Musical Fitness
What is fitness?
Evolutionary fitness is defined as the ability of an organism to pass on its genes to its offspring. How well does the organism do in the environment it is placed? The more fit it is to the pressures of the environment the more likely it will succeed in passing on those traits to its offspring.
What is musical fitness?
What are the different musical environments you might find yourself? Here are some that come to mind.
- Rock band - primary keyboard
- Rock band - secondary keyboard
- Choir accompanist
- Jazz Duo (either with a vocalist or another instrument)
- Jazz Trio
- Jazz big band
- Accompany music theatre rehearsals
- Accompany music theatre auditions
- Accompany classical music (violin piano duo)
- Classical chamber music (i.e. a piano quintet)
- Lounge piano
- Church improvisation on the organ
- Concerto soloist
What is musical fitness in these contexts? What skills would you need to be successful?
Can you hear a song once or twice and play it with a group?
Can you lock into a groove with a drummer?
If you get handed a binder of music for an audition can you fake your way through it?
If you are playing piano at a dinner party and you get a request can you figure it out on the spot?