They say that playing an instrument is like riding a bicycle. Once you learn it you will never forget how to do it. I would maybe disagree with this statement. It is not just that easy, not that black or white situation.
Many of us started to play an instrument as a child, we have some thousands and thousands of hours of practising behind us, and if we would stop, no guarantees that we would play with the same ease after a pause of let's say some months or years of not touching our musical instruments. In the case of a pianist, the fingers need agility. An oboist or flautist needs its blowing technique to be in shape to produce a sound. The violinist also needs constant practising for maintaining the perfect pitch. If we stop, it is not the same anymore, we need some time to get back into shape.
The same happens with musical pieces or songs. They are here, in our mind, but the reproduction of them from our hearing through the instrument might go with some troubles. Just a few days ago I listened to a selection of the Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. I played many of them, a very long time ago. Time is relative, so I will just say I played this one, in F Minor when I was 16 or 17 years old. (feels like yesterday :D ) I remember even the lessons where we worked on this composition with my teacher, how was her make-up, the clothes she liked to wear etc. The classroom and the pictures that were on the wall. One portrait of Bach and the other one representing Franz Liszt in his youth 💙 (come on mipiano, you are now more serious than in your teenage years. Maybe. So, no hearts!). In that classroom, among other pieces, I was practising this piano piece.
Bach wrote two types of compositions for keyboards. Some were intended for harpsichord and others for clavichords, such as The Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of preludes in fugues. The idea of even tempering was new in Bach's time. It enables the equal exploitation of all major and minor tonalities, as well as using of all modulation plans. He basically opened the way to compose and use as many possibilities as the keyboard could give, making a solid base for all the future pieces written for piano (keyboards). So, this Well-Tempered Clavier collection consists of two books, each one featuring 24 preludes and fugues, in 12 major and 12 minor keys. One of them is what I am playing in this video, as I already mentioned, in F Minor. I play here just the Prelude part, but it has also a corresponding second part, a fugue.
Back to the opening sentence. Is it true if you lean a piece long time ago, you would never forget it? Depends also on how well you knew the certain piece. I loved this small gem, so I had it well prepared, but I would not remember it without the scores and playing it a few times before I recorded it this morning. Well, I recorded one video of it two days ago, in the evening but my camera went crazy and it was zooming in all the time. I had to delete the video. This morning, a new recording came and it is how it sounds XYZ years after I practised it regularly.
I will not say now anything whether I am satisfied with this performance or not. I will let you know maybe later :))
However, if you like you can let me know what do you think about this topic? Do you have a song you learned many years ago and you never forget it, even if you don't practise for a long time? Do you forget the pieces you have learned back in time? Is it difficult to remember them? You know, I would be glad to read about your experience!
▶️ 3Speak
What a beautiful composition! I love it when you bring in the baroque art of the great Bach.
I think that forgetting songs is a relative thing. Muscle memory may be lost a little but never completely. For example, my father went a few years without playing guitar, it took him a while to pick up what he knew but with enough practice he managed to do it.
Well, I don't find it hard to forget the songs that I rehearse a lot for a while, of course, if many years go by I might forget them 😆.
There are many songs that I have forgotten over time, but picking them up again is not so difficult. I think that the forgetting of music and its execution has not reached me so much (except for a couple of Bach pieces on guitar 😆😓).
It is a nice one, indeed. Yes, can agree actually that it is beautiful, not just nice :))
Muscle memory. To some extent, it stays, yes. but again depends on how well you played it before, how well was it learned. You see, your father also needed time to gain back the agility, well, we dont forget them completely and we have some learned skills, but yes it takes time.
For me, the easiest part is to refresh the memory from scores, the reading-playing part is not that problematic. The real trouble is that I realized I can not play some extremely very hard compositions I play at your age :(
Even if I would practice every day, for some hours I would not be able to play them as before. My arms would be tired, I would have to go very slowly remembering it, slow soft practising and it would take a double of time or more. And in the end, I will not be able to play those really hard ones, no sufficient technique right now. That is frustrating hahaha
You will see one day. Now you don't even have many years on your life counter :D You are still under 19 or 20 lol so it doesn't count 😂 🤗
Yes I agree with you.
I played a few instruments as a kid. But I’m sure I can’t just pick up again after 30 years of no playing.
It will take some practice again to get back to the level from back then.
Don’t think I forgot how to play the notes etc. From certain pieces… just the playing part.
You played some instruments as a child? I didn't know that :)) That is nice!
