Memory Stumbles

I have been playing through the Back invention #8 without the music. Most of the time I can play it through with no problems, but sometimes stumble in the left hand part. There are 2 places I stumble, both are at concluding phrases, of the 1st section and at the conclusion of the piece. I realized that I had not been giving the LH part enough attention, and could not play it through by memory. So I went through the entire piece LH only, with the metronome, reading the music at first, then put the book away. Then I practiced the problem phrases repeatedly. The 2 problem phrases don’t lend themselves to practicing in a “loop”, so I composed my only little loop, with 3 beats of rest before jumping back in. It is important to always practice with strong Rhythm!! In the past I would like to just “play” instead of “practice”. Now I play at least 90% of the time with the metronome, slowly, focusing on perfect accuracy. After the slow, careful work has been done, confidence and memory has built up so that I can let go and enjoy the music making. I keep surprising myself at how much my playing has improved when I later perform for other people! playing piano