Bach’s “Prelude to the Well

Tempered Clavichord

Chopin - Fantaisie-Impromptu Op.

66

Bądarzewska-
Baranowsk
A Maiden's Prayer - Simplified Arpeggios

Czerny - Study Op.139 No.36

Schubert - Ave Maria

Pachelbel - Canon in D Major

Mozart - Piano Sonata K.545 1st

Mov.

Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 11 in A

Major, K331, Andante Theme
Bach/Gounod - Ave Maria
Debussy - Arabesque No. 1

Debussy - Clair de Lune

Clementi - Sonatina Op.36

No.1 3rd Mov.(Vivace)

The two
questions that I
get asked most
often after I play
a concert
are "How do you
make your
fingers move so
fast?"
and "How do you
remember all
those notes?"
There's a short
answer:
lots and lots and
lots and lots ...
... of practice.
And after a hard
day practicing
hard piano
music,
I actually really
like to unwind
by listening to
science.
This is partly
because I'm
really fascinated
by the actual
scientific
discoveries,
and I love
podcasts, [TEDx]
Talks, chatting
with friends.
But I think it's
also because I
really relate to
the process
of finding those
scientific
discoveries out.
So, as I
understand it,
that process -
that process
includes:
slogging
through lots of
short-term
details
for the sake of a
long-term goal
that might not
even be
possible;
experimenting
to see what
works and what
doesn't work;
analyzing
complicated and
often nonverbal
architectures of
ideas;
handling
simultaneous
conflicting
concepts at the
same time;
and then on a
really, really
good day,
you get to
discover
creative, fun,
intuitive
epiphanies.
This sounds to
me just like
practicing the
piano.
So just like
science,
practicing the
piano has its
fun, creative,
and intuitive
moments,
but most of
what I'm doing
is analytical
problem-solving
and repetition.
I have to figure
out how to do
something,
and then I have
to repeat it
enough
that I can trust
that I'll play it
the way I
wanted to.
So the first step
is parsing a
nonverbal code,
and I want to
take just a
minute
to go through
how to read
music very, very
quickly.
Every note on
the keyboard
has its own spot
on the staff,
and its own
letter name:
(Plays musical
scale) A, B, C, D,
E, F, G.
The notes go up,
they go down,
and they stay
the same. We
mark timed
silence with
squiggles and
squares.
We read from
left to right just
like reading
English.
Mostly the right
hand plays the
top line, the left
hand plays the
bottom line,
and stuff
occupying the
same vertical
happens at the
same time.
A beam makes
things go twice
as fast.
And twice as
fast.
And twice as
fast.
So hopefully
with that, you
can see that this
is fairly easy.
And this is a
little more
difficult,
and this might
kill you.
(Laughter)
So how do you
memorize
something like
that?
Well, let's look
at the process.
When I'm
memorizing,
learning music,
I'm analytically
problem-solving
from four
different
directions,
and those are
the four
different kinds
of memory that I
need:
how something
looks, how it
sounds, how it
feels, and how
it's shaped.
So first is visual
memory.
For me, the way
the notes look
on the page is
actually not that
helpful.
I don't have a
full-on
photographic
memory,
and I'm very
jealous of those
who do.
So I can't
remember all
the little dots on
the page,
but actually,
how my hands
look on the
keyboard
is a huge part of
figuring out how
to do a jump like
this.
So that visual
moment is very
important in the
learning
process.
Next is the aural
memory,
and this usually
puts itself in
place
while I'm
figuring out how
I want
something to
sound.
So I have to
make decisions
like:
Do I want to
listen to the top
part of the right
hand when I play
this?
(Plays, stressing
on right-hand
top part)
Or do I want to
listen to the
thumb of the
right hand?
(Plays, stressing
on right thumb)
By the time I've
really work that
out, the tune
gets stuck in my
head,
and that means
that the aural
memory is
pretty much in
place.
Next is the
physical
memory,
and this is really
where I have to
get into my
analytical
problem-solving,
and I have a real
incentive to
solve my
problems
and figure out
how to do
things,
because if I
don't ...
Well, first of all,
it can sound
terrible but it
also can really
hurt, a lot!
So I want to try
and figure out
how to do
things.
And this
involves a lot of
problem-solving,
and I want to
show you some
of those
problems.
So when I do
this left-hand
pattern,
if I try to stretch
between my
pinky and my
ring finger to
play this,
it sounds
terrible, and it's
really hard, and
it hurts,
and life is
miserable and
I'd rather go
watching Netflix.
But it actually
works
if I use a
