Listening to a recording before reading from sheets

[ranjit]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum.

A person I know said that you should always play a piano piece directly from sheets the first time round. Otherwise, it would not be your own interpretation, and you would be basically copying another artist. Is it a bad idea to listen to a recording of a piece before reading it from sheets?

[visitor]

certainly good advice, however rubbish for 'always', since what do you do when you play through it at first way wrong, then you get your inappropriate idea of the piece in your head first? Or when you discover a new piece by first hearing a recording, so it's attractive to you then you seek out the music, does that mean it's not worth trying it or learning to perform becuase you heard it first?  there is nothing wrong with  or stealing ideas from other performers so long as it isn't blind and you understand what is going on and why and you agree in your feeling of what you want to present with the interpretation in your mind.
It is also great to listen first so that when you play through and you do something differently than on the recording you are deciding on a personal artistic decision despite having a different idea in your mind at first but in learning the work your feeling or approach changes

[iansinclair]

I certainly don't see anything wrong with listening to a performance first, then deciding to try the piece myself.  If I followed the rule of not playing things I had listened to first there isn't much out there that I could play!

When one does listen to someone else's performance, though, it is very much worthwhile thinking about just what they are trying to say with their performance.  Then, why you do learn the piece, you need to think about what you are trying to say with it.  If your interpretation is different from some recorded version, so be it -- so long as you know what your are doing and trying to say.  Keep in mind that the objective of the exercise isn't to copy so and so's brilliant technique, but to find your own voice.  Otherwise it becomes a mere technical exercise -- and why bother?

[dcstudio]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum.

A person I know said that you should always play a piano piece directly from sheets the first time round. Otherwise, it would not be your own interpretation, and you would be basically copying another artist. Is it a bad idea to listen to a recording of a piece before reading it from sheets?

This is general advice for ear players who are trying to improve their reading skills...not an "always or never" rule of thumb.  Personally, unless someone throws sheet music up on my piano an expects me to sight read it...I almost always listen first.  It in no way "sets" the interpretation...unless you only have the ability to play exactly what you hear...with zero creativity.  I usually will listen to many renditions and compare them. 

Students sometimes take their teacher's advice to the extreme...usually the instructor doesn't mean for it to be perceived that way.  That's how myths like this one are born.

[brogers70]

I only wish I could listen to Barenboim play a Beethoven sonata and then slavishly copy his interpretation. I just don't think it works that way. I can't read a score away from the piano and hear what it will sound like in my head, and my sight reading sure isn't good enough to breeze through scads of pieces quickly to decide what I like, so I often listen to pieces with the score before I decide whether to try to learn them.

[Bob]

Ideally, yes, all on your own.

But you need to know the composer and style.

And you probably won't perfectly copy what you hear anyway.


So make sure what you take in is quality.  Then listen and copy.  Understand the composer and ideas.  Then interpret the score from scratch on your own. 


It's not like anyone else who is interpreting from scratch wasn't exposed to a lot and didn't copy or imitate.  Also watch out for teachers who explain to you what they're working and focusing on. 

[huaidongxi]

my strong preference is what works best for me, probably of limited relevance to others.  like to hear a piece at least several times, from different performers if possible, to imprint the rhythms and phrasing in my memory, before attempting to sight read.  probably related to my difficulty, going back to childhood lessons, in sight reading rhythm.  rhythm is visceral to me and hearing lets me feel it.  sight reading without phrasing and rhythmic shaping becomes just a sequence of notes.

[dcstudio]

I only wish I could listen to Barenboim play a Beethoven sonata and then slavishly copy his interpretation. I just don't think it works that way.

Yes this myth about listening first kind of makes the assumption that somehow it's easy to hear someone's interpretation and copy it. 

Ideally, yes it is also always great to take an unheard piece of music and interpret it from the score alone.   . 

[indianajo]

I'm glad I studied piano in an era when classical music was not available except in sheet music or LP records which cost about 20 hours pay - back when I was earning $.25 an hour. (1961)
The interpretations I was allowed to develop don't sound anything like the ones on record in many cases.  I wasn't allowed to do anything incorrect, but I was allowed to interpret in my own way. 
There are times when I want to slavishly copy something I have heard.  Most often in the case of popular music where the record runs in my head but won't quite finish without the sheet music.  But I feel sorry for people that have to study music history and theory for years and years to come up with an interpretation that won't offend the experts.  My teacher wasn't a critic, but an enabler.  I developed an individual style, as a result.  There are still tracks I hear now that I have about 2000 LP's and access to FM radio, and starting  this week, internet music - that I prefer the way I do it.  I'm not selling a lot of records or MP3's, but doing it my way gives me incentive to practice. 

