PRACTICE TIPS #18: Experiment #3: Never Play While Reading Music

[Brent Hugh <bhugh@GRIFFON.MWSC.EDU>]

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*Note to my MWSC students*: You have seen some of this in a different form, 

but be sure to read carefully the last section, "Troubleshooting"--it is 

new and might help you a lot.





Experiment #3: Never Play While Reading Music

---------------------------------------------

This is our third (and final) "learning experiment" of the semester. Again, 

I invite all to try it and I am especially interested to hear about your 

results.



About the first "learning experiment", Practice Tips subscriber Dick Norton 

wrote:



     This public experiment thing is also good - it

     somehow legitimizes actually carrying through with this stuff

     even though I believe it was/is present in your practice

     technique papers, and hence I've been aware.



This was exactly the reason I had the idea to do these "experiments".  With 

music, and especially music performance, it is never enough to understand 

an idea intellectually.  You really, really have to try these practice 

ideas out--and not just once or twice for 30 seconds, either.  As you put 

these practice techniques into action for an extended period of time, you 

will experience how a particular technique makes you learn in a new and 

different way.



There is no way to fully put into words the whole mind-body experience of 

how these practice techniques work.  An idea that seems quite ridiculous on 

paper can be brilliant when actually applied in the arena of mind-body 

learning that is piano practice.



So don't just read it . . . try it!





This Week's Experiment

----------------------



1. Choose a small portion of a new piece that you haven't practiced

    any other way. (4-8 measures)



2. Subdivide it into small sections (hands separate if necessary).



3. When practicing, place the music in such a way that you cannot

    read it and play at the same time. Place it flat on top of the

    piano (music rack down if a grand) or on a music stand behind you.



4. Practice according to this routine:



      A. Study a small section of the music until you think you

         know it well enough to play it

      B. Try it at the piano (by memory, of course--you can't see

         the music)

      C. Double check your performance by looking at the music again.

      D. As soon has you have played that section correctly, move

         on to a different section.



5. Each day, review all small sections you have learned on previous days.

    After a few days you will find that you have these small sections

    memorized, i.e, you don't need to look at the music first.



6. Now start putting small sections together to make larger sections.

    Practice the larger sections using the same procedure. As you

    learn the larger sections, keep putting them together to make

    even larger sections until you can play the entire section by

    memory.





Troubleshooting

---------------



* Can't remember your sections long enough to play them at the piano?  They 

are too long. Cut down the sections, if necessary, to the length of 2-3 

notes, one hand alone.  You can remember that many notes, I promise!



* Feel like you're "wasting" a lot of practice time because you have to 

spend time moving between the score and the keyboard?  Reassure yourself 

that this time isn't wasted at all:



     -> The time between looking at the score and playing isn't

        wasted--part of the beauty of this method is that it forces

        you to retain the music in your head for several seconds

        before playing it.  During this time is exactly when the

        temporary, short-term memory starts to become more

        permanent and long-term.



     -> The time after playing is not wasted, either--that is when

        your mind is evaluating what you just performed and making the

        crucial decision: should I retain this as a important,

        permanent memory, or should I discard it?



     -> The constant standing/sitting helps to break up the fixation

        and tension pianists are prone to build up while sitting

        in one position for a length of time.  As you are learning

        the notes, you are also learning to play with less tension.





Happy Practicing!



--Brent





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PRACTICE TIPS is by pianist, teacher, composer, and internet nerd

Brent Hugh.  Brent knows about practicing mostly because he *does*

it, and in fact is toddling off to do some of it just about now . . .



Please remember that this tip is but one small part of the elephant's

left rear leg--it's not even close to the whole elephant that is

"how everyone in the whole world should practice the piano".



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