[MusicTlk] General Discussion About Learning Music, with a Focus on Accuracy

[Elizabeth Sprecher]

Hi ella,

This was an interesting message to read, and I agree that we have
individual differences, based on our own experiences. Here is my reply.

You talked about time signatures and said that sometimes, some time
signatures feel slightly off from what you thought they were. For me with
braille music, I see changes in time signatures, if there are any, for
example, I am currently working on the Chopin Prelude No. 17 in A Flat Op,
28, and the first Debussy Prelude. I feel that these are great examples of
accuracy and looking out for accurate information in the braille music.
For example, in the Chopin Prelude in a flat, there are a lot of repeated
rhythms, which make reading easier in some ways, but you have to watch for
dotted notes, constant interval changes, dynamic changes after an entire
melody line, suttle articulations, and most importantly implied accidentals
and key changes in the music. there are also sfortzandos in the last
section of the piece in the left hand, but the music also shows that you
play piano. So, with that information, and my listening to live recordings,
I can understand what performers are doing, and seeing that in the music,
makes me understand it on a deeper level. I used to have a teacher that
told me to copy what I heard in recordings, and I think that is some what
impossible to an extent, but she was trying to tell me that I could play
while trying out their interpretations of the music. That was when I
learned a lot more by ear, but in undergrad, I realized that every
performer played or interpreted a piece in their own way, despite using
dynamics, articulations, in the music..

In the Debussy Prelude, I found the time signature changes. I've always
wanted to play the Debussy Preludes, and found myself pulling it up on
youtube, to distract my mind. So, I was verry familiar with it, and when I
saw the music, it was like, seeing all the hidden details. As a pianist, I
was told that I should play debussy. To summarize my experience so far with
this kind of work, there are innacords practically in every measure, time
signature changes from 3-4 to 4-4, and one hand was often reaching larger
intervals. I had to not only memorize as I learned, but also had to figure
out how to split harmonies or chords from one hand to the other, to make
playing it feel more equal, and because my hand span is an octave. But,
some recordings start the prelude quite forte, while I hear others start
quite piano, the way it's shown in the music for me. Obviously I don't know
how intentional transcribers are, but I hope they are accurate with the
print score.

That brings me to my thoughts about braille music and ear. Sometimes, I get
exhausted with braille music, and have to ask for a recording from a
professor, to help me speed up the process of learning. I know, as well as
you do, that a sighted person doesn't have to memorize, let alone spend as
much time reading, as we do. But, if I have a performance coming up, I will
do whatever it takes to get the job done, to get me ready for that
performance. It's what someone suggested to me, and I totally agree with
that. I feel that as a pianist, I take advantage of what I have, since
piano music is not just one line. I even have used electronic recordings to
help me as well, and found others who do the same.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any additional comments or
questions.

Thank you