianists).
Having read about the virtues of tea drinking, I decided to try a switch. My previous experience of tea was the warm, milky, teabag variety. I realised that this is not exactly the drink that the great Daoist sages spoke of, so I jumped into the deep end and started to explore the wide variety of Chinese leaf teas that are available without straying too far from the beaten track.
To cut a long story short, switching to tea has proven one of the best choices I’ve made. Aside from tea drinking being better for my health (physical and emotional), my exploration of different Chinese teas has become a fascinating and absorbing journey in its own right.
It may seem odd to encounter an article about tea drinking on a piano site, but I will explain some of the reasons why tea might actually be the perfect brew for all pianists (and, well, people in general). Also bear in mind that Pianodao addresses my interest in Daoist philosophy and practices; hence the “dao” part of the site name. Tea drinking is so embedded in Daoist culture and practice and that it might as well be described as a core tenet of the Daoist worldview.
As the contemporary Daoist master Zhongxian Wu explains:
“Pin Ming Lun Dao is a commonly used Chinese phrase which means ‘to discuss and understand the Dao through the taste of tea‘. This phrase embodies the lifestyle of the most traditional Chinese sages and scholars, whether they be a master of Daoism,, Confucianism, Buddhism, martial arts, music, calligraphy, and/or Traditional Chinese Medicine.”
foreword to Daniel Reid, The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea, Singing Dragon, 2011.
With all this in mind, this article will address the following questions:
Tea is by far the single most popular beverage on earth today, so chances are that many reading this are already tea drinkers.
I hope that for those readers, the article will add to your enjoyment of tea, while for those who haven’t yet considered this fascinating subject my hope is that this article will pique your interest, and give you good reason to try something new!
Let’s start by going back in time….
Continue reading The Pianist’s BrewA short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
“Morning rain in Wencheng dampens rising dust.
Sprouting willows colour the guest house green.
Sir, let us drain another cup of wine.
Once you’re west of Yang Gate, you’ll have no friends.”
Seeing Yuan Er off on a mission to Anxi, Wang Wei (699-759)
translated Deng Ming-Dao, Each Journey Begins with a Single Step (2018)
This simple, if somewhat oblique verse has been bearing down on my thoughts in recent weeks. Ever since encountering it, it has stuck in my mind as a salient reminder of the importance of cultivating lasting relationships and savouring friendships.
It is also, in context, fundamentally a poem about going on a journey…
The writer entreats his travelling friend to wait awhile before taking the next step, not simply because it is wise to be circumspect, but because the security of the present moment provides the best launchpad into the uncertainty of the next.
Many will be starting out in new jobs, classes and projects as we enter a new season. We may, or may not, have friends lined up as travelling companions.
Soon there will be change, bringing fresh challenges, adventures and new faces into our daily lives. But for today, it’s important to treasure the friendships we have.
For those enjoying a holiday this month, I hope you will have a refreshing and relaxed time in the company of those close to you. I hope that you will linger in special moments, and craft wonderful memories that will strengthen you for the future and add incredible value to your life.
I have to confess that I too often rush my “goodbyes”, impatient for the next moment. But life does not comprise next moments; it is made up of the present ones. Let’s take time to enjoy them, and treasure our time with friends!
Lastly, it would be remiss of me not to draw attention to the metaphorical link between this verse and our piano playing…
There will always be new repertoire to explore, including the latest compositions we’ve discovered as well as the manifold treasures of the keyboard literature from generations past…
But there’s really no hurry. So before stepping into new territory, remember to spend time with familiar favourites: the Active Repertoire with which you can relax, express and enjoy yourself.
As in life, so too in our piano playing, let’s take time to linger awhile with our old friends.
A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
As I write this, it is May, which seems to me to be one of the most magnificent months of the year! The lingering spring blossom are giving way to an explosion of early summer abundance. The temperature strains upwards towards an ideal, but the mornings still retain a wonderful freshness. It’s really quite magical!
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s Party!”
Robin Williams
For the Daoist philosophers, one of the highest imperatives is for humanity to reawaken to the natural world around us and discover our place within it. Recognising and following the seasons, both in the natural world and our inner journey, is fundamental to our true success.
Throughout history, the Daoists were keen musicians and artists who demonstrated that far from adding to our sense of separation from the natural world, artistic expression can provide an avenue by which we come closer to it. As one of the ancient sages explained:
“As a general principle, music is the harmony between Heaven and Earth, and the perfect blend of Yin and Yang. Great music brings delight, enjoyment and pleasure to ruler and subject, parent and child, and old and young alike.”
