Looking for resources

Hi Dana,

I have been in your shoes so many times over the years.  Memorization can be the WORST.  This summer I discovered the Bulletproof Musician and his course for performers on dealing with performance anxiety, memorization, and all the other pesky things that keep us from achieving our musical potential.  The course changed how I perform and reduced my memory slips by LEAPS.  I highly recommend checking out the Bulletproof Musician (and any other work by Noa Kageyama, its founder.)

I’m skeptical about whether words like “thoroughly” and “finally” belong in the vocabulary one might use to describe one’s classical repertoire. For me, it’s a continuing process of recovery and (if I’m lucky) improvement. That is in fact one of the things that draws me to the piano.

Hi, Dana.

I tend to agree with Allan; I am also skeptical with “fix it all” methods.  Let me clarify: I can only imagine that the amount of information a top pianist (artist) has in his mind at the time of performance is going to be very different from the information an adolescent has, and yet, performance after performance those two  can be flawless in terms of memory.

We are only responsible (and need to do it) for the knowledge, training, ability, that we have at our disposal at a given moment.  We are also responsible for managing a head (mind) that can play “tricks” and sabotage a performance ,,, for whatever reason.

At the end, it is about aligning all your resources (ALL) to focus on the activity of playing the piano.

My advise, Dana, if you allow me, is to start “practicing” performance for friends, for family, so you become used to the sensation of playing from beginning to end, giving your best.

Yes,,, it is a process !!!!  Cheers !!!

I have also been in your shoes regarding memorizing classical repertoire. You mentioned that you tested at level 8 for Tonebase. I am a classical pianist and have been playing on and off for many years. I also studied piano performance in college for 2 years and played juries and piano exams from memory. I still see my old teacher (who is now a retired emeritus piano professor) about once a month to work on repertoire. I tested at level 10, then retested again to come to level 9.  From my perspective, that self-test provided a fair assessment of the level of material I should be able to study. If you have not studied classical repertoire with a suitable teacher in a while, I recommend you find a good teacher for late intermediate to advanced students to study with for 6 months to a year. A good teacher can teach the process and guide you in the selection and process of learning, memorizing and performing repertoire at your level. Good luck!

Dana, watch this workshop on Narrative Musicianship. From Tonebase.

https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/pno-konstantin-soukhovetski-narrative-musicianship