Learning a piece

[Eberbachl]

Hi Guys,

I'd like to hear some of your tips!

I'm trying to learn some pieces at the moment... Simandl Etudes. Mostly I started it as a reading exercise, and committed to playing each piece, recording it and posting it here.

So - I recorded the first one, and I've been working on the second one.

I can read the piece - it's about 80 bars, with LOTS of eighth notes Reading and playing it isn't tough, but when I read through it, it SOUNDS like I'm reading it (if you know what I mean).

If I was performing this piece, I wouldn't be reading it on stage, and it SOUNDS more natural when I play it from memory rather than reading it (this is something I should work on - making my reading as fluent as playing from memory!), so I'm trying to learn it so I can play it from memory.

It's slow going, and whilst I can read and play it easily enough, I have great difficulty remembering it all so I can play it from memory.

Now I know lots of you guys memorise and play much harder and more complex pieces than this little etude, so I'd love to hear your tips on memorising pieces of music like this where you need to play it note for note, there are lots of notes, and very little repetition.

:d

Please share!

 

[jester]

My only comment would be that the "little" etude is not that little in difficulty, compared to what the rest of us normally play. The lack of repetition makes it sound very challenging. After all, that's what an etude is there for, to provide us with a tough challenge, but one we can handle, learn from, and move to the next.

Normally I have a mindset for perfection, meaning, I would try to work through the etude until it is completely perfect to me. But I don't think learning should be tackled that way. Going step by step and doing the more complex stuff after solidly mastering the less complex stuff upon which they are based is very important, but we don't need perfection. Just to have learned this step solidly enough to be able to move to the next. Then look back 2-3 steps and realizing you can play these perfectly. Just my thoughts.

PS. Just remembered an advice from an older bassist, that every note we play, even in exercises should be played as if you 're playing music and not exercising. I think it's very good that you have this in mind and trying to work on it.

 

[Eberbachl]

Thanks Yanni - that's good advice :d

There aren't any really challenging sections in this piece... a couple of shifts which are tricky when reading - but nothing if you have memorised the piece and can take a glance at your left hand

It just seems that there are lots of dots, and it's tough to remember them all.

Maybe my mind is just defective :lol:

 

[jester]

Give it some time perhaps... Not every day is a good day when practicing or performing music. Inevitably the really good attempts will become more frequent.

 

[ridgebackdk]

learn it by ear.i know it might not be 100% perfect but it does help put your own stamp on it.you can go back later and iron out flaws.reading music or tabs sometimes can feel a little sterile to me because the natural feel can be hard to find.learning with your own ears can help because you have to listen to your own playing in a different way..dont want to sound like an ass by the way,it not all about what the right notes are its about how you hear and feel it..

 

[Eberbachl]

Hi Phil,

This is a written étude - the only way I'm going learn it by ear is if I read and record it first

Ear training is a good thing, and of course transcribing tunes is enormously beneficial, but that's another aspect of practice - it's not the aim here.

 

[schlobodan]

Thanks Yanni - that's good advice :d

There aren't any really challenging sections in this piece... a couple of shifts which are tricky when reading - but nothing if you have memorised the piece and can take a glance at your left hand

It just seems that there are lots of dots, and it's tough to remember them all.

Maybe my mind is just defective :lol:

My mind is equally defective or even worse either I read and play and do not remember shoot or I play by ear
and remember it until forever

I have a similar 'issue' when I read regular text aloud - I only get half of the story
So probably it is even worse in my case

 

[jester]

You guyz worry too much, your brainz are fine.