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10 Tips for Memorizing Music
By Diana Rogers
Do you memorize sheet music by playing it over and over, hoping it will somehow stick in your brain after playing a song many times through? Sometimes this will work, especially if you are playing a short piece. If you have ever experienced forgetting where you are at a lesson or recital, you might want to try these ten ideas to make memorizing easier for you. 1. Learn the song first before you begin to memorize it. 2. Use the proper fingering. 3. Practice slowly and steadily at first. 4. Watch your hands as you play. 5. Memorize your hands separately. Later on you will be able to put both hands together without any problems. 6. Memorize small sections, maybe one or two measures of music. Don't try to memorize the whole song in a day. Repeat each measure enough times to feel comfortable with the music. After you get half way through the piece, turn on the metronome and play what you learn at a really slow speed, like in four-measure sections. 7. Divide the piece into sections and plan to learn some each day. Then review all the sections. Start anywhere and play through the A and B section of a song. Focus on the ending to the song, so with the knowing the last measure, you can end strong. 8. Analyze the music. Notice notes and sections that repeat. Pay attention to where the music changes. Memorize the dynamics and other markings in the song. 9. Practice mentally away from the piano, tapping your fingers on the table or visualizing the music in front of you. 10. Repetition. After repeating each measure a few times or the entire song over and over, it gets a lot easier to memorize. Many teachers consider memorization one of the most important aspects of piano playing. Most books, which discuss the how-to of memorization, stress the importance of understanding the details of musical form. So, start an opening phrase of music and learn it without the music. Then consider the physical demands the piece of music is making. Look for tricky fingering that comes up at a certain point. Play it many times over and over, remember the feeling. Are your hands playing together or separately? Are they moving in opposite directions? On which notes does the thumb go? Each time you hit a blind spot, you need to refer to the printed music. Remember that when you hit your first blank moment, open your music book and find the place in the music you couldn't remember. Play through it a few times. Now you've begun to deepen your understanding of the song. Most importantly, every now and then play the song you memorized because some memorization is only short-term. The advantages to following these points are many. By memorizing, the music is unfolding in a new way.
I have been playing music with many talented musicians for a very long time. I love all genres of music, especially jazz and blues. I teach piano to all ages and at all levels.
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PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
LadyD Piano
Piano teacher and kindergarten music.
ladydpiano.blogspot.com
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I would think the first tip is the most important one.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You bet. It's sort of like throwing in all the baking ingredients without reading the recipe first. You should look over the music, learn it, then memorize it. Music is like reading a blue print or map! :=)
I have had to use this method all my life. I think I must have some sort of mental block as, at 82 I still can't read music fast enough to play it at first read. It usually takes me about 3 to 4 weeks to master a new piece. Something else that helps. I often get a friend of mine to play the piece while I record it then, in about 10 days into it I start playing along with the recording. Its a bit frustrating to start with but it works for me.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Great point Godfrey. I often record students so they can see and hear their progress. It can be challenging and frustrating at times. Memorizing doesn't come easy for so many of us but Saint Thomas Acquinas said, "Repetition is the mother of all learning." I enjoy the journey of learning a new song. I'm so glad to know you play an instrument! :=)
Thank you for the tips!
 | | tink-r Nov 15, 2011 01:04 |  appreciated |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You're welcome tink-r. Thanks for stopping by!
I was just noticing the person in your picture. That is one heck of a ring the guy is wearing.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
No one I know. The picture is a free-photo. I'm thinking he doesn't work with tools! :=)
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This intel was contributed by LadyD
LadyD
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