Yes, it would take some practice again. but you will probably be able to play some of the pieces (after some practising)
Why do I say some pieces and not all? Well, what is happening to me is that I could play for example this one, without problems, I needed a bit to wipe off the dust from it in my mind and in my fingers, but I could play it eventually. However, there are some compositions I will never ever be at the level to play them again :/
Those giant pieces from the period of romanticism, really hard compositions by Franz Liszt for example. Those need some transcendental technique that I don't have anymore!!! 😔 I suppose I am not 20 now hahaha, and don't have the time/habit/mind to practice several hours a day. Life happened 😂
So...which musical instruments did you play as a child? 🎶
Yes I did… started with a wooden flute in school, then bugel ; it is some kind of trumpet 🎺 did that the longest. Even played with it in an orchestra.
Next to that I played keyboard at the teachers and at home I was learning it on an old harmonium. One of those where you have to pump air with your feet to make the sounds with the keys 🎹
Very old and hard. Lol
But that is many many moons ago hahaha
That is why I said one day I want to teach myself to play the saxophone 🎷
And a hand drum would be nice.
If I have plenty of time… of course. As I was once musical.
But yes like you say, life happens. We are not that young anymore, we either fully give it up or just don’t have the time anymore to give it the attention it needs.
But believe me, you are doing soooo really well…
Wow, bugel, that sounds interesting. The wooden flute or recorder is very well known for me too, but how great you played that long trumpet too. And in the orchestra 👍
I know harmonium, played that one, with feet you have to pump the air to get the sound while you play the keyboard! 🎶🎶
I like this "many moons ago"
maybe I will use it sometimes too, to avoid using "many years ago" hahaha
Saxophone, I hope you can fulfil your dream to teach yourself to play it :)) 🎶🎶🎶🎶
Those were great times as a child indeed.
Cool you know what I mean with the harmonium, not many do.
It’s my go to line… just love using it… “many moons ago” we can do that now as we are a little tiny bit older 😉 it doesn’t work as a teenager or in your twenties 🤓
Thank you so much… I keep you posted on the saxophone bit. I would like that a lot… but so many other things go first. But I won’t forget about it. 😁
Good night @mipiano 💤💤😴😴
Yes, we can definitely use it hahha
Sometimes I use also : a few decades ago . hahaha but indeed makes us old then. So, moon is better 😜
Yep… let’s stick with many moons ago. Sounds much better and more elegant 🥰😁
So beautiful.
It's amazing how you can still remember how to play this song after years.
It must be your love for the music.
The composition is beautiful indeed 😇
This one was not difficult to remember, I actually used music scores to read it, the fingers needed a bit of practicing and there were some parts I had to analyze again the modulation and harmony, but it didn't take so much time.
I do play the piano almost every day, if I find time for it, I am maintaining some level but my real issue is that I would not be able to play some really hard stuff I played as a student. Those years and skills disappeared 😂
That’s a beautiful composition! I agree with you, once you stop practicing the most common thing that happens is forget almost everything. When I was a child and stopped practicing piano, I forgot all the classical music that I ever learned. So it’s all about practicing and practicing.
Oh, you forgot the classical pieces you have been learning. But, know you have the technique to play other stuff, what you like :))
You just transformed into another genre and it is great 😀
I believe that without a doubt there are songs that even though you spend a long time without performing them, they will always stay in your mind, maybe you will never forget them, now, the point is that the mind and the body must also be in tune, so practice will always be essential at least if you want to perform that song perfectly.
It happens in all areas, an athlete will always know what to do to excel and perform well, but the issue is that the body responds to their demands, so no doubt the practice is essential as well as the years that has the body, the latter is certainly important.
Your question about if we forget the pieces with the passing of time depends on the complexity of the piece, at least in my case; if the song has simple chords and a simple tempo, I will probably never forget it even if I don't practice it, I think that each song is particular in that sense.
From my point of view you have executed this song very well, I would have no observations about it haha, although maybe you internally are not very happy.
I was also happy with how it turned out :) I said I will not reveal am I satisfied or not, until a bit later :))) Thank you for your feedback on the performance part 😇
So yes, I agree that it also depends on the complexity of the compositions. It is not the same to try to play a calmer, softer piece and something that is technically very demanding. Not the same at all. And I also like the comparison with athletes. When you can not play or do a sport anymore, as your body is not that flexible and perfect, you become a coach or a teacher :D hahahh
Beautiful performance, I myself stopped playing instruments a few years ago, to this day I remember all the guitar chords, I wonder if I would still remember how to play the guitar or piano.
!1UP
You can find out only if you grab a guitar a play something :)) Would the fingers know how to play the music you hear in your mind, that is a real challenge!
