Questions tagged [memorization]

Preparing to perform music without relying on written notation during performance

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Best way to memorize patterns/chunks/building blocks

I am having a hard time memorizing. I read some answers here and it seems the more you can lump together notes in memory the easier it gets. So I was hoping to build my 'internal library of motifs/...
Emil's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
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Isn’t pitch memorization almost as valuable as absolute pitch?

I think a high majority of people are capable of singing songs in the original key and singing the correct notes. Taking it a step further, wouldn’t paying attention to the name of notes that we ...
Lecifer's user avatar
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3 votes
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Tips for learning and memorizing passages consisting of groups of only slightly different notes?

Not sure how to word it better. I give two examples below. On the right hand (treble clef), the small groups of notes have similar patterns but vary slightly, sometimes just an accidental's difference....
GrandAdagio's user avatar
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Are there any effective strategies for memorizing/learning unfamiliar chords?

I'm learning how to play a song on my guitar and there are some chords I haven't encountered yet. I studied the chords and everything one would expect when encountering something they've never seen ...
Deko Revinio's user avatar
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2 answers
107 views

Songs Memorization [closed]

How do I improve my song memory? I've realized that I'm poor in cramming songs. I only sing one or two lines in most of the songs and it hinders making fun as I play.
Cheruiyot A Kirui's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
152 views

Finger precision

As earlier asked here, I have made a lot of progress from where I was, especially I can hold the guitar in the standard way and at least play something without leaning onto fretboard. However, each ...
Always Confused's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
199 views

Is it normal to have memorized a piece by the time you can play it?

I've been playing piano for 5 months and have been having tremendous success (it helps that I've played clarinet for years and can read music). By the time I can play a Level 4 piece from start to ...
Andrew Blakey's user avatar
26 votes
7 answers
5k views

How to unlearn incorrect muscle memory

So I've been learning to play piano for a few months now. And there's this one, very easy piece, which I have absolutely no difficulties playing, except for. one. freaking. transition. which I somehow ...
Creynders's user avatar
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How do you memorize the modes of the melodic minor scale on guitar?

I'm looking for ideas to memorize the 7 positions of the melodic minor on the guitar fretboard. Any suggestions? Is there a way to map each pattern to a chord shape? Or a way to quickly visualize the ...
Vivek Ayer's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
137 views

To what extent are prompters needed in, say, Metropolitan Opera productions? [closed]

Of course, prompters are meant to be unseen. And in the current Metropolitan Opera daily streamings, say, they don't seem to play any evident role. Are they, in fact, (often) needed? What qualifies ...
Paul B. Slater's user avatar
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3 answers
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How many repetitions of a piece I'm learning should I do before the notes become permanently embedded in my memory? [closed]

Do people forget songs once they master it and don't practice it for months and years? I am practicing many songs and doing ear training and scales and chords and many things in parallel. Hence have ...
Bodhi's user avatar
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3 answers
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How can I prevent memorizing patterns/ muscle-memory when learning a piano piece?

I have the experience that when I learn a piano piece, what really happens is that I memorize the key patterns of the song, instead of understanding on a harmonic basis what is happening (The common ...
hirschme's user avatar
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How much do concert pianists play from memory?

There are rock musicians like John Petrucci from Dream Theater who is said to play around 20.000 notes per concert, all from memory without looking at notes or tabs. I guess (correct me if I'm wrong) ...
E. Sommer's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
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Still making mistakes in pieces after years of practising them

I think my question has been partially answered before: How to play a song without making mistakes? Practice to avoid mistakes or practice to cover mistakes I am happy to take it down if it is ...
Pyromonk's user avatar
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Efficient exercises to Learn Scales

I'm 66 years old, have some health problems so I don't know how long I'll be around, I've been learning music theory for some film-making projects. I have a MIDI keyboard attached to a DAW and I use ...
user316117's user avatar
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Is there a site, or program, that can calculate how many total notes are in a composition? [closed]

I'm new to music. It's very interesting to me how musicians can memorize so many pieces. I'm a mathematics student and naturally I'm interested in quantifying things. To keep things simple, lets say ...
user5826's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Has it always been the tradition for conceto soloists to have their music memorized?

