Easing learning of literature?

[Bob]

Any ideas for breaking up the work it takes to learn a piece of music?  And break it up into VERY small VERY doable things?  Something that will take an ounce of attention.

Not quite sure what I'm asking (and that's reeeal helpful isn't it?)

Something that would involve breaking down the task of learning a piece COMPLETELY into very small manageable chunks.  Not necessarily in time. 

I suppose you have to know what it means to "know" a piece of music and to "perform" it.  It has something to do with controlling the elements of the piece, having that control while you play.

It would be something along the lines of -- Listen for the melody, just the first phrase.  That's very easy and doable. 

It wouldn't even have to involve actually playing the piano.

The entire project would be very complex.  Each piece is so small.  I can't see the end or how it all fits together.

Part of it is just to break procrastination -- to have something so incredibly simple that you will have some success just by sitting down and doing a little work, even when totally exhausted. 

Part of it is to avoid playing through things over and over on the piano.  That drills the piece into your fingers, but with a lot of work to drill and maintain the finger memory.  Eventually, I do reach a point where I can begin to work on refining things, but it takes too much effort.  More score study or something else is needed.

Bob's mind wears out for the day.... pishhhhhhhh............

[stevie]

read and play a bar, over and over, surely it will be remembered, then do the next bar, and after tis bar, join the 1st 2 bars together, and repeat them till its secure, then keep adding and backtracking...until like a page is done...

sounds like a good idea? i just came up with it, all by myself! hey look at me im a genius!

 

yes, i just noticed i didnt answer your points, but anyway..

[jeremyjchilds]

I'd love to put some brainpower to this...but I can't figure out exactly what you are after...I don't want to say some of the more obvious answers, cause I know that you are an experienced teacher.

One very simple thing, take individual themes, and play them H.S. so well that you can do it with your eyes closed. When you can do this, then learn the other hand in that theme as well, while singing, (or usually a half-melodic sprechstimme-ish grunting) the other part.

I don't know why, but there is something about singing it that enhances the learning process..the only problem is trying to stop grunting, it seems to enhance the performance, and gets addicting.

[Bob]

I'm not sure I know exactly what I'm after either.

I think it has to do with having a "masterplan" for learning a piece of music and then taking each part and working on that.  Adding more score study to what I do.  And "building" the work on a piece -- breaking down one task and working on that for awhile until mastered, and doing that in a way that fits easily into regular life, as opposed to creating a major project that requires a huge amount of mental effort, time, and intenseness during daily life.

[jeremyjchilds]

i guess that the problem is that the masterplan would have to be different for every single piece...did you have a piece specifically in mind?

I can't remember where I got it from, but there was an incredibe article on practicing, that outlined around 50 specific practicing techniques (thoroughly) and the types of situations in which they are more or less appropriate.

So with well over 50 specific (there are of course way more too) techniques, and many different learning styles, combined with an individual student who has his own set of strengths and weaknesses...It makes our job seem more like a diagnostatician, than an instructor sometimes...Here is my (very general) approach to literature that is intended to be perfected and performed...

In a pinch, I would say that the initial investment should be spent in analysis, the second should be H.S. perfect practice (sometime with metronome) of these individual themes that were analyzed...(Of course this doesent work for all music...) the third should be H.T. practice of component themes at 25% tempo (Allows one to practice sight effectively while learning)
Finally, the complete song should be pieced together at 25% tempo (to discourage muscle memory as the only memory source). When it is played perfectly, then use many different speeds between 25%-75% to practice at.

some things should be remembered..
1) the key to doing the individual theme practice effectively (In the H.S. and H.T. stage) is to play at least two beats before and after the selected section, to be sure that transitions are not an issue.
2)The key here is to spend more time playing slowly than quickly, I usually advocate 3 slow to one fast...

Remember, this is my "in a pinch" routine, it works for me, and not for everyone. It usually seems initially slower to learn songs like this, but polishing them goes a lot quicker than muscle memory based learning systems. This is my "break in" system for students who come to me with a lot of pieces that are OK but not perfect....

In my opinion, the worst system is the H.T. bar by bar memorizing system, especially when attempted at close to performance tempo. This system gives a sense of initial gratification, but perfecting material learned in this method has proved to be problematic in my experience, especially because fingering problems can be glossed over during the initial stages of this process.

I am always open to learning the other side of the story...If there is a much better (consistently) better approach, then I would be a fool to not want to know about it.

[alzado]

I'm sorry.  This just doesn't make good sense to me.

You study the score before even hitting the first key.  You know you can either play it or you can't.  Don't have to be Albert Einstein to figure that out.

If it is out of your reach, you lay it aside and pick up something else.

I very much dislike struggling to learn things that are maddeningly out of reach -- a sinkhole for time and only dismal chances of a professional sound at the end of it.

I wish you luck in taking on your "dinosaur."  I suspect you will need it.

Not intending to be rude--

Regards--

[jeremyjchilds]

I'm sorry.  This just doesn't make good sense to me.

You study the score before even hitting the first key.  You know you can either play it or you can't.  Don't have to be Albert Einstein to figure that out.

If it is out of your reach, you lay it aside and pick up something else.

I very much dislike struggling to learn things that are maddeningly out of reach -- a sinkhole for time and only dismal chances of a professional sound at the end of it.

I wish you luck in taking on your "dinosaur."  I suspect you will need it.

Not intending to be rude--

Regards--

What??!!

Either you responded to the wrong thread...or you need to get off of drugs....or on them...