Ever practice with the sound off?

[Magpel]

A unique if obscure capability of electronic keyboards.

 

Last week, I was practicing for a gig at which I would be playing half keys, half guitar. I had one challenging (for me) keys bit, a solo intro to the Tom Waits song Tango Till They're Sore. I got so nervous about nailing it that I began practicing it with the power off on my keyboard, just burning it into muscle memory independent of the actual sound. It seems like a really anti-musical way to practice, a panic move. Don't think I'll do it again, but I did execute the piece adequately at the gig, so maybe the soundless practice helped.

[steadyb]

I think it it's a piece you already know, then playing with no sound is kind of like "stretching" and probably would help you play it better.

[Dave Pierce]

Originally posted by Magpel:

A unique if obscure capability of electronic keyboards.

 

Last week, I was practicing for a gig at which I would be playing half keys, half guitar. I had one challenging (for me) keys bit, a solo intro to the Tom Waits song Tango Till They're Sore. I got so nervous about nailing it that I began practicing it with the power off on my keyboard, just burning it into muscle memory independent of the actual sound. It seems like a really anti-musical way to practice, a panic move. Don't think I'll do it again, but I did execute the piece adequately at the gig, so maybe the soundless practice helped.

I sometimes do this before a gig too. It can be risky, though -- a couple of times I've actually practiced the wrong notes, because I couldn't hear what I was doing! It's like my brain loses touch with the keyboard layout in the absence of sound.

 

But it is nice to get the fingers loose before a show starts, especially if it's at all cold. I've been thinking about putting a pair of headphones in my gig rig for this purpose.

 

--Dave

[Steve LeBlanc]

I've never done it. Seems to me hearing/visualizing it in your head is more productive but I don't know really.

[Rick K.]

I do all the time. Before every gig I warm up without the sound on. I do stretching and such to get the blood flowing. I do disagree with the other poster that you may practice wrong notes. I think it goes back to ear training. I took lessons from an instructor that made me sing the part before I even picked up my trumpet. That way, I'd be able to hear the notes as I played them. I pretty much do this with the keyboard, too. Remember that Beethoven went deaf and never heard his 9th symphony. I believe, if my memory serves me, he even conducted it totally deaf, too. Sometimes hearing voices may not be such a bad thing!

 

Rick

[Slowly]

Read an article about a high school basketball team. One group went to the court to practice free throws, the other were only allowed mental practice. The improvement in free throw percentage for both groups were about the same. Kcbass

[cg1155]

Sometimes if I'm not busy but I'm stuck in the operating room (where medical students are about as useful as a sixth toe) I'll practice Hanon on the patients leg (since if you're sterile you can only touch other sterile stuff). Of course I only do it when the surgeon isn't looking.

 

-Casey

[PAULIII]

I do a lot of song writing and quite often sit around while the rest of the family is watching tv, listening mentally to one of my songs I'm working on and playing left and right hand parts on the calf of my leg (not so obvious that everyone else notices of course)... just visualizing the keyboard, playing and listening to the song. If I make a mistake, I do know it.

[timobrien]

I've been out in a restaurant or mall with a piece of music running through my head and had people give me strange looks (ok, more than the ususal strange looks) and realized that I was banging out the piece with my fingers on the table...

[marino]

I used to carry a 5-octave practice keyboard with me to tours and demanding gigs. Practicing on it was, well, better than nothing. But also, by eliminating the "distraction" of the sound, you could view some difficult passages in a different, useful way.

[Magpel]

I often write my music at extremely low volume, like on an unplugged electric guitar or a keyboard that is barely--but still--audible. And when it is songs I'm writing, I whisper sing, which sometimes creates problems down the road when I try to sing it out and find the melody doesn't suit my vocal range well (what vocal range?).

 

With the silent practicing, I felt it was a bit cheap, like I was mechanizing the music just to make sure it would be mistake free. When it came time to perform, I was feeling it (and it wasn't mistake free...) so all was well. I wouldn't want to make a habit of it, though.

[Steve LeBlanc]

I often write my music at extremely low volume, like on an unplugged electric guitar or a keyboard that is barely--but still--audible. And when it is songs I'm writing, I whisper sing, which sometimes creates problems down the road when I try to sing it out and find the melody doesn't suit my vocal range well (what vocal range?).

Well that's different...I listen to and compose music at extremely low levels all the time...people who listen to music loud all the time don't know what they're missing.