Is playing from memory a compulsory skill to be acquired at an advanced level? I'm not confident to play without score, so does this imply not being good enough as a higher grade learner? Anyone who has successfully completed Diploma but still down to playing from score? TQ

Depends what you want to do - do you want to give "public" recitals? Then yes, you should really look to be playing from memory. Otherwise no, it's not compulsory! I did my dip exam with my music as I hadn't memorised. That said, I'd like to play sans score more - it really does free you up.

If you went to music college (RCM etc), it is compulsary to do your audition from memory and also perform your end of year recitals from memory.

It's kind of like getting dressed up to go to Glyndebourne.. it's the norm and kind of expected!

It does seem to be the tradition to play from memory as a pianist, whereas other instrumentalists can often be seen playing from the music. However I have seen some brilliant concert pianists play their recitals from music, and their performances have not suffered in any way.......I find it better from memory myslelf - more nerve-wracking, in a way as there's the fear of memory lapses - but also greater freedom.......For younger performers entering the concert world it would probably be best to perform from memory, but when performers are older and "established" in their reputation and fame, I don't think it matters so much - they've already proved themselves.

Erm what does someone look like 'playing from music'? I have seen people playing from scores but never ever from music!!!

Bewilderingly,
GC

^Uh doesn't it mean the score? I don't know. I play from memory because I simply can't be bothered to take out the music.

Well, at my current stage of practice, I think it is good to memorise the score. Both photographically and on the keyboard. And once memorised, it becomes like a framework for you to work within. You can freely fill in your musicality into that framework.

Are you expecting a reply?

Awkwardly, cd.

I just tried one of my exam pieces from memory-just to see how well I knew it, I won't be doing it in the exam- and it was weird but it was good weird, I felt more like I was in command of the keyboard and that it wasn't just me playing a piece of music but like a proper performance by me. I'm explaining this very badly. i was quite surprised how much I could do without the music, sorry score.

I'm learning Mozart Fantasia D minor at the mo, and there is no choice but to memorise in places. So, I am taking the plunge and am going to memorise it all, as I learn it.

This is new to me, as I always have the score in front of me when I play, but I think I have been subconsciously playing music from memory for a long time.

I think having the score in front of me is like a security blanket...there is always so much more to learn as a musician!

p.s. anyone done this piece before, and if so, how did you find it?

The good thing about playing from memory is that you don't need to find a place to put the scores on. Especially if you're playing many pieces at once...then you'll need to have space to put several books!!

I've played it. I like it a lot (would take some wwork to freshen up now though).
I found some of the coordination and articulation tricky in the middle section.
Somehow I had most trouble getting the D major section at the end tidy.

Thanks...

...yes, the cadenzas look like fun. I'm just taking these apart though. Every now and again, I'll just play one if them as I'm passing the piano. They'll soon be etched into my memory!

Can't remember properly but I think that the 2nd cadenza was the trickiest because the pattern is not quite so obvious.
One is just a dim7 arpeggio isn't it?

I usuallly play from memory ,
BUT
Why is it unusual for a concert pianisit to play from music ? I mean what harm will it make?
I think any musician has the right to play the way he feels comfortable...

I agree - I don't think that playing from the score automatically makes someone's performance less musical, it's a silly thing to say - it depends on the player.

I agree to a certain extent practically it may not make much difference to some people's performance if they don't play from memory but if I do see a concert pianist, or violinist, playing from the score it does slightly spoil their performance for me. Part of the performance is stage craft: one reason competitions aren't judged blindly to make them more fair. If I see a concert pianist using music I somehow feel their performance is inadequate; not necessarily because it is, but because I think 'why are they playing with the music, it's not that hard to memorise it, could they not be bothered to learn it properly for this concert?' (especially if it's someone who would normally play from memory). To me, because it's convention, it's become part of the performance, I often hear the argument of actors and scripts, and it's true, there's no saying that an actor holding the script would make him speak any less fluently or portray the character any worse; but it certainly would ruin the effect of the performance! Maybe I shouldn't be affected by this but I really do find it does affect the performance for me if I can see that the player doesn't know the music well enough that they can remember it. Maybe it's because I don't consider memorising to be a big deal. The only exception I would make to this are ageing (and by this I mean way above conventional retirement age for other jobs) established pianists, who have demostrated in the past memory of a vast range of pieces but are now finding that their age makes it harder for memory: they clearly have known the pieces that well at some point, and have the experience to make up for it.

