(14) Memorizing, Close Your Eyes and Play

Memorizing Procedure: Memorize every piece of music you learn before practicing it. While learning any segment when starting a piece, memorize it. Since a segment is typically 10 to 20 notes, memorizing it is trivial and takes very little time. Then you will need to repeat those segments many times, before you can play the piece -- that is many more repetitions than needed to memorize, and you have expended no extra time. Don't waste such a priceless, one-time opportunity! Always memorize first, then practice only from memory, because this way of memorizing requires no extra expenditure of time.

The memorizing process is nearly identical to the learning process — you can accomplish two things in one process! Moreover, by memorizing and practicing at the same time, you actually learn the piece faster than if you didn't memorize it because you save time by not having to look for the sheet music. It also eliminates the slow process of reading the sheet music and mentally translating it to what you are playing, which slows down technique acquisition. Memorizing saves time!

The old school of memorizing taught students to learn to play a piece first and then memorize it. If you separate the learning and memorizing processes, you will have to go through the same procedure twice (HS, segmental, etc.). Nobody has the patience or time to go through such an ordeal; this explains why those who memorize after they have learned the piece never memorize as well as those who memorize first.

Memorizing HS will be useful during a performance for recovering from blackouts, etc. There are many more uses of HS memory that we shall discuss later. Once a short piece or a movement is memorized, break it up into logical smaller sections of about 10 bars each and start playing these sections randomly. Practice the art of starting play from anywhere in the piece. Starting randomly should be easy because you learned and memorized in small segments. It is really exhilarating to be able to play a piece from anywhere you want and this skill always amazes the audience.

Once a section is memorized, never use the sheet music again except for specific purposes, such as double checking the memory accuracy or checking the expression markings. Do not repeat the same segment too many times because memory is not reinforced proportionately to the number of repeats. It is better to wait 2 to 5 minutes and to re-memorize again.

Everything you memorize is in the head indefinitely; this is why savants can have such miraculous memory. Forgetting is not loss of memory but the inability to retrieve information. The most common cause of memory loss is confusion; instead of retrieving the right information, the brain goes to the wrong place and gets stuck. Memorizing HS is effective because you are dealing with only one hemisphere of the brain. HT memory involves both hemispheres and there are more chances for confusion. Slow practice is a good test for memory because there is more time for the mind to wander around and get lost. It is also a good way to memorize because there is time for the material to go back and forth from brain to hand many times, to strengthen the memory.

Many students become either good readers but poor memorizers, or vice versa. In almost all cases, this happens not because the students are born that way, but because of the way they practiced. Once they become good at reading, they have less need for memorizing, and can ignore memory practice. Vice versa for good memorizers. Teachers must carefully balance the reading/memorizing abilities of students at the beginner stage.

For practically all students (including those who consider themselves to be poor memorizers) the most difficult passages are played mostly from memory. Non-memorizers may need the sheet music for psychological support and small cues here and there but, in fact, they are playing difficult passages mostly from memory (if they can play them). Students who do not memorize never learn anything well, and this limits their technical development.

Pianists often close their eyes when they want to concentrate on playing music with high emotional content -- they need all the resources available to produce the high level of music. When the eyes are open, a tremendous amount of information comes into the brain because vision is a three-dimensional, multi-color, dynamic, source of high bandwidth video data that must be immediately interpreted in many complex ways. These data must be instantly processed because we must respond in real time to visual inputs. Thus a large portion of the brain is preoccupied with image processing at all times, not just when driving a car or playing tennis. Closing the eyes frees up this enormous amount of brain power for concentrating on music. Therefore, although most audiences admire that a pianist can play with eyes closed, it is actually easier. No concert pianist will intentionally make things more difficult for them during a difficult performance. They close their eyes because that makes it easier to play.

So, go ahead and play with your eyes closed and really impress the audience! Because it is simpler, it can be learned quickly. Besides, it is a skill any accomplished pianist should have. Learning to play with the eyes closed improves the ability to play with eyes open, because it requires skills such as feeling the keys [ (28) Jumps, PP, FF, Feeling the Keys ] and listening to your own playing.

