06/06/2020 I am thinking about how to explain the power of variety in practice in yet another way. I am referring to The Law of Requisite Variety (Ashby’s Law in cybernetics). In the context of instrumental practice it basically means you have to experiment till you find a solution. But it means more than that. In addition to simply reaching a solution to a technical or musical problem, it also means that you develop an extra richness of representation of a problem or skill, above and beyond the particular solution aimed for. The richer -- the more multidimensional -- your nervous system’s “representation” (understanding) of the task at hand, the higher is the quality of your solution or skill.
Here is an analogy that might help. Do you know how a hologram (3-dimensional image) is generated? Basically, a laser beam is reflected off a subject at many different angles onto a photographic plate. Each angle provides a different set of information. The eventual combination of the many different sets of information generated in such a way results in a 3-dimensional, extremely life-like image. That in itself is really cool!
But there is more. One of the characteristics of a holographic image is that any part of the image contains the basic structure of the image as a whole! If you divide a holographic image into parts, all of the parts still contain the original complete image. How cool is that?! If you keep subdividing the parts, each new part still contains the complete image. The image loses a certain degree of resolution with each level of subdivision, but the structure of the original image is preserved. The reason? In my understanding, it is because the information about every part of the image is not only contained in local spots, but in the whole image. Every part of the image contains the information of the structure of the whole image. The information of the complete image is contained in every part of it. Perhaps this is analogous to deep learning.
In some sense, I believe that is what happens when we practice something in many, many different ways - including ways that do not have direct bearing on the particular solution we might be striving for. Each novel way in which we approach a passage or a skill when we practice is like a new angle of reflection of a laser beam when a hologram is generated. If we generate a “requisite” number of such different sets of information, we eventually end up with an extremely rich solution - a “holographic” understanding of what needs to happen. Having such a rich representation then is the source for great flexibility in execution. Flexibility is one of the hallmarks of mastery. We are then able to be skillful in many different ways, allowing us to adapt to a great variety of circumstances.
Hopefully, this will motivate you even further to apply the Law of Requisite Variety. Practice whatever you are working on in many different ways. Go beyond simply experimenting to find a particular solution. Do it playfully. Use your imagination. Have fun. Your practicing will be greatly enhanced.
(Incidentally, there is an interview with the amazing pianist Daniil Trifonov on the channel “Living the classical life”, in which he demonstrates the unusual ways in which he practices difficult passages. His teacher, Sergei Babayan, also mentions Trifonov’s habit of experimenting far beyond the usual ways of practicing. There are other such examples and testimonies of top performers practicing “Requisite Variety”.)
05/06/2020 A Useful definition of expertise is the ability to make fine distinctions. Experts make distinctions that others do not make. They pay attention to things and notice minute differences that others fail to do.
When striving for mastery, the question then is, how can we develop our distinction-making? One answer is that we should learn WHAT to pay attention to, and then learn to FINE TUNE that attention so that we can notice smaller and smaller differences. Understanding the principles of violin playing helps us to know WHAT to pay attention to. Understanding how our senses operate can help to FINE TUNE that attention.
There is a correlation between the intensity of sensory signals and our ability to detect differences. It is a neurological law called the Weber-Fechner Law. The lower the intensity the smaller the differences we can detect. The higher the intensity, the bigger the differences have to be in order for us to notice them. To repeat: the human nervous system can detect smaller differences when the intensity of sensory signals is lower. One way to develop our ability to notice tiny differences, is to lower sensory stimuli.
To make fine distinctions about sound, for example, it helps to lower the intensity, to play softer. Similarly, to make fine tactile and proprioceptive distinctions (proprioception indicates to us by feel how our limbs are moving), it is useful to lighten the pressure of our fingers and the tightness of our muscles. It is counter-intuitive. Usually we tend to think that more effort - more signal intensity - is required to tackle challenges. When the going gets tough, we tend to tighten our muscles, clench our teeth, press harder, and play louder (the fight-or-flight reflex kicking in?). When needing to make finer distinctions for better control, that reflex response is counterproductive. We actually need to relax our muscles, use less pressure, and produce softer sound, in order to listen better and have a better kinesthetic “feel” for what is going on.
04/06/2020 Practicing passages with different bow strokes can of course provide the benefits of developing bowing skills. But it can have additional benefits. It prevents the conscious mind from interfering with left hand actions. So both hands benefit.
Let me try to explain. When we are too focused conceptually - this can be thinking about process (how to do it - internal focus of attention), as well as judgement by the ego - at the expense of sensory feedback (external focus of attention), it tends to hamper the fluent execution of complex movements, for two reasons: 1. Insufficient sensory distinctions (attention paid somewhere is not available elsewhere). 2. Clumsy processing.
The attention used up by chattering to yourself on the inside (giving verbal instructions, critiquing, catastrophizing about the past and the future, etc.) is not available for gathering high quality sensory information from the outside about the results of your actions. In short, the feedback loop is poor.
In the terminology of The Inner Game of Tennis, Self 2 (the part of your mind that actually knows how to best execute complex movements) operates most efficiently when Self 1 (the ego or conscious mind) doesn’t interfere (its natural tendency) , but actually helps. The trick is to occupy Self 1 with helpful tasks. Paying attention to particular elements of what the bow is actually doing (like sounding point, speed, bounce, bow area used, etc (external focus of attention) is a helpful task. A possible additional benefit is that it doesn’t interfere with left hand actions happening simultaneously.
