This instructor/teacher is so inviting and motivated. His joy of playing translates to students. He is very articulated. His methods really help. Added value, very much appreciated, Thank you,
WOW,,,,, Robert Estrin really shines as a teacher, I wish I would have found someone like him many years ago..... Words really do not convey the value of what he shares with us here on TH-cam...
1. Memorize right hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly) 2. Memorize left hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly) 3. Put hands together (try to do it from memory the first time & do it very slowly) 4. Move to the next section (size of the section depends on the complexity of the piece, but each step for one section shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 minutes) 5. Connect from the beginning facets to take into account when memorizing: 1. Notes 2. Rhythm 3. Fingering 4. Phrasing 5. Expression (dynamics, written words e.g. rallentando, accelerando, etc.)
Thank you so much! I only had two years of piano when I was in the 5th and 6th grade -- decades ago! We just bought a beautiful 1936 Hamilton Baldwin and I am trying to learn again on my own and have already made the mistakes which you reference in your video. After 47 years since my last lesson, I am considering taking lessons again and learn how to play well to enjoy the rest of my years. Thank you so much.
thankyou thankyou thankyou, best lesson i ever had, im self taught learning by just putting sheet music in front of me and learning it all at once, i started right off with beethoven sonatas, took me 1 year to learn the first and leaned so many bad habits, but your ideas are so simple wish i knew this 40 years ago when i started, i expect this will actually make my playing decent, awesome and thanks again
WOW! thank you! i need to know this .i am a Mentally challenged with dyslexic Person I Play! from Monday to Friday everyday 10 am to 5 pm with a mine 15 break ..i live in Oregon Eugene area thank you! wIth a SMILE!
I also think listening to the recorded piece, fixes the composition if the music into the brain. That is learn to sing or hum the piece orally. Ingrain the "style" ( e.g swing?) Reading any notes. Has helped me trying to play a "Swing style" for the first time.
Sigh. I wish you were in Colorado to teach me lessons. You're fabulous and you have such a way with analogies. Thank you. Please keep making these videos! :-)
(Part 1 of 2) While I think that there is great wisdom to some of what you say here (e.g., learn in small parts, and learn thoroughly), it seems to me that other parts of what you say are tantamount to 'selling' - e.g., learning something "wrong" in relation to dynamics (or "wrongly", to be grammatically "right"). I learn very, very, very slowly, but if I have learned one thing, I can learn to do that thing differently - I can do "undo mistakes"........
when I started learning organ as a child, i memorized pieces because I wasn't good at reading the notes. I thought i was cheating reading the music. I believed music score was meant to be sight read instantaneously each time. My teacher never emphasized memorizing except for juries. Now that I am older I can sight read and find it very difficult to stop trying to sight read and focus on memorizing bits by bits instead. It's nearly impossible for me to change that behavior and i struggle taking weeks to months to memorize an entire classical piece. Even if i have the self discipline to follow the method of memorizing bits by bits after I finished memorizing the piece, the next piece will be just as hard to avoid not to keep sight reading instead of focusing on memorizing. It's a very difficult urge to overcome.
You are right! It's easy to get lulled into a routine of just playing instead of learning music when practicing. It's good to devote part of your practice time to sight-reading as well as memorization. Just be sure you are clear as to which one you are trying to achieve at different points in your practice. Select specific repertoire for each discipline.
This is strange to me. I never used any of these techniques and I usually memorise piano music very well. I just play it and memorise it. How hard can that be? But if it's tricky I just read it though on the metro and look for patterns. But I do remember it by sections.
I hope you or anyone could help me. My right hand my middle and ring finger are fused together. i play a note with my middle finger, my ring finger goes down with it, so it play the note aside of it also.It's frustrating
This is bad advise. I promise you, memorizing hands seperately is MUCH stronger, and will help to avoid blackouts. Also technique is aquired faster hands seperately
The ultimate test how well you know the music is if you would be able to play it mentally away from the piano. You may need to move your fingers in order to get through the piece at first. It is a advisable to have the score next to you so you can refer to it when you are unclear about what is written. Practice this way until you can play through the entire piece away from the piano hearing all the parts and imagining all the finger and hand movements.
Kind of memory overkill, in my view. Just practise the piece so you can start fresh from any given measure or distinct phrase including fingering plus chord or scale knowledge. This will weave analytic and muscle memory together into a very tight fabric. Enhance with slow and hands separate work for more difficult passages.
@@douglascutler1037 Is his approach radical? I'm new to the piano, pre-Grade 1. I liked the sound of what he's saying, and I like his videos generally, but my teacher isn't keen; he said it's difficult to refer again to the score once you've memorized a piece, and you might have to refer to it again. But I'm thinking now that if you've memorized it properly you wouldn't have to refer to the score again (?).
