Memory is always the most laborious task for me, and I tend to procrastinate in favor of playing and enjoying the music! But truthfully, if I do not take the time to memorize, I do not learn the music as well or as deeply as I could. Below are the steps I generally take to memorize, and then a link to a short video showing it in action:
- Learn the notes and be able to physically play with ease (for me, this is the most fun part, and usually the fastest). Expression comes as I study at the piano, listen to recordings, and make decisions along the way.
- Memorize the melody (usually in my RH)
- Consider the tonalities/chords/key, mark my music with the letter names, and talk through the changes
- Pick up contrasting voices and figure out how they fit
- Really think about how the voices are moving – where do they move by step, chromatically, or by interval? Adjust fingering as necessary and keep it consistent.
- Test my memory by playing away from the score
- How did I do? Correct mistakes
- Play something completely different: another section or a completely different piece. Come back. Have I retained what I memorized? If not, find out why and fix it.
Between each step, I play the section to test my memory. By #6, I really should have it, but if my focus is not there, I have to slow down, refocus, talk through what is happening in the music (aloud!), and try again. I work on this section by section, constantly moving forward and then back to review what has previously been memorized, back and forth, until the piece is completely memorized. At that point, I start testing my memory by thinking the piece away from the keyboard on my walks, when I’m driving, and when I go to sleep. Another good test is to “ghost” hands by playing one hand while thinking the other as it hovers over the keys without playing. Finally, if I can write it out (I seldom do this, but it can really help when a theme comes back in various iterations!), I feel like I really know it.
Here is a brief video of what this looks like in practice.
None of this guarantees a mistake-free performance, but the mental work is beneficial for both secure physical movements and expression, even if I decide finally to perform it with music.
Does memorizing come easily for you? Maybe the physicality and hard work of learning the piece is enough to solidify the notes for you. I would still encourage the mental exercises of identifying chord names and key changes, isolating voices, and planning consistent fingering to strengthen your understanding of the music and engage with it more fully!
For children, memory seems to come much more easily! However (or maybe more importantly, because of this very thing…), it is up to us as teachers to draw attention to major and minor tonalities and relationships, independent voices, efficient movement of fingers and hands, and directives in the score for dynamic and tempo changes. Then we can guide them in interpretation by asking questions about why the composer might have made these choices, or encouraging students to experiment with different articulations, dynamics, rubato, and pedaling in order to convey a mood or idea. Don’t settle for students who want to play fast and “get through” a piece; slow them down and encourage them to reflect by asking questions about why a composer might have made certain choices.
As contrary as it seems, slowing down is the fastest way to play quickly, and it gives us great freedom in movement and expression. We just need to remind ourselves to do it!
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