reading scores away from piano

[pianistavt]

What are your thoughts about reading/studying the score, especially a new piece, away from the piano?
Do you make this part of your practice?
Would your recommend it to certain students?  All students?

[stringoverstrung]

Hello,

It is the prime way of avoiding early mistakes and for me does improve memory retention and accuracy.
As far as I understand advanced professionals are almost all familiar with this possibility and are able to learn pieces to a certain degree by " looking" at the score.
This is also the case for top chess players by the way. They don't need a board per se to study chess.

[transitional]

Great way to learn patterns of piece and drill it into your brain before trying to play it. Have you ever tried copying scores down? It's a great way to get the essence of the piece and might even help you start to dabble in composition! Sheet music without a piano is just a bunch of stuff on a paper, so I try to take music to a piano as soon as possible, but it's a way to familiarize yourself with the piece.

[tracyberge]

You are correct that reviewing and studying materials, such as scores or chess positions, can be an effective way to avoid early mistakes, improve memory retention, and enhance accuracy. Many advanced professionals in various fields, including music and chess, develop the ability to internalize and analyze information without relying solely on physical aids like a score or a chessboard.

[pianistavt]

I was going to be away from the piano for a couple weeks, so I took the score of a new piece and read it every day.  Aside from familiarizing myself with the high level stuff: tempos, dynamics, form, I also did a deep dive: I visualized the keys on the keyboard, I imagined what it felt like to play them and what they sounded like.  I also thought about the fingering options and made some decisions about what to try first.  This was a "difficult" 20th century piano piece.  When I got back to a piano I was amazed at how smoothly it went.

I guess it's true - playing the piano (or any instrument) is 70% mental.

[lelle]

I would recommend it - except I almost never do it myself anymore simply because I can't be bothered. So I feel like I am talking the talk but not walking the walk when I'm advicing other people to do it.

But in my experience it can be highly useful.

[keypeg]

Reading away from the piano is what I did originally.  I heard the music in my head, but I also heard it in relative pitch.  Once I showed some music to a person who played piano, and I saw his fingers twitch as he was reading it, and he then said it was good music.  The twitching fingers are important.  When I discuss this with my teacher, for example, he says that when he reads away from the piano he nonetheless sees the piano keys and might picture his hands and fingers playing.  I think this is important. 

I have had thoughts to develop this so that when I read a score away from the piano I also picture the piano keys involved and such.