I thought I'd start this thread in order to get everyone's input on their personal technique for learning new classical pieces. How do you do it?

Please share...

For me, there are different techniques for mastering new pieces, and they are dependent upon the difficulties or challenges which may be quite different from one piece to another.

Regards,

For me, it's easiest if I have heard the piece so I will often purchase a CD. This doesn't mean I am imitating the recorded music. I just need to get the music into my head.

If I have to learn it from scratch, it is much harder and I go measure by measure until the melody is stored.

The first step, as I do it, is to study the piece and see what it is about. The most obvious is knowing its genre and period. If it's a waltz it will be played differently than a funeral dirge. If it's romantic it will be played differently than a piece from the Renaissance. Since what I actualy know would fit in a thimble, I'd have to do some learning.

Then I would explore the piece itself by reading it. I might sight read through it to get the general idea. I get a broad idea of what it is about and saying, what the general sections are and how they link together. It has to mean something. That gives a first picture of how I would like it to sound eventually.

I would not listen to others' interpretations until I had some idea of my own. Then hearing other works will give ideas and have meaning. I'm not sure I would do it even at this stage.

The next task is to be able to produce the piece fundamentally correctly. Interpretation isn't part of it yet. I want to "get the right notes at the right time". That involves learning to play it. There may be areas of particular difficulty. I would probably go through the whole piece once and mark them, seeing what needs to be done - work out fingering etc. One would also be doing this with a teacher, or maybe the teacher would be preparing it for us in this manner.

When practicing over the days I would work on the basic playing of the piece, slowly, getting it correctly. I might plan to work on a particular section or patterns of notes that are difficult. I might also work on memorizing the music and how it's played away from the piano, thinking about it while doing other things.

The last stage would involve developing the dynamics, interpretation, going over it in detail and also as a whole. For example, if the middle has a startling loud section for effect, you want to start suitably quiet in the quiet part in the beginning, or you won't have that contrast to exploit.

in general, whenever i start to learn a new piece, i would try to read through it first (or just 1 movement or section if it's long) to get some ideas about the piece. after that, i would read through it again, but more focus on fingerings (one hand mostly). after that, i'd start actual learning it in details, by repeating smaller sections with the chosen fingerings until i could play the section fine (not necessarily memorized), and then move onto next section and do the same. after all sections finished like this, i would play the whole thing together. if some sections are still difficult, i would go back to work on each of those again till i have no trouble with it. if i could play through the whole piece fine, i'd move onto polishing and memorizing stage, which would usually take much longer especially for Bach...

ideally, it's pretty much what i would do with any new piece, although actual process may not sound as easy as i say...

1) Analyze the piece thoroughly - form, melodic development, RNA
2) Start memorizing one phrase at a time using analysis as guide until whole section or piece is memorized
3) Listen to as many recordings of piece as possible, pick out one favorite "inspiration" recording
4) Play along with inspiration recording trying to mimic every detail (I use my slow-down non-pitch changing Tascam CD player). I know this is frowned upon. I consider it the single most valuable way to improve my playing, my musicianship, and develop my ear - like having a master performer/teacher telling you what to do measure by measure (you get to study with any pianist who ever recorded!), only you have to do the work yourself.
5) Listen to other recordings again and notice things I like better in other recordings - things I didn't notice before - and incorporate in my own playing

1) Listen to it, most frequently on youtube.
2) Maybe search these forums for topics on the same piece.
3) Download or buy the score.
4) If I see something troublesome, ask my teacher or start a topic (if #2 was unsuccessful)
5) Play through it if possible.
6) Practice slowly in segments ranging from a few beats to a few measures depending on the difficulty of and how far I've progressed with the piece.
7) Once 6 is complete, start working it up to speed.
8) Further concern myself with details such as dynamics and articulation.

A Metaphor:

You wish to carry a large dresser up the stairs. You can choose to make several trips by taking each of the drawers out, or you can try to wrestle the whole thing in one go.

A motto:

practicing is not doing something over and over until you get it right...Practicing is doing something RIGHT over and over. Remember, your performance is the sum total of what happens in the practice room.

Here's the difference. Let's assume you are looking at a new goal (measures 9-12 left hand only) that you wish to practice, and eventually pass a test...your goal is to learn the entire section without making even one mistake in the process.

The only way for this to be possible...is to look for the simple withing the difficult. Start easy, and gradually add difficulty. play slow, work on smaller sections, and of course Hands together. I will give my two favorite other simplification tools---tapping (isolating only the rhythm)---and pulsing (playing only strong metrical beads first, then filling in the rest)


Here's one possible sample approach that can actually allow you to not even make one mistake while practicing:


1) count out loud and tap the rhythm 5x (use left hand on left knee...this actually initiates the neuromuscular reference point in your subconcious...it is very important that the first three repititions be accurate

2) take Left hand from one measure to the next, trying to find a position on the keyboard that allows you to play each measure with ease. Just touch the keys in the best 5 finger position

3) Scour the section looking for intellectual reference points. All rudiments, motifs, sequences ect should be identified and labeled. (you have not played even played a note yet...don't worry it will come soon)

4) While looking at the score, imagine yourself playing the music, internally feel any spots where fingering may be a challenge. work them out now without making a sound. (this will help you to develop a 6th sense with fingering)

5) PLAY only the first beat of each measure. Then add any other metrically strong beats (3) if in 4/4. Finally add in any other filler notes. (use a slightly larger muscle initiation for the strongest beats---upper or lower arm---). A push, like a ice skater. This will help to feel comfortable as you sense the spaces in each measure.

6) Play through a few times normally

7) Test yourself with the metronome, 3x in a row to pass. The speed is not important, after all, if your technique is solid, any memorized, internalized material will be comfortable at your max technical level.

Remember that your concentration lives and thrives in the land of the possible. Practice with a sense of ease. Linger on each of these steps longer than you normally would.

Could you learn it faster by just jumping in Hands together, playing normally? Often you can...but you will have played it ONCE correctly instead of 50-100 times correctly using my approach. This approach has a learning curve in it's application. You are learning how to learn I understand how this sounds.

Some cannot be bothered to go through all of this. I cannot be bothered to wrestle with a slippery subconcious later on when I have to painstakingly clean up the mess that is left there from the plethora of accurate and innacurate information that is juxtaposed there.

If you make it through the practice process without one mistake (I've come close, but never managed it...YET). I sincerely believe that you will not be able to make a mistake in performance even if you tried.

Since I haven't given my input, here it is.

Depending on the complexity of the piece the following may or may not be included:

Hands seperate then together using a metronome I make it steady. Sometimes slowing certain sections or bars to as much as 40 bpm then increasing by 5 bpm to the desired tempo.

Listen to recordings of the piece.

Basically, I try to learn pieces I'm attracted to so that my level of motivation for learning is maximized.

I memorize certain parts during the score reading process.

After I've learned to read the piece I memorize bar by bar since I have sequential memory until the entire piece is committed to memory.