@@pauljohnbodie5631 It's not radical but it is extremely hi-end, pro-level stuff. What is described is the type of mental agility and ability possessed by top professional concerts pianists. It can take many years to get good at and is enhanced by a thorough understanding of musical theory as well as a a highly trained inner ear. Let's say you're a top concert pianist rehearsing a concerto with orchestra and conductor. The conductor might expect you to start the performance from any bar that they might want to polish. You need to know the piece so well you can enter at any measure at full speed. I would not recommend beginners in piano concern themselves with memorizing every single note and keystroke. It is better to have an enjoyable experience of music where at least some of the time you allow things to work on auto pilot or muscle memory. Muscle memory is also an important performance component and not just the mental or analytical approach described. Also, there is nothing wrong with learning music where you still need to look at the music. While pro level solo piano is almost always performed from memory, much collaborative piano performance like choral accompaniment, vocal accompaniment or small ensemble playing is performed from the sheet music - even at the pro level.
@@douglascutler1037 LPV's method is very good though. And it does begin with 'the ultimate test ------ is'. That's being at the 'top of the game'. It is probably on the level of what those stunt pilots do ---- eg. red bull stunt plane racing, or maybe Blue Angels. They go through in their mind and their body what needs to be done - accurately, precisely and pretty much automatically and very smoothly. For Blue Angels and stunt plane racing, their lives depend on it. For concert pianists and professional musicians etc ----- errors and stumbles etc are generally not an option. But - naturally, the abilities of people do vary - among people.
Great video, this answered the question I just left on your newest video... For piano, I was struck by a quote, "Amateurs practice until they get it right, Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."
toothless toe, maybe, but what she means is that if you practice it correctly, it'll be great, but if you always practice wrong, you will perform "wrong."
This is such valuable information! I am re-learning the piano after many year of not playing. There are times when it feels like moving bricks from the front to the back year, one at a time. I plan to watch every one of your videos to provide a new foundation! Thank you!
Well I'm 54 and just starting out as I love this instrument. I don't care how long it takes I'm going to learn to not only play but enjoy making music. A great comment attached gave me some more confidence I.e if you tell yourself you cant play...you won't! So thank you for the video. You have started me on my journey!
Be careful, muscle memory is both a blessing and a curse. You will go blank. And you will get stuck. And it will be embarrassing. Make sure you know what you are playing.
I don't interact with a lot of musicians, this was actually very encouraging, thank you. I've always thought there was some truth in this principle with drums too. Play it as slow as you have to until you play it perfect, and only then speed up or add more.
One problem I had when memorizing music is that if I lost my place somewhere in the middle of the piece I had to go all the way back to the begining and start all over again.
Dude! Thank you so much! I don't even play piano. I'm a beginner learning the guitar. I'm learning to play really simple pieces like "The Star Spangled Banner," or the beginning of "Ode to Joy." I can play the pieces pretty easily when sight reading but can't play them without the sheet music. I think this will help. This concepts even help for my graduate studies in anesthesia! Thanks again.
Excellent video! I'm a self learner piano player, been practicing for 3 months, and I always thought that piano players read and played at the same time, I had no idea that memorization was so important (thank god I'm good at that). I realized that on my own when I saw that there was no way I could keep my eyes on the sheet and play at the same time. The sheet is there to you to learn the song and to help you along the way when you are playing, but your focus em 95% on the keys and, if you are playing the song with ease, it's because you memorized it.
you are not exactly correct, memorizing and sight reading a piece are 2 different things. A good sight reader can play a piece at tempo without ever played the piece before and this takes years, as to memorize a piece is simply to not depend on the sheet music when for example you need to perform for an audience.
Daniel Ribas Tandeitnik I read sheet music as I play, partly because I'm a fast reader but also because I have not the best memory. Depends of people, I think both sight reading and memorization are important skills
I don't think there's a rule to it, it's the same principle as typing on a keyboard, for example I could say something for you to type and you wouldn't need to look at the keys themselves in order to write it it would just flow subconsciously, Hey if Stevie Wonder can memorise then anyone can.
I'm so glad you appreciate this video and so many people have watched it. It is one of the most important things I learned studying with my father, concert pianist Morton Estrin.
Robert is wonderful. Your dad must have been such a great teacher imparting his wisdom on many. Timing is the hardest for me. I try to use the metronome often. If fingerings are not suggested, I try to come up with something comfortable, but it may not be correct. I like to practice the scale for the song to ingrain the notes in my head before attempting the piece.
Actually you can learn one hand at a time, but then putting them together is like learning a third time over, as the brain has to make new connexions. Some say this is a waste of time and advocate memorisation of both hands together from the outset. Both work. It all depends on how thoroughly you wish to memorise. I think from experience most people will prefer to just about achieve separate hands memory and then concentrate on hands together.
I'm reluctant to rely on memorizing as it's so risky, at least for me. I would like to know enough about chords (for pop and jazz) that I don't have to memorize but know which chords go with the melody and that seems to be hard to do.
Great video. Just one more suggestion (I read about it and I agree): when you practice (one hand or both together), try always chunking snippets with an overlap. So, for instance, if the first 4 bars are "A B A C | D A E D | A B B C | B D C B", supposing a 2 bars snippet, the first chunk would be "A B A C | D A E D", and the second one for instance "E D | A B B C | B D C B" (using E D of the fist chunk to make a connection with the second one). This way it will be way easier to put all of the snippets together.