[pianoplunker]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum.

A person I know said that you should always play a piano piece directly from sheets the first time round. Otherwise, it would not be your own interpretation, and you would be basically copying another artist. Is it a bad idea to listen to a recording of a piece before reading it from sheets?

If you can play a piece of music on any instrument, it is your own interpretation. No matter how hard you try to sound like someone else. If you read it first or hear it first is just a different path but not right or wrong. Listening to others can give you ideas for your own interpretation.  I dont consider it exclusive from reading first, it just depends on how a piece enters my desired repertoire. Sometimes practicing site-reading discovers music I would have never known before.  Sometimes just goofing around to a recording opens it up for my interpretation. No hard rule. 

[timothy42b]

Yes this myth about listening first kind of makes the assumption that somehow it's easy to hear someone's interpretation and copy it. 
 

I wonder if is useful to make a distinction between style and interpretation.

I'm not going to be able to copy somebody else's interpretation, no matter how hard I might try.  My own personality is going to interfere.  I might get some ideas that didn't occur to me, especially for tempos.  Then again I might reject them if they don't fit how I do it. 

Style, on the other hand.  There are lots of genre's of music that I'm not well versed in.  I'm likely to play them wrong out of lack of experience.  Sometimes listening to a performance helps with that.  When I play in an ensemble there are always pieces I'm solid on and others I know I don't have a background for, and that's when I start listening extra hard to the more experienced players in the room. 

[keypeg]

I think that the caveat on listening to recordings first has to do with things like developing the ability to read and analyzing the music to get at your own interpretations.  It avoids things like listening to the music, memorizing how it sounds, and then imitating this and thus not learning how to read.  It also involves imitating someone's performance without understanding, line by line.

At this stage I am encouraged to listen to recordings, but it is not blindly.  I've been taught enough that there is a fair bit of understanding.  We might discuss why this performer chose to do certain things, while another made different choices, or even historical differences due to when the piece was performed.  It is not a blind dependency as in the first scenario, and I can read fairly well.

[dcstudio]

I think that the caveat on listening to recordings first has to do with things like developing the ability to read and analyzing the music to get at your own interpretations.  It avoids things like listening to the music, memorizing how it sounds, and then imitating this and thus not learning how to read.  It also involves imitating someone's performance without understanding, line by line.

At this stage I am encouraged to listen to recordings, but it is not blindly.  I've been taught enough that there is a fair bit of understanding.  We might discuss why this performer chose to do certain things, while another made different choices, or even historical differences due to when the piece was performed.  It is not a blind dependency as in the first scenario, and I can read fairly well.

Yes!

Listen listen listen...but not blindly. This kind of listening is only possible after one acqires a trained and discriminating ear.   I was absolutely amazed by what popped out of very familiar recordings after my ears "turned on".   Once the ears become trained listening takes on a whole new role in your development.

So to the OP.  I think your question has been answered. 
In certain situations it is beneficial to read before hearing....but it is NOT a RULE.

[keypeg]

I was absolutely amazed by what popped out of very familiar recordings after my ears "turned on". 

I remember having the radio on in the car, musing at how well the orchestra was timed and timed to each other.  Then it dawned on me that professional orchestras always are, but I had never heard it.

I have asked my teacher to guide me in things to listen for, because I do not like listening with "old ears".  At the same time, when you aim for things - for example if your pulse is off and you learn to correct the pulse - that is also when you start hearing those things in others' performances.

[timothy42b]

I have asked my teacher to guide me in things to listen for, because I do not like listening with "old ears".  At the same time, when you aim for things - for example if your pulse is off and you learn to correct the pulse - that is also when you start hearing those things in others' performances.

I have started tuning a guitar regularly striving for slightly (less than 1 Hz beat but NOT pure) wide 4ths.  I don't play guitar, I'm trying to teach myself to listen to intonation at a more precise level. 

[dcstudio]

I have started tuning a guitar regularly striving for slightly (less than 1 Hz beat but NOT pure) wide 4ths.  I don't play guitar, I'm trying to teach myself to listen to intonation at a more precise level. 

I too play the guitar...that instrument just makes your ear better...  I couldn't do crap about it if my piano was out...but it's up to you to tune the guitar. I had no tuner just a fork when I started playing.  That will help...it did wonders for my ears.