Memorising pieces

[pianomancoy]

Hello.

Does anybody know how to memorise pieces effectively, so as to prevent memory lapses?

[stevensk]

My method is to play small parts of the piece over and over again, next day, over and over again, next day...

[schwartzer]

Really, no secrets at all.

Divide the piece into small sections and memorize each of 'em. Once a section is memorized, head towards the other.

[kaystephaniex]

Well, you should be aware of the form of the piece like the 1st movement of a sonata is ABA. This can help you remember which part you should be playing when performing. I personally like to seperate out the melody and accompaniment. Vocalise the melody and play only the accompaniment at the same time. This helps you to be aware of every single note. Also like the others suggested, split out into small sections and that means split out according to the phrasings. Memorise the piece phrasing by phrasing. Listening to recordings helps too.

[theholygideons]

It's all about rinsing and repeating. If you don't want a memory lapse, it's good to plan repertoire out and learn it 1 year in advance. This enables you to have time to learn it then leave it aside before relearning it. As a result, when you return back to the piece, the sections which you relied purely by means of muscle memory will most likely have been forgotten, forcing you to pay even more attention to those parts.

[george_sand]

Do you allow your brain to photograph each measure or are you using mechanical repetition as your method of memorization?

[mr1062]

Do you allow your brain to photograph each measure or are you using mechanical repetition as your method of memorization?

Can you please elaborate on this?  Do you mean mentally "photogaph" the sheet music or your hands on the keyboard, or both?  Can you describe what you actually do?  Thanks!

[outin]

Since this is always the biggest problem with me, I have tried all kinds of methods...But I think I now have found one that actually works for me. But it only seems to be effective after I have the piece somewhat in my fingers, can excecute every part of it comfortably and have an idea of the whole piece in my head. If I try something like this with a new piece, I won't learn it any faster.

Depending on the piece I do this either by each measure or each phrase: I play every single measure/phrase and ONLY the first beat from the next measure. I stop and remove my hands. I repeat a couple of times. Then the same for the next one. Some days I do the whole piece (my pieces aren't that long), some days I only do the parts that are most insecure or not fully memorized. I do not play the whole piece through on the same sitting.

Even with the piece somewhat memorized I need to use the score for this, especially to be able to start with correct fingers from every measure. That forces me to concentrate more on what I am doing as well.

It usually takes only a few days to see results.

[lostinidlewonder]

There are three kinds of memory when it comes to learning music. Conscious Memory, Muscular Memory and Sound Memory.

Briefly:

Conscious: Visual and logical observations of the sheet music and keyboard that aid sight reading and encourage Muscular memory.
Muscular: Producing a group of notes with a relaxed movement of our hands.
Sound: How the sound in our minds eye effects muscular and conscious memory.

Improvements on all three of these memory aspects will have an overall improvement in your ability to "remember" pieces. There is no reason to avoid conscious memory or the sheet music at all times, this is something that most people do however. If you can develop your reading skills to a good level you can use a mixture of the three memories than just relying on your sound and muscular memory.

[flashyfingers]

It all just depends. I've found that longer works such as concerto movements I would divide into sections to accomplish within a time period (given that you are either swamped with repertoire or completely open to starting anything new) and put a sticky note saying week 1 (first page) week 2 etc. keep a notebook, track your goals. To keep yourself focused, have things lined up as far as plans fir technique practice, sight reading, practicing new repertoire and polishing for performance, but put memorization FIRST. I usually start practice with warm up then immediately begin playing slowly and intently through each freshly memorized section, with the score in front of you (as you open the score and turn through the pages, run through the structure of what you memorized already, to make your memory more fluid, by recalling the entire piece over and over again in your memory...) open to the next section that is at task (do the mentally intensive work first) and if it still seems like a bunch of notes that aren't flowing very well, after memorizing both hands together, MEMORIZE BOTH HANDS TOGETHER FIRST, I SAY!!!!! then you go and practice each hand separately, at just a bit below tempo or moderate tempo being your goal (hands separate). This is usually my method, especially for fast pieces. you could also try hands separate, then hands together, then hands separate again. But do hands separate as first step, only if you cannot memorize both hands together right away. (though as a rule, you should aim for hands together memorization to become easy and unproblematic).

