Ed, Thanks for advice. I think your right about memorizing it and then using the tab as a reference. Just playing through stuff is fun but you don't really progress, or perfect anything. Sight reading it seems, can become a crutch one can never free oneself of. One day I played the prelude of the Bach G minor suite for Michael Chapdaliane, hoping to turn him on to the lute ( no success) I forgot a section and he stopped me and said I didn't know the music, I said what do you mean, he said you should be able to tell me every note of the piece without playing it. I know this method of memorization is popular amongst guitar students of Aaron Shear I wonder if lute concerts will ever be on the level of guitar concerts where lutenist's have the proper professional stage presence to not be staring at their music all the time. This might give them more appeal to the general concert going public, and more acceptance by guitarist's. I always felt a little jiped when a guitarist would play a concert sight reading the whole thing, I thought they didn't spend enough time learning the music. Michael Thames www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Durbrow" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lute list" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 9:29 PM Subject: memorization/Re: Gallot speaks...
> > I've always been curious about the aspect of memorization in lute music. > >In this paragraph Gallot seems to suggest it. Baron advises to memorize in > >the beginning stages of learning, but then goes on to say he's not > >recommending it ( don't have the book handy). > > Sterling Price, has visited a few times, and I was shocked, at how well > >he can sight read, and says this is what everyone does. Up to that point, I > >had two, and working on three, Weiss Sonatas completely memorized. > > > > This for me, not being a professional performer, was allot of RAM to > >store. Since that time I have been only sight reading, but then this seems > >to have it's own short comings as well. Is there a middle ground. > > Could this aspect of memorization be a result of the lute being frozen in > >time, whilst the rest of the musical world went on to fancy memorization ? > >Michael Thames > > Robert Barto told me he tends to memorize when > learning a piece. I think this is the best > approach. After you learn a piece you can go on > to really memorize it or play from tab, where the > tab just reminds you of how it goes. > > One of the biggest mistakes people make, > according to a video I watched about > memorization, is that they work on too large a > chunk at one time. When I'm learning a piece, I > find that I should just work on a phrase and get > it in my ear and fingers and concentrate on > playing lightly and musically. This means taking > a small enough chunk and playing it by memory > while I look at my fingers and analyze what is > going on. It's hard work. It is much easier to > sight read. I find practicing in this way takes a > tremendous amount of self discipline. > > I'm not saying that this is the correct way to > practice. I'm just saying that, for me, I know I > should do it this way because I tend to damage my > hands if I get caught up in sight reading. It is > so easy to get lost in a suite and then when you > finish, realize you've been playing for an hour > without a break. > > my 2 ¥ > > -- > Ed Durbrow > Saitama, Japan > http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