The Annals of Lu Buwei, 3rd century BCE
Brindley, EF: Music, Cosmology, and the Politics of Harmony in Early China
State University of New York Press, 2012.
The Natural Musician is the one who has found ways to promote authenticity and balance in their playing, and here are just a few you might consider:
For all the hours spent practising, find balance by spending quality time away from your instrument. Even just a walk in the local park can have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
The outside can only harmonise with the inside if we take the time we need to explore both. And there’s really no better time of year to heed the call, and join the party!
A short pause for thought and reflection
Written by ANDREW EALES
”Often we find ourselves in trouble simply because we are going too fast, disregarding signs of trouble that we would have seen if only we had been going a little slower.
All too often we get caught up in the rush; our whole culture is based on it. Get ahead! Do it now!
Sometimes the right thing to do is not to do anything.”
Solala Towler, Cha Dao (Singing Dragon, 2010)
These comments (which are taken from a book about the preparation and consumption of tea) offer golden advice which can be applied to pretty much any aspect of our lives.
No wonder so many of us feel completely worn out most of the time!
For our purposes, I want to touch on the value of taking our time in two areas:
• firstly teaching and learning
• and then our personal piano practice…
The idea of a fast-track approach to learning piano inevitably appeals. Everybody seems to want results, no matter whether shortcuts are taken.
The commercially-minded teacher will inevitably be keen to meet parental expectations, satisfy pupil ambitions and impatience, and demonstrate that their students have “achieved” above and beyond the norm (whatever that is).
Taking the fastest route, shortcuts and all, doesn’t bode well for the player’s future, however. Secure foundations in aural development, creativity, technique and notation-reading are all essential for balanced, ongoing progress.
Sadly it is often left to a later, better teacher to more methodically fill in the cracks previously papered over.
It is only as we slow down that proper understanding takes root.
When players get caught up in a frantic rush towards “completing” the next music book, level, grade exam, audition or competition, then taking care to develop a holistic, lasting engagement and appreciation of music can easily get lost.
In piano playing, there is no finishing line. If we fail to enjoy each step of the piano journey, savouring its full potential, then we have perhaps completely missed the point. Instead of looking for a quicker route to success, we should be asking:
Slow progress: is there truly any other kind?
If the teaching and learning of the piano represent the macrocosm of the race towards progress, our personal practice sessions are the microcosm. And it’s here most of all that we can happen upon a window into our true thoughts and attitudes towards our piano journey.
Discovering how slow motion practice can (ironically) accelerate progress was one of the big discoveries of my own piano playing journey.
I rarely practice any other way now, and I rarely need to.
I now regard playing a piece up to speed as playing, the slow-motion work as the actual practice; following this model, it should perhaps be admitted that few piano players practice at all!
When I ask students to play more slowly, they very often can’t. This suggests that they are relying on kinaesthetic memory rather than being more mindfully engaged in their own music-making.
How slow is slow?
My advice is to play just a little slower than is usual or more comfortable. If we are aware that our playing is slightly slower than usual, it seems to flip a switch that allows us once more to properly engage with our playing.
Just as t’ai chi and Qigong for pianists allow us to reconnect with the quality of our own movements, so too slow piano practice seems to facilitate and develop more effective, efficient, controlled piano playing. It is the route to security.
Solala Towler concludes his point by suggesting that sometimes the “right thing to do is not to do anything”.
Recent research which shows that our piano playing can continue to improve between practice sessions, for example overnight while sleeping. It’s surely important to note this extraordinary link between activity and progress: we may think that the one leads to the other, but that is often not the case!
Breathing and stretching exercises for healthy practice and living
Compiled for Pianodao by ANDREW EALES
The Qigong for Pianists articles on Pianodao focus on those “secondary benefits” of Qigong which are particularly relevant to piano playing, with descriptive instructions for a few simple introductory Qigong exercises and techniques.
But it is likely that having experienced the initial benefits these bring, readers will want to find out more about Qigong, its background, and exercises. Qigong is a huge and fascinating subject, and there are a great many excellent books and other resources now available to help the Westerner with an interest in finding out more.
If you are keen to find out about the primary benefits of regular Qigong practice, here are some recommended books to explore. Between them they include practical advice, simple exercises for beginner practice, a philosophical grounding and general overview of the history, science, styles and applications of Qigong.
I have included a short description of each, which I hope will help you to select the right book for you. And elsewhere, Pianodao includes a growing number of reviews of other book and Qigong Resources here.
Continue reading 5 Qigong Books for Beginners