Thank you for stopping by and your support 🙌
I wish I would have learned an instrument when I was a kid but unfortunately I did not. I've tried several times as an adult but I always give up after a short period of time. I can't say if it's true or not that you don't forget something learned as a kid but I suspect that it is nuanced like you say. Neurons (brain cells) form networks in the brain and the more they are used over time, the more ingrained they become. They become larger and faster. On the other hand, networks that are not used get weakened over time. But the networks also retain memory as well, and when a once strong network is used again after a long pause, it will re-form quicker than one that is starting from scratch. So it's like you said really, it all depends on how well something was known and practiced in the past; how strong are the neural networks in the brain.
It is also nice to try to learn as an adult, but there are more limitations. I see it from my adult students. Usually, there is not a lot of time for studying, as life, work, family ask for their priorities. And that is pretty normal. As a child, your work is to study, although it is not always like that either hahaha 😂
You have made a super nice summary and added a bit more sense. Yes, yes, absolutely agree with this, networks that are not used become weaker, and when once it was strong and with a good base and memory, it can be reformed quickly! NOt so quickly everything, as I mentioned in some other comments, when something indeed very hard, technically hard, it is not easy to regain the same ability.
I somehow compare it now with athletes and achievements. The difference is what they can do when young and when older. I am afraid, even if I would practice again 4, 5, or 6 hours a day (as I used to do it 20 years ago) I think I would not be able to play again with the same ease the extremely hard compositions.
But, I should give it a try to know it 😂 Still not giving it too much hope as those hours for piano don't exist in the daily schedule 😆
Playing instrument just a constant rehearsal if not what someone find so easy to play on the piano after leaving for months, coming back to it those fingers will be somehow stiff and not do flexible to carry out what they’ve been doing before so more rehearsal is needed to bring back the old time of playing the instrument
Here is the keyboard player that can understand my troubles and fight with rebellious fingers :D
It always happened after a summer break, when I didn't practice for two months and in September, when the next school year started, the fingers were stiff and not flexible. That is so true!
Now imagine, not practising for years. How it would be?
Luckily, I have never stopped playing my instrument, even after my studies were finished, maybe had some periods when I couldn't dedicate time to it, even now I don't study as much as I would like to, but I do find here and there time for it :)
So that i wont be remembering i played keyboard before i do find time in a week just to lay my fingers on the keyboard to do some fingering exercises
I think the familiarity of playing a piece on a particular instrument will usually fade with time if not played in a significantly long stretch of time.
However, one can always pick it up again. After a few moments of 'refamiliarizing' with the motions and feels of playing the piece, the usual prowess will come back.
Yes, I agree with you, when not played for a long time, the familiarity of playing the piece fades. The easier compositions are not a problem to refresh the memory, the harder the piece is, it takes longer time to play it again (well, or in a decent way) :))
your playing was very pleasant to me🙌 and your words made me think about all the songs I forgot and all the time I stopped playing.😅
I think we can forget part of the information but never lost the entire flow, It gets hard when someone notice the difference but we all have variable rhythm to learn or forget things :)
Oh, love this thought, indeed! I like it so much that I will repeat it, but in my words not to copy you :)))
So, I can forget the exact notes (I can use the music scores so to remember again) and maybe the fingers have lost the agility, but the flow and the whole idea about the composition that stayed somewhere in my mind will help to bring it back easier!! Hurray, thanks for this revelation @jotadiaz12 :)
I imagine now you are going to practice a bit to see do you remember them hehehe
oh yeah!, I spend the whole week practicing old songs hahaha , it made me realize many details that I ignored at that time when I first learned those songs😮
That's it, in the end, the magic need to occurs first in our minds :)
As some 5 days passed between your comment and my response 😅 I am wondering are you still practising hahaha 😂
🎶🎶🎶
Is the brain like a hard drive? Is there only so much space on it, that some things have to give when new ones are added?
I'm learning the keyboard and my problem is, that I work out a song and being quite happy with it, then I find another, that I like and would match my skill level, and, oops, the one I've worked out so nicely, is moving into the background and in danger of having to be relearned from the top.
Too much jumping around for me.. :D
But if the brain is not like a hard drive, then those songs are always there in the back of your head and only take a little persistence to get them going again. It all adds up to get better at it in any way.
Beautiful playing, as always!
Thank you!
Hmm, very interesting point of view. Is our brain like a hard drive, does it have limited space, do we have to remove some of the files to have space for other ones? In my opinion, I dont see it like that limited space. We can just improve it through reading, playing, interaction with others, having exercise, being happy :) But we do forget some things haha, we store them...
