Should I play with or without music sheets?

[casparma]

For most of my music pieces, I try not to memorize them, because I want to increase my sight-reading skill by relying my playing mostly on it.

However, my teacher said I played better without music sheets, but memorized. Both dynamic and rhythm are much sharper are precise.

Yes, I do think I play better, because I can concentrate more on the music and my fingering, but with sheet music, when I try to make music, I tend to miss out my position of where am I on the music sheet.........

So, my question is, is there anything harmful that I can only make music without the music sheet?

please help

thanks

[imbetter]

I said this on another post I believe.

I'd prefer to memorize my pieces because when I use sheets I tend to feel confined to the sheets and I'm not able to 'make music' as well as I can when I have it total memorized. When I do play a piece from memory, then I tend to feel more free.

I hope this helped

regards

[casparma]

is there anything harmful that I can only make music without the music sheet?

sorry, but I want an answer for the above.

I know it's ok to make music while the music is memorized. However, for pianism, is it not good to be only able to make music with memory, but not sight-reading? I mean, I just said, I tend to miss my position on the score while making music, because I think I just cannot do:

1) reading
2) making music
3) looking at my fingers (sometimes)

all 3 at the same time.

please help

thx

[pianowelsh]

It is essential to be able to read and to play by memory. What is happening is that you are not memorising effectively and you are missing a stage out in the process.

It is principally  3 stages that i teach.
1. Analyse the music ( you can do this whatever your level - obviously the more advanced you are the more you can get out of it) and play it through watching the score like a hawk for SMALL sections and slowly. noticing everything. Verbalise what you are observing as you go. The aural is very important here.
2. Having spent some time at stage one getting it right everytime (only watching the music) You now close the book. Your next task is to build the muscle control so wathc your hand now and go throug the samw passage verbalising as before but watching the movements of your hand and making them as efficient and accurate as possible.
3. Now you are ready to build and hone the ear. Still talking yourself through it play the same passage watching an object above or directly infront of you. NOT your hands not the music - you are eliminating the help your eyes give you and relying on conditioned reflexes of ear and hand now.

In this way you build a total understanding of what you play: Visual, intellectual, aural and motor skill.  If you miss any of these out you will be more likely to forget a part of the piece.   This method also helps you to read (sightread with understanding a short ie 4 bar passage - more confident try It develops your technical understanding of mechanics of playing, it also helps develop your analytical ability and general musicianship as well as improoving your ear.   Its efficient too as with every repetition you are building new pathways for the brain and learning the pieces severa; ways simultaneously. Imagine it takes you 5 mins to practice one line in this way you have a page firmly memorised in a 30 mins session.

[casparma]

thanks pianowelsh for your advice

However, I don't understand a few things about your advice.

First, what do you mean by "verbalize"? You mean to sing it out?

please help

thx

[pianowelsh]

give yourself verbal ques as to what your doing. ie Im playing a Gmaj chord my melody is now a downwards scale to .... etc this may involve singing bits of it.

[mdshimazu]

If I have enough time to memorize the music then I play from memory. If I just can't get it all done then I just use the music anyways. Seriously if you've learned a piece most of it should be in your memory already and so you'll just look at the sheet music every once in a while to remind yourself of the opening to a passage or something. That is what I do when I perform using sheet music. Most of my time is spent playing very musically and from memory, but I look up at the sheet music to get some reminders which make for a safe performance. I don't see anything wrong with this way of performing. On the other hand some people feel compelled to read sheet music note for note anytime that it is in front of them. This type of person should not use sheet music because they spend too much time reading and not enough time playing musically. One girl I knew (violinist) would actually get confused when she played using sheet music so she had to memorize all her music.

[pianowelsh]

The problem with playing mostly from memory but needing to look up in places is that you can miss your point. Ie look at wrong place or be on a different page etc and then you are stumped and there is a breakdown in the music 99% of the time. You may not have experienced this yet but TRUST me it is very possible to happen. Halfway between memory and reading is the most dangerous place to be..one or other is safer.   When I do chamber music I always have the score with me  BUT I always have my part memorised too (totally so I can play it beginning to end at tempo etc without the score) that way I have time to look at other players for cues and watch their parts on the score for entries etc and my attention isnt just on reading my part BUT having said that I could do either by the time of a performance..ie read the music totally OR play by memory and watch the other musicians. I tend to go for both in a pressure situation as If someone misses a que the pianist is also like a conductor and can give assistance.