Your Thoughts?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thoughts from today's practice session-
"When performing from memory, if you are thinking about individual notes, then you cannot give a polished musical experience to the listener -- because notes are part of the technical aspects of a performance. One must be thinking beyond notes into the soul of the music and the composer!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This may be a stupid question, but do you rely on so called muscle memory when playing from memory?
ReplyDeleteAlma Rands
I used to memorize music when I was a kid. But I got away from it and always relied on having music in front of me. Many years later, I went back for lessons again, and the piano teacher pulled the book away and insisted I play as much as I could without music. That was the beginning of rediscovering the closer relationship the musician and the instrument have if the music is not in the way. It's no longer notes, but instead, it's just you and the instrument, and you watch your hands and feel the keys differently, and the repetition of learning one small phrase at a time gives you a much more intimate experience with the music.
ReplyDeleteAlma,
ReplyDeleteI use all forms of memory work- analysis, kinesthetic, muscle, repetition and ear. Need all kinds to be really secure. I think that performers have strength in 1 or 2 areas, but must develop the others as well.
k
Joan,
ReplyDeleteAmen!!
k