At all the performances of concertos I've attended, the soloists perform without sheet music, whether it is a concerto for piano, viola, or horn. Has this always been the performance tradition for ...
cjm's user avatar
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9 votes
6 answers
3k views

How to memorize multiple pieces in only 20 days?

Just recently I have begun to learn the tuba. For a band I am in, I am required to memorize 5 pieces. Each piece has a length of about 1/2 to 1 full page. However, I only have 20 days to memorize all ...
Beasley Smith's user avatar
41 votes
11 answers
11k views

Forgetting the musical notes while performing in concert

Yesterday I performed my favorite piano piece "Liebestraum no.3" by Franz Liszt in an audition. I forgot a lot of its musical notes although that I prepared it very well and I even played it a lot in ...
Christina's user avatar
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14 votes
4 answers
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Is it better practice to read straight from sheet music rather than memorize it?

My music teacher sometimes tells me too memorize a song, but sometimes also tells me to read straight from sheet music. This confuses me as I am unsure which one is better practice. Is it better ...
xilpex's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
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Looking for some advice for note taking to replace sheet music

I can always play from sheet music better than I play by memory for the most part. I'm learning "kiss the rain" by yiruma which isn't hard at all - very simple but yet it is still pretty hard to ...
Sky Star's user avatar
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16 votes
7 answers
5k views

Should I learn to play from memory in an orchestra

I play in an amateur wind orchestra and I noticed that generally people do not play from memory at all and look into the sheets for the entire piece. I'm no exception for the most part but here and ...
Carpid's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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When should vocal soloists memorize music?

Are there any general guidelines for modern practice about when vocal soloists should memorize their music instead of using a score? I've seen in many performances even of "standard" works like the ...
aeismail's user avatar
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Piano Memorization Techniques

Please share your memorization techniques for piano music. I'm good enough at sight reading to have avoided learning how to memorize effectively, which is now holding me back on tougher pieces. For ...
user19087's user avatar
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1 answer
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I'm having trouble memorizing [duplicate]

I don't know about you guys but I can only think of one thing at a time. okay say I memorize bach 2 part inventions. it's easy right? I can memorize one hand until I can sing the the line with the ...
Sky Star's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Able to play the right hand Presto on the first try?

Usually I have to perfect a piece at Allegro and then slowly get it to Presto starting with single beats, and then merging every 2 groups of beats until I can play the whole piece Presto nonstop. ...
Caters's user avatar
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7 votes
8 answers
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Should I remember the diatonic chord names of each scale?

I've mainly been playing chords/scales based on patterns that I remember. But do you think it's worthwhile to actually remember/take time to commit to memory the names of each chord in each key? So ...
user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
360 views

Is dictating a score from memory a good way to test if the piece is memorized?

My RCM ARCT Performer's Piano exam is one week away, and at my last lesson I had trouble memorizing Mozart's Sonata in B-flat major (K 333). As you may know, memorization is compulsory for the ARCT ...
Andrew Lau's user avatar
4 votes
6 answers
7k views

What method for learning the guitar fretboard is most effective?

I am wondering whether there is a method for memorizing the fretboard that works best for other guitarists. Drills that are disconnected from the act of making music are less effective for me - I can ...
kidbristol's user avatar
10 votes
6 answers
16k views

Are Piano Stickers for Keys good or bad?

Is it good to use Piano Stickers for Keys w/ Complete Printed Notes to memorize the notes on the sheet and their correspondence to piano keys? Does it work? Or is it better not to do that? The main ...
Maziar Aboualizadehbehbahani's user avatar
8 votes
6 answers
3k views

I can't sight-read at intermediate level

I am a Trinity grade 5 pianist and have been playing piano for 2-3 years(earlier played keyboard). I find very difficult to sight read. I usually play the passage once very carefully and memorize it ...
Vatsal Goyal's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
396 views

How to learn pieces by heart when time is limited?

Instruction to learn a piece by heart (3 pages) in a brief space of time (2 days)?
Gogehat's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
589 views

Learning notes on guitar in higher positions (instant recognition)

I have found after playing guitar for several years that I am not so good at instantly recognising most notes on the guitar higher than the 5th (or perhaps higher than the 7th) position. I often still ...
vkan's user avatar
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16 votes
6 answers
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How do you avoid mindless practicing

I finally realize the problem, why I play the same piece over and over again to the point I want to bang my head against the wall and still not improve or feel very empty and that you haven't ...
Jeffrey Tang's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do you learn to read ahead when sight reading for piano?

