i must say, i did that quite nicely...

so today i had my clarinet "scale jury" which basically is part of my final for clarinet... i had to go in and play certain scales and arpeggios for my professor. all in all i had to play major and minor scales, major and minor arpeggios, dominant 7th arpeggios, major scales in 3rds, and diminished 7th arpeggios. but here's the deal... i really didn't practice for it until this morning, a few hours beforehand. went in and played certain ones so well that she didn't even make me finish them...

what i'm trying to get at is, have you ever felt that not practicing enough, or just practicing right before a performance, helps in any way? is it better for memory because everything you just practiced, lets say an hour ago, is still fresh in your mind and it's easier to remember?

discuss...

 

yeah...when i go for bass lessons, usually, i learn all the material the night before, and play it great at the lesson, but, i tend to forget it by the next week. So, all in all, i htink practicing the entire week is better and to remember it for good, than learning somthing in one day, and forgetting it.

Do you forget it in the long run when you learn or practice it all in one night?

I know I do...

 

well practicing over a period of time, of course, helps in the long run. because (how my teacher explained it anyways) your muscles adapt to how you practice, that's just how the memory works. so the more you do one thing (whether it be right or wrong), the more it sticks in your brain. short-term practicing is good for gigs and stuff, but lets say for a huge performance, i don't think i would advise it.

 

My thinking is that you already knew the material, that you had already 'memorized' the scales to the point that your fingers, mouth, and mind were in concert with each other. The practice beforehand was a warm-up.

Congratulations!