What to practice on the bus?

[gr8ape]

Hello, I am wondering whats some useful things I can do while commuting?
Sometimes I try and sight sing a bit (low humming so I dont look crazy lol), other times ill read about music, and sometimes ill do exercices with the tenuto iphone app. How much do you think this is useful? Anything tried-and-true I can do to improve when away from the piano?

[awesom_o]

Practice your solfège, or work on a composition!

[cwjalex]

when my ability to identify notes on sheet music was very weak i would practice this when i wasn't at a piano.  i would visualize a treble or bass cleff and the staff and then randomly place a note somewhere and then identify it.  for me this helped a lot.

[gr8ape]

interesting, though I can identify single notes no problem, chords are bit harder ofc, which is what I practice with the iphone app, but that visualization practice could not doubt be a solid exercice for chord progressions.

Maybe I should try analyzing/annotating actual scores

Working on compositions is a good idea too, i used to mess around with some ipad apps for composition, but the interface is a bit limiting

It would be easier if it weren't for the *** crowd in the metro.

[awesom_o]

I recommend paper and pencil for composition. It's a very unlimiting interface!
Not easy to do on a crowded bus, however, unless you're in the middle of something good and you have a strong flow going. Solfege is great for journeys!

[gr8ape]

Whats the difference between solfege and sight signing? Do I say the notes instead of humming?

[awesom_o]

Solfege is more about interval recognition. Obviously they are related, but humming is just humming. Solfege involves singing notes by their name, eg. do, re, mi, fa, so, la, etc. Singing letter names is quite cumbersome, and doesn't sound very nice!

[gr8ape]

I am french canadian so for me notes are already do re mi etc

Ill give it a try on a few bach chorales on the ride home

[awesom_o]

Cool! I'm also Canadian, though my French is abominable!

Solfege is at its best with diatonic material, in my opinion... folk songs, nursery rhymes, simple stuff.

Are you an aspiring composer, or more of a concert-pianist type?

[dima_76557]

Hello, I am wondering whats some useful things I can do while commuting?

Analysis of all kinds: structure, motifs, harmony + fingering for pieces, etc. That's what I usually do on the subway. But sometimes I get so involved that I miss my station.

[gr8ape]

A bit of both I guess, I played piano (lessons) from 5 to 15 and been making electronic music afterwards (project named "tron sepia"). I was not bad as a kid (fast learner and could transpose bits of pieces by ear) but didnt practice enough. But I kind of had an epiphany about 1-1.5 years ago and decided I wanted to become really really good at the piano and be able to play whatever is in my mind so i have been working to achieve that goal.
this is not my day job though but after reading so much about pianists and composers of the past I entertain the fantasy of being a pianist or something...

[Bob]

Listening.  Jam the earbuds in to drown out everything else.

[dima_76557]

Listening.  Jam the earbuds in to drown out everything else.

I never do that because I am concerned about early hearing loss and I also think it's not a good idea to be completely unaware of my surroundings aurally in traffic. Even at home, if I put on a high-quality headphone, I will always keep the volume as low as possible.

[pianoplunker]

Hello, I am wondering whats some useful things I can do while commuting?
Sometimes I try and sight sing a bit (low humming so I dont look crazy lol), other times ill read about music, and sometimes ill do exercices with the tenuto iphone app. How much do you think this is useful? Anything tried-and-true I can do to improve when away from the piano?

One thing you can try is to meditate. No apps, no phone. Just your mind focusing on playing piano or singing.  Think a piece through note by note and actually be more familiar when it come to hands on. It makes performance better.

[bobert]

I'd work on memorization.  Play each hand separately in your head - visualize the notes on paper or your fingers on the keys, whatever works best for you.  Then combine the hands in your mind.  Go as slow or fast as you need to, as long as your brain is convinced it is playing the right notes.

If you get stuck, review the music later and try the same passage again the next day.

If you've never memorized anything, start with the easiest piece you can play that you would like to be able play from memory.

[faa2010]

Practicing solfège is one option.

Another option is to have your iPod or another music reproducer where you can listen songs, musical pieces and feel the pulse, the tempo, the time signature.

[tijmen]

What exactly is the tenuto app?

It is actually a great idea to practice with an app, i play on my phone every day lol, but i did not come up with the idea to actually try an app to improve my skill.

I commute a total of 3-4 hours on a daily basis so yeah...

[gr8ape]

What exactly is the tenuto app?

It is actually a great idea to practice with an app, i play on my phone every day lol, but i did not come up with the idea to actually try an app to improve my skill.

I commute a total of 3-4 hours on a daily basis so yeah...

https://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto

4 dollars for this is a steal

the exercices are good, though they lack context and are a bit dry

however the ear training exercices are pretty cool! At first I sucked at them, now I can recognize any interval almost instantly, and I can tell you by a hearing a chord if its a major 7th, minor 7th, dominant, dimished, half dimished, etc
I learnt these by playing them out on the piano more than anything else though but its fun to see that your ear develops with time

[gr8ape]

I'd work on memorization.  Play each hand separately in your head - visualize the notes on paper or your fingers on the keys, whatever works best for you.  Then combine the hands in your mind.  Go as slow or fast as you need to, as long as your brain is convinced it is playing the right notes.

If you get stuck, review the music later and try the same passage again the next day.

If you've never memorized anything, start with the easiest piece you can play that you would like to be able play from memory.

I memorize every piece I play, but I should do more mental practice as sometimes my muscle memory is the main memorization device, though recently ive been trying to think more in terms of harmony/chord changes

[kevin69]

Greg irwin finger fitness
(Although other passengers may give you funny looks)

[michael_student]

I've always struggled with sight reading and now spend a lot of time on planes (taxis, airports, hotels), so I've had fun with a kid's game called "Note Squish."  I set the ledger line range and speed on maximum.  Now ledger lines on sheet music don't scare me as much. 

I'm very curious about the Tenuto app mentioned in this thread.