This isn't really a question; it's more of a comment. I'd be interested in other peoples' views on this subject.

I've been practicing piano for a few years now, and I tend to play while looking at the keyboard. For the last few practice sessions, I've been experimenting with playing pieces "blind" i.e. not looking at the keyboard when I play. This was something my teacher (Jim Boyk, as it happens) suggested to me several times, but it's only now starting to sink in (sort of like psychotherapy). It's very difficult at first, because you make all kinds of off-by-one-key mistakes, but what's exciting is that if you keep it up for a while, your fingers mysteriously seem to develop "eyes" and start to know where they have to go. In addition, your awareness of which finger you have to use to hit a particular note increases greatly. I think looking at the keyboard is kind of like training wheels; it helps initially but eventually starts to get in your way. From now on I'm going to incorporate this kind of practice into every practice session. Ideally I would do all of my playing "blind" (or equivalently, looking only at the music) but I'm not there yet.

-- Michael Vanier (mvanier@bbb.caltech.edu), July 09, 2001