My first question is I am practising scales over and over and over and actually find them quite therapeutic.
Once I really get the hang of the piece I find I am not really reading the music and my brain (memory I suppose) takes over and the piece sounds good (to me anyway). All is fine until as I said my brain disengages and I am lost and search the piece to find my place again. then I can't seem to read it as easily as when I was learning it. Is it wrong to play by memory and should I really be focusing on the written notes at all times?