Piano Video Lesson: How to play the Ocean Etude Op. 25 No. 12 by Chopin

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I am Robert Estrin with such an important subject which is how could you remember pieces? You know, I can sit down and play for hours for memory and you wonder, is this something that's just inborn? Absolutely not. And this video, you watch this video and I'm going to give you all the steps you need so you can have music at the ready anytime you want. And if you like these videos, by the way, check out the description. The link in the description can take your piano playing to another level.

So what are some things you can do so you have music that you can remember that you don't feel like you sit down and what was that you played the day before and be so frustrated? Well, there's some simple things. For example, just play through your music regularly. Obviously, if you don't play your music for a long time, you're not going to remember it. But if you play it on a regular basis, then it's there anytime you want to play it. Now, that is one key, but there's other things that can really help you tremendously. Do you know that understanding the structure of the music, the music theory, is really incredibly helpful because otherwise it can just seem like a bunch of random notes and you might wonder how could you remember all these different things? Or maybe it's just your fingers sort of remember where to go, but you have no underlying concept or depth of understanding as to what you're even doing. Music theory is a way that you understand the structure and once you grasp the structure of it, then it's easy to remember. Just like if you're memorizing a phone number, you see certain patterns and then it clicks and you can remember it. It's the same thing with music.

What else can you do? Well, obviously, learning the music correctly to begin with and how is this done? Well, I have videos on this subject and I've taught countless people how to memorize, how to practice. As a matter of fact, at the Manhattan School of Music, my fellow students all came to me because they saw me playing for memory. They couldn't understand how I could do it. Well, my father, Mort Nester, taught me from my very first lesson as a young child how to memorize. And yes, there is a system that you can learn how to memorize at any age.

Well, what else can you do? There's more, believe it or not. You can reinforce your playing with slow practice while looking at the music.

The score has everything you need and you know, at first you may learn it all, but you can deviate from the score if you never reference it again.

The idea of going slowly gives you an opportunity to really study the score so you can really get it deeply ingrained. This is invaluable and I do this with all the music I play. I play very slowly without the pedal, referencing the score and you know what? Even pieces I played for years, I always discover new things, little nuances of the voicing of chords, where crescendos start and end. You think of the countless details of the score. Even if you memorize it perfectly, you've got to go back and reinforce the memory and reinforce your playing if you're playing from the score.

One of the great techniques for remembering a score is thinking about the music when you're not even at the piano and kind of playing through in your mind. If you can do that, you really know the music. Have you ever found that sometimes you're just sitting around and you're thinking of a piece you played or kind of playing it mentally? Well, that's incredibly valuable and one of the most effective types of practice there is.

And finally, thinking holistically because you know, we have our minds, our organs in our body and yes, you have to keep it healthy. Of course diet is one thing, but one of the most important things is exercise.

Physical activity puts blood in the brain and keeps refreshing your memory.

And on top of that, getting a good night's sleep. If you're tired, you're not going to be working optimally. So get all these tips together for yourself and you can really have music at the ready anytime you want by following these basic, basic, obvious common sense tips for you. Play through your music regularly, of course.

Understand the theory behind the music so it makes sense to you.

Learn correctly to begin with learning part by part, hands separately, putting them together a phrase at a time, building a coherence with your music.

Reinforce with slow practice using the score, thinking the music when you're away from the piano and finally, take care of yourself. Exercise, get good sleep, good diet and you'll find that you will be able to remember your pieces and have them at the ready anytime you like. Wouldn't that be wonderful? And again, check out the description if you want to take your piano playing to the highest level possible. I'm Robert Estrin. This is LivingPianos.com, your online piano resource. Thank you all your subscribers. We'll see you next time.

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