Memory Lapses: How to avoid them?

[marcus314]

Hi I am doing my RCM piano exam very very soon and I would like to know how to prevent memory lapses? I have never had memory lapses in all my exams but it is always the most frightening thing, thinking that a memory lapse might very well occur in the next exam I take.

Thank you

[abell88]

Practise starting your piece from different places (i.e. don't just start at the beginning every time), and memorize those new starting places, so that you can, if necessary, jump to one of them and continue from there.

Play just the last few bars, then start a little earlier and play to the end, then a little earlier, etc.

Picture the music in your mind...see if you can see it all. Analyze the piece as many ways as possible, and use the analysis to help your memory.

But since you've never had a memory lapse, don't worry too much about the possibility. I mean, prepare, but don't obsess.

[rhapsody in orange]

Hmm I've read from a book that aural memory is one of the most reliable. If you know how the music should sound, the relative intervals etc, your music should be quite secure. To do that, it was suggested that one plays the piece in various keys. Do a bit of transposition and that would help you remember better. I personally have not tried this approach and would like to know how well it works =)

[kilini]

Play SLOWLY from memory. Like, less than half of normal speed. Long as you have the patience, this should be the most reliable method.

[prometheus]

Are you just afraid of memory lapses or is this a real problem?

[happyface94]

If you can play the piece a lot slower while keeping the memory, then you should have no problem. Still, memory plays trick on us at the stupidiest moments (I dont recall any of my last concerts not to have one), but you should always have references, such as in Bach's prelude and Fugue, I learn the start of each lines so if I mess up I can continue with no much problem.

Whatever happens, do not stop the music.

[marcus314]

Are you just afraid of memory lapses or is this a real problem?

I am just afraid of it happening. I am afraid of once forgetting the music the examiners will smack me at the back of my head and fail me.

[lagin]

Don't worry about the examiner.  My friend just did her grade 7 RCM, and she couldn't remember how to start her piece.  She tried three times and finally got it.  The examiner still gave her a nice overall grade, too.  An examiner is trained to see the quality in between the slip ups.  I completely blanked on my grade 9 exam's technical requirements MORE THAN ONCE, and I still got in the 80's as my overall grade.  And my teacher always says, too, no one's going to care what you got on your grade (whatever), exam once you have your ARCT.  I don't know if you're going that far or not.  Remember too, that even if for some ridiculous, out-to-lunch reason you fail the exam, you can still go on to grade 9.  A grade 8 exam isn't even required.  I never did one.  The only exam you can't blank on is ARCT.  People blank in exams all the time.  Try not to worry about it while you're playing or else you'll just end up phsycing yourself out, and then you're more apt to make a mistake. 
     
Take the practice suggestions given above, and remember, you can't do anything more than your best.  We all have good exams and bad ones, and we don't get to pick which are which.  Your mark is only someone's opinion anyway. Only you know if you played well or not, because only you and your teacher know what you are trully capable of, and we all have good days and bad days.

One more thing to make you feel better.  On my list C piece in my grade 9 exam, I played over half of it (2 pages) WITH THE WRONG RHYTHM!  My eighth notes became sixteenth!  And in the half that I counted correctly I messed up on the climax, and didn't recover well for a number of bars afterwards.  I still got 7.5 out of 10 on it, because she could see that I played it with an overall sense of feeling, technical ability, and security.  (I was sure my rhythm was right, lol).  They look beyond the mistakes, to the music.  Yes, I lost a few marks for the goofs, but not tonnes.

Hope this cheers you up.

[marcus314]

Hey thank you for the advice.

I am taking the ARCT exam, so I guess I cannot blank out haha....

Now I feel somewhat better....thanks for all the advices

[janice]

If you can play the piece a lot slower while keeping the memory, then you should have no problem. Still, memory plays trick on us at the stupidiest moments (I dont recall any of my last concerts not to have one), but you should always have references, such as in Bach's prelude and Fugue, I learn the start of each lines so if I mess up I can continue with no much problem.

Whatever happens, do not stop the music.

Yes!  You and Kilini gave excellent advice!  Practice at a slow tempo while doing it for memory--believe me, this will cause you to obsess!!  "Oh no, what's my next note?!"  This also causes me to get all nervous, even if I am alone in the room!  So you can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

[abell88]

I just found this article, which also makes some good points -- mainly to focus on the music, rather than yourself or your listeners.

https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/dl3.html

[jeremyjchilds]

Play SLOWLY from memory. Like, less than half of normal speed. Long as you have the patience, this should be the most reliable method.

That's exactly what I would have said...

If you can play the song by memory at 1\4 speed, then you will not forget when you are playing at performance speed!

[marcus314]

I just did my exam yesterday and I am happy to say that I had NO MEMORY LAPSES haha

Thanks for all the advices once again! 

[abell88]

Congratulations!