Musicians & Memory

Musicians young and old struggle with memory. I have a few students who are really struggling with it this year (we memorize in chunks). You may ask, “Why do musicians need to memorize their songs?” If you learn something “by heart”, you know it inside and out. You understand it on several levels and can perform it confidently – consistently. Plus it just looks good.

Now there are times to memorize and there are times not to. Memorization is required at festivals and exams. Student recitals? It depends. If it’s a recital to air out exam pieces, then yes to memory. If it’s just a fun recital, it’s optional. If you’re just jamming with family and friends, memory is optional (improvising is probably more valuable here). If you’re at a family reunion and you’re dragged to the piano? You better have something ready at your fingertips (or be a good improviser!).

There are five types of memory that musicians use. The more forms you use, the stronger your memory is. They are:

1. Aural: memorizing by ear

2. Visual: AKA “photographic memory”

3. Tactile/Digital: AKA motor memory

4. Analytical: looking for patterns and relationships

5. Kinesthetic: AKA “muscle memory"

Here are a few interesting articles on memory and music:

• Pianists’ Four Kinds of Memory

• Memory Improvement Techniques

© 2006, Musespeak™, Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Injury Prevention for Musicians

Yes, it’s true, even musicians are afflicted by injuries. Several classmates from university and I have suffered from repetitive strain injuries (RSI) off an on for over 10 years. Once you get RSI, it’s virtually impossible to cure completely. Sometimes, it's piano related. Other times, it's computer related.  

The problems stem from poor technique, poor posture and repetitive motions. Chiropractors and physiotherapists told me that strengthening the muscles around the damaged tendons through exercise is the best way to combat the recurrence of RSI.

Calgary-based teacher, clinician, adjudicator and composer Dr. Peter Jancewicz has written several articles on the topic, having suffered from RSI. Practicing the Alexander Technique has done wonders for him.

At the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations (CFMTA-FCAPM) conference held in Calgary July 2005, there was a session on the Feldenkrais method, which also is helpful for musicians with RSI.

Other musicians use sports and/or martial arts to strengthen their muscles. Doctors often recommend swimming and strength training. Yoga and martial arts are good activities as they not only keep musicians physically fit, but help with calming the nerves, settling the mind and focusing. That was part of my motivation for studying Iaido.

Whatever method you choose, it is best to do research first and consult with your doctor before taking on a new physical activity.

© 2006, Musespeak™, Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Too busy to practice? Try the 10 minute practice session

With the school year well underway, students are busy with homework, sports and other extracurricular activities. This translates to the famous line many teachers hear on a weekly basis, "I didn't practice this week because [insert excuse here].” This is actually a discussion topic on the Canadian Piano Pedagogy Discussion Group I am part of. Both my brother and I were busy with extracurricular activities and school in our day, in addition to piano, music history, as well as harmony and analysis classes. How did we manage it and still do well? First, our parents made studying a priority, whether it was school or piano. We couldn’t drop either activity. Sure, we didn't practice as regularly as we should have but Mom was on our case if we slacked off too much. It helped that Mom gave us fun music on a regular basis for the times we were tired of our exam pieces.

At university, I learned how to practice more effectively. I suffered my first bout of tendonitis between my second and third year. The doctor said the best way to let my arms heal would be to not play the piano for several months. That simply wasn’t an option for me. With a careful regimen of icing, physiotherapy, rest and ibuprofen, my piano teacher completed the program by revising my practice routine. I started slowly, only playing for five minutes a day. Gradually, I built it up to the two to two-and-a-half hours a day I maintained for the rest of my studies.

With only ten minutes of piano time, I had to make them count. I learned to zoom in on “trouble spots”. No need to drill something that I can do well.

It also meant I had to find other way to keep up with my peers. My teacher advised me to study the music score for patterns and memorize the music as I would memorize a vocabulary list. I tracked down recordings of my repertoire and listened to them ad nauseum. I also learned to practice the rhythms away from the piano by tapping them on my lap or on a table.

Each of these activities can be done in a ten-minute session. It’s a routine I employ now as a teacher with limited practicing time. Warm up on scales, chords and arpeggios for one key, drill a trouble spot and improvise for a few minutes. If a student is late or doesn’t show, then I can squeeze in another ten-minute session. I try to squeeze in at least one ten-minute session a day if I’m pressed for time. After all, I know as well as the next person that it’s tough to practice an hour a day, every day.

© Musespeak, Calgary, AlbertaCanada, 2005. All rights reserved.

Friday Fun Link #3

This week, I’ve directed several students to MusicTheory.net . Ricci Adams, the site’s creator, has done an excellent job at preparing tutorials to musicians. The Flash presentation on rhythm has helped at least one of my students. My favourite part of the site is the Trainer section. Where was this when I was studying? The Interval Ear Trainer is set up like a game. The Trainer will play an interval (the distance between two notes) and the student must identify what the interval is. The Trainer even keeps score. The Scale Ear Trainer and the Chord Ear Trainer are set up similarly.

The Note, Key, Interval and Triad Trainers are like online flashcards.

It’s a great way for students to practice their ear training and note reading when they don’t have a study partner.

There is even a staff paper generator for those who want to try their hand at composing.

Check it out.

(c) 2005 by Musespeak(tm). All rights reserved.

Practice Makes Excellent

When I was a young piano student, I often heard "Practice makes perfect". I have no doubt that one of the reasons I had a history of choking in performance was because of the pressure to be perfect. Notes, rhythm, dynamics, shaping - everything had to be flawless. Well, in a live performance situation, "flawless" is next to impossible to achieve. A drafty room, a sticky key, a new piece, an audience member unwrapping a cough lozenge wrapper just a little too loudly, a child in the back row asking his mom "Is it over yet?", a guest wandering over and startling the performer - such factors lead to the "unexpected" happening in a performance.

Now, as a teacher and a professional musician who plays at wedding and parties, I have unlearned the mindset for perfection. Oh, I still try to get everything to the best of my ability but now I strive for painting a musical picture as vividly as possible. I heard a motivational speaker say "strive for excellence, not perfection." What I've learned from playing at numerous gigs is that most people don't know you've made a mistake unless you draw attention to it. Keep going, smile and don't miss a beat whatever you do.

I bring this up because I am practicing for a couple of gigs taking place next week. With a full studio, it's hard to find time to practice. I try to squeeze in a couple of gig songs a night after teaching. Gigging has taught me to embellish and fake it. How liberating to not have to play anything exactly as written. How necessary it is to embellish and fake so that I can play through 40 - 50 songs for one of the gigs.

The only problem is, if I play some classical music after the gig material, I find it hard to play anything "straight."

(c) 2005 by Musespeak(tm). All rights reserved.