# How to MEMORIZE a piece - 0, Zilch, NO ERRORS # JUST PRACTICE? #

[pianoplayerstar]

Members:

How can we memorize a piece so that we have it completed conquered and patented down.. like Lang Lang or others?

You watch them play, and you're sometimes afraid they'll make a mistake, but they just won't break; 0 mistakes.. and even if they do, they know how to cover it up so well even seasoned players and listeners.. even adjudicators can't tell whether it is (1) ARTISTIC IMPROVISATION or (2) a REAL MISTAKE !

Is there a secret other than just practicing?

We all know that slow practice is always helpful, but what's the pychological brain neuron-based rationale for this?  Does slow practice help with TECHNIQUE or does it HELP US NOT FORGET OUR PIECES / IE. MEMORIZE?

We've got an anticipated performance coming up and we don't want to make any mistakes.. zilch, none, 'nada', ZEEEEEERRRRROOOO.

I need some of your secrets and tips, JUST IN CASE.
Thanks.

[mrcreosote]

I think all the classical virtuosos out there have photographic or eidetic memory - play/read it once and know it.  5 days to memorize a concerto.  etc. etc.

There is too much on the table to have a memory failure when playing a concerto.

So while there are methods to memorize, it is my belief you must be born with this ability - it cannot be learned.

Another example is a Pike's Peak hill climb racer.  There are over 100 turns up the mountain and you have to know each one intimately to dominate (which he did.)  I was talking to him a couple years ago and said, "I'll bet you knew every corner the 2nd time you went up the hill."  He glared at me and said, "You're damn right!  I know where every rock is on that mountain!"

As far as making mistakes, the pros make them all the time - you have to have "quick" ears to recognize them.  It is interesting you mentioned Lang Lang because he pulled maybe the biggest classical boner I ever saw on a late night tv (Leno?) when he L's Hun Rap #2 - it was one of the iconic notes this piece is know for.  Very slow, Very loud, Very accented.  And I think he landed perfectly on the adjacent key - crystal clear, perfectly played, wrong note.

Of course that wasn't memory.

Oh, a TIP:  I've found that the faster I play, the better I remember.  The slower, the worse. And very slow, it's like I don't even know the piece.  THEN I read a comment that Glen Gould supposedly practiced before a performance ABSURDLY SLOW.  I will say that playing at 10% tempo would definitely imprint those notes in memory and reveal any soft spots.

[dogperson]

Mr. Creosote,
The accounts, from virtuoso performers themselves, is that most of them do not have photographic or eidectic memory...    you might want to read Roger Chaffin's book 'Practicing Perfection'.

You might find this article interesting, as it discussing memorizing and memory lapses by concert pianists, and the limitations on repertoire that is performed publicly.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/apr/20/classicalmusicandopera1


The article linked discusses briefly memory lapses of  virtuosi who did/do have memory lapses at performances.  Not good, but it does happen to the best.  There are many more examples, including Yundi Li in 2015. 

Many of us 'mere mortals' love to think memorizing must be automatic for the concert pianist and it is not something that can be developed... but that is the case in only rare exceptions.   Memorization is a learned skill. 

[dogperson]

Pianoplayerstar:
There is a wealth of material in books and on the internet about how to memorize.  Here are a few places with good information to start:

https://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-to-eliminate-memory-slips/

https://kantsmusictuition.blogspot.com/2007/09/memorizing-techniques.html

https://musiciansway.com/blog/2010/05/the-four-stages-of-memorization/

[pianoplayerstar]

dogperson, this is good stuff. very good material.. mapping out and the loci method is something i believe we all knew, but we needed to be reminded of this as to understand the actual mental science of memorization; if we know the why of things, it helps a lot too.

so, some of you say it's a gift.---> thus, it's unachievable.. it's only for the gifted and born (this will fly in the face of most people, as it makes things and the world look too EXCLUSIVE, and often unattainable)

others say it's all about practice.----> this is the most popular, because everyone can do this.. even without a gift.