Memorizing music and the benfits on playing

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Memorizing music and the benfits on playing

I just experienced the most uncanny thing! I have been hacking away at the third movement of Morart three. I for some reason couldn't play it well. I was alway screwing up something , articulation, transposition, time.

Any way by now I have the whole movement ingrained in my memory. So out of what I think was just lazyness and frustration at the time, I attempted to play it from memory. I didn't really fell like gettin the music out. I ended up playing the whole thing better than I'd ever played before!

Maybe this is a common knowlege, but I feel as if I've had a mini revolution of thought. By commiting something to memory I can play it better. I actually went back and attempted to play it from the sheet and it came out worse.

I guess this is because I have one of those photographic memories. Memorization always seemed to be a step taken when after one had perfected the peice (or atleast knew it really well) I've only been playing it for about two weeks! I've never really tryed to play from memory before, I never had to, no one had ever suggested it to me. I think I'll start trying to memorize everything! Memorization comes pretty easy to me.
I just thought I'd share that with you all, I'm really excited! Does any one know what I'm talking about? There are many diffrent styles of learning so I would assume that this meathod would not be usefull for every one, but what about you visual learners, others with photographic memories?

Richard Paquette

I'm not surprised, however the result may not so much be as a result of photographic memory, but because you had internalised piece and were able to focus and concentrate on the MUSIC without the distraction of the sheet music.

Here are a few observations on memorization:

Most technique is based on memorization - "TECHNIQUE IS MEMORIZATION". Horn players would do well to look at the finger and bowing exercises of string players. The daily exercises for the 'Cello would surprise you. If you consider notes as (letters), it is very useful to learn your technique in small groups (words) until you are "word perfect" and then string them together into longer (phrases). These exercises are meant to be practiced daily and may take many years to achieve but it lays the foundation of good playing technique.
It is not necessary to have a "photographic" memory - in fact I think this could be a distraction as one really has to remember the music, which is essentially "aural" not "visual". Granted, one needs to have a concept of the phrasing, articulation, rhythm etc. (visualize?), but this is internalised hopefully in your brain (in one's mind's eye? or is it your soul?) and played from the "heart". There are many great musicians who cannot read a note of music but this does not prevent them from expressing themselves beautifully and effectively in music. In Trinidad & Tobago our Seel (Drum) Orchestras (Pan) memorize complete symphonies - The musicians often cannot read music and it is learned completely be "ear" from the word go. I would challenge any "professional" musician memorize the complete orchestral parts of a two and a half hour performance. Its like an actor having to remember lines. It's possible but it requires constant repetition until the part is burnt into your brain and can be retrieved without hesitition or prompting. Only then can you forget the butterflies and get on with the performance.
PRACTICE makes PERFECT : Beware of this statement, as this is not necessarily so. In most cases it does exactly the opposite. My version is "PRACTICE makes PERMANENT". Therefore in order to achieve a level of "Perfection" one must have a very clear concept of what "Perfection" is (to you and/or your audience). This is why a beginning student needs the BEST teacher he/she can get in order to build a solid base of good technique and musicianship. This aviods having to correct playing problems which were unfortunately learned by TOO MUCH practice of an unsound technique which were not nipped in the bud.
In order to expand your knowledge and understanding of music, take every opportunity to listen to as many great artistes as possible - not only horn players, as music is a universal language and your instrument is only your "voice". This exposure will help you decide on your own interpretation and to make "poetry" of your music to the immense satisfaction of others and yourself.
Richard had problems with Articulation, transposition and time.
The first is technique,
The second is pure memory - until the transposition is second nature and the piece can be played without hesitation, wrong fingerings or mispitched notes.
The third is musicianship. This requires Finesse, Focus and Concentration - not HACKING unles you want to be an expert hacker.
Isolate these problems, work on them separately, then put them together.
Finally remember that "MUSIC is not TECHNIQUE" but that "TECHNIQUE" often gets in the way of "MUSIC". It is much more satisfactory to perform well within ones technical capabilites and play really beautifully than the opposite. However, in order to improve one's technique you need to be working on pieces which give you a little "stretch" but not so difficult that they incourage bad habits.

Francis Pau

There are many different styles of learning so I would assume that this method would not be useful for every one, but what about you visual learners, others with photographic memories?

