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Book

Practicing Perfection

Book

Practicing Perfection

DOI link for Practicing Perfection

Practicing Perfection book

Memory and Piano Performance

Practicing Perfection

DOI link for Practicing Perfection

Practicing Perfection book

Memory and Piano Performance
ByRoger Chaffin, Gabriela Imreh, Mary Crawford
Edition 1st Edition
First Published 2002
eBook Published 1 May 2002
Pub. Location New York
Imprint Psychology Press
DOI https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410612373
Pages 320
eBook ISBN 9781410612373
Subjects Behavioral Sciences, Engineering & Technology
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Chaffin, R., Imreh, G., & Crawford, M. (2002). Practicing Perfection: Memory and Piano Performance (1st ed.). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410612373

ABSTRACT

The memory feats of famous musicians seem almost superhuman. Can such extraordinary accomplishments be explained by the same principles that account for more ordinary, everyday memory abilities? To find out, a concert pianist videotaped her practice as she learned a new piece for performance, the third movement, Presto, of the Italian Concerto by J.S. Bach. The story of how the pianist went about learning, memorizing and polishing the piece is told from the viewpoints of the pianist (the second author) and of a cognitive psychologist (the first author) observing the practice. The counterpoint between these insider and outsider perspectives is framed by the observations of a social psychologist (the third author) about how the two viewpoints were reconciled. The CD that accompanies the book provides for yet another perspective, allowing the reader to hear the polished performance.

Written for both psychologists and musicians, the book provides the first detailed description of how an experienced pianist organizes her practice, identifying stages of the learning process, characteristics of expert practice, and practice strategies. The main focus, however, is on memorization. An analysis of what prominent pianists of the past century have said about memorization reveals considerable disagreement and confusion. Using previous work on expert memory as a starting point, the authors show how principles of memory developed by cognitive psychologists apply to musical performance and uncover the intimate connection between memorization and interpretation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

chapter 1|7 pages

In the Green Room

chapter 2|18 pages

Improvisations

chapter 3|40 pages

In the Words of the Masters: Artists' Accounts of Their Expertise

chapter 4|8 pages

Expert Memory

chapter 5|19 pages

The Way to Carnegie Hall

chapter 6|46 pages

Lessons From J.S. Bach: Stages of Practice

chapter 7|26 pages

In the Words of the Artist

chapter 8|32 pages

Effects of Musical Complexity on Practice

chapter 9|42 pages

Memory and Performance

chapter 10|8 pages

Stages of Practice Revisited

chapter 11|23 pages

CODA

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