Degredation of repertoire.

[andrew_close]

I was wondering if anyone else goes through similar hair pulling moments to myself when replaying pieces that have been left on the shelf for some time.
Now this time could vary, depending on the complexity on the piece, but often I find a piece has become so scrappy that I really can't face going back over it again and thus it is just left to decompose to nothing.

It seems a shame, as many hours work are simply lost, but I find it so frustrating to play a piece badly when once it was played so well.
Anyone else have similar experiences?
Your thoughts?

Andrew

[mike_lang]

I've experienced this.  Starting this summer, though, I've been maintaining pieces once I'm done working on them and have performed them.  I have 6 or 7 that I actively work on, but another 4 which I practice every few days so that they don't rot.  It seems that it would be possible to have an extremely large repertoire this way at some point, since this method prevents the regression of the pieces.  And eventually, of course, there may only be time to play each "old" piece once every few weeks, but still it seems quite worth the trouble.

Best,
ML

[lung7793]

I've been having some trouble with old pieces too, it is frustrating!  I find, though, that it is not hard to just get the music out and re-read the parts that are troublesome once you have it in your "memory" for good.  I guess it depends on how long it's been since you've played the particular piece.  I was actually thinking today that I should go through my calendar and set some days to play through old repertoire. 

[bench warmer]

I usually want to start another new piece instead of re-playing what I already practised forever to master. Then the cycle starts all-over, but gets worse because new pieces keep adding to the growing list of "old" pieces. Now the mountain has gotten more difficult to climb.     I've definitely been there; I'm there right now!

[faustsaccomplice]

Don't worry about it.  It always feels hopeless at first, but if you work on them for a few days you will feel them come back.  You'll feel things suddenly click, and the mind and body say say "oh...that one!"  There are some pieces that are so difficult that they will always feel like a new piece, but for most part it's much easier to relearn old stuff than to learn new. 
One piece of advice, though: practice it as if it's a new piece.  Don't just try to play it right away. 

[quasimodo]

Typical "forget & re-learn process".
Experienced that as well. Actually it shouldn't take much time for you to recover the pieces. Just accept the fact that you need to actually put some work on it. But, believe me, depending on the length of the piece, two days to one week will be enough with not more than half an hour each day.
And then, you will really feel more confident about these pieces, afterwards.

[rc]

I prefer to let my pieces die instead of constantly upkeeping them...  In constantly maintaining a piece I start to just 'go through the motions' and don't bring any new insight to the piece.

By letting it die and having to revive it anew, I'm forced to re-examine the details and the result comes out better - with the experience I've gained since last learning.

I've got about a years worth of pieces gone cold, and I look forward to breathing new life into each of them.

[allthumbs]

Yes, I've experienced the same problem.

I keep a repertoire list of pieces on a monthly spreadsheet and tick them off as I play them, that way I have an idea as to when they were played last. 

If I didn't do that, some pieces would be played more than others and some may be not played at all due to forgetfulness.


Cheers

allthumbs

[iumonito]

I have the opposite experience.  Pieces already played are like old friends; it is nice to visit them, but like Parmenides' river, they are not the same (really, in this case, you are not the same).

When you revisit your old repertoire you of course have two enormous advantages: you are more mature as a musician and you already know the piece.  During the period of time you did not play it, your subconcious mind has been working on this piece, regardless of what your concious self has done.

In fact, what you describe as what is lost (that is, your ability to play it beginning to end in one sitting) is the one thing I wish I could get rid off, as inevitably it is plagued with any bad habits that I may have shed since I last learned the piece, yet may come back in a flash while recovering (or worse, performing) the piece.

I like the advice you have been given about looking at the piece with fresh eyes.  Once you know, it is a wonderful thing to forget.  It gives you freedom to be and to create.

[arbisley]

I consider that I play most pieces much better after having been in the airing cupboard for a while. I always improve on technique, expression etc., and taking out an old piece takes only a short while to master the technical difficulties, and then you can just enjoy trying out different things with it, melody, lines, accents etc.. It might sometimes seem to be completely out of hand, but it always comes back in the end, though trying to avoid making the old mistakes on the piece is always a good thing to look out for.

I find it quite interesting going through my old pile of music, digging out pieces I haven't played for ages and think how much I've improved since then, although that might just be something to do with my age.

[rc]

Good points, that bring up another notion:  Sometimes we don't know how much we've progressed.  Since it's so gradual, it's easy to believe you haven't moved at all...  And if you haven't played the piece in a long time, it's also easy to forget how you used to play it and may seem that you're not playing it any differently.

I'm testing this out and recording my progress.  Just a few particular favorites I've been recording, warts and all, then I can compare when I re-learn it a year or two rfom now.  Like a time capsule.  Should be interesting, I'll figure out how to post the results when the time comes.

[wishful thinker]

Hmm, interesting discussion.  I guess one factor might be how well one "learned" a piece in the first place.   Did one learn it by heart, or just got really good at sight reading it?  Maybe this is another thread (and I'm new here so I haven't managed to get through many of them yet!).

But another must be what has been said here about "moving on" both in terms of becoming more accomplished but also in terms of personal maturity.  25 years ago I learned quite a few of the chopin walzes, and learned the notes quite well.  I have hardly ever played them since (certainly not practised them) and I was actually doing so just last Sunday (as a break from Rachs C# prelude).  With a bit of going over in parts, and a combination of memory and sight reading, I got through the notes quite well.  But as a musical performance, it was like nothing I ever ascheived at 16.  It was Chopin!