Playing from memory

[princessmoose]

How does one go about learning a piece from memory? I know some cannot help but memorise, but I find it immensly difficult to do so.

[digby]

If memorising does not come easy, the only way to do it is to be very methodical and technical, which is the safest way to do it even if it does come easily. Work out the chord structures of the piece know where they repeat exactly where they repeat in different pitches, make sure you have lots of anchors where you know exactly what happens next.

for example the opening of Bach's Italian Concerto opens with an F major chord followed descending sub dom arpeggio in the bass. The next phrase repeats the same structure in the dominant of C. Finger memory helps, but it is not reliable when you are nervous.

Ways to check the memory while you are learning it.

1. Play at a painfully slow speed, then try at different speeds. This upsets the finger memory so you if you don't actually know it, it shows
2. Play the different parts with 1 finger so you have to know which note comes next
3. Play each hand separately
4. Play the piece then stop one hand whilst carrying on with the other.
5. Start at lots of different places through the piece, no point in only being able to play a piece from the beginning if you crash (especially if you are on the last page of Liszt B minor sonata)
6. Take the music to bed with you and read it instead of the latest Harry Potter.

I am sure there will be loads more suggestions to add to the list.

[elmo]

I imagine the score in my head. I dunno how well it works with piano, I've only tried with clarinet.

Or I work ou the starting note and play it by ear, and when I get stuck I think "ok so the bit I did wrong was a thrid down from.."

[anacrusis]

I'd be grateful for some further advice, too - thanks for yours, Digby.
So far, any time I've played from memory, it has felt like a complete fluke - well-ingrained motor memory and little else. I once read a reply to this question which was devastating in its thoroughness - full knowledge of the harmonic and melodic structure, motor memory, photographic memory, knowing it all upside down and back to front, almost - and I ended up feeling disheartened.

Can I still read the latest Harry Potter in bed if I've been very, very good?

edit - sorry Elmo - our posts co-incided. One problem with going my ear, for me anyway, is I find it hard to hold onto a correct note if I've played the wrong note after it - then I lose my place.

[Trebor]

I agree with anacrusis - anytime I memorised my piece it was by luck more than design. Some pieces just stick really well, others I never manage to remember more than a few bars. But I've never had any pressure to memorise anything (at least not yet), so don't spend any time trying.

[princessmoose]

Thanks for the advice so far .

[AnotherPianist]

It's hard to advise how to do it, I'm sure it's possible to teach: I'm just not competent enough to do so . I have one tip that may help: less so for piano as there's more than one note at once, but I tend to find I sing the note names in my head along to the melody of the piece like the words to a song. This way I know which note comes next, I tend to do the left hand by physical shape (but not just finger memory a clear map that I can remember of the shape of the piece). Maybe for single line instruments it might help to sing the letter names? I ignore sharps and flats and just sing the letter (although that means one has to remember the key signature and any accidentals).

[anacrusis]

difficult to do with woodwind - my problem, especially since I started learning recorders, is that I don't really know the names of the notes I play - the dot on the page has a direct shortcut to my fingers, and needs to, because sometimes I'm playing a C instrument, sometimes an F, and the music is not transposed for us.
Funny thing is - ask me what note a dot is, and I can tell you, because I know from the little piano-playing I have done in the past.

[elmo]

anacrusis said:

edit - sorry Elmo - our posts co-incided. One problem with going my ear, for me anyway, is I find it hard to hold onto a correct note if I've played the wrong note after it - then I lose my place.

I know, that's the flaw with it

I'm trying to think of other ways to do it, coz I know I do it, but I don't really know how..

[digby]

anotherpianist said:

but I tend to find I sing the note names in my head along to the melody of the piece like the words to a song. This way I know which note comes next,

I forgot this one, singing the line of music, or in fugues different parts is vital, I don't usually sing the note names but it could help.

I suppose if one is 'The L. Ron Hubbard of Music' trained you could do it all in Solfege but to be honest - who can be bothered, Lah, lah, lah works just fine. (On the other board, that comment would come back with a load of critism, wonder what the reaction will be here)

[digby]

anacrusis said:

Can I still read the latest Harry Potter in bed if I've been very, very good?

.

Go on then but only when the next one comes out

[anacrusis]

digby said:

anacrusis said:

Can I still read the latest Harry Potter in bed if I've been very, very good?

.

Go on then but only when the next one comes out

Thanks. If I can wrestle it from the kids, I will...

Meantime, I'll try singing in my head. It's got to sound better than it would out loud.

[saxophonist]

If i need to memorise i piece i do it the extermelly boring way and just play through it loads and loads of times

[anacrusis]

What happens if you make a mistake in playing when you've memorised like that, though? Or do you simply not make mistakes? I find that I get motor memory - my fingers know what to do, but only if nothing goes wrong. If that happens, I am unlikely to be able to retrieve the situation, whereas if I'd done whatever magic it is that the natural memorisers do, I'd be able to carry on - as I can if I make a mistake when I have the music in front of me.

[princessmoose]

Even when I have the music in front of me, if I make a mistake I always mess the next few bars up. It just seems to confuse my fingers...