Podcast: For Piano Teachers

Episode 6: Memory Work

Dr. Edmund Dawe

The practice of pianists performing from memory was established by Clara Schumann (1819-1896), and Franz Liszt (1811-1886). In her recent book, The Complete Pianist, Penelope Roskell states: “Memorization is a natural process. We constantly memorize information in our daily lives, whether intentionally or not. We absorb information from conversations, from the world around us, and from what we read. Whether we then process this information and establish it in our long-term memory is partly a matter of choice. At the piano, we naturally develop some familiarity with sounds and movements as we practice. However, in order to memorize securely, and to be able to play confidently without the score, it is advisable to supplement this with a variety of more conscious methods.” (Roskell, 475) General:

• Recent years have witnessed an increase in the amount of brain-related research (Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, short- and long-term memory research).

• We do know that memory is a vital part of the learning process, and that all learning requires memory.

• When we practice and learn a new skill, the nerve cells of the brain (neurons) show changes in their physical structure.

• Changes take place in part of the brain called the hippocampus – the part that plays a major role in learning and memory.

• Most recently, myelin research has become an important area in the field of neuroscience – the study of the function of the nervous system and the brain. Myelin is an electrically insulating material that forms in layers around nerve cells in the brain. Myelin allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells.

Memory: 1.Three Types of Sensory Memory (all important in piano playing): Iconic (Visual) Echoic (Aural) Haptic (Touch)

2. Short-Term Memory:

• Serves as a database for temporary recall of information.

• Studies have shown that short-term memory can decay rapidly.

• Similar studies have shown that grouping information can lead to an increase in short-term memory capacity. (For example, a hyphenated phone number is easier to remember than a single, ten-digit number).

3. Long-Term Memory:

• Long-term memory is intended for a more permanent storage of information.

• Studies indicate that there is little decay of information in long-term memory.

• Two types of long-term memory: episodic and semantic memory.

• Episodic: our memory of specific events and experiences. This enables us to reconstruct specific events from various points in our lives.

• Semantic memory is much more complex, highly structured, and involves numerous facts, details, concepts and skills.

• The two types of long-term memory are strongly linked – facts, concepts, etc. are connected to learning experiences.

In the study of long-term memory, scientists are concerned with storage, deletion, and retrieval. Scientists agree that:

• Careful and methodical repetition and rehearsal allows information to move from short-term to long-term memory.

• Interestingly, scientific experiments have also indicated that committing something to long-term memory is most effective if spread out over time.

• Deletion results from decay (lack of use), and interference from other information/material processed by the brain through learning and new experiences.

• Information retrieval is usually divided into two sub-categories: recall and recognition. Recall is using the memory to reproduce the information. Cues are important and many factors in the initial learning phase are strongly interconnected and will impact the learner’s ability to accurately recall the information stored in the long-term memory. Once recalled, we recognize the information, and this further strengthens the long-term memory.

Memorization in Music: Why memorize?

• Tradition.

• Beginning with Clara Schumann and Franz Liszt, generations of concert pianists have proven that this skill can be acquired through practice.

• Millions of piano students around the world succeed in memorization every day.

• Memorization is a useful and important performance skill.

• The main argument is that it takes the performer "off the page" – it is an indication that the music is now strongly internalized, and the performer is able to concentrate on more sophisticated and refined interpretive aspects in performance - a higher artistic level.

• The belief that listening, touch, and projecting the artistic content of the music are enhanced and heightened through memorization.

Types of Musical Memory:

• Sensory: Visual Tactile/Muscular Aural Memory

• Topographical: the keyboard layout

• Musical/Analytical/Intellectual: harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, structure/form

The act of memorizing a piece of music is a deliberate process – a skill that can be practiced and learned. Whereas performing a piece from memory is much more automatic. It’s the deliberate process of memorizing that will build memory confidence and help lead to success in performance. Suggestions:

• Choose music wisely. Motivation, learning, and memory are all strongly interconnected. “Why are passion and persistence key ingredients of talent? Because wrapping myelin around a big circuit requires immense energy and time. If you don’t love it, you’ll never work hard enough to be great.” (Coyle, 34)

• Do not rely on one type of memory even and especially if the student has specific strengths in that one area. Develop strengths in other areas.