I've seen some sight reading how to guide and they all touch on things like look at the key signature, don't look at your fingers, when you play the wrong note, keep going, know the rhythm, look over ...
Jeffrey Tang's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Memorizing fret board intervals

Fret board intervals; When playing and looking at the guitar fretboard, is it best to mentally use pictorial patterns, (chords, scales, modes, arpeggios) to help in the (my) solo direction, or ...
Willabe Storms's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
127 views

Advice for quick learning of heavily arpeggiated pieces? (piano)

I am very much into romantic composers, like Brahms, Schumann, Faure, Chopin, and Scriabin. These days I found myself dealing with many heavily arpeggiated passages. What is the best way to memorize ...
JVdR's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
63 views

After being able to sing the left hand and the right hand part separately , how do I put it all together in my mind?

I have trouble memorizing so I decide to try and know how to sing the parts by heart but it is hard especially for baroque because you can sing one part but don't know how the other part sound like at ...
Sky Star's user avatar
  • 467
1 vote
3 answers
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Tips on Memorizing Chords that are in Different Scales

I'm looking for complete freedom when I'm playing. I hate constantly being stuck in one key. One of the best sounding ways I've found to modulate from key to key is by playing a predominant diatonic ...
Evan Howlett's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
8k views

What is the most efficient way to memorize chord changes?

When performing an improvised solo, it's desirable not to keep our minds busy with all the theoretical stuff we study. One of the ultimate goals is to make the hands go where they are supposed to go ...
Allan Felipe's user avatar
14 votes
5 answers
13k views

What exactly do pianists/musicians memorize? [duplicate]

when memorizing music, what is it that they're memorizing? is it the music like all the note/chord names (like E E F G G F E D C C D E E D C)? the piano keys? muscle memory?
Lenny's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
3k views

Improving musical memory

I have weak musical memory. I hear a line and I can sing it back almost immediately, but I can't retain it back a few minutes later. It is not imprinted in my head, and I have to listen to it a lot. ...
Kreso's user avatar
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4 answers
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How to improve/train my memory while playing long pieces on the piano?

This question might result too broad and subjective to answer, so apologize first, but I'll try to make it as specific as possible. Recently I had a piano exam, consisting in three pieces: Partita No....
user314159's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
512 views

How do you come in at the right moment in a memorized performance?

I'm memorizing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto for a performance in June. I'm rehearsing with the orchestral backing on an MP3 player, actually performing with a pianist on the day. Once I actually start ...
Brian THOMAS's user avatar
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1 vote
4 answers
1k views

How I do memorize guitar notes?

Should I learn chords by fret name strings or by symbol notes? For example: an A major chord is on the second fret and I must put my left fingers on the D, G and B strings...this is first way.second ...
philosophy's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
6k views

Remembering the Chords

I've been playing bass for almost 15 years, I have a great memory to remember songs, I can remember songs that I learned years ago and still play them quite accurately. Now I got myself a guitar(...
f.rodrigues's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
459 views

Memorizing a random sequence of complex chords

I'm starting playing piano and have a trouble with memorizing sequences of complex chords. For example (this is beginning of "Turbine Womb" by Soap&Skin): When chords like simple triads (major, ...
user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to memorize a long, seemingly random, sequence of two notes at a time?

When memorizing music, I typically use existing patterns. These are often a scale (sequence of notes) or a chord sequence (sequence of finger positions, giving 3 or 4 notes at a time). It's probably a ...
anatolyg's user avatar
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5 votes
4 answers
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Unable to sing, but not tone deaf

I have always assumed I am tone deaf because I have no memory for music. Although I can harmonize, or sing a long with a song or others, I cannot reproduce it if I am not hearing it currently or ...
Alexandra's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
827 views

Memorizing diatonic chord progressions in a tune

Let's say that the tune is mostly in Aeolian mode. I found that I keep forgetting the changes because when I think V it is not a chord I used to associate with this number and I find myself '...
Rumca's user avatar
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