Have you ever listened to rests?

Have you ever listened to rests? I mean playing music on the piano and listening to the spaces between phrases.

Try it. Try it while playing a piece from memory, or while looking at sheet music, or while improvising. But instead of listening mainly to the notes like we usually do, listen to the rests. The spaces where one or both hands aren’t playing.

Shifting our listening like this can be transformative.  It enables us to hear music in a whole new way. Maybe it will happen quickly, or maybe it will take a while. But try it enough and it will change your musical experience. It has to, because you’re listening differently. It may change the way you play piano too.

Give it a try. Listen to the rests.

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