by Professor Monte Belknap
One of the greatest violin teachers of all time, Dorothy Delay,
once said that the best performers are the ones that can memorize
the most details. Learning to strengthen the conscious memory is key to memorizing music, and thus becoming a great performer.
Traditional Method for Memorizing Music
Traditionally, memorizing music is done by playing through a piece repeatedly
until it becomes automatic (rehearsal). Musicians who practice this way rarely
attempt to put the music into their conscious or awake mind. Thus,
the music only exists in the artistic and expressive part of the
brain, or the subconscious. During a performance, when the pressure
on the musician is great, it is difficult to stay in the subconscious,
where the music was memorized. The brain goes “conscious”
and the mind of the performer can go “blank”. This may
contribute to musicians having “memory slips” during
a performance.
The "Shadow Practicing" Method
- Students begin by playing through a piece of music by memory
without the instrument in their hands. When a mistake is made,
they look at the music, repeat the passage 4 times while looking
at the music and then 4 times (perfectly in a row) without the
music. They then continue with the rest of the piece. Each time
students go through this process their memory of the piece becomes
more solid and reliable.
- Musicians should perform the shadow practicing just before going
to sleep. Some research suggests that the brain automatically
rehearses what was done just prior to going to sleep throughout
the night.
- Students can actually say out loud the positions they are going
to or from and yell out the orchestra letters so they are memorizing
rehearsal spots as well. This develops a more photographic memory
and a sense of where the hand will be sent so that the mind consciously
knows the correct position of the arm and hand.
Through this process, the active memory becomes stronger and stronger
– like an exercised muscle – and it becomes possible
to consciously memorize faster. This allows music to be performed
better as well, simply because the knowledge of the music is more
secure. Shadow practicing forces the mind to work harder because
the performer cannot hide behind the muscle memory or the instrument,
but must rely only on brain power to reconstruct the piece. The
arms and hands don’t just move subconsciously - the performer
knows where they are in the piece at all times… almost able
to write out the music. The improved confidence that "Shadow
Practicing" builds, dramatically improves overall playing ability,
lowers performance anxiety, and improves musicality.
Books on Memorizing Music
There are several useful books on memorizing music. Some of them are listed below...
- Guide to memorizing music, by A. J Goodrich
- Memorizing Music (Musician's Handbooks), by Gerald Cumberland
- Practical music memorizing, by Raymond Townsend
Memorizing Music