Master of Memory: Accelerated learning, education, memorization - MMem 0290: Reprise: What are some ideas for memorizing musical material?

Episode Date: April 17, 2015

Today Timothy revisits  some ideas for memorizing musical materials, with some extra comments on how he would change his answer today. What do you want to learn? Leave your question at http://MasterOfMemory.com/. Music credit: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet, 2nd movement, performed by the US Army Band.

Today we're doing a reprise episode. When we release this episode, it's going to be during my sabbatical for some extended overseas travel. So basically, we're representing an old Master of Memory episode that I think is worth a refresher, but also with some new commentary from me based on my more experienced perspective. Today we're on episode 3, which is about memorizing musical material. Now, I've actually gotten lots more ideas about musical material since recording this episode near the very beginning of Master of Memory. Some things I like about the way that it's presented in this episode is, well, there's a nice idea of having a linear memory palace. So you're going from the very beginning of whatever you're memorizing to the end.

So this is a good application of a linear memory palace. And then, of course, you're filling that palace with themes that are, you know, your imagery. So you're memorizing your musical themes or whatever you're playing on your instrument based on the imagery that's in those palaces. Now something I would change is I would put more emphasis on the binary mnemonics that can be used to memorize rhythms really quickly, and perhaps some more systematic ideas that I'll be developing for masterofmemory.com in the near future, so I don't have them all kind of laid out right now, but I'm working on them right now. You can also see episodes 190, 194, 208, and 212 for some applications and expansions on this subject.

For now, let's enjoy this vintage Master of Memory episode on memorizing music. Welcome to Master of Memory. I'm Timothy, and I'm here to answer your accelerated learning questions every day and to inspire and empower you to learn anything you want to learn faster than ever. Today's question comes from Joseph, who asked on the Facebook page about memorizing music. Joseph is a musician who's interested in learning how to memorize music more quickly and effectively. Well, Joseph, even though I studied music in college, I never really applied these accelerated learning techniques while I was doing that. So this is actually something I had to think about for a little bit. But the suggestions that I'd have would be, first of all, just try using a memory palace while you're learning your music.

So you could start just by, you know, from the very beginning of the piece that you're trying to memorize, choose a building that you've been in and put just a few measures in each room. And you could, you know, you could try to personify those themes or whatever, or you could just think of, you know, ideas. But the idea is that while you're going through the piece, you're thinking of different rooms in the building and be specific about which measures are associated with each room. And that way, the character of the piece will be imposed on the character of the building. And so that way, you know, while you be imposed on the character of the building. And so that way, you know, while you think through the building, you can remember each piece. And then while you're playing it back later, you just think through the building in your mind.

And if you're not sure what comes next, you just think of the next room and that next part of the piece will come to mind. That's, you know, just basically a general idea. There are also some other things you could apply. For example, you can use rhythms as mnemonics. I actually posted something on the Facebook page about this earlier, and it was just kind of a funny graphic that Eric Whitaker reposted about turning different little rhythmic patterns into words or memorable pictures. And so you can go to the Facebook page and look at that, but maybe you should come up with your own mnemonics. But the advantage of that would be that instead of trying to remember something as abstract as

music, when you're going into different rooms, you can place memorable images in those rooms. And then while you're going through the rooms in your memory palace in your mind, you think of those images and you can turn those images into those rhythmic devices, which translate into the themes that you have to play. But anyway, what I really recommend is to use your own experimentation and see what works for you. Try the things that I mentioned, but also try anything that you think will, you know, just try some new stuff. And I'd really like to hear what you, you know, discover with this. I'd really like to see how this works out because I think it's great that you're interested in applying mnemonic techniques to music and I'd like to see what you come up with. All right, I hope you've enjoyed

this reprise episode. For anyone who has any questions about learning or memorizing anything faster than ever, feel free still to leave a message at masterofmemory.com slash question, and I'll be able to respond quickly to your message from wherever I am. I just won't be able to record an episode on that topic until I'm back in the States in May. Meanwhile, if you want to support the show, please check out our Spanish course at masterofmemory.com slash Spanish. Or if you want to follow my adventures in Argentina or wherever else I might happen to be, you can do that at timothymoser.com.