I guess I understand but I think it's a bit mad - I'd much rather see someone (any instrument) play really well with music than give a less inspiring performance without. It doesn't bother me if people have the music. I find it easy to memorise but then again I can easily accept that any pianist I see is going to be about a million times better than me at sight-reading... (and indeed playing in general ) so really there's no competition! We don't tend to think any less of other instrumentalists for whom the convention is to use the music, we don't think less of orchestras who practically always play some parts, so why should pianists get it in the neck?

Actors may usually act plays from memory, but that doesn't stop an actor from giving a convincing reading of a poem or piece of prose from a script. (And actors are trying to create an illusion that they aren't acting, that what they are saying is just what is naturally being said and thought by the character so having the script would be weird - whereas although I guess it may be something to aim for with some pieces, most pianists (or musicians in general) aren't aiming to give the impression they are making the music up on the spot, which is the equivalent really isn't it?)

I don't think it should be an issue if it doesn't effect the performance... Just because it's convention doesn't mean it actually makes any sense! Playing from memory isn't a bad thing, but I don't think that one can say that it works/is best for everyone, or produces the best performances, and that's the most important thing surely.

I'm far better at sightreading than playing from memory. It's obviously good to be able to sightread well, but it can be a bit irritating not be able to play from memory so well. My friend (Bobifier) can play from memory considerable better than he can sightread, and at times when there is no music to hand, he will sit down at a piano and play, impressing everyone. No-one realises that I can play as well as him, because I need the unavailable music to do so!

That, I think, comes of playing something over and over again.

I guess I just feel that if they can't do it from memory there will no doubt be someone else just as good in other regards who can, so why settle for second best. I also think if I can do it then they should be able to; I know it's not true, but I can't help but feel they've just not practised enough if they can't remember it .

But you find memorising relatively easy .... I don't. It's incredibly difficult especially for piano music. But if someone gives me a piece of music I've not seen before & expects me to play it to accompany the school orchestra or a child practising for an exam then I can - not note perfect but usually pretty well. But I don't say of someone else "I can sightread competentlyso if you can't you've not tried/practised enough...."

I wouldn't say that of an amateur pianist, no, but a professional recitalist on the concert stage I would expect to be able to do it better than me. Incidentally I'd love to be able to sightread I consider it far more useful than memorising, but it doesn't come naturally, I'd still expect concert pianists to be good at it though . I'm working on sightreading, that's all I can say, and I'd hope that if I made it to international recitalist (not that I have aspirations to do so) I'd be able to do it. For what it's worth though, I think you have the more useful practical skill at this time .

That's me too! And it makes me feel like a complete idiot.

I agree - I (like you) am a natural memoriser and struggle much more with sight-reading - not SO much on the flute though I lack confidence, but I loathe it on the piano. So I wish I could sight-read better!!

That's exactly the same as me!
When people ask me to play unexpectedly, I'm like "I NEED music!!"
I find it very hard to memorise, i think i can only remember one piece fully and that's the Rach piece

I find both memorising and sightreading easy. Sightreading has always come naturally as I was keen to try out a lot of music from the library etc. Memorising didn't come into the picture until grade 8 when I was encouraged by my new teacher to memorise. I even did my grade 8 exam from memory.

Most people are happy to improve their sightreading by playing new pieces, but are unable to work on ability to memorise. I think it's important to realise that it does not always just 'happen', and if it does this kind of memory is unstable because it's likely to be muscular memory. There really is no easy way to memorise. I've just spent the entire weekend working on memorising a Schubert sonata and it's almost there. First of all it's important to learn the fingering thoroughly or you are heading for disaster. To memorise the first movement I learnt each hand separately for exposition, development and recap and didn't let myself play all the way through from memory until I could play each hand separately from memory for each of these sections.
This is really the only way to ensure memory is secure. I find having a map of key schemes in my head helps to have an overall view of the movement. I believe that everyone should be able to memorise to some capacity, it just needs work like any other skill. There's no use trying to play from memory unless you're fully acquainted with the music.

