[CITTERN] Re: Memorization...

[guy_and_liz Smith]

And I fully agree that most classically trained musicians (myself included) 
tend to be much too dependent on notes on a page. I consider it one of my 
biggest limitations, especially with cittern, which I use mostly for 
relatively informal music.

I suspect one good way to learn is to get involved with some sort of folk 
group that cittern could function in, where you have little choice but to 
improvise based on chord progressions or what have you. IIRC, Jim Stimson 
mentioned to me once that he played his cittern in an Irish band on 
occasion, which would probably be a great way to learn. If I just had a bit 
more time...

Guy


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Hartig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "cittern list" <cittern@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 12:00 PM
Subject: [CITTERN] Re: Memorization...


>
> Hi all,
>
> One thing I forgot to add in my previous message is that the other
> thing I have tried to do of late is to play music away from the page
> as much as possible. Since I have two small children running around
> the house now (one is 3 years old, the other just turned 1), I don't
> have a lot of opportunity to sit down with music in front of me (and
> not have it snatched, ripped, or pages turned when I'm not ready!).
> Instead (since they are still too small to reach the instrument if I
> play while standing!) I spend time playing tunes out of my head, or
> at least trying to "hear" a tune I'm familiar with aurally and
> recreate it on my instrument.
>
> I have found that this has greatly assisted my memorization skills in
> that I am now equating "sounds" with "locations" without regard for
> notes on a page. It becomes the synthesis of body and mind! This is,
> of course, what all good musicians do (instinctively or otherwise)
> and is also the basis of improvisation. I use this technique along
> with the hearing/visualizing I mentioned earlier.
>
> Of late I have been sight reading the tablature to get a sense of
> what the piece is supposed to sound like. Once I have the "piece"
> committed to memory as "sound," I spend the rest of the time seeing
> if I can figure out how to recreate that sound on the instrument
> until it is memorized. In some instances this has resulted in me
> fingering phrases differently than the notation (which, once I've
> discovered this, allows me to look back and see *why* it may have
> been written the way it was) or playing runs or other phrases in the
> spirit of the piece rather than what is written (the "making music"
> not "making early music" that Kevin referred to earlier).
>
> I could not agree with Guy more about the importance of sight reading
> skills. Tablature is a near-perfect medium for sight reading;
> unfortunately, I feel too many (myself, for one!) have probably
> fallen into the trap of not being able to escape the reading!
>
> Two more cents for a total of four from me,
> Andrew
>
>
>
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