1,000 Days of Piano - Day 80: By Heart

I am ironic, a contradiction, but the more difficult a piece is, the easier it is for me to memorize it. No, the more difficult a piece is, the more necessary it is for me to memorize it. I don’t know if this is because I’m particularly gifted at memorizing music or because my reading needs strengthening—it’s probably a combination of both. I feel like an anomaly, listening to other pianists talk about their struggles with memorization when my guilty little secret is that I struggle with sight reading. 

Melody is a deceptively tricky piece in Book 2. The left hand is almost entirely an accompaniment of eighth notes with unexpected intervals to trip up the unsuspecting piano student. I have refrained from memorizing it, so far, because memorizing seems like the easy way out for me. I like the challenge of relying on the music, especially in the difficult measures. It is a distinct contrast to the relentless memorization I’m doing with the Beethoven Sonatina in Book 5. For me, relying on the music to play Melody is an accomplishment because it has so many notes and surprising harmonies. Still I’m sure I will end up memorizing it some day.