Piano Forum

This is going to be long... but I hope this will assist you!

What about it is difficult to memorize for you in particular? Is it something technical or purely the mystique of "I can play it when the music is in front of me, but once I try to play a run-through it's gone" kind of deal?

I believe there are many techniques which one can use to memorize any piece of music. I will list some ideas to try below, let me know if they work out for you or if you have any questions:

First, block out those measures and analyze them theoretically. Personally, as a jazz player in addition to being a classical player, I believe that there is no one right way to do this. If you read and understand nomenclature ("chord symbols") over Roman numerals then so be it. Or vice-versa, or a combination of both. Once you do this, you'll start to find a sequence of what is going on harmonically. This way you understand that it is all the same thing -- OR you might find that Chopin changes the sequence at certain parts, enforcing you to take note of that and give your brain something to latch onto.

Next, break up the music into smaller sections. It may be every four measures, every two measures, it might be every 2.5 measures. Whatever you feel makes musical and theoretical sense, try to follow that.

After breaking the music up, this is where my main method comes into play: Begin from the last section. Set your metronome to the absolute slowest you can play the passage. Start with your left hand (I personally do my left because we often leave our left hand behind our right in general), play it a couple times. Now play with you right hand. Now play hands together.

Notch the metronome up 4 clicks, left hand, right hand, together, and then notch it down 2 clicks, etc.

During this time, pay attention to the articulation, the arc of your dynamics (cres. or decres. what quality of the sound you want), and begin to experiment with fingerings. I say experiment because once you get faster you might have to change them to accommodate playing it up to tempo! However I suggest you find them quickly (which honestly shouldn't take too long if you're diligent!) so that you can solidify them through all of this shedding.

Once you've gone 16 or 20 clicks, go back to where you started and play hands together, then go back to where you've left off and continue going up 4, down 2, etc. The reason you do this is to make sure you know how it feels to practice this fast music, slowly.

When you've arrived or have come close to playing it a tempo, try to perform the passage from memory. In fact, test yourself along the climb to the top to see how memory is going. It's okay if you don't have it after one session, that isn't the point. But after doing a bunch of physical work, see if you can retain it without having to look at it. You might surprise yourself

After you've completed the section, go back towards the next section and repeat this process. Make sure you play into the section(s) you've already completed so you create a sense of continuity in the music.

On top of doing this work at the piano, I suggest listening to a recording (rather, a few different recordings so you don't just internalize what one person is doing musically) to solidify your aural memory. When you listen, really focus on what you're listening to. Think through all of your fingerings, articulations, the feeling you have in your arms when you play. In fact, you should do this even when you aren't listening to the music (pure, away from the keyboard, mental practice!), however I think it's an important tool to use in addition to "just listening to it."

Also, to answer the question "Why start from the end?" is simple. Typically we learn pieces from beginning to end. When it comes time to play it from memory, the further we go the less comfortable we are playing the piece. This leads to slips in memory, and having to backtrack to a section, meaning you'll have to play that spot you don't have memorized again and again. With this method, the further you are in the piece the more comfortable you are, and since you set yourself up with several two-measure or four-measure sections you literally have several fail-safe locations to start from instead of just "the exposition" or "the development" etc. This helped me in my senior recital where I had one tiny memory slip, so I faked my way for a few beats until the next "section" started. Unless you're listening closely, it hardly sounds like I'm having trouble with memory.

This is a method I was taught as a sophomore in my undergrad when I slacked on learning the 5-voice fugue in C#-minor for my final performance jury. I practiced like this for two weeks and not only memorized the fugue, but was able to play with more musical conviction than I had ever done before. It's a lot of work, but trust me it will certainly pay off in the end.

I understand this isn't purely for memorizing a passage, but also just how to learn music in general. This is how I learn solo repertoire. All at once

Again, let me know if you have any questions! Happy practicing!