If you’ve been reading my last few posts, you must know that I’m still struggling to see out of my right eye because of an infection (See “Cyclops” for a complete explanation). I had a short but fun week with my family after Christmas, then flew home on New Year’s Eve, only to have to play a service on New Year’s Day at St. Mark’s. Fortunately, my eye has shown some improvement, but my vision is still very blurry.

Ever since I returned home a week ago, I’ve played four services, taught ten organ lessons, and had a special choir rehearsal on January 2nd. All this with my right eye still so blurry that I am finding it impossible read the newspaper and of course, sheet music is challenging.

And, wouldn’t you know it, I see that I have programmed Bach’s “Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 684” for this Sunday, The Baptism of Christ. Of course, it’s most appropriate for theme of the day, but ye gods, so many notes!

Here’s a recording of it by Kay Johannsen, where you can see the score scrolling by as you listen to it.

I may have last played the piece a year ago for Baptism of Christ, but I just now finished practicing it and realized it’s still in my fingers, thank goodness. However, I hardly looked at the music and realized that it was my muscle memory that got me through the piece.

Last week, I played Stephen Gabrielsen’s setting of “Deo Gracias,” and discovered there were three measures that gave me fits. I tried all my usual tricks:

1. Playing the right hand and the pedal part.
2. Playing the left hand and the pedal part.
3. Playing the two hands without the pedal.

It was not until I had played the sequence at least fifty times in a row that I came to the realization that “Hey, I’m finally playing this correctly because it’s become automatic! I’m not overthinking this; my fingers and feet are just moving on their own!”

I found an article on the internet that describes this perfectly: Muscle Memory Strategies for Keyboard Players, which describes:

1. The power of repetition
2. Slow down and focus on technique
3. Include all aspects of needed technique
4. Connect your ears to your muscle memory
5. Sleep
6. Exercises to develop your muscle memory

And the reason I gave nine organ lessons in the space of a day and a half — I’m preparing them for an organ students concert on Saturday, January 17 at 4:00 pm. If you’re in Honolulu, please come and support these budding musicians! And hey, it’s for a good cause.