This year I finished my Masters Degree at Brunel University and just this week I received my certificate in the post. My dissertation was about the use of memorisation in music performance, particularly looking at the challenges that memorising contemporary repertoire poses. I won't go into all the details (although I would be happy to share my work with anyone who is interested) but I really do believe that memorisation is the way forward in making quality and confident performances.
There is a level of ownership that is gained by the process of memorisation which means you can communicate the piece to the best of your ability. It can be very time consuming but it really is worth it. I challenge any musician who has never played from memory to pick a piece and give it a go. The more you do it, the more you learn the best ways that work for you and the process will become quicker and more efficient.
My experience of the Kodaly approach to music education has made me think about the importance of learning by ear and how this improves the memory. If rote learning is used from a young age, children get used to memorising things quickly and in a few years are able to much memorise longer sections of songs or music naturally and with ease, as well as being better at picking out tunes they know independently (a skill I always wished I was better at as a child).
I've also found it vital for my more recent venture into jazz and improvisation. The tunes I feel most comfortable and confident with are the ones where the tune and chords are completely memorised.
I'll finish with something David Vinden often says "How important is the memory? Or have you forgotten?"
There is a level of ownership that is gained by the process of memorisation which means you can communicate the piece to the best of your ability. It can be very time consuming but it really is worth it. I challenge any musician who has never played from memory to pick a piece and give it a go. The more you do it, the more you learn the best ways that work for you and the process will become quicker and more efficient.
My experience of the Kodaly approach to music education has made me think about the importance of learning by ear and how this improves the memory. If rote learning is used from a young age, children get used to memorising things quickly and in a few years are able to much memorise longer sections of songs or music naturally and with ease, as well as being better at picking out tunes they know independently (a skill I always wished I was better at as a child).
I've also found it vital for my more recent venture into jazz and improvisation. The tunes I feel most comfortable and confident with are the ones where the tune and chords are completely memorised.
I'll finish with something David Vinden often says "How important is the memory? Or have you forgotten?"
RSS Feed
