[MusicTlk] Question for blind pianists

Thu Feb 14 23:20:40 UTC 2019

Mike, I'm sorry for not finishing my response.  I think that to 
develop this sort of muscle memory, I find slow practice helpful.  
When I first learn a piece, I will always work on it slowly for 
awhile and when I feel confident, I'll speed it up.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Jolls via MusicTlk <musictlk at nfbnet.org
To: Music Talk Mailing List for Blind Musicians 
<musictlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 22:47:38 +0000
Subject: Re: [MusicTlk] Question for blind pianists

Ella and Karen

Hereâ€™s a follow up question.  Ok I get the muscle memory thing.  
How do you get the muscle memory?  A lot of repetition, try and 
fail until you finally get it?  If thatâ€™s the answer I can see 
I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Sent from my iPhone

 On Feb 14, 2019, at 2:47 PM, Karen McDonald via MusicTlk 
<musictlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

 Mike, I play a lot of Joplin pieces and some Gershwin pieces as 
well.  I also play William Bolcom's Graceful Ghost Rag.  My hands 
are small so these pieces are often a challenge for me.  However, 
muscle memory works for me every time.  I love Joplin and I hope 
you will find as much pleasure in playing his music as I do.

 Peace

 Karen
 On Feb 14, 2019 3:19 PM, Mike Jolls via MusicTlk 
<musictlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

 Linda Mentink (and others), hereâ€™s a piano question.

 Iâ€™m working on some Scott Joplin â€“ The Entertainer in 
particular.  Of course this piece is using Stride Bass where the 
left hand has to jump around a lot.  There are, at certain parts 
of the music, jumps for the left hand that are two octaves.  One 
jump in particular is from Bb right below middle C to a D natural 
two octaves below middle C â€¦ quite a big jump.  Iâ€™m trying to 
learn how to do this jump by feel, in other words not look at my 
hands.  Invariably I miss the jump.  This is very frustrating.

 Iâ€™m hoping someone can give me some tips.

 Let me just say before I go on that I already know, from other 
pieces Iâ€™ve played, that playing by feel is entirely possible.  
Thank goodness I already know that.  Where the jump isnâ€™t too 
far, I can usually do that by feel.

 My question, however, is about making BIG jumps.  Do blind 
pianists eventually (after hours and hours and thousands of 
attempts when doing these large jumps) eventually get to the 
point where their brain just knows how far to go?  They know what 
they have to do and they have just learned (or rather their brain 
has learned), through repetition, how to do it.  Or maybe they 
take time in their daily practice routine and do an exercise 
where they practice making jumps so that they give their brain 
practice in doing this.  That way, when it comes to playing a 
piece of actual music, they already know how to do this.  This is 
all an assumption on my part, and Iâ€™m asking the question to 
confirm it.  In some parts of the music Iâ€™m playing where an 
octave jump is in order, I can usually do that.  My hands are 
large enough that I can feel the octave jump.  But with these big 
jumps, Iâ€™m trying to read the music and not look at my hands 
(ultimately I will memorize the music).  My problem is that as 
soon as my hand leaves the keyboard and I try to make the big 
jump, I lose context as to where I am and I am uncertain as to 
whether I can accurately hit what I need to hit.  Sometimes I hit 
it, sometimes not.

 Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

 Sent from 
Mail<https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A
%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId%3D550986&data=02%
7C01%7C%7C700829bae04f4913a3c308d692bdaa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435
aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636857740630117469&sdata=eJugKCohutvTR
6r6kuO1%2BWuGKzPt7GRYcyvNOiq41MY%3D&reserved=0> for Windows 
10

 _______________________________________________
 MusicTlk mailing list
 MusicTlk at nfbnet.org

https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2F
nfbnet.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fmusictlk_nfbnet.org&data=02
%7C01%7C%7C700829bae04f4913a3c308d692bdaa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb43
5aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636857740630117469&sdata=uco057WTgYvy
eW7G1%2FXgAqkyHtZBdFAhAkHO%2B5SRiEI%3D&reserved=0
 To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
info for MusicTlk:

https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2F
nfbnet.org%2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fmusictlk_nfbnet.org%2Fkaren%2540
eioproductions.com&data=02%7C01%7C%7C700829bae04f4913a3c308d6
92bdaa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C63685774063
0127474&sdata=iQEht6pJSMyipe3UsyBpWty9qd%2FQ5cCt7m3t%2B294RtE
%3D&reserved=0
 _______________________________________________
 MusicTlk mailing list
 MusicTlk at nfbnet.org

https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2F
nfbnet.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fmusictlk_nfbnet.org&data=02
%7C01%7C%7C700829bae04f4913a3c308d692bdaa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb43
5aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636857740630127474&sdata=WgXxOarpUQ%2
BsTBqYj%2B5JcajyFhYLJkbLNJZT6ZPpVwA%3D&reserved=0
 To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
info for MusicTlk:

https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2F
nfbnet.org%2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fmusictlk_nfbnet.org%2Fmrspock56%
2540hotmail.com&data=02%7C01%7C%7C700829bae04f4913a3c308d692b
daa6e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C63685774063012
7474&sdata=%2F7X%2BVnmzV9uy0MLnFDCBl7OoKIphDE3y%2F8PE0faQFoM%
3D&reserved=0
_______________________________________________
MusicTlk mailing list
MusicTlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/musictlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for MusicTlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/musictlk_nfbnet.org/ellaxyu%40g
mail.com