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Hi everyone,
I recently read that to really consolidate a piece and have it performance ready, it's a good idea to write out the score from memory. What do you think of this, is it worth the faff? I am sure this would take me an age to do as I'm not great at writing music.

I've written out my own compos, and even printed out notation versions. But I still have difficulty playing my own stuff.
In fact, it makes it worse, because improvisation is no longer part of the package. It's written in stone.
I wouldn't bother.

I have never taken the time to follow through with what seems to me an arduous and very time-consuming task.

It seems to me that one may be able to write out the score accurately - let's assume we're not talking about a 20-page Sonata - when one has the time to think out each note before writing it down. I am not sure that, playing from memory up to tempo without the luxury of planning each note ahead, is going to be improved by having written out the score. As I say, I haven't tried it, so ...

Regards,

I agree with the others, writing things out is hopelessly time consuming; much more efficient ways exist to get something into memory directly at the instrument. I used to notate very many of my own compositions in earlier years but now I am like Peter in that the spontaneous, improvisational component has become very important to me, and cannot be notated beyond a crude representation anyway.

It may help for some people, probably not for most. Try it and decide for yourself.

Instead, I would suggest you mentally go through the notes. For instance, when you're waiting for the bus.

Writing out, no, but it might be a good idea to play each part using only your two index fingers. The point is to disconnect from the muscle memory and consciously know which notes you're playing.

Wow. No way! I would be afraid of forming a bad muscle memory! I am working hard to fix one note error on piece I mislearned recently but that darn muscle memory betrays me!

Although I would never use the index finger approach as I haven't played by memory for almost 60 years. Even if I had to memorize something that would be one of my last approaches to memorizing since it's so lengthy.

I think that with some experience changing a fingering is not too difficult although doing right before performing is not generally recommended. I generally change fingerings a lot during the study of a piece despite always writing my latest fingering in the score. Sometimes it takes me a long time to find what seem to be the very best fingerings for me.

If you haven't written any scores from memory, I think it's well worth doing at least a couple of times. It will help to understand many concepts behind the notation and it will help memorization too, especially if you have good visual memory .

You won't form a bad muscle memory because you never play like that in a performance. Do you really know which notes you're playing or are your hands just doing movements automatically and you're not really aware of the notes? I don't mean to say that you should be aware of each note all the time when you're playing at tempo but if you stop and think can you name the next notes that you need to play or is it just a fuzzy proprioperceptive memory of where your hands need to go next?

BTW, I got this advice from my teacher and it does work.

The day I think about writing out Gaspard from memory (or even not from memory) will be the day I stop playing piano, which will likely be my last day on this planet. (I might emigrate to Proxima Centauri b, but I haven't decided yet).

I don't have time to waste on such trivial pursuits here on Earth. Heck, I don't even play Trivial Pursuit.......

Would the spelling of the notes have to agree with Ravel?

I think this might be a good exercise to increase your comfort in music writing, and it might help you to consolidate your understanding of theory, but as a way to memorise music, nope.

BTW, if you write out a wrong note, do you have to go back to the start to make sure you remember it?

Testing yourself is useful, but this is like running a marathon to make sure your training routine is effective.

only my opinion but when I tried this sort of thing I would say I was using a part of my brain when copying something out that wasn't fully engaged and not conducive to memorising. The best method for me to consolidate is plenty of practice over a long period of time. Further to this, it didn't happen in my early years, but the last couple of years I can picture some of the music in my mind as I play and sense the notes and movements through my fingers. This sort of picture and tactile memory my teacher tells me is a sign I am learning at a deeper level than before.

I have actual experience doing this...

I had a teacher ask me to do this for a small section of a Bach fugue that I was having trouble memorizing. I did it, but it didn't help in the least.

Sam

It's probably as effective if you just take out whatever recording device you have (phone, computer, sound recorder, camera, etc.) and play your score from memory and then check the score how accurate you are afterwards.

If you see the score in your mind's eye as you play from memory, then this might help you. But very few people can do that. I have to hear it in my head and memorize gestures and notes/chords. So writing it out from memory did not help me.

Sam

What? Other people don't see the score in their mind's eye as they play?!?! Really??? We are talking about a memorized piece right? Even after fully memorizing it?


Wow. No wonder some people have such problems memorizing. Memorizing gestures (apart from muscle memory which seems to be borderline autonomous) seems so awkward...

If you feel really adventurous some day, and want to test your muscle memory (I'm sure other kinds of memory must be involved too).. try playing a memorised piece with the DP switched off. I've tried a few times, and it's scary as h**l