There is a taboo
among some classical piano teachers about letting their students listen to a recording
of a piece they’re working on. Some forbid their students to listen. There are some
good reasons for this:
– If students hear
the music before reading it on the page, they will may on their ears instead of
reading the notation carefully. This can result in missed instructions marked on
the printed page; dynamics, fingering, etc., and the rendition may not be
accurate.
– It slows their
progress in learning how to read music well, as they are not reading, but
simply trying to repeat what they heard.
– Students tend to
play the piece up to tempo from the start because they know “how it goes,” even
though their fingers haven’t learned to play it accurately. This results in
stumbling, and it is often difficult for them to slow down and correct
mistakes.
– For the more
intermediate and advanced students, the goal is to have them develop their own
interpretation of the music and their own style, rather than copying what they
hear.
All of these
reasons are perfectly valid. However, many teachers take it to extremes, refusing
to play the pieces for their students, or forbidding them to listen to any recordings
at all. I question that this is the right approach, because it fails to take
other factors into consideration. Music is an aural art. No one looks at musical scores and decides they
want to learn how to play. We are drawn to play music because we hear and enjoy
it, and want to emulate the performers
we admire.
I believe there
are times when the student must hear the music, because sometimes there
are things that cannot be conveyed by notation alone: subtleties of style, choices
of phrasing, certain types of attack and release, nuances of mood.
Of course, there
is plenty of simple music that is always
learned by ear. No one learns “Happy Birthday” from sheet music. The many folk
songs passed down through the ages are usually learned by ear, as well as lots
of popular music. I am focusing instead on music that is more technically
complicated, and relies more heavily on the printed music for direction. This
is very true of classical music, but also other styles as well.
Whether or not a
piece needs to be heard can vary from one to the next, as well as from student
to student, depending on each one’s skill and experience. To make a blanket
statement and apply it to all pieces and all students is simply not
appropriate, and in my experience does not yield the best results.
A perfect example
of this is a solo piano piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff called “Etude Tableau in E
Flat Minor.” (Op. 39 #5) It is a rhythmically and technically challenging piece,
which is typical of Rachmaninoff. When I originally read the sheet music and
tried to play it, I couldn’t figure out, as we say, “how it goes.” I was
following the instructions and playing all the notes and timing correctly, but
the music wasn’t making sense. And I am a very good reader. Then I listened to a
recording of it by Evgeny Kissin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0uEiNJ17iE, a world-class pianist. Listening revealed to me how the piece was
supposed to unfold. However, I was also fully conscious of the fact that if I had
heard the recording without seeing the printed music, I still wouldn’t have known how to play it. It was so complicated I
needed both the written music and the listening experience.
The last reason I
listed for piano teachers’ “don’t listen” rule is that one of the hallmarks of
becoming a good classical pianist, or instrumentalist or vocalist, is to
develop your own style. Your teacher doesn’t want you to precisely re-create someone
else’s way of playing something; she wants you to make it your own. Of course,
recreating a stunning performance is in itself a feat of some talent, and I think
we should acknowledge that accomplishment. What I’m speaking of, though, are
very high-end ideals for the serious classical performer. These ideals are not
always appropriate for the average piano student, but many piano teachers try
to make all of their students learn this way.
I believe I have
created a well-balanced approach: If I am learning a printed piece I have not
ever heard before, I spend some time with the sheet music without listening to anyone
else’s rendition. This way I’ll pay careful attention to all the notational
marks: duration of notes, when to get loud and soft, when to pedal, when to
connect notes to make a smooth melodic line, etc. All of these things are in
the notation, and are easily overlooked when my ear is guiding me.
Once I feel I have
technically mastered the piece, it is then time to make it come alive, to add
the feeling and interpretation. Sometimes that comes easily and naturally, but
if I feel I have somehow been unable to find the full meaning of a piece, then
I listen to not just one, but perhaps four or five different versions played by
different people. I usually listen on YouTube or other video channels.
(Although I do still have some vinyl and CDs!) I mostly listen to recordings by
professional players, as their playing is more consistently accurate, but also
some non-professionals, who often provide fresh insights. The professional versions
are often wildly different, as each player brings his or her own unique vision
to the performance. I can then pick and choose what aspects of each rendition I
like and dislike. One performer brings out a nuance of melody I didn’t notice
on my own; another may pedal too much. It helps to illuminate things I might
have missed, and clarify choices I have already made. Another advantage to
listening is that I am not distracted by my own process of playing the notes,
and am free to follow the way the piece unfolds, develops and concludes.
As a teacher, this
is also the process I use for my students. I have them play a piece without
listening initially, so they will pay attention to the details on the printed
page. (Hopefully!) Once they have done that, if they want or need to hear it, I
send them links to videos for clarification and comparison.
To me, this is the
full process of learning a piece of music. It addresses both sides of the coin:
reading and hearing – visual and aural – which are equally important. This is
true for both the professional and the casual student. It is important to take
the time to read and execute all the instructions, as well as play all the
notes accurately; it’s also vital to understand how the piece should unfold,
and convey the emotion behind the music. Because after all, isn’t that why we listen
to music – because of the way it makes us feel?
