With my focus on mastering the art of improvising, I don’t spend as much time as I once did learning notated music. However, I must say that the process of learning notes has always been a sluggish one for me and I have been jealous of other pianists who seem to master learning the notes with precision and accuracy so much faster. I know that slow, methodical and highly focussed practice is the discipline that will make the difference and I’ve made good improvements with that.
Curiously, as I have returned to teaching I’ve been learning more notated music again and have been surprised to discover it is now significantly faster for me. All that improvising also seems to have had a surprising benefit. I’m not sure why. However, I still would love to accelerate that “learning the notes” process so I can get right to what matters faster – making the music and an unhindered expression of passion and emotion.
This fascintating technology just might be it. Halo Neuroscience has developed a technology for athletes that accelerates their performance, strength and endurance. As it enhances the neuroplasticity of the brain’s motor cortex it stands to reason that it could be beneficial for learning any activity that relies on the motor cortex. Well the mechanics of playing a musical instrument would be one of those activities. This musician, Mario Marzo, put Halo Sport to the test. He learned two Bach preludes of comparable difficulty – one with the Halo technology and one without. The results are remarkable.
Check out his fascinating video journal of the process.
More information on Halo Neuroscience here:
https://www.haloneuro.com/science
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