Playing Without Looking At The Keyboards, Etc. Options

[Mountain]

A lot of pianists who play on stage without the music just stare into space or close their eyes and look really funny...

lol. Yeah, I was watching a piano concert and T.V. and the pianist looked so passionate just playing that she amde it look as if it hurt or something.

[Mountain]

While trying to encourage an 8 year old piano pupil not to keep on looking down at his hands I got him to keep an eye on me during a church service to see how often I looked down.
He counted 5 times (11 hymns).

I probably had a few more quick looks which weren't noticable though  ;) .

lol. Does he still do that?

[Mountain]

As a demonstration at a musical festival I once entered, the adjudicator propped the piano lid open with a match box and played the set piece to demonstrate that it wasn't necessary to look at one's hands all the times - he commented that many of the competitors, when performing, stared at their hands and not the music at all.

I do that in my exams. When I make a mistake I sometimes for get what I'm playing and look at the music but it looks completely foreign beacsue I've learnt the music by memory, but not where certain sections are in relation to the music.

[AnotherPianist]

as Kenm pointed out in a post a while ago: to be a good sightreader one really needs to develop a good sense of keyboard geography because it's not possible to look at two lines of music and two hands at the same time!

I think thats partly why my sight-reading is so bad.

Work on this then: you seem fairly resigned that your sightreading is bad and always will be. Forget that idea and work on it, there's no secret to sightreading other than practise: practise lots for several years and you will get there and be a much better pianist for it :).

[saxlover]

In a piece I know well...I usually look at the music not my hands for some reason...my fingers jsut tend to move where they are supposed to go!

[Mountain]

as Kenm pointed out in a post a while ago: to be a good sightreader one really needs to develop a good sense of keyboard geography because it's not possible to look at two lines of music and two hands at the same time!

I think thats partly why my sight-reading is so bad.

Work on this then: you seem fairly resigned that your sightreading is bad and always will be. Forget that idea and work on it, there's no secret to sightreading other than practise: practise lots for several years and you will get there and be a much better pianist for it :).

Sight-reading. Is it basically a technique where you can look at a note and know exactly wehre it is on the piano without a seconds thought like speaking a spanish sentence without having to say it in English then translate it before hand?

[tzl_tzl]

I can cope without looking at the piano. My only problem is when there are soooo many notes(especially chords) and when they are more than 2 ledger lines!

[Mountain]

I can cope without looking at the piano. My only problem is when there are soooo many notes(especially chords) and when they are more than 2 ledger lines!

I have problems with this even when I look at the keys

[tzl_tzl]

I can cope without looking at the piano. My only problem is when there are soooo many notes(especially chords) and when they are more than 2 ledger lines!

I have problems with this even when I look at the keys

You need to practice......play more pieces. When I was in Grade 6 my sight-reading was very bad and I had to look at keys. After Grade 6, I did this Michael Aaron book which was very helpful.And it's much easier to sight-read now.

[Mountain]

I can cope without looking at the piano. My only problem is when there are soooo many notes(especially chords) and when they are more than 2 ledger lines!

I have problems with this even when I look at the keys

You need to practice......play more pieces. When I was in Grade 6 my sight-reading was very bad and I had to look at keys. After Grade 6, I did this Michael Aaron book which was very helpful.And it's much easier to sight-read now.

I'll try it, thanks.

[sl123451]

it does look really bad when you look down.....a lot of people who do look down a lot tend to bow their head.

My teacher keeps telling me if i really need to glance down to use my eyes :rolleyes: not look with my head. apparently it makes the sound better :unsure:

[Mountain]

I glance down, i don't completely look down. It's herder to play, you have to maintain a straight back to play.

[erard]

Some people can play without having to look at the notes on the piano or not looking at the strings on the violin or looking where their fingers press on the flute. Which instrument is it easier to do it on?

Voice!

Some instruments- I am thinking of wind and brass- have only one or a limited number of positions for each finger. Like the recorder where the finger can be covering the hole or not (or partially, but it is still only one hole)- no particular need to look for that. Others like the piano you can play middle C with any finger, but there are other patterns to the fingering. I think it is not so much a case of which instrument it is easiest on as some people are more alive to how their bodies feel and spatial awareness and others have to work harder to learn the spacings without looking. Also whether your teacher made you learn this or not.

As a pianist you miss out on orchestral rehearsals which are wonderful to watch how other instruments work.

[Mountain]

Some people can play without having to look at the notes on the piano or not looking at the strings on the violin or looking where their fingers press on the flute. Which instrument is it easier to do it on?

Voice!

Some instruments- I am thinking of wind and brass- have only one or a limited number of positions for each finger. Like the recorder where the finger can be covering the hole or not (or partially, but it is still only one hole)- no particular need to look for that. Others like the piano you can play middle C with any finger, but there are other patterns to the fingering. I think it is not so much a case of which instrument it is easiest on as some people are more alive to how their bodies feel and spatial awareness and others have to work harder to learn the spacings without looking. Also whether your teacher made you learn this or not.

As a pianist you miss out on orchestral rehearsals which are wonderful to watch how other instruments work.

I know, I wanted to, but they give you pathetic parts to play, so I didn't.

[july]

Hehe - I must say (without boasting, of course) that I have mastered the incredibly difficult skill of playing the flute without looking at my fingers! *applause*

:P :P