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Memorizing "Solace"

Scott Joplin's "Solace" is not a particularly hard piece to learn, but I have really struggled to memorize it. It's been much harder to memorize than Maple Leaf Rag, which is a technically more difficult piece.

Still Shaky ... Especially When the Camera Is On

I've now memorized "Solace," but it's still shaky. I made a video of myself playing it by memory, lapses and all, because it will help me remember where I need to work. There are the obvious spots (such as the second half of the B section, which I most recently memorized), but there are also the less-obvious spots that I can play just fine when the camera isn't on, but which rear their ugly memory-lapsing heads when I have an "audience."

A mistake-riddled video and a list of mistake spots doesn't make for the most interesting blog post, but this is going to help me to know where I need to focus my next few practices of this beautiful piece.

I also want to work on voicing--there are so many great opportunities here for playing with the voicings! But I first want to have it by memory and feeling very comfortable in my hands.

Areas That (May) Need Attention

Here is the video, followed by my comments.

Section A

0:47 (and again at 4:29): This is the lead-in to the final section of the A section. Everything up to now has been a repeat of the previous, and I tend to get lulled into the melody and forget to make the change. This isn't a memory problem so much as a focus problem, but it would help for me to practice this small section to get it more automatic.

0:55: The cadence at the end of the A section. I don't normally miss this, so I'm not too concerned. If I start to miss it more, I'll spend some extra time on it.

Section B

2:09 and following (and again at 3:07 and following): This is the section I most recently memorized, and you can see that it's not solid yet. I definitely need to do more drilling here, as well as slower practice. I know the notes, but my brain can't remember them fast enough.

2:31 (and again at 3:36): The closing to the B section. I'm not sure why I find this part so tricky to memorize; it's not that complicated. I worked on it quite a bit yesterday, but clearly I need to drill this part some more.

Section A Repeat

4:04: This move to D minor was really hard for me to get into my memory, and to play naturally without pausing. I've been playing it fine, but the camera brought back some insecurity. More drilling here too!

Section C

4:44: Start of Section C. I don't know what is going on here! This is the first time I remember flubbing this section, ever!

5:06: I have the rhythm wrong in the left hand when I play the descending fifth. I get it wrong about 60% of the time, so I really need to think about it before I play it! I haven't internalized that rhythm yet, and I played it wrong for years. (You can see that I correct myself in the repeat at 5:59.)

5:42: This is another spot that I never flub in private, but where the camera made a difference.

Section D

7:08 (and again at 7:50): This little closing passage is the bane of my existence ... and I almost had it! I have drilled and played this so many time, but something is obviously not computing. I even had to check the music for the first time in this video. Why is it so hard to memorize? I've analyzed it, played it, repeated it ... one day it will click.

Much Work To Do!

So, I have a lot of work to do -- more than I realized! Still, I'm pretty sure I will have this one ready to move to Maintenance by the end of October, if not before. Drilling and repeating will be fun because I love this piece so much!

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