My insight: Recording your performances

I recently shared this message below with my music students and followers—I hope more musicians on Steem will consider recording themselves as a form of “self learning” (from another point of view).

A wise man once told me that the best teacher is this thing! (points to a recording device). And now each time I hear a recording of myself, I can understand where he's coming from. Of course, a recording device can't really "teach you", but it can offer non-biased evidence of how you played something. If you are one of my students, you would have experienced me quickly getting out my phone and recording a snippet of your playing to show you "how you are playing". We, as teachers, often find ourselves explaining and demonstrating a passage of music—but this doesn't always transfer well to a student. I find that recording helps one understand how they are playing and how they can improve, as you are not occupied in the moment of performance.

Technology has advanced a lot since I was learning the piano during my schooling years. Consumer recording equipment was very expensive and having the necessary disk space was another issue. For that reason, there are very few recordings of my playing during this time. Fast forward to the present and things have changed dramatically. The majority of people own smartphones (even children!) which makes it very easy to record ourselves.

Here are some tips when recording:

1. Only record in the final stages of learning a piece
2. Delete your first ever recording of the piece
3. Only listen to it a few days later – this helps you become subjective about your playing
4. Remember to find ways to praise yourself – you can’t progress otherwise. You are your own worst critic!

Of course, the added bonus of recording is that you will develop a collection of repertoire that you can watch and revisit down the track. Parents, this is also a great way to see your child's progress over time! I highly recommend recording prior to exams and public performances as this is when it will usually be the best.

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