I am a visual learner, and I have never been able to memorize music at all on any wind instrument, though I have tried many times. I *can* memorize piano things though...I guess because I can *see* all the necessary elements (my hands). Funny thing is....I never learned to play the piano properly and memorization is the only way I can play it! Put a simple four part hymn in front of me and I can pick it out slowly.....but I can play Beethoven's "Moonlight" or "Pathetique" with no problem because I memorized them (very slowly)!

I also have a problem with music theory and thinking about transpositions too. In order to transpose something or think about a chord progression I have to "see" it on a piano keyboard in my head! For particularly difficult things I have to sit at the keyboard to do it. I have tried many times to memorize Horn and Flute parts and it doesn't seem to work. I'm not sure why Horn doesn't work because I can see my hand. Perhaps it is that the finger positions aren't unique to one note as they are on the Piano?

Karen L. Comer

I am a piano player and horn player also and I must say that piano is easier to memorize on. You can actually see what you're doing. This is why I picture the notes I play on horn, on the piano. You seem so visual, this shouldn't be a problem. If you're playing a C on horn or have a passage, plink it out on the piano (don't worry about transposing, it's just too much to think about) and then visually remember what it looked like so you can play it on the horn later. This is especially helpful for finding 1/2 steps and whole steps (or the awakward fourth or fifth) for trasposing. Just imagine you're at a piano! Notes are notes! I hope this isn't too "untechnical" for all the pros out there that could probably recommend the "174 Memorization Studies for Horn" by Imboring. This is just my method to the maddness.

Chris Wingert

Just imagine you're at a piano! Notes are notes!

I do that...and I seriously believe it slows me down. It is sort of like speaking a foreign language by translating everything in your head before you say it...the extra steps slow you down and you don't truly speak the language.

Just last night I was doing some transposition on the computer. One of the small Concert Bands I play in has only one flute so the director asked me to transpose the Flute part so I could double her on Horn (probably more like drown her out, but hey he's the director!) since mostly I do Eb --> F transpositions I had to sit and think about that one for awhile...I didn't cheat and let the computer do it for me either! I ended up having to use the keyboard to visualize as usual!

Karen L. Comer

Interesting topic. When I was younger, I had a piece memorized long before I had it learned, because of my photographic memory. I also have always had awful problems learning any piece well enough to have it go on "automatic" -- what you need for performance, because the way I played it was to read the picture of the sheet music in my mind; in actuality, I just got better and better at sight-reading it, until I could sight-read at the level of the piece. But performances have always been sticky, because the physical playing never gets completely grooved, because the focus is always mental, reading the sheet music in my mind. And it gets worse, even, because I have "perfect" pitch and read by pitch, not fingering or whatever. I see a pitch, hear it in my head, and then play that pitch on whatever instrument I happen to be holding. Anyone else do it this way?

And Karen, on piano I can hardly sight-read at all, but can learn pretty difficult music by picking thru it slowly, learning it physically, while on violin and horn th pitch method seems to take over.

Mary Ann

I happen to be working on that very same concerto and mvt. I really never thought that memorization was a weird concept. It came very natural to me in high school when I really needed it for marching band. The very same thing happened to me with transposition. But it can have its weaknesses:

One time, this past spring semester, I was working on the 1st mvt (of the same concerto) for my jury (which is like a final exam for private instruction). Each week, my instructor expected some improvement, which I showed every week.

Two weeks before my jury, I told him I was getting a little tired. Then I noticed that every week, the articulation marks were different. I told him this and he asked if I wanted him to stop changing the marks. I had a slip of the mouth, saying that I really should look at the music more. Apparently, he didn't realize that I had actually memorized the entire movement. But he took it the wrong way, saying that if I don't look at the pieces often, then I should have NO excuse. He took it as though as I didn't practice at all.

He finally calmed down, and I had a chance to explain what I meant.

What I'm saying is it really doesn't hurt to memorize your music, as long as you have a good physical look at the piece every once in a while. I get the jist of the piece in two days (with thanks to my perfect pitch and quick transposition). The real hard work comes from getting the style and articulation right. That can take days, weeks, months(?)....:-)

Angela (the fudge) Gonzales

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