position that I
call the one-
eared llama,
like, "Hello, I am
a two-eared
llama!" "Hello, I
am a one-eared
llama!"
because the
distance
between the ear
and the nose of
the llama
is an easier way
to play this
pattern.
Sometimes I'm
trying to teach
one hand how to
do two things at
once.
In this one, the
left hand is
playing just a
little boom shot
pattern.
The bottom part
of my right hand
is playing this
simple little
chord
and then the top
part of my right
hand
is playing this
really evil,
difficult climb.
(Plays right-
hand chromatic
scale)
So I'm doing
that at the same
time is this.
(Plays full right
hand)
That's only
possible if my
thumb isn't
collapsed.
So if my thumb
is collapsed, I
can't do it.
But if I make
sure that my
thumb is really
supported - see,
collapsed,
supported - it
becomes
possible.
And actually, it
turns out that
Chopin's hand
has this
beautifully
supported
thumb joint,
there.
This is from a
marble in
Budapest.
Sometimes I'm
trying to teach
one hand to play
one rhythm
and the other
hand to play
another.
Can I have
everybody
please - we'll do
some audience
participation -
could you all
please do:
stomp, clap-
clap, and keep
that going?
Audience:
(Stomp, clap-
clap rhythm) JS:
Great! Keep
going!
(Accompanies
stomp, clap-clap
rhythm)
Thank you!
So now could
you please do:
stomp-clap,
stomp-clap,
Ready? And go!
Audience:
(Stomp-clap,
stomp-clap
rhythm)
(Accompanies
stomp-clap
rhythm)
Great! So now
stomp and then
clap really,
really quietly
and decide if
you want to do
two or three at
the same time.
So stomp,
stomp, stomp,
stomp, stomp,
stomp, listen to
both.
(Accompanies
rhythm)
Thank you! So
I'm doing both of
those at the
same time.
Sometimes I
have to think
about
two and three at
the same time in
a different way.
So this rhythmic
gesture is in
groups of three.
(Plays music
score)
Can you hear
that? (Plays)
That's one-two-
three, one-two-
three ...
But the actual
physical gesture
is in two-note
groups.
It's going (Plays)
up and up and
up and up and
up and up.
So when I play
something like
this,
I'm sort of
experiencing
two and three at
the same time.
So by the time
I've got all that
in place, the
muscle memory
is there.
But muscle
memory is a
fickle friend
because your
body doesn't
always feel the
same.
Especially when
you feel nervous
your body feels
totally different,
we already
heard about that
today.
So you have to
have a backup
system,
and this is
where we come
to how it's
shaped: the
analytical
memory.
So what I have
to do when I'm
dealing with my
analytical
memory
is I have to find
patterns,
I have to
understand the
grammar, and I
have to chunk
my information.
So let me show
you how this
works.
If I were to tell
all of you that
on Monday
you're going to
be required to
stand up on this
stage
and recite from
memory this
sequence of
letters,
I think you'll feel
like I ruined your
weekend.
But maybe if
you're game and
you decide to do
it,
so you might
look to see if
anything jumps
out at you.
And maybe if
you're a
Scrabble player
you might see
that WXIJ,
and you might
say, "Oh, look,
that happens
twice!"
Then you might
look at what
happens right
before it and
right after it,
and you might
see that there's
actually a string
that repeats
itself.
When something
happens twice
you only have to
learn it once.
So now we have
less information
we have to deal
with,
but you're still
kind of
depressed about
this task, I think.
But you might
go back in and
look for
patterns.
And you might
see, well, TU -
that's an
alphabetical
order pair.
OK.
WX, that's an
alphabetical
order pair, and
they're all
alphabetical
order pairs.
Maybe that's
interesting.
So then at this
point, you might
start moving
them around
to see if you can
find some kind
of pattern
that makes
some kind of
sense out of
this.
Well, if you look
at the red
letters
you're probably
not going to feel
like you've really
gotten very far.
But if you look
at the black
letters
you might start
seeing some
sort of pattern
that might be
helpful,
if you go down
(Laughter) like
in the first line.
Then we might
actually put this
in order,
and then if we
put back in the
thing we took
out,
maybe this
pattern doesn't
seem quite as
daunting.
This is the kind
of thing that I
have to deal
with
when I'm trying
to figure this
out.
So, if I play
something like
this,
that's a lot of
notes.
But it happens
that the stuff in
the blue
boxes ...
(Plays notes
inside blue
boxes) ... is the
same, just a
little higher.
And if I collapse
them all down to
their closest
position,
I can really think
of all of those as
being this chord,
