Janielle's Musical Escapades

Slow Down & Speed Up

I discovered that in order to determine whether or not I have fully (to my best extent at that point) memorized and understood [the key parts of] a piece, I must be able to play it at varying tempos. I must be able to play slowly and also quickly at random parts throughout the song. It’s like changing the metronome time from fast to slow, without affecting the quality of the notes being played. For once, it is not about playing musically or with rubato or not, it is simply about being able to confidently play what I have committed to memory, at the threat of having to slow down and speed up.

When slowing down, I must still be able to produce the notes accurately. Ironically, it can sometimes be much easier to play fast because then it becomes almost automatic; whereas playing slow will force the mind to think about the notes coming next. Therefore if I do not know my piece well enough, playing slow might stop the “memory flow” – meaning, my mind has a tendency to go “blank” when anticipating the next note.

By speeding up, I must also be able to produce the notes quickly and accurately (in my mind – whether by automated memory or photographic memory of the page or bar of notes). By doing this, I’m forcing my mind and memory to produce the notes faster than normal and therefore my familiarity with the piece is also tested.

It actually works both ways. I must both learn to slow down and speed up to keep my mind and memory on alert. If I can’t play slow without stopping halfway, because my mind goes blank at some point (this always happens to me that’s why I prefer fast songs), that means I haven’t practiced enough and I don’t know the piece as thoroughly as I should.

If I truly know a fast piece, I would be able to play it slowly because then it is no longer about the hands playing automatically and “without thinking”, but it is about my ability to savour every note. So even when I’m playing it fast, I am actually conscious of every note, and not only playing automatically. That’s why I need to force myself to play slow for fast pieces. I will then have the chance to slowly reflect on each note, although it is to be played fast.

I discover that once I am able to play a fast piece slowly, it means that I’ll be ten times better when I play it fast. Because then I’ll be playing it with the awareness of the beauty and significance of every individual note.

On the other hand, speeding up a piece with moderate or andante tempo forces the mind to produce the memory of the notes more quickly. Thus this enhances the playing of the piece because then when it is played at the correct tempo, the mind is always on the alert, already thinking of and knowing what is coming next (because it has already done so when you played faster than normal).