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Playing from memory is a skill that is not
only possible for
every player, but is indeed essential for every
player.
I never feel that
I know a piece, or have "internalized" a piece, until
I have been
playing it for quite some time from memory. I have
written about the
importance of having a Repertoire, and being able to
play from
memory really makes your Repertoire (the group of
pieces or songs
you can play well) your own; a solid, dependable part
of yourself.
I always found it quite easy to memorize pieces, and
thought
everyone could do this, until experience in teaching
taught me
otherwise. As I began to study the subject, I
gradually uncovered the
reasons why I found it easy, and others found it
difficult. I could
summarize those reasons as follows:
1) I practiced more
2) I paid more attention when I practiced
3) I isolated sections and worked on them separately
4) I often played "fragments" from memory during
practice while
watching my hands, one or the other
After awhile of working on a piece this way, I would
just discover that
I could play it from memory, because in many ways I
was already
doing that when I practiced it.
Why Do Students Have Trouble Memorizing Music?
I have noticed that many students have an absolutely
fearful
dependency upon the written notes! They seem to
"grasp" at the
notes with their eyes, while their fingers are having
a desperate time
trying to get the notes out. This whole approach, and
the inner
attitude that initiates it, is wrong.
The most glaring example of this fearful attitude is
an experience I
once had, watching an older man play. I met him after
a concert, and
he told me he had played his whole life. He did not
play well, and had
incredible tension, but what really struck me was this
curious
phenomenon. He was playing from memory, (with many
gaps), but
kept his eyes glued to the music stand, where he had a
piece of
paper with only the names of the pieces he was
playing! Not the
music itself, but just the titles! It was like a
security blanket for him to
look at it while he played, when of course, he should
have been
watching his hands.
I have noticed this tendency in many students, and I
am mentioning it
first because it is the first thing you must deal with
in order to develop
the skill of memorization. If you haven't already, you
must overcome
the feeling that you NEED to look at the notes all the
time. Notice I
said all the time. Of course you must look some of the
time. But you
must also not look at the notes some of the time. This
is the only way
the ear, brain and fingers will begin to form the kind
of connections
they must form in order to play from memory.
After you determine if you are being held back by this
fear of playing
without notes in front of you, you must examine
something else: the
quality of your Attention while practicing. I firmly
believe that Attention
is what it is all about when it comes to memorizing.
People just do
not know when they are paying attention, and when they
are not,
because they are not paying enough attention to notice
if they are
paying attention in the first place! I spend a good
amount of teaching
time simply pointing out to people that they are not
really paying
attention to what they are doing, or to what they
should be doing.
Very often, the key to "getting something" is simply
REALLY paying
ATTENTION.
Examine yourself while you are practicing. If you pay
great attention,
you will notice that there are a few "channels" of
attention playing in
your mind when you are practicing. Usually, one of the
channels is
the "Critic", the one that points out and magnifies
every difficulty you
are having! Then the Critic delivers the latest news
to that other part
of yourself, the "Punisher", who turns up the volume
on his channel,
so you will hear him as he reminds you that you
probably just don't
have the talent to ever play what you are trying to
play. And if those
two voices don't get you, the "Worrier" probably will,
especially when
it comes time for your big solo, in front of an
audience. Instead of
focusing on what you need to do, you will be focusing
on how afraid
you are that you won't be able to do it. I think it's
called "self fulfilling
prophecy". I know, I've done it many times!
If you are to develop to the higher levels of playing
the guitar, these
extra channels will have to go! You will have to allow
yourself the
luxury of turning off those channels, and using the
power they have
taken up for better purposes, like paying attention to
what you need
to do while practicing (Intention), and what you are
actually doing
(Attention).
Next time, I am going to go in to some specifics about
the 3 kinds of
memory that musicians use to memorize a piece of
music. Most
musicians do it instinctively, but they can be learned
by anyone, and
even musicians who do it instinctively can improve by
having a
conscious understanding of the processes involved.
However, the subject of Attention is primary to the
whole matter, and
that is why I wanted to go in to it in detail first. I
will summarize the
things you can begin to do right now to improve or
develop the ability
to play music from memory:
Examine yourself when practicing to see if you are
broadcasting
and listening to those "extra" channels, the Worrier,
Critic and
Punisher channels. If so, pull the plug!
Take that extra mental energy you now have at your
disposal,
and focus on what is happening at the moment.
Physically, be
aware of fingers, hands, arms and body. Mentally, be
noticing
everything, and THINKING. Ask yourself "Why is this
happening?
What can I do about it? What can I do differently?"
Emotionally,
be aware of your feelings about the music. (If you
don't have
any, ask yourself what you are doing with a guitar in
your lap!)
Now, try playing some of that music from memory. Two
notes,
three notes, whatever. So many people say "I can't
play from
memory". They don't know what they are talking about.
Try it,
just a few notes, then add some more. When you get
stuck,
THEN look at the music, and pay great attention to
what comes
next. Say the notes out loud, do whatever you have to
do to
"burn it into your brain", and then try it again. Play
it once while
looking, then without looking. Keep repeating that
process, you
will get it.
If you are a musician who already plays from memory, I
hope you
are not annoyed and feeling like I wasted your time. I
am writing this
because I know there are many developing musicians who
do have a
problem in this area, and I want them to get as good
as the rest of
us! Anyway, next time I will go into some of the
details of memory
mechanics that will be of use to even advanced
musicians.
Click here for more of Jamie's articles
Copyright 2002 Jamie Andreas.
Please let us know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for future articles, or want to contribute to CleverJoe.com, click here. | ||||
Jamie’s provocative writings examine all aspects of becoming a true musician…the technical/physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Guitar virtuoso, recording artist, composer, and teacher of 30 years, Jamie is recognized by music experts around the globe for her major contribution to the advancement of guitar education.
Her method book, “The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar” (1999) continues to bring the highest acclaim, world renowned as “The International Bible For Guitarists”, and the “Holy Grail Of Guitar Books.” With a straight forward writing style, her tried and true, result-oriented guitar book powerfully reveals the correct practice methods that no other book has revealed…taking the student from the beginning stages all the way to the highest levels of virtuosity.
Jamie is already familiar to aspiring guitar players, as her wisdom is present throughout the Web on all major guitar sites, including her own. Visit: 