Playing by memory is an impressive way to deliver a performance and can come with a host of benefits: deeper learning, fuller expression, and ultimately more comfort. However for some students it can take significant work or even become overwhelming. This guide can help you understand what steps to take to simplify memorizing and why these strategies work.
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One Chunk at a Time
Start by dividing the music into chunks. Often this means 4-8 bar phrases, but it can be anything that makes sense musically. Information is easier to remember if you break it into the same groupings (think of how you always say the alphabet A B C D E F G, then H I J K L M N O P). This also builds places that are easy to start throughout the piece so that if we lose our place we can recover easily. Start with the chunks you think may be toughest to memorize, or start with the last chunk and work backwards. Stay focused on one chunk until you are satisfied with your progress. When each chunk is feeling solid, start combining them into groups of two or more.
Music on the Floor
When you are ready to start memorizing, put your open music on the floor beside you. This way you can get information when you need it but won’t be tempted to look before then. Don’t worry about how much is memorized at first; we are just figuring out what you know and where you want to gather more information. Start playing your chunk and as soon as you can’t tell if you are playing the right notes, stop, look down at the music, and talk through what piece of information will help you on your next attempt. Then try again. There may be a lot of pausing to look at the floor, especially at first. That is normal but if it feels overwhelming, try a smaller chunk.
Check In With Your Brain
As you secure your memory, keep asking, “Can my brain tell I’m playing the right notes?” Your ears can confirm that the notes are right but only after a note has been played. On the other hand, your deliberate focus can help you know you are on track before you play each note, increasing your confidence. When your brain can tell that the notes are correct you can be sure that you are highly focused, leaving plenty of space for learning, and leaving very little space to be slipping towards more muscle memory (useful in its way, but not reliable on its own). For me, this is the heart of secure memorization.
First, make sure you have a clear plan for what you want your fingers to do. Talking out loud can help you be sure you’re not skipping over any details. When the music is on the floor and you pause to look down, this is the step you are working on.
Then, play. The goal isn’t to play the right notes, it’s to check if you’re on track. This is important so I’ll say it again: the only goal is to be able to tell that each note is following the plan you’ve built. When you can’t tell, stop and look for more clues in the music (on the floor), then try again. Checking that you are following the plan with your brain takes more energy than using your ears; when you notice yourself slipping back into only checking with your ears, gently remind yourself that the goal is to check with your brain. Spending this extra energy is well worth it: I believe this is the single most important step to creating secure and confident performances.
Explore Different Types of Memory
Many of us prove we’re on track by talking through our plan with our inner voice but that is not the only option. You may not have an inner monologue, or you may find other ways of thinking are especially vivid for you.
We can explore four main kinds of memory:
- Analytical — what we understand about intervals, chords, form, and other patterns
- Visual — what we see on the page or the keyboard
- Kinaesthetic — what we feel in our fingers and hands
- Aural — what we hear in our mind or with our ears
You are likely using many of these already, and that’s great news. The more ways we process information (i.e. the more parts of our brain we involve), the more secure our memory becomes. Each type of memory can help when we build our plan and when we check we are following it.
Our aim is to create clear, specific instructions that we can trust. With experience, those cues become more precise and consistent, but even a rough description can reassure you in performance and create a foundation for stronger guidance next time you play.
Challenge Your Memory
As our performance approaches, I encourage my students to schedule regular practice performances outside of their normal practice time. Sit and move through each part of your performance routine: breathe to centre yourself, give yourself a moment to get your brain ready, introduce your piece, play it, and bow. Rehearsing these “extra” steps makes them feel more normal on performance day and can help unfamiliar venues feel more predictable. It also shows you how well you can think and listen without a warmup. Record yourself to clearly see what areas are going well and where you want to focus in your next practice session.
Muscle memory, mentioned earlier, always sneaks into our playing; our brains have evolved to automate movements whenever they can. While muscle memory can be helpful, it’s not always reliable if we feel nervous, are in a new setting, or have already had a small slip. Because it builds bit by bit (usually without us noticing), I always challenge my students to test their deliberate memory. By memory, they can try:
- Starting in different places
- Playing much slower than usual
- Playing hands separately
- Ghosting (playing the melody and pretending to play, but not sounding, everything else)
They usually find a few hiccups; this is a good time to peek down at the music again and strengthen our mental plan.
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For most of us, playing from memory doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice, but if we understand what the challenges are ,we can break the task into small steps and make progress every day. Even better, these steps align with my broader strategies for simplifying practice (and improving your memorization skills will also make you a faster learner). As long as you work in small chunks, keep the score out of sight, check in regularly with your brain, and test your learning, I am confident you can be a better memorizer today than you were yesterday.
Happy playing!