The Ravelian piano: learning by copying 1/2

A film by Rémy Campos about the research project led by Pierre Goy, 2016.

In the training of a classical musician, copying (exact reproduction of all the parameters) is rarely used as a means of learning. Admittedly, during lessons with the teacher or during master classes, the student sometimes tries to copy the example given by the teacher. However, copying is always somewhat suspect, as the teacher fears that the student will not be able to develop his or her own individuality.

The experiment carried out during the project "In the footsteps of Vlado Perlemuter, in search of the French piano" (HEM Geneva, 2013-2014) showed that learning by copying is worth exploring further. We were able to see that the copying process comprises a whole series of stages during which the student learns to analyse all the parameters of an interpretation, gradually trying to make them his own. We were also able to observe that, by copying a sound model, the students were able to adapt their playing technique, and that they made great progress in their listening skills, listening to the model to be copied but also listening to their own playing.