How many times do you have to practice until you can play without the sheet musi

Question: How many times do you have to practice until you can play without the sheet music!?
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Actually it depends on the musicians and the composer!. I find Bach very difficult to memorize because of the similarities in some of his harmonic patterns!. Dvorak is easier!. Normally it takes me about a week to memorize a couple pages (I practice 4 hours a day though)!. However, most musicians I know work on concertos/pieces for at least a year before performing them!. Memorizing is just the first step!. It includes not only notes, but fingerings, phrasings dynamics, markings, the works!. It's a pain!.

Example: Today I memorized 3 lines completely (including all the things I mentioned)!. I practiced for an hour!. I probably played it 100+ times!.

However, I still refer to the music at times for refreshers for older pieces I've played!.

~Lisa

Edit: It also depends on the type of music!. Most pop/rock is very easily learned by ear (I can pick up most songs on the radio on guitar or cello in a day)!. Of course some amazing players will provide more of a challenge with certain songs (Dueling Banjos, Classical Gas, Red and Blue)!. I'm not dissing pop!. I love it! Classical is, on occasion, notoriously more difficult!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well I play the piano and I have been trying to memorize a song called "Russian Anthem"!. I do not actually practice every single day, but I have trying to play without the sheet music and it has been taking me about 3-4 months or even longer and I always look at the sheet!. But if you practice every day, you might get it in about a month!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Most musicians can play a music sheet for years and still "refer" to it!. It doesn't mean that you have to watch every note, but it is still good to keep as a road map!. Follow it whether you need to read every note or not!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

this depends on the insterment and the player,

myself, with the guitar, only once or twice if i know the song, but with the saxaphone in high school i'd always need it for referance,

its pretty much up to your self and how good your memory isWww@QuestionHome@Com

It really depends on the person!. Since I play by ear and learn stuff off of the radio, it doesn't take me long at all!. Someone who only uses sheet music, however, might be different!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It varies with every person!. When I learned how to play "Fiddler on a Roof" I kept the music notes in my head, and as I'd play it, my mind was filled with the music notation!. That doesn't happen with every song learned from sheet music!.

Often, I'd learn as much of the music as necessary and then play the piece in my style with improvisation!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on how long the song is and how hard, it took me about a month for speak softly love from the godfather on the guitar, but others like wanted dead or alive only about a week and a half!.Www@QuestionHome@Com