Is it a good idea memorizing all the notes of a piece?

[keyb0ardfweak]

I have this friend who has absolute pitch, she hears the notes and sings along with them evenn not knowing the piece at all.

Yesterday, I told her to tell me all the notes of a prelude she played for an exam, and she gave me all the notes 100% perfect of both hands..

I mean.. will this be useful for a musician? I myself never memorize this way a piece, but for her seems so natural..
I remember memorizing a song by its notes and I found it useful when I was singing it

Who of you out there do memorize a piece with all its notes??Or do you automatically listen to the notes and you needn't to memorize note by note?

[asiantraveller101]

Tell her to memorize this piece.

[jeffkonkol]

eh... sounds like that is just a particular quirk of her brain.  We all have advantages and disadvantages....

I knew a complete genius once who couldn't get a little Caesar's pizza through a door.  That large rectangular shape, wider than the door frame, really confounded him despite the masters in math, chemistry and physics.

memorize the way that works for you.

[arctic_mama]

I wouldn't say it is highly useful, as in a necessary musical skill, but if your bent (like hers) seems to be toward memorization to play, there's nothing wrong with it so long as you are not neglecting other skills (like reading the music well initially) in the process.  I know in some of the pieces I have worked on I end up memorizing it simply because the notes jump around the keyboard so much I need my attention available to spot those jumps.  If I had to watch every note on the score and didn't commit the various voices to memory I literally couldn't play it at tempo or smoothly.

Memorization can be a crutch for people (like me, in the past!) who use it to get around watching the notes and understanding the structure of the music.  I was trained in Suzuki and was weak in all my theory.  But now, as an adult, and with a more balanced approach and stronger theory base, having a good ear and sharp memory is a major boon to acquiring repertoire.


That's my .02, anyway