Critical review of 'Practicing Perfection: memory & piano performance'
Abstract
How do concert pianists commit to memory the structure of a piece of music like Bach’s Italian Concerto,
learning it well enough to remember it in the highly charged setting of a crowded performance venue, yet
remaining open to the freshness of expression of the moment? Playing to this audience, in this state, now,
requires openness to specificity, to interpretation, a working dynamicism that mere rote learning will not
provide. Chaffin, Imreh and Crawford’s innovative and detailed research suggests that the key to this skill
is a declarative mental roadmap aiding musical performance. This hypothesis is neatly and unintentionally
summarized by professional pianist Imreh, who states when learning a new piece of music “My fingers
were playing the notes just fine. The practice I needed was in my head. I had to learn to keep track of
where I was. It was a matter of learning exactly what I needed to be thinking of as I played, and at exactly
what point. . .” (Chaffin & Imreh 1997, p.326).