Robert I have a question for you - when you say "connect from the beginning", you mean even in a piece which is 5+ pages long, after learning the next small section you need to keep playing from the beginning every single time, including the bit you've just learnt? Thank you!
It is a fact that there is textile memory that makes it possible to play a piece without even thinking about it! The fingers have a memory all their own. However, this is not a reliable way to remember a piece. It is important to think through the sound as well as the mechanics of the performance, not so much the printed score unless you have a photographic memory.
Bruntshmallow. Do you read music as well? I can't seem to memorize music. It's so hard for me. I hoping to find ways to help me with that. Maybe it's as simple as a gift you're born with.
You must keep some older repertoire in shape by playing them on a regular basis. From time to time, you should reference the score playing slowly with the metronome and no pedal to solidify your playing.
@@LivingPianosVideos Yes. I practice the piece slowly without use pedal. But after learn the new one. Old song mucle memory dissapear. Im 43. Is because too old to memory?
I'm a beginner piano player. How important is to learn hands separately first? I think I have no problem memorizing both hands at the same time. Should I stick to it or should I break it down to both hands separately and then combine them together? Thanks
So useful. I was also at a loss on how to memorize--shall I remember the notes from the sheet but they will not mean anything unless I also know the sound so it is only logical that I memorize the sound of each hand, tho I prefer to memorize/play them together so I know how it sounds. However, I refer to the music sheet for a "pattern" on the "difficult" parts that my brain cannot remember. Also like "silvizzle," I am glad to know I am not the only one who "questions" the notes :).
i memorizes automatically from age 4 to ag 45 when member of my family got into a traumatic situation. i took care of it and never memorized anything gain. i am in tearsMuriel
After 5 plus years beating my head against the keyboard, I know that your advice is 100 pct correct. There really is no other method that works. Small chunks; get it absolutely right (both hands) and only then move on.
He's says a lot of good tips, but the thing about learning it perfect from scratch one does not apply to me at all. I find it much more efficient to learn to just play the song at full speed and after that perfect it with volume, feel and stuff like that.
When i memorize a piece i usually do it treble and bass together and i also usually do it bars by bars. i will play it over and over again until i can play it flawlessly before moving on to the next bars. hehe. btw im a newbie. just started piano for 2 months now.
1 of the easiest and most accessible tool for memorization is recording. Nowadays there are so many little gadgets you carry around may have a video or sound recording feature. Instead of playing the same thing over and over, you play it as many times as it takes to get the right notes into a recorder. The rest of the time listen to the playback. Once you get the tune into your head, playing the right notes become much easier.
Tips: from the last page or last few bars, the mid sections with the last page and then the opening. Psychologically gives impression you've made it to the finish by starting from the end first. Practice with your ears. Make recordings and listen or compare other's recordings. If something sounds good, chances are you haven't made mistakes. Even hum the melody. Repetition. First get the correct notes. Then rest and come back later. First few times gets choppy. Eventually get faster & more flow.
(Part 2 of 2) ....so I feel that you are doing people a disservice by bifurcating this idea into an 'either/or' concept (either something is 'wrong', or 'right'). The message here is that people learn in different ways, and one cannot generalize about an individual's learning. I really like your 'definitions' of 'expression', 'phrasing' and the like, though, and appreciate your advice, as I have learned from some of what you said. Thank you.
Thank you! This was very helpful to me. I'm trying to learn to play Beethoven's Sonata No 8, 2nd Movement "Pathetique". Your lesson on trills helped me to figure out how to do the fingering, position of fingers, and ending to transition into the next set of notes.
very helpful! i have to start memorizing this semester and i have never been taught how. My teacher told me that learning harmonies is the key to memorization, you are the first person i have come across on youtube that has mentioned this.
Great video! I'd say the 5 facets to take into account should include a new Number 1 - Chords and Chord Progression. This will help in understanding, fingering and memorization.
It has worked for thousands of students of my father's, sister's and myself, as well as other former students of my father who have taught this method.
Wow thanks so much, this technique is so great and easy! I've always had trouble memorizing pieces before because my fingers just played by muscle memory and then when I'd get nervous I'd start questioning the notes and I'd mess up pretty easily... I just have one question, should this technique be used one piece at a time or can multiple pieces be memorized at once using this? As in, should I work on memorizing just one then another, or can I do several at a time? Thanks very much :)
Robert, here is something that I do that has helped with memorizing, and it can be incorporated into the great ideas that you taught. When it is time to memorize, I will start at the end of the piece, in small sections, and work my way toward the beginning. Every time I learn a new small section, I play the piece to the end. This seems to help maintain confidence and security; as I progress through the piece, I'm coming to material that is more and more firmly based. Any thoughts?
I have heard of this concept of learning from the end to the beginning before. While this undoubtedly works for some people, to me it makes more sense to learn a piece in the order that it was written so you understand how things develop and evolve. But, whatever works!
