The Power of a Wrong Note

 

When I look back at what I've written on this blog since the beginning in 2010, the one post that has the most views -- approximately twice as many as the next contender -- the is one titled "Wrong Notes." Everyone wants to know how to avoid or correct wrong notes! I recommend you go back and read that early post (January 2011) before continuing here.

Among all the hundreds of students I've taught over the years, playing the "right notes" is their top priority. You might think, "well of course! You have to play all the correct notes, don't you?" Yes, that is one of the goals. But as you know, if you are learning to play, it certainly doesn't always happen and often doesn't come easily. It's not the wrong notes themselves, but how you handle them, that will make or break your progress, and most likely your enjoyment, of the process of learning to play. 

Here are some of the things NOT to do about wrong notes (even though most teachers and many things you'll read or hear from others tell you to do these).

1. When you play a wrong note, immediately correct it before moving on.
2. Stop and play that measure or passage with the correct note(s), as many repetitions as you can, with hands separately and very slowly

That's it! That's the sum total of the advice most people will give you for the problem of wrong notes.

Let's address number 1, above. If you stop and immediately follow the wrong note with the correct note, you understand intellectually which is the wrong one and which is the right one. But your "animal brain" just hears two notes, let's say and F followed by an F-sharp. As far as that part of the brain knows, the F and then F-sharp was intended, because that is what it heard. You may have had the experience of "correcting" it this way, but then the same thing happens again the next time. And the next, and so on. Far from being corrected, the problem of the missed note seems to persist, sometimes for quite a while. In addition to your ear having heard it as a two-note sequence, soon you will also have muscle memory of that as well. Intellectually knowing the right note from the wrong one does almost nothing to correct the problem. If this method worked, we'd all be playing all the right notes by now! But in reality that's not what happens.

Regarding number 2: hands separately, very slowly, and tons of repetition, is the stock answer many people give for a myriad of problems. You may think you have fixed the problem when you just play one hand, but then as soon as you add back the other hand, the wrong notes come back. The physical experience, and the workings of the brain, are quite different when playing with one hand versus two. So until you play it as it is in real life, that is, with both hands, you can't really count on it being "fixed." The same is true for very slowly; it may seem fixed when you play very slowly, but then when you go back to the original tempo, the "fix" doesn't stay. Some repetition will be needed, but it has to be done intelligently. More on that below.

So, what to do instead?

1. Ignore it! Yes, you read that right. The first time you miss a note, just ignore it, and continue playing. Of course, many people find this hard to do, but you CAN cultivate this habit. The "mistake" may turn out to be just a one-time thing. The last thing you want to do is fixate on it and turn it into a bigger problem. Stopping to "fix" it means that the other hand also has to stop, pause, and get back on track even though it had no wrong note. You may even create a problem in the other hand which wasn't there before. One hand sneezes and the other gets the cold. In addition, you've disupted the rhythm. People always seem to be willing to throw the rhythm under the bus for the sake of correcting a wrong note. Remember, your ear heard that disrupted rhythm, and doesn't know that you did it unintentionally. After the missed note, you may end up playing several wrong notes. Ignore those too! Instead of "fixing" just try to get yourself back on track. It can become a solid skill, but only if you do it consistently. And just knowing you can get back on track greatly improves your confidence.
2. Learn how to make use of a wrong note. I recently showed a student how, following a wrong note (which I did on purpose, for illustration), I continued to play that passage with all the correct intervals and patterns that followed that note. In other words, I was off for the whole passage, but within the passage, everything had all the right relationships. I got a lot of good practice on that passage because, to the hand, it felt the same, or almost the same, as if I had been on the right notes. And it's even better if you can do it with a light-hearted approach, not just as a bitter pill to swallow. Now that's the power of a wrong note.
3. Try to find the reason you missed it. It could be a technical problem. In the example of the F and F-sharp, above, if you were playing too far out at the edges of the keys, you can't comfortably reach the F-sharp, so your hand just did the next best thing, playing the nearest white key. This sounds simplistic, but I see it all the time. Of course there are thousands of reasons for the missed note to be due to inadequate technique. This is what your teacher is supposed to be helping you with. If your teacher is telling you to "fix all the wrong notes" but doesn't tell you how, get a new teacher.
4. Strengthen the auditory image. Your ear will help you play more correct notes as well as help you get back on track when you've had a mishap. See the earlier post on wrong notes for more about this.
5. If the wrong notes persist, you will need to isolate that passage and do some repetition. The reason for the repetition is to create a new neural pathway which includes the intended notes. The old neural pathway with the "wrong" note will still be there, but it will eventually disappear through lack of use. I believe small amounts of repetition done consistenly is better than huge amounts of repetition. And lastly, when you isolate the passage, you have to see the problem coming. If there were a pothole on your road and day after day you kept driving right into it rather than avoiding it, the answer is simple: you have to see it coming before you drive into it, so you can avoid it. The same is true with a persistent wrong note; you have to be aware it's coming up, so you can remind yourself of the way you want to play it. When you are reading music, looking ahead it critical. You can, if you want, circle the offending note in the score, as a reminder of what you want to do. As long as you see it in time.

Perhaps most important is to try to lose the fear of wrong notes. Wrong notes can have a lot of power over you, if you let them. They can make your body more stiff and your playing more stilted, possibly ruining some of the enjoyment of playing. Or, they can be opportunities to shift your priorities and focus on the beauty and musicality of what you are playing.