Types of Memory: The best way to learn how to memorize is to study the best memorizers. Some savants have super-human memories, but we do not understand how their brains work, so they provide little help except to provide proof that human brains can perform incredible feats of memory. However, there are plenty of ordinary people who are terrific memorizers that routinely compete in memory contests. These memorizers have written articles/books on how to memorize that you can easily find on the internet. These accomplished memorizers always use memory algorithms [ (16) Human Memory Function ]. For example, to memorize a set of numbers, they map those numbers into a story or scenery that is easy to remember. The best memorizers have all been found to have evolved their own algorithms. Savants probably use algorithms also; unfortunately, no savant has been able to tell us what algorithm they are using; apparently theirs is something not readily describable in human languages.

It is instructive to study "intermediate" memory feats such as calendar calculations whereby a person can name the day of the week for every date, even thousands of years in the future or in the past. These are "modulo-A, B, . . ." problems and frequently have trivially simple solutions. For calendar calculations, A=leap year, B = month, and C = week. Simple calculations show that you need to memorize only a few numbers to be able to calculate the day of the week for every date in seconds. Let's examine a simple modulo case, our number system (modulo-9) in which we need to memorize only ten numbers, 0 to 9, in order to write down and make calculations with numbers of any size , an amazing feat. Thus these modulo systems can be extremely powerful. The analog of the calendar calculation in the number system is the problem of predicting the last digit of a very large number, such as 5621. The answer (1) is trivial in this case, because of the modulo system. Pianists use the modulo-12 system (the octave) every time they play. The audience watches in wonderment as the pianist runs the entire span of the keyboard at top speed, because they don't know that we only need to know how to play one octave to be able to play all 88 keys.

There are numerous fascinating types of algorithms used by super memorizers, but that subject is outside the scope of this book. We don't need them for memorizing music because music itself is an algorithm! This is partly why all concert pianists can memorize such large repertoires - concert pianists are one type of super memorizer because piano practice provides them with several algorithms. Why music is such a good memory algorithm is not adequately understood; the answer certainly lies in the fact that music is a language [ (68) Theory, Solfege ]. An old man can tell stories for hours, much as a concert pianist can play for hours from memory. Thus memorizing hours of repertoire is nothing unusual for the average human , if you know how the brain memorizes.

Historically, music teachers have not taught memory methods, which explains why there is such a disparity between good and poor memorizers among pianists. The old school of music pedagogy had ascribed memory capabilities to talent because teachers did not know how to teach memory methods.

The first step in studying memory for piano is listing the ways in which we memorize: the pianists' algorithms. There are many types of memory such as emotional, temporal (when it occurred), personal (people associated with the music), spatial (where), historical, etc.; that is, too many, because memory is associative [ (16) Human Memory Function ]. Here we discuss five types that are particularly useful for piano with their algorithms enclosed in ( ):

1. music memory (algorithm: the music itself),
2. hand memory (combination of the tactile feel of the playing, auditory inputs from the piano, muscle reflexes built up during practice, etc.),
3. keyboard memory (visual location of the specific keys played),
4. photographic memory (photograph of sheet music), and
5. theoretical memory (music structure, theory).

(1) Music memory is based on melody, rhythm, harmony, expression, emotion, etc. The algorithm for music memory is mostly pre-wired in the brain; you don't need to be a music professor to enjoy music. Most of music memory is automatic, because it is associated with inborn and learned processes already in the brain. It works best for artistic and musical types of persons who have strong feelings associated with their music. Those with absolute pitch will also do well because they can find the notes on the piano from the memory of the music. Composers use music memory all the time. The music algorithm is a major component of memory and therefore musicality is important for memory.

(2) Hand memory is a habituated reflex response to mental, auditory, tactile, etc., inputs acquired from repeated practice. A large component of any piano memory is hand memory, also called muscle memory — the hand goes on playing without having to consciously play each note. Before pianists understood the concept of associative memory [ (16) Human Memory Function ], hand memory was believed to be the only and best method of memory - "practice until the music is in your hands" we were told. We now know that this belief is wrong.