Robert Estrin Thank you Robert Estrin for the great tutorial. I love your videos, I are always very helpful of me. I'm going to have to try Greg Scott's suggestion on tackling the end first, It reminds me of a method of teaching from my classical vocal studies. My mentor's concept was that usually the high note, and/or climax of the piece is usually near the end, and starting with it first, you "remove the bear" in a way, and it will make the rest of the piece a bit of a cake walk. I will say concerning the "story" of the piece, I get your point also. Maybe there is a balance in there somewhere between the two approaches. Either way, practice makes permanent not perfect. Thanks again.
Wow. I have never had a piano teacher who was ever able to explain how to memorize music. (Not even college professors who I have taken lesson from.) Guess what? I have never been successful at memorizing piano music. I have read from so many sources that being able to visualize the music away from the piano is key to memorizing and yet I literally cannot form mental images (a condition known as Aphantasia) so I have been convinced that I can't do this. I now feel motivated to find a simple piece to test this memorization method out on. Thank you for this!
Thanks for the input. I wished I learned this secret then I was young. The two allegories about memorizing is the best and not just for piano and music. Especially the allegory about the paper is really important for humanity today then we have so much knowledge about different models for the society.
Through the trials and struggles of impatient playing, I've learned this theory to be absolutely true! It can be hard to slow down and break a piece down bit by bit, but by exercising patience and diligence it really does pay off [in memorizing]. Ultimately, it actually saves you time!
Good advice. I will have to apply it. I always hated recitals as a child and memorized music through muscle memory. Memorizing always seems to be more work than I want it to be. I am not a professional pianist but do accompanying. Your advice on sight reading would probably interest me more.
I have many resources on sight-reading. Here are some for you: livingpianos.com/how-to-practice-the-piano-part-2-sight-read-almost-anything/ and livingpianos.com/how-to-sight-read-part1-why-sightreading-is-important/ as well as livingpianos.com/tips-for-improving-your-sightreading-sightreading-part-2/
I started lessons at 53. I can read both clefs except for some ledger lines giving me problems. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I practice I just can’t memorize. If the sheet music isn’t there nothing happens. Any ideas besides my teacher telling me I’m old what do you expect? I remember things from the past fairly well.
I sympathize. Started at 60, am now 74 and still struggling with memory. Every article, video, piece of advice I’ve seen on memorizing assumes that one has a good memory. I’m reminded of an old Steve Martin routine-“You can be a millionaire! First, get a million dollars…” The simple fact is that for those of us of a certain age, memorizing anything is difficult. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to rely on sight reading, and have been studying that skill as best I can. But I’m trapped in the middle now, unable to sight read well enough, unable to memorize well either. Learning a piece takes many months. There is no secret method, just hard work and perseverance.
Sightread through the piece once or twice. Then get right to work memorizing it first! This will save you vast amount of time because you won't have to unlearn mistakes that you will develop from reading through again and again.
This instructor/teacher is so inviting and motivated. His joy of playing translates to students. He is very articulated. His methods really help. Added value, very much appreciated, Thank you,
WOW,,,,, Robert Estrin really shines as a teacher, I wish I would have found someone like him many years ago..... Words really do not convey the value of what he shares with us here on TH-cam...
Agreed. and twelve years later from when this video was posted, he's still churning out invaluable tips!
1. Memorize right hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly)
2. Memorize left hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly)
3. Put hands together (try to do it from memory the first time & do it very slowly)
4. Move to the next section (size of the section depends on the complexity of the piece, but each step for one section shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 minutes)
5. Connect from the beginning
facets to take into account when memorizing:
1. Notes
2. Rhythm
3. Fingering
4. Phrasing
5. Expression (dynamics, written words e.g. rallentando, accelerando, etc.)
I do this and
6. Play by feel. Memorize the feeling. Muscle memory
7. Play with eyes closed. Close eyes when practicing sections.
Thank you so much! I only had two years of piano when I was in the 5th and 6th grade -- decades ago! We just bought a beautiful 1936 Hamilton Baldwin and I am trying to learn again on my own and have already made the mistakes which you reference in your video. After 47 years since my last lesson, I am considering taking lessons again and learn how to play well to enjoy the rest of my years. Thank you so much.
thankyou thankyou thankyou, best lesson i ever had, im self taught learning by just putting sheet music in front of me and learning it all at once, i started right off with beethoven sonatas, took me 1 year to learn the first and leaned so many bad habits, but your ideas are so simple wish i knew this 40 years ago when i started, i expect this will actually make my playing decent, awesome and thanks again
This is how I've been doing it since I started, happy to know I've been doing it right, excellent Robert
WOW! thank you! i need to know this .i am a Mentally challenged with dyslexic Person I Play! from Monday to Friday everyday 10 am to 5 pm with a mine 15 break ..i live in Oregon Eugene area thank you! wIth a SMILE!
Great videos, I appreciate your enthusiasm
I also think listening to the recorded piece, fixes the composition if the music into the brain. That is learn to sing or hum the piece orally. Ingrain the "style" ( e.g swing?) Reading any notes.
Has helped me trying to play a "Swing style" for the first time.
Great that i find this video when my recital is today
Thanks, very good lesson in a very simple and effective way. I feel very bad, I have started it very late (60).
Certainly some of the best practicing advice. 👍
I've become a bit stuck with a passage of music in the piece I'm learning, this will certainly help!
