Importance of playing with eyes closed?
I've been picking alot of songs out by ear on my piano. I'm thinking the next stage is to pick/play without looking at the keyboard - that way the eyes are not involved at all. Maybe even wear a blindfold or something.
I think when the eyes are involved then the eyes are trying to look for patterns in the keyboard, or in the scale, like which white/black notes are being played. So even if you're playing by ear to figure out a song, a lot of the actual memorization of a song happens by sight. Because you remember what the patterns look like on the keys as opposed to making a connection between a musical interval and a muscle (ie how much you need to move your hand to get to the sound of an interval).
So wouldn't it be ideal to know how to play by ear by muscle memory only? That way the only thing involved is your ear and muscle memory. Kind of like whistling. I was wondering if other people have tried this and what their experience is.
p.s I'm a programmer by trade, and touch-typing is one of the most important things I know-- been doing it since I was a kid. So shouldn't "touch typing" apply to music as well (?)
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My favorite thing to do, once I know a piece well enough by memory, is to play at night in the dark with just enough light to make out the keyboard. Not only does this allow me to exercise my memory of the piece but its amazing how much more focused you are on the sounds coming out of the piano.
For songs I'm just playing by ear, I'll learn the outline of the melody/chords while having -- but not necessarily depending on -- visual access to the piano, and then I'll go into nighttime/darkness mode. I find this gives me the freedom to experiment, improvise, work out new chords or vary arrangements.
as a multiple instrument enthusiast I stumbled onto an approach that works great for transitioning away from required watching of my hands to no needing to look...youtube has tons of videos of people performing individual parts to songs, I accompany and primarily watch the other player's cues like mentioned above, I find myself glancing back and forth to eventually just watching the person completely.
That's all very well playing by yourself. What about playing with others? Eyes open is important. O.k., you train yourself not to look at the keys, but in an ensemble situation, playing any kind of music from Baroque to rock, there's a lot said with the eyes, and indeed received through them. Cues, dynamics, balance, handing over the tune to another player in jazz, all communicated by eye.
So, yes, learn how to play with eyes shut, but probably more importantly, just not looking at the piano.
As a classically trained pianist I have learned to pick pieces out by ear but have focused generally on memorization of pieces I learn. Generally the ability to play with eyes closed only appears in a piece once I have fully mastered it. Learning to play by muscle memory would be impressive and would require a great deal of familiarity with the instrument, but would be hard to achieve. I find that sight reading without looking at the keyboard is not overly difficult, but to play by ear in such manner would be far more difficult. There does not seem to be a necessity to learn this skill, but if learned it would be both useful and impressive.
I don't think there is any importance to it. Have you ever heard of a legendary musician say that it was? Whether or not your eyes are closed, or looking at the instrument, doesn't make a difference.
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