I really envy you for this ability

I'm literally SO BAD in sight reading ...

I agree with Hannah, that one can work on being able to memorise. It's always going to be easier for some than others, some people will find they are more "wired" to memorise, but it doesn't mean you can't learn how to.

Lots of good advice - you are lucky to have had a teacher who encouraged you to memorise and seems to have given you guidelines on how to do it.None of mine ever did !! It was only after reading Chuan 's "Fundamentals of Piano Practice" e- book that I decided to have a serious attempt at memorising pieces from the start as he suggests and the result has transformed my whole approach to the piano ; I know there are reservations about some of his ideas but as far as memory goes,he is spot on as far as I'm concerned. Memorising securely I see as the result of having good aural skills and a good knowledge of harmony - without these all you have to rely on are muscular memory and visual memory, which can let you down - I remember a student at college who in a concert performed a piece by Debussy that ended with a section of a piece by Frank Martin !! She knew something was wrong but couldn't work out what it was until she'd finished!!

You need to be patient learning from memory - I find I can get to 95% reliability quite quickly but I need to return to the piece over a more extended period to gain the extra 5%. Once learned repeat it a week later then a fortnight later then a month later,etc.

Don't know why I'm replying because I've got lots of work to do...but oh well

To memorise, I always try and remember photographically what the score looks like. As in, "oh, now the fast left hand bit on C for ages". Then I might think "the hard descending G7 chord". And then "cross your hands now!".

Try to harmonically UNDERSTAND the piece you're playing too


I guess muscle memory works aswell if done enough, I have played elton johns funeral for a friend for like 5 years so I always play that when people say "Play something!".

bye

The last concert I saw was Artur Pizarro playing Goyescas, Gaspard de la Nuit and Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata. He did the whole thing from score with a page-turner, and given the high quality of the performance, I would hope no-one would detract from his achievement because he didn't play 'from memory.'

For the most advanced pianists playing from memory is not necessary. In his latter years Sviatoslav Richter played with the score.

I have to say, that I don't think that the reason for playing from memory is because using a score would detract from the performance. This may be one of the reasons, but I consider the overwhelming reason to play without music is that once you have internalised the music, you should not be thinking about the actual notes/picturing the written score at all.

When you do a high level performance, all that you should be absorbed in the music, the emotions, the tiny little nuances of sound, the phrases that evoke stirrings inside you and the atmosphere around you, the deliberation of some notes and the fluidity of others, the concept of the music, not the actual music itself.

This, for me, is the reason to play without the score, because if you are looking at the score, you are concentrating on something other that the music flowing inside you and from your fingers. I feel like the music is a part of me that is coursing through my fingertips and the music is never going to be able to move unbidden, without restraint if I am reading a score and thinking about what has to come next. At a high level performance, this should be instictual, because you have internalised the music to such an extent you have merged it into your being and become truly and wholly immersed in it.

I absolutely agree with this very articulate post. I can only add how I feel personally about using a score to perform in public or an exam - I simply would not do it. I'm not sure how my memory works, it just does, automatically. Therefore, if I haven't memorised a piece, it just isn't ready to be performed yet. Performing means presenting a whole package and playing from memory is just as important as everything else that gets practised.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I am no advanced pianist but I play from memory because the music naturally stays in my memory after so much practice. I glance at the score every now and then because that's what's expected of me but having nothing in front of me would be the same. I am now exercising the other skill, i.e. reading, which I often neglect just because I play from memory, and because I neglect reading I'm rather poor at it but they say it comes with constant practice, so I've got hold of quite a number of sight-reading books (Paul Harris, Right@Sight, Lawson's series "Reading for fun" or something like that, etc) and I make a point of practising this skill every day, even though I do no more than 10 minutes at times, that's about enough to develop the skill over time (I hope, at least !!!).

I disagree. Personally I play from the score. This does not mean my eyes are glued to it during the performance, the odd glance is all that is necessary. Neither I, nor my many appreciative audiences, feel it detracts from my performance at all. I still feel that the music is flowing through my fingers and I play as an extension of my entire being.

for some reason i find it easy to memorise music
and actually find it easier to play from memory than be looking at the score
i am dislexic though so its more effort for me to be looking at the score
it means my sight reading is terrible
but once i learn a piece i am ok