Thats some great video you have prepared. You have included stories to make it more interesting. Will watch the rest of the videos as well.
Sigh. I wish you were in Colorado to teach me lessons. You're fabulous and you have such a way with analogies. Thank you. Please keep making these videos! :-)
Any idea where he is based?
Everything you said makes perfect sense. Great video!
Thanks. I will try your suggestions.
Excellent help!
Great video tips. Thanks Robert!
Great tips.
This makes sense! I will/ I hope I will really try it!
(Part 1 of 2) While I think that there is great wisdom to some of what you say here (e.g., learn in small parts, and learn thoroughly), it seems to me that other parts of what you say are tantamount to 'selling' - e.g., learning something "wrong" in relation to dynamics (or "wrongly", to be grammatically "right").
I learn very, very, very slowly, but if I have learned one thing, I can learn to do that thing differently - I can do "undo mistakes"........
when I started learning organ as a child, i memorized pieces because I wasn't good at reading the notes. I thought i was cheating reading the music. I believed music score was meant to be sight read instantaneously each time. My teacher never emphasized memorizing except for juries. Now that I am older I can sight read and find it very difficult to stop trying to sight read and focus on memorizing bits by bits instead. It's nearly impossible for me to change that behavior and i struggle taking weeks to months to memorize an entire classical piece. Even if i have the self discipline to follow the method of memorizing bits by bits after I finished memorizing the piece, the next piece will be just as hard to avoid not to keep sight reading instead of focusing on memorizing. It's a very difficult urge to overcome.
You are right! It's easy to get lulled into a routine of just playing instead of learning music when practicing. It's good to devote part of your practice time to sight-reading as well as memorization. Just be sure you are clear as to which one you are trying to achieve at different points in your practice. Select specific repertoire for each discipline.
Brilliant tips!
Awesome advice.
Okay, so I am going to try it out!!! (Chopin Nocturne Op 55 No 2)
This is strange to me.
I never used any of these techniques and I usually memorise piano music very well. I just play it and memorise it. How hard can that be? But if it's tricky I just read it though on the metro and look for patterns. But I do remember it by sections.
You probably haven't thought through the steps described here, necessarily involved in memorization.
I hope you or anyone could help me. My right hand my middle and ring finger are fused together. i play a note with my middle finger, my ring finger goes down with it, so it play the note aside of it also.It's frustrating
This is bad advise. I promise you, memorizing hands seperately is MUCH stronger, and will help to avoid blackouts. Also technique is aquired faster hands seperately
Robert, memorizing music can be confusing at first. After a while, someone could get better as time goes and than it would be no big deal.
Get it right from the beginning. Boy, that's sound advice.
Dude looks like Chuck from Better Call Saul
The ultimate test how well you know the music is if you would be able to play it mentally away from the piano. You may need to move your fingers in order to get through the piece at first. It is a advisable to have the score next to you so you can refer to it when you are unclear about what is written. Practice this way until you can play through the entire piece away from the piano hearing all the parts and imagining all the finger and hand movements.
Kind of memory overkill, in my view. Just practise the piece so you can start fresh from any given measure or distinct phrase including fingering plus chord or scale knowledge. This will weave analytic and muscle memory together into a very tight fabric. Enhance with slow and hands separate work for more difficult passages.
@@douglascutler1037 Is his approach radical? I'm new to the piano, pre-Grade 1. I liked the sound of what he's saying, and I like his videos generally, but my teacher isn't keen; he said it's difficult to refer again to the score once you've memorized a piece, and you might have to refer to it again. But I'm thinking now that if you've memorized it properly you wouldn't have to refer to the score again (?).
@@pauljohnbodie5631 It's not radical but it is extremely hi-end, pro-level stuff. What is described is the type of mental agility and ability possessed by top professional concerts pianists. It can take many years to get good at and is enhanced by a thorough understanding of musical theory as well as a a highly trained inner ear.
Let's say you're a top concert pianist rehearsing a concerto with orchestra and conductor. The conductor might expect you to start the performance from any bar that they might want to polish. You need to know the piece so well you can enter at any measure at full speed.
I would not recommend beginners in piano concern themselves with memorizing every single note and keystroke. It is better to have an enjoyable experience of music where at least some of the time you allow things to work on auto pilot or muscle memory. Muscle memory is also an important performance component and not just the mental or analytical approach described.
Also, there is nothing wrong with learning music where you still need to look at the music. While pro level solo piano is almost always performed from memory, much collaborative piano performance like choral accompaniment, vocal accompaniment or small ensemble playing is performed from the sheet music - even at the pro level.
@@douglascutler1037 Thanks, Douglas.
@@douglascutler1037 LPV's method is very good though. And it does begin with 'the ultimate test ------ is'. That's being at the 'top of the game'. It is probably on the level of what those stunt pilots do ---- eg. red bull stunt plane racing, or maybe Blue Angels. They go through in their mind and their body what needs to be done - accurately, precisely and pretty much automatically and very smoothly. For Blue Angels and stunt plane racing, their lives depend on it. For concert pianists and professional musicians etc ----- errors and stumbles etc are generally not an option. But - naturally, the abilities of people do vary - among people.
