Klarinet Archive - Posting 000166.txt from 2002/04

From: "Patricia Alison Smith" <pattiesmith@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] OT Some hints for piano; was memorization
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 21:15:37 -0500

Fred Sheim wrote:

Is it normal for piano players to memorize their music? Or is it because I
am such a rank beginner at the piano?

Patricia:

I began with the piano, at age six, before taking up the clarinet, later, at
nine. I only memorized music for recitals, not as a matter of daily study.
I think you are simply not used to reading both staffs together.

My suggestion - get ready - you may not like it, but it will work, I
promise! - concentrate primarily on the bass clef for now. Obviously you
already read treble clef well. Work on bringing your bass clef reading up
to where it needs to be.
With the music you are working on, concentrate primarily on learning the
left hand. (I have the sneaking suspicion you are a rightey! I am a
southpaw, so that may have also made bass clef a bit less difficult for me
as well!) When you have learned the left hand parts to the pieces you have
assigned yourself for a particular period of time to the level that you are
playing them fluidly, then - and ONLY then - add the right hand.

Unfortunately, a good deal of piano music for beginners has the melody in
the right hand, and in the treble clef, so that people do not develop a good
deal of fluency in the left hand. You can overcome this particular problem
by rewriting your melodies in bass clef and learning them with your left
hand! I strongly suggest this. Another neat thing to do might be to take
some bass clarinet parts, say for orchestra or band, and play THOSE with the
left hand. You could even take an orchestral or band score and read all the
bass clef parts, playing them with the left hand. Played along with
listening to recordings, that would also be a good way to figure out the
transpositions for various transposing instruments (there are a few that
transpose an octave or a fifth - and of course there is the Eb contra-alto
clarinet!!)

HTH~!

Good luck, Fred

Patricia A. Smith
pattiesmith@-----.net
"I am so insecure that I went on jury duty and was sent home because I
kept finding myself guilty." - Dan Leeson

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