100% right over time?

[bachkrille]

How do  YOU keep your repertoire up to date over long time?

Played Liszt and Rachmaninoff (over 100 in the public) today and got it almost 100% right BUT how do You secure that you get it 100% right even under stress and how do you avoid memory slips?

Christer
And Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year

[iansinclair]

You don't.  If your repertoire is at all extensive, the best you can do is keep things reasonably up to speed -- which takes a fair amount of your practice time.  Then, when you know you are going to play a concert or recital, pick the pieces you are going to use and work on them particularly to get them back to where you want them.  The key word there being "back". 

[bachkrille]

Thanks
Yes it is hard work.
For me working as a fulltime organist it means that I have two options, reduce my repertoire and play easier music.
or/but
I think I still will give pianorecitals (for my parish) but have to "accept" that there will be some minor misstakes.
I need the challenges that demanding music gives me.

Christer

[faulty_damper]

I don't keep my repertoire up to date.  I learn them, then I forget them.  Some pieces I don't even have any memory of playing but apparently, I've played them.  Since I'm not a performer, this doesn't bother me in the least.  I take more pleasure from learning pieces than performing.  But I hate having to relearn pieces I've forgotten.

[iansinclair]

A full time organist?  I sympathise!  I was one until I retired -- about 7 years ago.  I found I had to pick my battles.  Some Sundays things got pretty simple.  Some I -- and my choirs -- worked on for weeks, if not months.  And I honestly repeated stuff.  Just not too often.

The real panic stations is funerals... and I always kept at least an hour of appropriate music pretty well up to speed, as those tend to be a bit unpredictable...

[bonesquirrel]

Just play threw the piece(s) every single day? I can remember Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement and I finished learning that a year ago. I play it every day or every other day, the same with all my other pieces, an that's enough to keep you up to speed on it. Of course the bigger your repertoire the more time this will take so I usually recommend having 3 pieces at minimum and 110-15 pieces at maximum (depending on their length, difficulty etc.)

[j_menz]

Just play threw the piece(s) every single day?

How long do you think a day is? 

[bonesquirrel]

How long do you think a day is? 

Well its long enough to practice about 1-2 hours of music isn't it?

[j_menz]

Well its long enough to practice about 1-2 hours of music isn't it?

You're kidding, right?

Any concert, or advanced amateur, pianist has days of stuff they once learned. End on end, no toilet breaks, no nap, no lunch. Some have weeks.

[bonesquirrel]

I thought the subject was "100% right over time?". not every single piece a pianist has learnt at an advanced level over massive periods of time. I was talking like 20 pieces maximum to memorize. Its realistic to memorize lots of pieces for say a concert, then play them at the concert. But after the concert is done you will most likely forget most of them as you move on too new works. If we are talking about maintaining that quantity at a high level, then forget it.... Even if there was 100 hours in a day it wouldn't make a difference because the amount of time and focus it would require to keep that amount of pieces in your memory would prevent you from learning new pieces and progressing, its as simple as that really.

[garrickthegreat]

I thought the subject was "100% right over time?". not every single piece a pianist has learnt at an advanced level over massive periods of time. I was talking like 20 pieces maximum to memorize. Its realistic to memorize lots of pieces for say a concert, then play them at the concert. But after the concert is done you will most likely forget most of them as you move on too new works. If we are talking about maintaining that quantity at a high level, then forget it.... Even if there was 100 hours in a day it wouldn't make a difference because the amount of time and focus it would require to keep that amount of pieces in your memory would prevent you from learning new pieces and progressing, its as simple as that really.

Well 20 pieces is a lot to remember...unless they are all short Chopin preludes or something...

[stevensk]

Play your pieces slowly  (ok..not too slow) from time to time and you will remember your repertoire.