Great video, this answered the question I just left on your newest video...
For piano, I was struck by a quote, "Amateurs practice until they get it right, Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."
My Shakespeare director at school always say,"Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect."
toothless toe, maybe, but what she means is that if you practice it correctly, it'll be great, but if you always practice wrong, you will perform "wrong."
that's what my band director says
Practice makes progress
Mark hamill teaching piano! Love it! :)
This is such valuable information! I am re-learning the piano after many year of not playing. There are times when it feels like moving bricks from the front to the back year, one at a time. I plan to watch every one of your videos to provide a new foundation! Thank you!
Thank you for a great video! I'm quite new to the piano and this was very helpful!
Well I'm 54 and just starting out as I love this instrument. I don't care how long it takes I'm going to learn to not only play but enjoy making music. A great comment attached gave me some more confidence I.e if you tell yourself you cant play...you won't! So thank you for the video. You have started me on my journey!
Be careful, muscle memory is both a blessing and a curse. You will go blank. And you will get stuck. And it will be embarrassing. Make sure you know what you are playing.
I don't interact with a lot of musicians, this was actually very encouraging, thank you. I've always thought there was some truth in this principle with drums too. Play it as slow as you have to until you play it perfect, and only then speed up or add more.
As far as I'm concerned, muscle memory nails it before it's an issue.
One problem I had when memorizing music is that if I lost my place somewhere in the middle of the piece I had to go all the way back to the begining and start all over again.
Dude! Thank you so much! I don't even play piano. I'm a beginner learning the guitar. I'm learning to play really simple pieces like "The Star Spangled Banner," or the beginning of "Ode to Joy." I can play the pieces pretty easily when sight reading but can't play them without the sheet music. I think this will help. This concepts even help for my graduate studies in anesthesia! Thanks again.
Excellent video! I'm a self learner piano player, been practicing for 3 months, and I always thought that piano players read and played at the same time, I had no idea that memorization was so important (thank god I'm good at that). I realized that on my own when I saw that there was no way I could keep my eyes on the sheet and play at the same time. The sheet is there to you to learn the song and to help you along the way when you are playing, but your focus em 95% on the keys and, if you are playing the song with ease, it's because you memorized it.
you are not exactly correct, memorizing and sight reading a piece are 2 different things. A good sight reader can play a piece at tempo without ever played the piece before and this takes years, as to memorize a piece is simply to not depend on the sheet music when for example you need to perform for an audience.
Daniel Ribas Tandeitnik I read sheet music as I play, partly because I'm a fast reader but also because I have not the best memory. Depends of people, I think both sight reading and memorization are important skills
I don't think there's a rule to it, it's the same principle as typing on a keyboard, for example I could say something for you to type and you wouldn't need to look at the keys themselves in order to write it it would just flow subconsciously,
Hey if Stevie Wonder can memorise then anyone can.
What a good teacher in all "aspects"....thank you for these videos, to maximize one's playing, "time is precious".... .....
I'm so glad you appreciate this video and so many people have watched it. It is one of the most important things I learned studying with my father, concert pianist Morton Estrin.
Robert is wonderful. Your dad must have been such a great teacher imparting his wisdom on many. Timing is the hardest for me. I try to use the metronome often. If fingerings are not suggested, I try to come up with something comfortable, but it may not be correct. I like to practice the scale for the song to ingrain the notes in my head before attempting the piece.
I wonder if its just me, but I can't learn piano one hand at a time. I have to learn it both hands at the same time.
I'm like that in some cases. In others, I need to learn one hand at a time of it's crazy. But I understand what you mean.
I'm too lazy to learn one by one, I just dive in lol I"m going to give this method a chance though.
This is true depending on the song
Actually you can learn one hand at a time, but then putting them together is like learning a third time over, as the brain has to make new connexions. Some say this is a waste of time and advocate memorisation of both hands together from the outset. Both work. It all depends on how thoroughly you wish to memorise. I think from experience most people will prefer to just about achieve separate hands memory and then concentrate on hands together.
If you can play from memory hands separate after learning it that way it’s fine, but if you can’t then you don’t know the piece well
I'm reluctant to rely on memorizing as it's so risky, at least for me. I would like to know enough about chords (for pop and jazz) that I don't have to memorize but know which chords go with the melody and that seems to be hard to do.
One of the VERY BEST explanations on MEMORIZING MUSIC !!!!
Great video. Just one more suggestion (I read about it and I agree): when you practice (one hand or both together), try always chunking snippets with an overlap. So, for instance, if the first 4 bars are "A B A C | D A E D | A B B C | B D C B", supposing a 2 bars snippet, the first chunk would be "A B A C | D A E D", and the second one for instance "E D | A B B C | B D C B" (using E D of the fist chunk to make a connection with the second one). This way it will be way easier to put all of the snippets together.
I think he alluded to that but suggested just adding one note of the next phrase to make the connection.
What a treasure this man is.
great stuff you're got there - what you offer can be a precious help TO ANYONE ! thanks a million
Simple and extremely helpful. I wish I knew these tips when I was a teenager but I believe it is never too late!
