Learning to Memorize Piano Music
We all have our psychological, emotional, mental and physical barriers when it comes to practicing and/or performing. One such particularly difficult challenge is that many pianists simply cannot remember a piece. However, it is the emotional reaction to not remembering a piece which is the most painful. In fact, what it creates is stress. And, that is a huge problem and very difficult barrier that pianists need to overcome.
Knowing what stress is however can completely change your perspective. Heres the real definition of stress;
Stress is the amount of energy you put into resisting your situation.
This will help to change your behavior and therefore, if you change your behavior, you change the results. The first step is to become aware of your internal dialogue when you approach the piano. What is your little voice telling you? Is it saying, I feel guilty for not doing what is expected of me? Is it saying, Im not good enough, talented enough, smart enough, disciplined enough?
What you focus on expands. If you focus on what you cannot do or are not able to do, that will expand. If you focus on what you can do, that will expand as well.
When you are sitting at the piano, your thoughts become reality. Your thoughts instantly take form as you are creating. Your barrier may be that you are focused on what once was, instead of focusing on the now! If all you do is focus on the fact that it was once easy for you to memorize, you are not focusing on the now. Present moment awareness is the key to learning to play the piano or any other instrument. It is also the key to learning anything in life thats worthwhile learning.
The next time you practice just sit at the piano and meditate on what you are feeling. Dont play, just feel. Does it feel stressful, joyful or painful? Are you anticipating stress or anticipating pain? Are you looking forward to playing or are you hearing little scripts in your head saying you used to be great, now your not, you are not this, that, etc? What are you feeling?
The next day, sit at the piano again and turn your attention to the now. Feel the joy of playing. Feel the joy of what it is to make beautiful sounds. Just let your hands explore over the keys, and listen to every note like it was the most beautiful sound you ever made! You are in the now! No one can steal this moment and pure joy from you. Feel the joy and the freedom in the now.
Once you have gone through this little exercise, and you are in the now, and every note becomes beautifuleven wrong notes. Now, in the present moment, without any negative thoughts to the contrary, you are ready to learn one thing at a time.
I teach the 10-24-7 Paul Tobey method! This means that you learn one thing at a time with 100% of your energy, learn it again in 24 hours and again in 7 days. Your retention rate for this one thing will go up 85%.
Theres a term we use for this type of learning and its called accelerated learning techniques or advanced learning techniques. Its what I teach in my seminars because its what works best for me and for the hundreds of people Ive taught it to.
Your barriers are not in the brain. Its not a malfunction of your intellectual or physical ability. Your barriers (self-perceived limitations) are our little voices that constantly speak to us from deep within in our brains. You can eliminate it but, first you must understand it. You must stop feeling like a victim. You must stop focusing on the past (who you were), and start focusing on who you are (in the now). Your passion for the piano is evident. Your passion is living in the now.
The question is, how long is your past going to control your present? If want to experience freedom at the piano, all you have to do is sit on the bench, let your hands feel the notes, and listen to every note like it was the best note you ever played. Then, without judging yourself, or any note you play, just learn one thing in the now. Do it again in 24 hours, and again in 7 days.
Remember, dont judge what you can or cannot do. Just feel, and be aware of the little voice inside your mind. And when it says to you I cant memorize this piece, just say to your mind thanks for sharing, and go right back to the joy of playing.
Paul Tobey has recorded several CDs and performed piano concerts all over the world. He is considered unique among pianists because of his individual style and composing abilities.
Beginner Secrets for Blues Piano
Blues music has inspired various styles of music such as, jazz, rock and roll, and country. Learning blues piano will help you learn these other styles of music very easily. This article will teach you everything you need to know to play blues piano.The 12-bar blues is the most common progression for blues piano. Most musicians use seventh chord...
What To Look For In Beginning Piano Lessons
When looking for beginning piano lessons, one must assess their personal needs. If you are an adult looking to play piano as a hobby, you would certainly have different needs than a parent looking for classical piano lessons for their child. Many things come into play when looking for beginning piano lessons, such as how much time you have to pract...
Choosing A Child’s First Piano - Important Facts You Must Know
For a child, learning how to play an instrument such as the piano will undoubtedly make a major contribution to his or her education and overall development. Studies have shown that children who begin to learn music at a young age will usually have higher test scores and even a higher IQ. These children often are more successful in school also, due...
Learn Piano Rapidly With The Chord Based Approach
Have you always wanted to play the piano for fun but cant seem to get started?Most people have the desire to be able to play piano but dont know which approach to take. There are in general two approaches to learning the piano: the traditional method and the chord based approach. One approach may be a better fit for you, but if you want to start ha...
Piano Chords for Beginners 4: Learn to Play the Carol, O Christmas Tree, with Four Basic Chords
In our Piano Chords for Beginners articles so far, we have seen how to play Silent Night and Away in a Manger using only three different Major chords, and we have discovered how to add Minor chords to our accompaniment in Good King Wenceslas.To play the piano accompaniment for this Christmas carol, O Christmas Tree, we will need to add yet another ...
Piano Lessons Outside the Box: A New Approach to Learning Piano
Usually, piano lessons consist of a teacher assigning a method book to students in an attempt to teach them how to play the music of the "masters."The hopeful student learns to read music (in a year or two) and begins to play his first pieces.For most, this is satisfactory. All they really want to to do is play classical music and entertain themsel...
Piano Lessons: Make Sure They Include Chords & Music Theory
Proper piano instruction is an element extremely vital to learning the instrument well. Though it's very possible to be a self-taught piano player, piano lessons can really increase the speed and efficiency with which one learns the instrument. That's not to say that great piano instruction makes great piano players overnight; even the most natural...