Also, write all over the score. I hardly worry about fingerings unless I discover something, then I write it down. I put an x next to lines of music that are repeating or signal a repeat, or how long a pattern is. OR I internalize it, but it is easier to internalize it by circling or marking, rather than using your photographic memory. That's how piano works-you memorize by playing the piano and you play the piano by internalizing information hardly relevant to the physical act of pressing down the keys...

[outin]

Also, write all over the score.

I personally couldn't do that! I always erase things I don't need anymore, because anything irrelevant in the score may become
a distraction for me in action... Fingerings are ok if they are not too messy...

I have found a good way to mark sections for practice though, I cut out thin slices from post-it notes. Easily removable

[flashyfingers]

I personally couldn't do that! I always erase things I don't need anymore, because anything irrelevant in the score may become
a distraction for me in action... Fingerings are ok if they are not too messy...

I have found a good way to mark sections for practice though, I cut out thin slices from post-it notes. Easily removable

I usually have multiple editions of the score, including laser jet...lol
I need notes and I need to write notes to myself.
if I don't do it, who will?!

[outin]

I usually have multiple editions of the score, including laser jet...lol
I need notes and I need to write notes to myself.
if I don't do it, who will?!

My teacher does, but I erase them too after I trust myself to remember

I hate printed scores because I always lose them...I cannot even find them when I know they are on my piano...so I use books whenever possible, they are much harder to lose. Heavier to carry though and sometimes don't agree with me about being open...

[theholygideons]

The way you're meant to do it is you're never meant to memorise at the keyboard. You sit down and memorise the score in your head, just like you would memorise your 4000 word english essays, but at the same time you picture the position of your hands in your head as well. I mean, imagine just reciting an essay over and over again, and nothing goes in, that's what happens when you sit at the keyboard. (y)

[outin]

The way you're meant to do it is you're never meant to memorise at the keyboard. You sit down and memorise the score in your head, just like you would memorise your 4000 word english essays, but at the same time you picture the position of your hands in your head as well. I mean, imagine just reciting an essay over and over again, and nothing goes in, that's what happens when you sit at the keyboard. (y)

This would be great, but unfortunately not possible for everyone. I cannot memorize scores alone. I have never been able to memorize text either. Or any sequence of numbers. Something missing from my head...

[theholygideons]

This would be great, but unfortunately not possible for everyone. I cannot memorize scores alone. I have never been able to memorize text either. Or any sequence of numbers. Something missing from my head...

It still is pretty much route learning, like memorising an essay, but slightly more efficient than say, writing out the essay a billion times.

[outin]

It still is pretty much route learning, like memorising an essay, but slightly more efficient than say, writing out the essay a billion times.

Route learning is the problem here, for people with certain cognitive limitations it can be almost impossible.

I addition to having trouble with deciphering scores, it's very difficult for me to memorize details (when reading I just remember the main ideas and the most relevant things). I really need to use all my senses to make strong enough associations for solid memorizing. When it comes to piano my auditory memory is the most reliable so before I can either sing or hear the music in my head, reading the scores won't do much. I might even be able to visually see parts of the score as "photographs", but it won't translate to music in my head

So everyone needs to find out what works best for them.

And who memorizes their essays anyway??

[theholygideons]

And who memorizes their essays anyway??

Everyone (out of necessity). picture getting 2 and a half hours to write out 3 essays each 1200 words long. Times have changed, it's all route learning in schools now, instead of building skills.

[outin]

Everyone (out of necessity). picture getting 2 and a half hours to write out 3 essays each 1200 words long. Times have changed, it's all route learning in schools now, instead of building skills.

Not in my country, thank whatever!