Robert I have a question for you - when you say "connect from the beginning", you mean even in a piece which is 5+ pages long, after learning the next small section you need to keep playing from the beginning every single time, including the bit you've just learnt? Thank you!
It is a fact that there is textile memory that makes it possible to play a piece without even thinking about it! The fingers have a memory all their own. However, this is not a reliable way to remember a piece. It is important to think through the sound as well as the mechanics of the performance, not so much the printed score unless you have a photographic memory.
Er...... “textile memory”??? Do you mean “tactile memory “? I am scratching my head 😳🤭😀!!!!!
Bruntshmallow. Do you read music as well? I can't seem to memorize music. It's so hard for me. I hoping to find ways to help me with that. Maybe it's as simple as a gift you're born with.
Hi, my problem is if I learn the new piece, I will forget the old piece, my hand just can't play the key correctly. Is that normal？
You must keep some older repertoire in shape by playing them on a regular basis. From time to time, you should reference the score playing slowly with the metronome and no pedal to solidify your playing.
@@LivingPianosVideos Yes. I practice the piece slowly without use pedal. But after learn the new one. Old song mucle memory dissapear. Im 43. Is because too old to memory?
I'm a beginner piano player. How important is to learn hands separately first? I think I have no problem memorizing both hands at the same time. Should I stick to it or should I break it down to both hands separately and then combine them together? Thanks
Excellent advice thank you, I’m hoping to memorise some pieces I have to play at two weddings to help with nerves…..
Thank you so uch . THiis makes clear sense to me. I have been making the mistakes that you pointed out commonly made in conventional practice.
So useful. I was also at a loss on how to memorize--shall I remember the notes from the sheet but they will not mean anything unless I also know the sound so it is only logical that I memorize the sound of each hand, tho I prefer to memorize/play them together so I know how it sounds. However, I refer to the music sheet for a "pattern" on the "difficult" parts that my brain cannot remember. Also like "silvizzle," I am glad to know I am not the only one who "questions" the notes :).
This guy is brilliant. and a little weird
There's nothing wrong with being weird.
I'm weird, too.... Nice to know we're not all creatures of convention, received wisdom, etc. : )
Goku Black that’s right!that’s what makes weird people geniuses, hence they are no ordinary people!!!😀
That’s what makes weird people geniuses , hence they are unique and not ordinary people!! And therefore brilliant!!😀
i memorizes automatically from age 4 to ag 45 when member of my family got into a traumatic situation. i took care of it and never memorized anything gain. i am in tearsMuriel
After 5 plus years beating my head against the keyboard, I know that your advice is 100 pct correct. There really is no other method that works. Small chunks; get it absolutely right (both hands) and only then move on.
He's says a lot of good tips, but the thing about learning it perfect from scratch one does not apply to me at all. I find it much more efficient to learn to just play the song at full speed and after that perfect it with volume, feel and stuff like that.
Excellent
Thank you for sharing this!
Highly appreciated
When i memorize a piece i usually do it treble and bass together and i also usually do it bars by bars. i will play it over and over again until i can play it flawlessly before moving on to the next bars. hehe. btw im a newbie. just started piano for 2 months now.
Thank you for these tips!! I’m excited to get started with this approach.
That was very heloful!
I will learn my next piece by this method from the start
Awesome teacher!
1 of the easiest and most accessible tool for memorization is recording. Nowadays there are so many little gadgets you carry around may have a video or sound recording feature.
Instead of playing the same thing over and over, you play it as many times as it takes to get the right notes into a recorder. The rest of the time listen to the playback. Once you get the tune into your head, playing the right notes become much easier.
Tips: from the last page or last few bars, the mid sections with the last page and then the opening. Psychologically gives impression you've made it to the finish by starting from the end first.
Practice with your ears. Make recordings and listen or compare other's recordings. If something sounds good, chances are you haven't made mistakes. Even hum the melody.
Repetition. First get the correct notes. Then rest and come back later. First few times gets choppy. Eventually get faster & more flow.
Cello and violin are also very difficult because you have to really rely on your ear to get the notes down perfect.
(Part 2 of 2)
....so I feel that you are doing people a disservice by bifurcating this idea into an 'either/or' concept (either something is 'wrong', or 'right').
The message here is that people learn in different ways, and one cannot generalize about an individual's learning.
I really like your 'definitions' of 'expression', 'phrasing' and the like, though, and appreciate your advice, as I have learned from some of what you said.
Thank you.
Thank you! This was very helpful to me. I'm trying to learn to play Beethoven's Sonata No 8, 2nd Movement "Pathetique". Your lesson on trills helped me to figure out how to do the fingering, position of fingers, and ending to transition into the next set of notes.
whats the difference between sight reading and memorizing a piece,i already memorizes but can people just look and play perfect but not remember?
Very good video! Memory in piano learning and performance is so very important!
This guy is rally quite something. I would add, study chord structure. That can help.
Westminster Pianos
very helpful! i have to start memorizing this semester and i have never been taught how. My teacher told me that learning harmonies is the key to memorization, you are the first person i have come across on youtube that has mentioned this.
