Posted by Steve Lamb on February 18, 2000 at 12:17:08:
In Reply to: Re: Memorizing etudes posted by Jay Bertolet on February 18, 2000 at 09:37:48:
I agree with Jay on the point that memorizing a piece should be "having the notes committed to memory and thus being free to manipulate those" rather than "replicating the series of sounds memorized."
I must disagree, though, with the assertion that memorization is an obstacle rather than a plus. If a pianist performed Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto with printed music, they would be chided by many critics and musicians (as crazy as it sounds) for using the sheet music. In all honesty, I wish that this were not the standard set, but why should we, as tubists, hold any lower of a standard than other musicians? (Note: This is not an attack on Jay, but a general observation I've noticed.)
That being said, I, like Jay, firmly believe that the music should always come first. If I know that I'll give a more musical performance with the printed music, then I'll use it and give that performance as much as I can, rather than sacrifice it for memorization's sake.
Personally, I have not memorized any etudes, but I might just start to do that. Pianists, violinists, cellists, etc. all memorize music from a early age. Why? To practice memorization, which, like articulation, sound, technique, etc., develops more every time you do it. The key to all this is, like Jay said, "having the notes committed to memory and thus being free to manipulate those."