Memorize it like you would swim across the ocean - Bach Prelude in C major - Tutorial 7

[@mauroespindola5101]

I'm currently working on this piece and I'm watching all your tutorials! Thank you so much! :D I'm in my second year of studying piano. I've completed the Alfred level 1 book and I'm currently working on Level 2.

[@pianoAHA]

Thank you very much for your kind feedback. That's the reason why we make videos like this. And thank you for letting us be part of your journey. 😀

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

Awesome tutorial. When I was 15 years, my high school friend started playing the piano, and I fell in love with classical after watching Amadeus. I decided to learn to play. I started with Rondo alla Turca, but that was way too hard for me. I got some "How to read music" books, and it probably took me months to translate the little dots on the paper. It was like reading hieroglyphs. The C major prelude was the first work that I play all the way through, and it was such a confidence boost. I play the piano to this day. Thanks Bach, and pianoAHA

[@pianoAHA]

Great! Many thanks for the kind feedback 😃 Maybe our tutorials will make you see the piece with new eyes and discover things you may not have seen before.

[@michael-weiss-cct]

The buoy analogy is really helpful, thank you. Also helpful was seeing you play the arpeggiated chords as just a series of chords!

[@pianoAHA]

Hey, thank you very much. Playing the arpeggios as block chords is perhaps the most important practicing tip for this piece. For the why and how, check out our very first video in this tutorial series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZbQXnuqa7aWrbM

[@Joes-Cool-Stuff]

Thanks for this video - quite helpful. Despite having memorized the song straight through I still find myself forgetting parts here and there; this should help quite a bit.

[@pianoAHA]

Great!

[@pianoAHA]

By the way, have you already seen our other two videos on memorizing the piece? kzbin.info/www/bejne/emOoo32PotGdnrs kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZasoKqee5iJaq8

[@jameslabs1]

Thanks

[@pianoAHA]

You are welcome!

[@jaiklar2]

Thanks I am beginner who just about to learn this piece

[@pianoAHA]

Great! This video is part of a tutorial series. If you're just starting out, you can work your way through from start to finish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZbQXnuqa7aWrbM

[@sebastianschweigert7117]

Honestly, this is a dumb way to memorize or internalize the piece. Maybe it's OK for beginners, but it's much easier to think about the chord progression. This piece is very easy to memorize. It is grouped into 4 bar sections. Each section is a variation of the same basic progression. The first 4 bars is I-ii-V-I. Second is vii-II-V-I etc. So you just need to remember the variations. But it is important to notice the piece is split into 4 bar sections

[@pianoAHA]

Thanks for your comment! I like your point about the 4 bar sections (as long as you make sure to count measure 8 as both the end of one group and the beginning of the next). You also mention that you yourself would rather think in Roman numerals. While they don't give you any information about the voicings of the chords (which is more what this video is about), I would agree that Roman numerals are absolutely a valuable tool for those familiar with them. They can be one part of the "net" that I explain around the seven minute mark: having a lot of different ways of understanding a piece. You also mention that you think the video is maybe good "for beginners". I hope so! That's who it is meant for. :) Thanks again for you comment!

[@DonDamian-mq6gx]

Not gentlemanly comment here... I'm disappointed... Anyway thank you for the lesson sir... Salute🎉❤

[@janedoe5229]

Except that I don't know what I-ii-V-I means.

[@pianoAHA]

@@janedoe5229 Most people who learn the piece don't know that. No problem. 😉

[@gaswirt]

Is there a sheet?

[@pianoAHA]

drive.google.com/file/d/1tExhZgmIbx-qXzBS4SIUUHV0grW2_imR

[@marktapley7571]

I think you are over complicating things, especially for a novice. As with any piece that you want to memorize, take 1 or two measures at a time and learn say four of them at one session. Go on to something else. Tomorrow, play them again and add a few more. Don’t push yourself too hard but add a little every day. Do not work too much on gathering up memorized pieces because it is better especially for newer pianists to spend 75% of time on technical exercises (Czerny, first 36 lessons of Hannon) and also sight reading.

[@pianoAHA]

Thanks for your comment! I agree that it is sometimes a good idea to take -- as you say -- one or two measures at a time and learn four of them at one session and then go on to something else. That depends on the passage. But in general I would liken that to memorizing a bunch of numbers by just repeating them to yourself until you can regurgitate them. And while that will certainly work, it has its limits. The key point of this series of videos is to show different lense through which one can see a piece: through sequences, patterns of black and white keys, anchor points, chords, changes between chords, etc. If you can find a way of making a piece make sense to you, the memorizing part takes care of itself. Similar to how the words "forest his find A into berries went man for the to some wife" is a lot hard to remember than the sentence "A man went into the forest to find some berries for his wife", which is just the same words but this time with meaning. And while I would disagree -- strongly -- about spending 75% of your time on technical exercises, I would agree with you that it is important not to push yourself too hard. Enjoy the ride! Thanks again for the discussion!