Muscle Memory vs. Reading

[1piano4joe]

Hi all,

So, today I started a new piece. I was reading it hands together slowly (as it is maybe 5 grades below my current level) and asked myself, "Why don't I just learn this quickly and get it over with"?

I could do that. Muscle memory every bar then connect them and be done in less than an hour at full tempo.

Should I, I asked myself. I've done that, so many, many times. What do I gain out of that? I have many more weak areas that could use considerable improvement but shortening learning time isn't one of them.
 
Is it always so important to learn a piece as fast as I can learn it? What if I purposely took a longer different route to learning a piece that enhanced some weaker points in my playing ability?

I don't read individual notes of scales. I don't even read the whole scale like I might read a word instead of individual letters. Scales, like Hanon (which I did decades ago), I rip through them with muscle memory. I just can't process, comprehend, what have you, at breakneck speeds. I guess I would say (whether this is right or wrong) I don't read them, not only because I can't, but also because I don't need to. It's muscle memory!

I feel I might get more benefit out of reading this new piece slowly and not using my quick learning techniques which are more like muscle memory cramming. For example, the so called 7 repetition, 20 minutes sessions.

BTW, I do 8 repetitions. I have many reasons, some practical and some because I'm just plain nuts:

1. I may lose count, Hard to believe, right? After all, I'm only counting to seven!

2. I still don't feel I have it down yet.

3. It needs more work or attention.

4. One for good luck. Remember, I admit that I'm nuts.

5. There was a mistake in one of them.

6. etc.

So, if I can improve my reading ability by learning (a much easier piece) at a slower pace than crushing it with some time saving practice methods, I'm thinking I may get more mileage this way. I refer to this as "sideways progress".

Does anybody else here do this or think this is a good idea?

Thanks, Joe.

P.S. Reading/learning slowly is a different kind of drudgery. The focus is different. I'm not doing bits and pieces and devouring them like I'm at the Chinese food buffet! I'm playing the piece whole, looking at the big picture, reading it, savoring it slowly and enjoying every bite! And actually making music NOT mini-exercises/drills so I can just rush off to the the next disposable piece!

P.P.S. Doesn't this fly in the face of the wisdom to NOT start at the beginning and play to the end or is that more of a beginner credo? Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, "it depends"!

P.P.P.S. Sometimes it just seems like every "rule" I ever learned was meant to be broken.

[j_tour]

So, if I can improve my reading ability by learning (a much easier piece) at a slower pace than crushing it with some time saving practice methods, I'm thinking I may get more mileage this way. I refer to this as "sideways progress".

Does anybody else here do this or think this is a good idea?

Well, I rely a lot on sight-reading to discover new pieces, or simply to pass the time sometimes at the keyboard.

So, sure, I think it's a good idea.

**However**, you seem to be getting good results with your present method, whereas it takes me forever to commit to memory pieces by reading them (they're memorized more by mentally hearing/imagining the piece away from the keyboard, so not muscle memory in my case, but aural memory).

You could double check, I suppose, if the muscle memory you have is truly reliable by finding a way to perform at least bits of your active repertoire on as many different pianos, with different actions, different states of disrepair.

Maybe.

But it seems to work for you, so all I could say is:  "why not?  keep doing what you're doing!"