I hate counting out loud.
I have ever since I was a 7-year-old piano student first learning to read music. Being a very shy, introverted child, counting out loud always made me feel weird. But, despite my own resistance, I have learned that being able to count out loud is an essential skill that all musicians need to master.
Getting over my own issues with counting out loud happened when I became a music teacher. Even though it still made me feel uncomfortable, my students needed me to count out loud with them; most beginners struggle at first and need their teacher’s support to get a handle on it. Now, I wouldn’t think twice about having to count out loud whether it is for teaching, working on my own material, or practicing with one of my bands; it has become an integral part of the process of playing music.
My own resistance to counting may be gone, but I encounter those same feelings in my students on a nearly daily basis. Whenever I have a student who resists counting out loud, I tell them the story of one particular student of mine…
Devin was a guitar student who had been studying with me for a few years. He was a high school student in his late teens and was interested in a number of different styles of music including classic rock, alternative, and pop. Being that he was one of my more advanced students, we started working on developing his sight-reading with standard notation; a task that is quite challenging for most guitarists.
I had given Devin Bach’s “Minuet in G Major” as a reading study piece which he’d been working on for a few weeks. On that particular day, I told Devin that I wanted him to come in and play the piece for me without any comments or questions answered beforehand; I wanted to hear how his practicing was coming along at home.
As Devin started playing the piece, there were a number of issues that became apparent. Incorrect or missed notes, fingering problems, haphazard or inconsistent timing, little to no dynamics, and several issues with technique. His performance was an absolute mess. I suspected that he might not have spent any time practicing that week.
After he had finished, I could tell by the look on his face that he was aware of just how poorly he had performed. I gave him a minute to think before I said anything at all. Part of me wanted to jump right in to try and fix the problems individually, but I believed that there was something more going on than just a few problem areas.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, I asked Devin to play the piece again. However, this time I told him to count out loud as he played. He looked at me for few seconds and then proceeded to play.
This time his performance was flawless.
Everything was exactly where it needed to be. All of the mistakes that he had made in his previous attempt were gone. It was unbelievable. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn a different person was playing.
I knew that getting him to count out loud was going to help his performance, but I was completely blown away by how dramatic of a difference it made. Any reservations I had about getting my students to count out loud evaporated in an instant.
If you ever feel hesitant, awkward, or weird about counting out loud remember this story. You might not experience such a dramatic difference in your own playing in such a short period of time, but the effects of counting out loud will carry you further in your playing than you could possibly imagine.
Have you had a similar experience with counting before? Do you absolutely hate to count? Tell me about it. Post your comments, questions, and feedback and let me know what you think about it.