and I have a
name for it,
which is C major.
So I'm thinking
of one piece of
information
instead of all of
those pieces of
information.
Sometimes
there's a little
more noise
thrown in.
Here, this is a
Chopin
nicknamed
"Wrong Note"
étude
So he kind of
wrote in these
wrong notes
that then
resolved to the
right notes.
And if you try to
memorize the
information of
the wrong notes,
that's really
hard to figure
out,
just like our
alphabetical
ordered pairs
and Twinkle
Twinkle Little
Star.
But if you accept
that the wrong
notes
are just kind of
these mean
downstairs
neighbors
and you think
about this ...
... this I can
actually think of
as being one
chord,
which is E minor.
So I can think of
it that way.
So then, what do
you do when you
see something
like this?
Well, first you
cry,
and then you
start looking for
patterns.
So you might
see that it goes
(Plays piano
score) in and out
and in and out
and in and out
and in and out.
So let's look at
that very first
little in-out pair.
So the top notes
of the right hand
are B, F, D, G#,
and it so
happens that
those are also
the top notes of
the left hand.
(Plays) B, F, D,
G#.
12:06
The bottom
notes of the
right hand are
also the same
12:09
as the bottom
notes of the left
hand,
12:11
and actually,
just this, (Plays)
12:13
those notes
together are B,
F, D, G#. (Plays)
12:17
So actually, we
can think about
all of this as
being this chord,
12:22
(Plays as chord)
12:24
which is easier
to think about
than this.
12:25
(Plays in-out
pattern)
12:27
So I won't walk
you through all
of this,
12:29
but the next red
box is exactly
the same thing,
12:31
(Plays chord)
12:32
a step lower,
12:34
and then it
changes and
changes and
changes. (Plays
chords)
12:39
So instead of
thinking about
all of this
information,
12:41
(Plays in-out
pattern)
12:45
I can think about
... (Plays
sequence of
single notes)
12:49
which is much
easier for my
poor brain to
handle.
12:53
So, what I just
showed you
12:54
is between the
first blue arrow
and the second
blue arrow.
12:57
I won't walk you
through it,
12:58
but trust me
that between
the second and
third blue arrow
13:01
is the same
thing a step
down,
13:03
and then at the
third blue arrow,
it's the same
thing as step
down again.
13:07
So it's very
much worth my
while
13:09
to be good at
starting at the
first blue arrow,
13:12
and also good at
starting at the
second blue
arrow,
13:15
and also good at
starting at the
third blue arrow.
13:17
So that if panic
strikes,
13:19
or something
happens in
between two
arrows,
13:21
I can jump to the
next place, so
that's building
myself a safety
net.
13:26
So once I've
chunked my
information,
13:28
then I'm ready
to think about
the larger
structure.
13:30
And it so
happens that a
lot of classical
music is an A-B-
A form.
13:34
It's just shaped
like a sandwich.
13:35
You have a thing
and then a
different thing
13:38
and then a thing
that's similar to
the first thing.
13:40
Once I have like
overall
structure, I
make a theory
map.
13:45
I actually write
out all the
chords; I make
my students do
this too.
13:49
And then once I
have my theory
map, I have to
memorize the
map,
13:52
and one way
that I do this is
by playing the
music
13:55
while saying the
name of the
chord.
13:57
So I might do
something like A
minor, D minor,
A minor, (Plays
piano score)
14:02
E7 ... A ... E.
14:07
And if I want to
emphasize
14:09
the chords' or
the harmonies'
relationships to
each other,
14:13
rather than their
individual
identities, I can
throw numbers
at them.
14:16
So I can say: 1,
4, 1, (Plays
piano score)
14:20
5, 1, 5 ...
14:25
... 1.
14:28
So by the time I
figured out how
to do that,
14:31
all four of my
memories are in
place -
14:33
how it looks,
how it sounds,
how it feels, and
how it's shaped.
14:36
And here's the
really cool thing:
14:39
when I say that
the memory is in
an actual place,
14:41
it's an actual
place!
14:43
With every
repetition that I
have to do, my
brain is building
myelin,
14:48
which is the
unbelievable
protein
14:51
that wraps itself
around neural
pathways and
makes them go
faster.
14:56
So I'll leave you
with a quotation
14:58
from somebody
who had a lot of
musical myelin
and a question.
15:01
Einstein said, "If
I were not a
physicist, I
would probably
be a musician.
15:06
I think in music.
I live my
daydreams in
music.
15:09
Our next
generation of
scientists has a
lot of problems
to solve.
15:13
Here's my
question.
15:15
What kind of
discoveries
might they come
up with if we
make sure
15:18
that they know
how to think in
music?"
15:21
Thank you.
15:22