Your case, learning different pieces on the keyboard. You are forgetting them as the previous one was still not well "absorbed" by you, you have to master it somehow and then let it a bit of time to mature. Sometimes, it just happens that it goes better after a small pause :) Self-discipline also helps but I am sure, I would do the same if I would be learning another instrument, not the piano. I would probably also like to jump from one to other piece :D
Yes, this is maybe the same as how do I think about this subject :))
Thank you so much for stopping by, listening to me and your nice comment, Anna with cosy garden :))
Always a pleasure listening to you! 😍
Thank you 😇🎶🎶🎶
Your effort is praiseworthy. It's very peaceful when you play the piano. That's awesome!!!
It's very interesting for me that i forgot my favorite songs, i only learned its when i wanted to record my song, but after recording, i completely forgot it!!
Oh no, you forgot your favourite songs?
There are probably somewhere there, in your mind, with a bit of refreshing your memory they could come back :)
Thank you for your always nice words @discouragedones 😇
you're welcome 🙋🎹
😇🎶🎶
You play beautifully!
I would tend to agree. Actually, it can be quite frustrating.
My time playing flutes has been fairly short, so I think I haven’t learned enough to have much to forget, but it is often seen in my Car-Fluting Series that I forget things even from month to month, like finger positions and learned dexterity.
But more so, I’ve had over 20 years spent playing guitar and singing. I don’t have much time for music these days because my children are young and they benefit from my attention more than the guitar. When I do pick it up though, it can be very frustrating, because although I may remember a song, remember the rhythm chords and the lead parts that go in between them, remember (probably most but not all) of the lyrics, etc., but find that my hands have lost the dexterity required to play what I remember with crystal clarity in my mind’s ear. My fingers know, in other words, where to go, but they tend to forget how to get there!
From all these comments I can make a new post. An improved one!
You have said this very well! We do hear what we should play, our fingers maybe still remember where to go, but the connection between where and how is the tricky part! I agree with your opinion.
Your children need you more than your guitar, that is also true. Enjoy your family and young children as much as you can, once they grow up they will not want to spend with you so much time anymore...
I hear this from so many parents! It makes me so sad!!! I see it in my mind’s eye, every time I close my eyes and give them big squeezy hugs or sit on the floor to play with them…so, while it’s sad, I suppose it’s like a companion knowledge that should be seen as a blessing, like how don Juan speaks of death.
I guess what I mean to say is that, knowing this is saddening to a degree, but really does have the power to help generate strong feelings of genuine gratitude for the moments that are unfolding in the present. Which, now that I re-read what I’ve said, is also pretty much exactly what I think you’re saying! 🤣
Yes, you hear that as it is true in most cases... and how nice summary hehe, yes, in the end, it is what I tried to say :D
😁
I feel like there are certain songs no matter how long I haven't heard them, I will still sing them if I have to, I don't know if it's the same with instruments though, but I know the brain stores and we just need to shake it to remember
I think singing is more natural, you are connected with your instrument which is your voice. I think it comes back more naturally than with a musical instrument.
This is why we many times remember the songs we learned as children. I do remember them, even now, those simple first songs that our family used to sing with us! 😇
This actually makes a lot of sense, never thought of it that way at all.
It is my opinion, but as you sing more than me, you can maybe relate to it better :)
I don't play an instrument so I can't really get a comparison, maybe ill ask around.
👏👏👏
thanks 😇
Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more
thank you :)
You have received a 1UP from @kwskicky!
@vibes-curatorAnd they will bring !PIZZA 🍕
Learn more about our delegation service to earn daily rewards. Join the family on Discord.
cheers 🥂
Well said ma
I don't play any instrument.. But I can remember when I tried learning the piano.
It's not as easy as people say it.
Especially trying to keep everything in my memory.
I learnt some stuffs then, like playing some chord on the piano.
But I can boldly say now that I have forgotten them all.😁😁😁
Anyways, beautiful composition, as always,
I loved it
You are right, it is not easy to learn an instrument. Especially piano. It is complex and takes time, but I suppose every instrument is difficult in its way.
Thank you for stopping by and listening to this video :))
I am glad you liked it 🎶😇
I agree with you.
It's takes consistency and determination to learn.
You are welcome, now and always.
Exactly! And it applies to every instrument or skill! 😀
Yes ma, it does...
Maybe I will learn an instrument again.
Who knows??
Anything is possible if I put my mind to it.
Yes, who knows @benii ?
Life is full of surprises and if we are open to them, opportunities will come :))
🎶🎶🎶
True ma