I have videos on my channel if you don't believe me. They aren't perfect, but I've developed pretty good strength in that amount of time.
Great video!
I'd say the 5 facets to take into account should include a new Number 1 - Chords and Chord Progression.
This will help in understanding, fingering and memorization.
This is an excellent point: livingpianos.com/how-to-memorize-music-faster/
Splendid ! thanx ! I have such engrained mistakes such as described. In pieces I learned, or not ! Regards from Brazil.
4:26 am MAY 31, 2022 THANKS FOR SHARING
The best breakdown of how to learn a piece I’ve come across. This is going to be my template from here on in. Thankyou Robert!
It has worked for thousands of students of my father's, sister's and myself, as well as other former students of my father who have taught this method.
The tips about learning the chords first in the left hand really helped me
Wow thanks so much, this technique is so great and easy! I've always had trouble memorizing pieces before because my fingers just played by muscle memory and then when I'd get nervous I'd start questioning the notes and I'd mess up pretty easily... I just have one question, should this technique be used one piece at a time or can multiple pieces be memorized at once using this? As in, should I work on memorizing just one then another, or can I do several at a time? Thanks very much :)
Excellent! Truly top notch advice.
Music is easy to memorize for me. I can just hear it and learn it.
Robert, here is something that I do that has helped with memorizing, and it can be incorporated into the great ideas that you taught. When it is time to memorize, I will start at the end of the piece, in small sections, and work my way toward the beginning. Every time I learn a new small section, I play the piece to the end. This seems to help maintain confidence and security; as I progress through the piece, I'm coming to material that is more and more firmly based. Any thoughts?
I have heard of this concept of learning from the end to the beginning before. While this undoubtedly works for some people, to me it makes more sense to learn a piece in the order that it was written so you understand how things develop and evolve. But, whatever works!
Robert Estrin Thank you Robert Estrin for the great tutorial. I love your videos, I are always very helpful of me. I'm going to have to try Greg Scott's suggestion on tackling the end first, It reminds me of a method of teaching from my classical vocal studies. My mentor's concept was that usually the high note, and/or climax of the piece is usually near the end, and starting with it first, you "remove the bear" in a way, and it will make the rest of the piece a bit of a cake walk. I will say concerning the "story" of the piece, I get your point also. Maybe there is a balance in there somewhere between the two approaches. Either way, practice makes permanent not perfect. Thanks again.
I only use slurs if I've had to much to drink.
Wow. I have never had a piano teacher who was ever able to explain how to memorize music. (Not even college professors who I have taken lesson from.) Guess what? I have never been successful at memorizing piano music. I have read from so many sources that being able to visualize the music away from the piano is key to memorizing and yet I literally cannot form mental images (a condition known as Aphantasia) so I have been convinced that I can't do this. I now feel motivated to find a simple piece to test this memorization method out on. Thank you for this!
This video may help you: th-cam.com/video/TbPArwBiNNE/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the input. I wished I learned this secret then I was young.
The two allegories about memorizing is the best and not just for piano and music. Especially the allegory about the paper is really important for humanity today then we have so much knowledge about different models for the society.
Through the trials and struggles of impatient playing, I've learned this theory to be absolutely true! It can be hard to slow down and break a piece down bit by bit, but by exercising patience and diligence it really does pay off [in memorizing]. Ultimately, it actually saves you time!
Memorizing a piece came to me without any plan. I practiced it over and over again. And before I realized it, I had it memorized
Good advice. I will have to apply it. I always hated recitals as a child and memorized music through muscle memory. Memorizing always seems to be more work than I want it to be. I am not a professional pianist but do accompanying. Your advice on sight reading would probably interest me more.
I have many resources on sight-reading. Here are some for you: livingpianos.com/how-to-practice-the-piano-part-2-sight-read-almost-anything/ and livingpianos.com/how-to-sight-read-part1-why-sightreading-is-important/ as well as livingpianos.com/tips-for-improving-your-sightreading-sightreading-part-2/
Thank you for this most valuable instruction.
I started lessons at 53. I can read both clefs except for some ledger lines giving me problems. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I practice I just can’t memorize. If the sheet music isn’t there nothing happens. Any ideas besides my teacher telling me I’m old what do you expect? I remember things from the past fairly well.
I sympathize. Started at 60, am now 74 and still struggling with memory. Every article, video, piece of advice I’ve seen on memorizing assumes that one has a good memory. I’m reminded of an old Steve Martin routine-“You can be a millionaire! First, get a million dollars…” The simple fact is that for those of us of a certain age, memorizing anything is difficult. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to rely on sight reading, and have been studying that skill as best I can. But I’m trapped in the middle now, unable to sight read well enough, unable to memorize well either. Learning a piece takes many months. There is no secret method, just hard work and perseverance.
Thank you for you video. Very helpful. When learning a new song, Should I learn it all the way through before beginning to memorize?
Sightread through the piece once or twice. Then get right to work memorizing it first! This will save you vast amount of time because you won't have to unlearn mistakes that you will develop from reading through again and again.
what he just taught us today is how to practice smart not practice dumb and long.