Klarinet Archive - Posting 000119.txt from 2007/11

From: "Alexander Brash" <brash@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reading music instead of memorizing
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:39:36 -0500

What a loaded topic filled with tons of tradition, mythology, and nonsense :)

Personal view is to do what makes you perform the best and feel the most
comfortable. For me, that means music - I'm lazy, and I never try to
"memorize a piece." The traditional things of course, after playing them
year after year, (Brahms Sonatas, Mozart Cto, Weber Cto, etc), do become
memorized naturally. There is however a very large class of professionals
(violinists ::cough:: and everyone of course), who think they have their
standard rep memorized, but if you look along with an autograph or best
possible source score, you often ask yourself "wtf."

Personal Moral: Composers, most of them, probably smarter than me - should
always go back and look at what they wrote, might learn something.

On Mon, November 26, 2007 10:20 am, Michael Rasmussen wrote:
> Over the weekend during my first ever recital I wondered why the bulk of
> musicians
> (meaning aside from popular music performers) read music during
> performance rather
> than playing from memory.
>
> I had my part committed to memory. I still looked at the part on the
> stand during
> the performance. Did I actually read? I don't think so...
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
>
> --
> Michael Rasmussen, Portland, Ore, USA
> Be Appropriate && Follow Your Curiosity
> http://www.patch.com/words/
>
>
>
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>
>

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