• Accuracy in the earliest stages of the learning process is essential. When introducing a piece, analyze it and study it away from the piano. There is an excellent book by Rebecca Payne Shockley, entitled Mapping Music: For Faster Learning and Secure Memory: A Guide for Piano Teachers and Students The book shows how to teach students to create a “map” - a diagram of the piece they are learning. A simple diagram can help tremendously when learning a new piece. (See example below: A mapping diagram of Little Joke, Op. 39, No. 6 by Kabalevsky).

• Listen to recordings of the piece. This is one of the pillars of the Suzuki method. Getting the sound of the piece in the student’s ear can be very useful in the learning process.

• Ensure that weekly assignments align with the student’s abilities, and that the student has the practice tools to accomplish these goals.

• Start memory work in the initial stages of learning the piece. Working in small manageable segments. Establish daily and weekly memory goals.

• Start developing the skill of memorization early with young children and motivate them to memorize. At a conference some years ago, I attended a presentation by Professor Ella Fourie from South Africa. She demonstrated a game/activity she uses with students of all ages. To play the game at the lesson, the piece must be memorized. For example, the student starts to play and at some point, the teacher says, “right hand.” At that instant, the left hand drops out, but the right hand continues. A few seconds later,

the teacher says, “both” at which point the left hand jumps back in on exactly the right note. Constantly alternating or mixing it up. And so on. Young children worked very hard to memorize the music because they couldn’t wait to try RH/LH game in their lesson.

• When the student has a piece memorized, add distractions in the lesson. Tell the student to keep playing regardless. Create distractions, shuffle papers on your desk, slam a book shut, have a coughing fit, etc. Develop in your students the ability to concentrate when faced with distractions. Distractions can interrupt concentration and interfere with the memory process, but students must be able to perform with distractions. Find opportunities for students to perform as much as possible different settings on different pianos.

• Slow performance and practice from memory helps solidify pattern recognition, sound, colour, musical shape and muscle movements.

• Show students how to practice. Teach them to practice in a way that involves deep listening – concentrating the entire time. Encourage short blocks of practice with breaks. Practice in segments or ideas that make musical or technical sense.

• Mix it up. Start at the end of the piece and work backwards in musical units. Start in the middle, etc.

• Play with eyes closed or in a dark room. This will help heighten listening and sense of touch and keyboard layout.

• Just like elite athletes, use visualization. Sit and visualize a performance of the piece.

• Play it on a table top. Taking away the actual sound, focuses on hearing the piece in your head and directs attention to muscle movements – muscle memory.

• Memory cues – establish landmarks in the piece as important structural points and also as cues – a useful go-to point if a memory lapse occurs in performance.

Boris Berman (b. 1948), pianist and professor at Yale University: “I very strongly recommend memorizing a piece at a very early stage. I am aware that many students find memorization a great ordeal. I nevertheless consider memorization a vital part of learning a piece…. I strongly feel that solo pieces should be performed from memory whenever possible. In the process of learning a piece, committing it to memory signifies moving to a higher level in mastering it.” (Berman, 131-132)

Sources Berman, Boris. Notes from the Pianist’s Bench. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.

Comaford, Christine. “The Truth About How Your Brain Gets Smarter.” Forbes. November 7, 2014. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2014/11/07/the-truth-about-how-your-brain-gets-smarter/?sh=579e69fc19bc (Accessed April 27, 2021)

Coyle, Daniel. The Talent Code Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. New York: Bantam Books, 2009.

Mishra, Jennifer. “A Century of Memorization Pedagogy.” Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, Vol. 32. No. 1 (October 2010), 3-18.

Roskell, Penelope. The Complete Pianist from Healthy Technique to Natural Artistry. London: Peters Edition, Ltd., 2020.

Shockley, Rebecca Payne. Mapping Music: For Faster Learning and Secure Memory A Guide for Piano Teachers and Students. 2nd ed. Wisconsin: A-R Editions, 2001.

Best wishes for continued success,

SEE BELOW EXAMPLE: Mapping Little Joke, Op. 39, No. 6 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (Shockley, 10-11).