Everybody must practice common constructs, such as scales, arpeggios, Alberti bass, etc., so that the hands can play them automatically, without having to think about every note. Hand memory is a necessary component of memory; fortunately, it is automatically acquired as a byproduct of repeated practicing.

Hand memory is unreliable because it is prone to blackouts (whenever the normal stimuli change such as at a performance) and, if you get stuck in the middle of a piece, there is no way to restart because the stimuli have disappeared. Dependence on hand memory is the source of most piano memory problems because it relies on reflexes over which we have little control. Therefore, reliable memory can only be established by adding other memory methods, by adding more associations [see (16) Human Memory Function ] such as the other memory methods discussed in this section.

(3) Keyboard memory: In keyboard memory, you remember the sequence of keys and hand motions as you play. There is a piano in your mind, and you can play it, as explained in (15) Mental Play (MP) . Keyboard memory has most of the advantages of photographic memory but the memorized notes are the piano keys that you play instead of tadpoles on a sheet of paper. This bypasses the process of translating from tadpoles to keys. Keyboard memory is the easiest to use, because it can be acquired while practicing the piece and the memory is reinforced every time you play it. Since music and hand memory are also automatically acquired, the combination with keyboard memory will provide a sound memory foundation with little extra effort.

(4) Photographic memory needs to be cultivated if you aspire to become an advanced pianist, because it is necessary in advanced piano activities such as composing, sight reading, theoretical analyses and (15) Mental Play (MP) , treated in the next section. At the very least, you should photographically memorize the first line or page of every piece you learn, especially the key and time signatures. If you do this with every piece you learn, you will automatically develop photographic capabilities so that, one day, you will suddenly discover yourself photographically memorizing a lot. The more you practice photographic memory, the easier it becomes and there is no limit to the number of pages that the human brain can store, because memory is associative [ (16) Human Memory Function ].

Start photographic memory by memorizing one hand at a time. Memorize bar by bar; do not add bars unless all the preceding material is well memorized. Take a accurate photograph of the page, complete with its defects and extraneous marks; remember, the more associations the better. If you have difficulty memorizing certain bars, draw something unusual there, such as a smiley face or your own markings that will jolt your memory. Then, to recall this section, think of the smiley face.

Photographic memorization has many advantages; you can work on it without the piano, anytime, anywhere. You should read it in your mind, away from the piano, as often as possible until it is permanently memorized. If you get stuck in the middle of playing a piece, you can easily restart by reading that section of the music in your mind. It also allows you to read ahead while playing which helps you to think ahead. It will even improve your sight reading.

The main disadvantage is that most people cannot retain photographic memory for long periods of time and maintenance requires more work than other methods because of the high bandwidth of visual images. Another disadvantage is that reading the printed music in the mind is a slow process that can interfere with the playing. However, if you follow the methods discussed here, you may find photographic memory to be easier than you thought. In principle, once you have memorized a piece, you know every note and therefore should be able to map it back to the sheet music. Once you have acquired most of the types of memories discussed here, adding photographic memory requires very little additional work (once you become good at it), and you reap considerable rewards. Thus every pianist should use a certain minimum of photographic memory and gradually expand it with time.

For those who think that they do not have photographic memory, try the following. First memorize a short piece of music using keyboard memory. Once each section is memorized, map it back onto the score from which you learned the piece; that is, for each bar you play (from memory), try to picture the corresponding bar on the sheet music. Since you know every note, HS, mapping it back from the keyboard to the sheet music should be simple. Go back and forth, playing from photographic memory and mapping back from the keyboard to the sheet music until the entire (short) piece is memorized photographically. Then you can amaze your friends by writing down the score for the entire piece, starting from anywhere! Note that you will be able to write the whole music, forwards or backwards, or from anywhere in the middle, or even each hand separately. And they thought only Wolfgang could do it!