I cannot recommend reading The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey enough. Please do yourself the favour by reading and rereading it. It is worth every second of your time.
Here is an analogy that might help. Do you know how a hologram (3-dimensional image) is generated? Basically, a laser beam is reflected off a subject at many different angles onto a photographic plate. Each angle provides a different set of information. The eventual combination of the many different sets of information generated in such a way results in a 3-dimensional, extremely life-like image. That in itself is really cool!
But there is more. One of the characteristics of a holographic image is that any part of the image contains the basic structure of the image as a whole! If you divide a holographic image into parts, all of the parts still contain the original complete image. How cool is that?! If you keep subdividing the parts, each new part still contains the complete image. The image loses a certain degree of resolution with each level of subdivision, but the structure of the original image is preserved. The reason? In my understanding, it is because the information about every part of the image is not only contained in local spots, but in the whole image. Every part of the image contains the information of the structure of the whole image. The information of the complete image is contained in every part of it. Perhaps this is analogous to deep learning.
In some sense, I believe that is what happens when we practice something in many, many different ways - including ways that do not have direct bearing on the particular solution we might be striving for. Each novel way in which we approach a passage or a skill when we practice is like a new angle of reflection of a laser beam when a hologram is generated. If we generate a “requisite” number of such different sets of information, we eventually end up with an extremely rich solution - a “holographic” understanding of what needs to happen. Having such a rich representation then is the source for great flexibility in execution. Flexibility is one of the hallmarks of mastery. We are then able to be skillful in many different ways, allowing us to adapt to a great variety of circumstances.
Hopefully, this will motivate you even further to apply the Law of Requisite Variety. Practice whatever you are working on in many different ways. Go beyond simply experimenting to find a particular solution. Do it playfully. Use your imagination. Have fun. Your practicing will be greatly enhanced.
(Incidentally, there is an interview with the amazing pianist Daniil Trifonov on the channel “Living the classical life”, in which he demonstrates the unusual ways in which he practices difficult passages. His teacher, Sergei Babayan, also mentions Trifonov’s habit of experimenting far beyond the usual ways of practicing. There are other such examples and testimonies of top performers practicing “Requisite Variety”.)
05/06/2020 A Useful definition of expertise is the ability to make fine distinctions. Experts make distinctions that others do not make. They pay attention to things and notice minute differences that others fail to do.
When striving for mastery, the question then is, how can we develop our distinction-making? One answer is that we should learn WHAT to pay attention to, and then learn to FINE TUNE that attention so that we can notice smaller and smaller differences. Understanding the principles of violin playing helps us to know WHAT to pay attention to. Understanding how our senses operate can help to FINE TUNE that attention.
There is a correlation between the intensity of sensory signals and our ability to detect differences. It is a neurological law called the Weber-Fechner Law. The lower the intensity the smaller the differences we can detect. The higher the intensity, the bigger the differences have to be in order for us to notice them. To repeat: the human nervous system can detect smaller differences when the intensity of sensory signals is lower. One way to develop our ability to notice tiny differences, is to lower sensory stimuli.
To make fine distinctions about sound, for example, it helps to lower the intensity, to play softer. Similarly, to make fine tactile and proprioceptive distinctions (proprioception indicates to us by feel how our limbs are moving), it is useful to lighten the pressure of our fingers and the tightness of our muscles. It is counter-intuitive. Usually we tend to think that more effort - more signal intensity - is required to tackle challenges. When the going gets tough, we tend to tighten our muscles, clench our teeth, press harder, and play louder (the fight-or-flight reflex kicking in?). When needing to make finer distinctions for better control, that reflex response is counterproductive. We actually need to relax our muscles, use less pressure, and produce softer sound, in order to listen better and have a better kinesthetic “feel” for what is going on.
04/06/2020 Practicing passages with different bow strokes can of course provide the benefits of developing bowing skills. But it can have additional benefits. It prevents the conscious mind from interfering with left hand actions. So both hands benefit.
Let me try to explain. When we are too focused conceptually - this can be thinking about process (how to do it - internal focus of attention), as well as judgement by the ego - at the expense of sensory feedback (external focus of attention), it tends to hamper the fluent execution of complex movements, for two reasons: 1. Insufficient sensory distinctions (attention paid somewhere is not available elsewhere). 2. Clumsy processing.
The attention used up by chattering to yourself on the inside (giving verbal instructions, critiquing, catastrophizing about the past and the future, etc.) is not available for gathering high quality sensory information from the outside about the results of your actions. In short, the feedback loop is poor.
In the terminology of The Inner Game of Tennis, Self 2 (the part of your mind that actually knows how to best execute complex movements) operates most efficiently when Self 1 (the ego or conscious mind) doesn’t interfere (its natural tendency) , but actually helps. The trick is to occupy Self 1 with helpful tasks. Paying attention to particular elements of what the bow is actually doing (like sounding point, speed, bounce, bow area used, etc (external focus of attention) is a helpful task. A possible additional benefit is that it doesn’t interfere with left hand actions happening simultaneously.
I cannot recommend reading The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey enough. Please do yourself the favour by reading and rereading it. It is worth every second of your time.
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