The Musician's Way Blog

Zoom H2 Recorder

Imagine that you’re watching an artist paint in her studio: She spreads color on canvas, backs up to appraise her work, and then returns to her easel.

Sometimes she brushes briefly and assesses quickly; other times she paints at length before pausing to reflect.

Correspondingly, when we musicians practice, we proceed through cycles of execution, evaluation, and revision.

But there’s a big difference between our medium and that of visual artists because music exists in time, not space.

After we play or sing a phrase, it’s gone, except for our memory of it.

So, as we practice a passage, if we perceive our execution accurately and if our memory is keen, we can effectively size up our execution and respond fittingly.

But, of course, we’re human, and our perceptions and memories are fallible. If a challenging phrase taxes our capacities, we might not hear every aspect of our sound. Our timing or intonation could drift, let’s say, and we might not catch it.

Self-recording and self-perception
Self-recording in practice provides us with the means to compensate for glitches in our self-perception and memory. Self-recording enables us to capture the music we create and then, like a painter, stand back and gauge our execution from any angle.

In Chapter 1 of my book The Musician’s Way, I describe the main benefits of self-recording and point to general classes of recording equipment. In this post, I offer a few words about specific audio recorders and how we can use them (I’ll consider video recording in a future post).

Self-recording gear
Among the many portable digital audio recorders on the market, for self-recording in practice, I’m partial to the Zoom and Edirol units. These devices are relatively pocket-sized, come with onboard condenser mics, and allow for easy data storage and handling.

You can read about their features and compare prices via links on MusiciansWay.com.

If you use an iPod or iPhone, also check out the Mikey by Blue Microphones – it plugs into your Apple device and transforms it into a slick personal recorder.

Using a recorder
Such recorders can enhance our musicianship in countless ways. In solo or ensemble practice, for instance, we can record a passage and then immediately listen back: if our execution was on target, we might repeat the passage to reinforce excellence; if quality was lacking, we could solve the problems right then (see “Solving problems in practice“).

As another example, in preparation for a concert, we might record and evaluate a practice performance. Ensemble or band members might even share such recordings via a secure website or collaborative workspace.

Self-recording, therefore, is part of just about every present-day musician’s creative process.

In my own practice, I always have a recorder at my side. As an educator, I ask my students to record not only portions of their practice sessions but also their lessons.

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Nearly 100 years ago, pianist Tobias Matthay wrote, “There is nothing more fatal for our musical sense, than to allow ourselves – by the hour – to hear musical sounds without really listening to them” (Musical Interpretation, 1913, p. 5).

How has self-recording enhanced your ability to listen to yourself? What has self-recording enabled you to discover about yourself as a musician? I invite you to share your experiences here.

© 2009 Gerald Klickstein
Updated August, 2010