(5) Theoretical memory: use the knowledge of music theory to memorize. What is the key signature and how does that affect the whole composition? Where are the chord progressions? Theoretical memory also includes structural analysis. What is the main theme and how is it developed? What are the relationships between the movements? How does the composer connect one bar or section to the next? How did the composer create a convincing ending? This is a difficult memory for beginners, but as you learn more music theory, its importance increases and becomes a major, indispensable element of memory for advanced pianists. Even with little knowledge of theory, anyone can conduct structural analysis, as we did by counting bars and repetitions in Für Elise in preceding sections.

Which of the above five memories to use? The answer is all of them, and even more (such as emotional, historical, etc.); it is unrealistic to think of using only one method, because memory is associative; the more you memorize, the more you can memorize, and the better you can recall the memory. Beginners should learn keyboard memory first because it is the easiest and most rewarding. More generally, start with whatever memory method that is easiest for you. However, in the end, you will be (and already are, to some extent) using all of them; that is why it is beneficial to study as many memory methods as possible because that is how you improve the memory. Each person has a main memory method and supplements it with all the others, some of which are necessary, such as hand memory, and others are partly inborn, such as music memory. More theoretical details of how to improve your memory are discussed in (16) Human Memory Function.

A useful memory device is the "forget 3 times" rule. If you can forget and re-memorize the same thing 3 times, you will usually remember it indefinitely. This rule works because it eliminates the frustration from forgetting and provides 3 chances to practice memory methods. Frustration with, and fear of, forgetting is the worst enemy of poor memorizers, and this method alleviates that frustration because instead of trying to memorize, you are trying to forget.

Concert pianists always play from memory; why?? One obvious reason is the high level of technical skill and "talent" that is expected — you won't have the time for reading the music, turning pages, etc. We discuss the many benefits of memorizing throughout this book, such as raising your IQ [ (65) Creating Geniuses ]; these benefits make memorizing a necessity , not a special talent or a luxury. That's why concert pianists always play from memory — there is no better way.

Memory maintenance: A memorized repertoire requires two investments of time: the first is the initial memorizing process, plus a second "maintenance" component for archiving the memory permanently and for repairing forgotten sections. During the lifetime of a pianist, the maintenance component is by far the larger one because the initial investment is zero or even negative as we have seen (you save time by memorizing). Maintenance is one reason why some give up memorizing: why memorize if I am going to forget it eventually? Maintenance can limit the size of a repertoire because after memorizing, say, five to ten hours of music, the maintenance requirements may preclude memorizing any more pieces. There are several ways to extend your repertoire beyond any maintenance limit. An obvious one is to abandon the memorized pieces and to re-memorize later as needed. Pieces that were well memorized can be re-polished quickly, even if they haven't been played for years. If not well memorized the first time, you may have to go through the entire memorizing procedure all over again. So what does "well memorized" mean?

If you memorized before practicing the pieces and practiced only from memory, the results generally qualify as well memorized.

Memorize as many pieces as possible before the age of 20. Pieces learned in those early years are practically never forgotten and, even if forgotten, are easily re-memorized. This is why youngsters must memorize all their repertoire pieces. Material memorized after age 40 require more memorizing and maintenance efforts. Although many people have little trouble memorizing new material past age 70 using the above memory methods, they must know that the newly memorized material may need constant maintenance to preserve them.

A most effective maintenance procedure is to use Mental Play (MP, playing it in the head, away from the piano, discussed in the next section). MP is also a good test of whether you memorized sufficiently well.

Maintenance time is a good time to revisit the score and check your accuracy for the individual notes and the expression marks. Since you used the same score to learn the piece, there is a good chance that if you made a mistake reading the score the first time, you will make the same mistake again later on, and never catch that mistake. One way around this problem is to listen to recordings. Any major difference between your playing and the recording will stand out as a jarring experience and is easy to catch.

Now memorize the Für Elise in its entirety (HS) as you practice each segment. For more step-by-step examples of how to do this, see (52) Practice Routines: Bach Inventions, Sinfonia.