Artur Rubinstein did and described it in his autobiography (about 1000 pages in two volumes!) which I read.
So does modern pianist Valentina Lisitsa according to her.
For those who haven't heard of it: it is the ability to visually see the written sheet music while playing. Those who do it call it a trance-like state where the eyes are not fully open. Rubenstein said his visual memory required only about three readings of any score to develop.
I don't have this but wish for it and would like to develop it if any out there have suggestions.
Sometimes I get something like it. Yesterday, for instance, on my computer screen I punched up a piece ( I thought) and began reading / playing. But stalled after a few measures and was startled as the sheet music changed in front of my eyes to what I had had loaded before. The change I tried to punch up never happened. I mistyped. My screen did not change from the piece I had been playing. Yet I clearly saw the new music I expected to come up and began playing it.
Years ago while on a vacation I was studying the Rachmaninoff 3rd and playing 8 hours a day or so. One morning during that vacation, I woke up in bed with my eyes still closed and saw a hellacious collage of staves and notes. When I opened my eyes, if I held my gaze still I saw staves and notes all over the white walls, ceilings, and off-white carpet. None of it was playable. It was a score from hell (kind of like Rachmaninoff's). I saw clef signs, key signatures, barred notes with lots of accidentals on them. Whew! But it was of no use to me in playing.
From that time forward any time I was reading a lot I could see these visions on white surfaces. Note that it was not just visual persistence for I could see them first thing in the morning after sleeping.
Anyone have a similar story? Does this mean I may be able to get REAL visual memory if I work at it?
Topic: Do you have Visual Memory?