I’m having trouble understanding this. How small or large can the chunks be? Do I have to use a metronome while practicing chunking?
Chunking is just fancy talk for movements that are totally memorized, and don’t require conscious thought to execute. This can happen even across whole sections of music, to the point that if an experienced player stops somewhere in the middle of a memorized piece, they may have trouble simply starting up again without rewinding to an earlier known bar or landmark. That’s how much the entire thing has been committed to memory.
When you’re learning new physical skills, particularly hand movements, you’re trying to get them to that unconscious level of skill, because those movements are the most consistently accurate. We usually practice short repeating phrases, 6-10 notes long at most, that contain the movement you’re trying to learn. The key is actually doing it correctly, at a speed which feels natural, and not super robot slow. Otherwise, you’re not really memorizing anything that will “feel like” normal playing.
It’s a chicken and egg problem - doing the thing you cannot yet do. Think surfing, bike riding, etc.
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I’ve been at it for a couple of days now, and things have started to click for sure. I was focusing on every note before and I was being very inconsistent. Focusing on trigger notes is making a lot of difference. Thanks!
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