"reading" the score or "following" the score

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January 4, 2020, 14:14

Good morning,

I took piano lessons for a year and a half (I have since stopped). Yet, with my teacher, I was unable to clear up a doubt that, in some ways, prevents me from having a clear "method" to follow to improve myself.

Let me explain better.

For a beginner, during the piece study phase, one considers the tempo, the key signature (therefore the tonality), the notes in both clefs, agogics... etc. In short, one studies the piece and then practices until exhaustion?.

When performing the piece, it can be done with the sheet music in front of you or from memory.

I have read in some texts (Sandor, Chang) that memorizing a piece is quite a complex procedure. Unless one relies exclusively on kinetic memory (of the hand) which, as I understand it, seems to be fallible. Therefore insufficient. See memory lapses... etc.

Let us consider the case of performing the piece with the aid of sheet music. And let's set aside piano expressivity for a moment, focusing instead on the notes.

What is not clear to me is whether, during the performance, the pianist/musician has at every moment perfect awareness of the pitch and duration of all the notes they are reading and performing (on both clefs) and perfect awareness of the corresponding keys they are pressing. I define this as "reading" the sheet music.

Or whether one must appeal to the four types of memory (Cit. Sandor)—visual, acoustic, kinetic, and intellectual—and strike a balance between rationality and instinct/memory, using the sheet music more as a "guide." At the same time, playing on the keyboard somewhat consciously and somewhat by intuition/memory. I define this as "following" the sheet music.

It is probable that as one progresses in study, the two things merge. My teacher used to tell me that reading music is a bit like reading a written text. When we read, we do not dwell on individual letters, but rather appreciate words and sentences. And the same applies to music.

But for a beginner, this effectively involves following two different study methodologies. In the first case, for example, it goes without saying that I should practice playing without looking at the keyboard. And even this is no small matter.

In plain terms, having to play a "C," must one read it and then find it on the keyboard in a rational way (with a reading/execution speed that increases with practice), or is it enough to rely on the brain that has "cataloged" that graphic symbol and "makes the hand move automatically" to the relevant key?

I hope I have explained myself clearly.

I thank anyone who wishes to give me some suggestions.

pianoexpert

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January 5, 2020, 07:57

The discussion could be complex and intricate. I am only saying that as adults it is more difficult, precisely because as adults we create for ourselves, structured by so much knowledge, too many problems, judgments, verifications... and these occur unconsciously and consciously in real time. A sort of structuring that can be against every form of art or sport. Exactly.. it would be like learning to speak as an adult, learning to walk as an adult. Which foot to put forward first and how? What to do with the arms? If you learn to ski as an adult, you go to the slopes and see "troops" of little ones aged 3-4 skiing as if they were walking. I remember having a small eight-year-old student in the past who was starting to study the Beyer. He struggled a bit with the first exercises... but then he understood how to approach the book.... He amazed me by playing all the exercises I assigned him with ease. He finished the book in a few days! For example, playing without looking at the keyboard is something natural... but sometimes it feels like doing a backflip! ...Beyond the texts (which must be sold), the Teacher will be precious in all of this. At the beginning, they will be much more attentive to what the student should not do rather than suggesting what they should do. The overly analytical adult student... I believe will encounter difficulties. Reading just for the sake of reading, walking just for the sake of walking, speaking without thinking about syllables, skiing just for the sake of skiing.... I always cite the famous film Forrest Gump, where the brilliant director puts into the mouth of the naive protagonist the answer to how he became a world ping pong champion. Answer: "just hit the ball to the other side" - he says!.... This is the phrase that used to drive my late dear friend mad when he heard me studying a brilliant Chopin waltz!

Jack

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January 5, 2020, 16:10

Hi Paolo,

I understand.

As adults, we are already structured and tend to analyze even when we shouldn't.

You write that playing without looking at the keyboard is a natural thing. But it is still a skill that must be developed, I imagine. Do you believe, therefore, that it is worthwhile to invest time in refining such an ability? And if so, is it sufficient to do it with the pieces being studied, or are there specific exercises?

Thank you

pianoexpert

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Posts: 3,876
City: rocca di papa

January 5, 2020, 19:15

Small easy pieces are suitable. First hands separate. Insist on not looking!

I was already playing difficult things, as a boy, when I finally landed with a real teacher. I was so skilled that I could deceive anyone into believing I was reading [the score]. I wasn't. And it cost me dearly! She, Maria Pia Censi Gorini, pupil of the great Bajardi and then of Carlo Zecchi and Alfredo Casella, humiliated me and sent me home more than once with the book under my arm! Agreed... sometimes you must glance, especially if there are "leaps" (but without losing sight of the score)....but with practice, one acquires a sort of "blind" visualization of the keyboard. If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have been able to play chamber music or four-hand repertoire, which is also read during concerts. Gradually, you feel the distances and the keyboard under your fingers becomes "visual."

As far as analysis is concerned: knowing, yes, what must be played! Of course it helps, in fact it is indispensable for understanding the composition. Especially a bit of harmony or, at the beginning, trying to identify modulations. But everything must not hinder or stop the natural reading process. Everything must be gentle, progressive, and natural.

Studying hands together, at first, must be slow or, better yet, in slow motion. What is the difference? For example, if I am studying a brilliant Chopin waltz that must be performed in one (rather than three) [beats] (in terms of accents), I will have to try to preserve this accentual idea even in the slow version.

In short, it takes patience and believing that nothing, if well done, is a waste of time.

The movements and gestures of the hand and other muscles must be natural. Never think of doing exercises to build muscle!!!! Energy is the offspring of muscular relaxation and "tension release."

So: nothing overly complicated!!!! At least while "doing it." Accept even some errors, playing two, four, eight measures in a row... to then reconsider what did not go well.

One of the risks of judgment is stopping continuously at every fragment, and repeating it as one would like... One induces oneself into a sort of "stuttering," and sometimes, one no longer notices it!

The supervision of a good Maestro is indispensable.

The Masters have patience... they must have patience. To encourage and motivate the student, offering them from the beginning not sterile exercises but very small pieces of music.

Happy studying

Paolo