Wednesday, July 6, 2011

An Intriguing Memorization Aid


In my search for Debussy's Claire de Lune, I came across this video (and others like it) on YouTube.  It's pretty long, but if you watch just a few minutes of it you'll get the idea.

   It got me thinking about how this type of concept (though totally synthesized) may help with music memorization. While I watched, I immediately saw what key it was in; I then noticed certain patterns of note grouping throughout the piece.  You can watch it at full speed or at 50% speed, so as to grasp it better. The poster of this video has many on YouTube like it, and from what I read he plays mostly by this method- not by notes or theory. While that type of playing may be a fun hobby, I am not advocating that people learn to play the piano this way. However, I think it could be a helpful aid for students (or teachers!) to be able to see the note groupings and patterns of their piece. It also distinctly shows rhythm patterns and duration- so lots of things are going on at the same time, which intrigued me to whether or not it would help solidify the music in my brain when I'm away from the actual score. I think I'm going to give it a try!

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