Learning and memorizing pieces efficiently

[RachelJ]

Hi,

Yes, ideally, there is no reason to do a run-through of a piece. Any run-through you would do, would not be very accurate anyway, and might get you started out on the wrong road.

However, I realize the temptation is very strong. Most of us do sight read through pieces at first. But, it really doesn't help, and actually might hurt.

[Lefont]

I tried it on the Minuet by CPE Bach on p. 101, which I don't know and also never heard it played before. I went at it one measure at a time playing to the first note of the next measure, then move on to the next measure. I did it hands together. For some reason, it felt fine going at it hands together for such small chunks. (Normally, I'd learn something like this hands separate, but I'd play through the whole piece one hand at a time.) While tempted, I did not sight read through the piece.

The result was I pretty much learned the first 8 measures of this 16 measure piece in 20 minutes. I think that is a personal record. I tried to memorize as much as I could as I was work through each measure. I could play this without my usual hesitations, a bit on the slow side, but also more accurately than usual. I was shocked that I was able to play slowly the first 8 measures without looking at the music after 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, the next 4 measures (9 - 12) took as much as 35 minutes. I think that may be what people call diminishing returns. I was getting tired and wasn't memorizing as much, but after an hour from when I first started, I was able to play the entire piece slowly without hesitations. That's still a record for me. If I practice the way I did before, it would easily take 3 to 4 days to get to where I am now with this piece in just one day.

[RachelJ]

That's great! You see... it's all about focusing on the smallest units of music and mastering them as you go. Then, soon enough, you'll be playing the whole thing and experiencing the joy of playing something confidently!

It's also true that this kind of practicing is much more taxing on the brain, so you can only do it for shorter periods of time. Seems like you are experiencing that. But, on balance, you get a lot more done in that shorter period, so it's all good!

[Lefont]

Yes, and I don't want to understate the difficulty of this activity. Memorizing a piece had been very difficult if not impossible for me in the past, and it is still hard, but your method help tremendously. I will re-read it from time to time to fine tune the process for me. I'm so glad you wrote this blog.