I wrote such essays in school/University with no problem without memorizing anything...and since the subjects were usually not available beforehand, it wouldn't be much help anyway...  

I don't think I would have managed to pass school at all 50 years ago when it was memorize or get spanked

[hfmadopter]

The way you're meant to do it is you're never meant to memorise at the keyboard. You sit down and memorise the score in your head, just like you would memorise your 4000 word english essays, but at the same time you picture the position of your hands in your head as well. I mean, imagine just reciting an essay over and over again, and nothing goes in, that's what happens when you sit at the keyboard. (y)

I always memorized a phrase at a time, then the page , the movement, doing so while learning the next movement by reading it. I did this memorizing at the piano, always have, still do. Now I "write" ( some would say I am not writing music, non the less they are my own compositions) my own scores the same way but they come together much faster than someone else s works. So I've always done this in a way I was not meant to do it then !! Once I know the piece I sing it as I play, singing it in my mind. I typically visualize chords or at least the root of the chords I'm playing.. I've seen some professionals basically calling out chords on their lips as they go through difficult passages and so I adapted that especially into my own compositions as I learn them.

IMO, there is not any one way we are supposed to do this. Way back when, my teacher required memorized scores or to play without sheet music/books etc. if to play for a program and I devised my own routine that worked well for me. No sense fixing something that works 30 years later. I've just added to it in recent years. The big thing, just keep at it, never quit !  You will find a routine. But for me personally, I am not reading the score in my head , I'm playing from key elements within the piece when playing without the score. Once I hit that trigger the whole phrase comes to me. Sometimes I glance at the keys, other times I have my eyes shut. Once that starts happening I know the piece, even if I make a mistake it will not derail me. Insecurity is the biggest factor to thinking you don't actually know the piece.

[coherence]

I've noticed a direct connection between my practice habits and memory lapses in the following way: When I used to practice in sections, but I always started in one particular bar and ended in another particular bar, I was likely to have a lapse (1) somewhere in the middle, or (2) right after the end of that section.

Why? In case (1), it's because I wasn't ever really memorizing that measure in the middle, and I wasn't practicing using my explicit memory. I was memorizing how to start the section, and letting my muscle memory carry me through when I practiced. In case (2), it's because I wasn't practicing the transition at all!

So I started doing things like this:
- Memorize and practice in sections as small as is reasonable
- Memorize starting with the last measure in a section
- Put extra effort into practicing the transitions in between sections
- Practice starting at random measures, even in the middle of sections

This works much better for me! In the old way, I would just memorize things automatically as I played a piece over and over, and it gave me a false sense of security. (I've seen this happen a lot especially to young bright students who never had to work to memorize things.) But this way, I know if I have a momentary lapse of focus or lose my flow, I still know exactly where I am.

[flashyfingers]

I've noticed a direct connection between my practice habits and memory lapses in the following way: When I used to practice in sections, but I always started in one particular bar and ended in another particular bar, I was likely to have a lapse (1) somewhere in the middle, or (2) right after the end of that section.

Why? In case (1), it's because I wasn't ever really memorizing that measure in the middle, and I wasn't practicing using my explicit memory. I was memorizing how to start the section, and letting my muscle memory carry me through when I practiced. In case (2), it's because I wasn't practicing the transition at all!

So I started doing things like this:
- Memorize and practice in sections as small as is reasonable
- Memorize starting with the last measure in a section
- Put extra effort into practicing the transitions in between sections
- Practice starting at random measures, even in the middle of sections

This works much better for me! In the old way, I would just memorize things automatically as I played a piece over and over, and it gave me a false sense of security. (I've seen this happen a lot especially to young bright students who never had to work to memorize things.) But this way, I know if I have a momentary lapse of focus or lose my flow, I still know exactly where I am.

I would also do the following as a means for securing your memory. Practice sight reading through the piece, no memory/looking at your hands allowed. AND, start at random parts of the piece (or bars you do not usually start at).