Learning To Play By Heart

By Anne Sullivan

Do you memorize your music, what we often call “playing by heart”?

When I was a student, playing from memory was expected and required, not for every piece, but certainly for every piece I played in a recital. I didn’t find it difficult, but it was a chore, and I didn’t enjoy the uncertainty of playing a piece in public and feeling like I might forget what I was supposed to be playing.

What I didn’t know then as a student was how valuable memorization is as a tool to make you a better musician. It helps you take more notice of the inner workings of the music: the patterns, the chords, the melody, the key, the structure of the piece. It helps you play better, too, because when you know a piece well enough to play it from memory, you can be more expressive and more musically confident. Playing from memory is truly a different and very rewarding level of playing. 

The key to solid memorization - the kind that is reliable and secure and frees you to be expressive - is in the method you use. Memorization that “just happens” is unlikely to produce these results. Intentional memorization, on the other hand, is something you can practice and improve. While the process may seem time-consuming at first, with practice you will get faster at it. And you will love the results! 

Start developing your intentional memorization power with these simple steps. Use any piece you are studying or one you know well that you would like to memorize. Be sure to choose a simple piece so you aren’t struggling with the notes and memorizing at the same time. 

1. Choose a short group of measures from your piece, no more than 2 or 4 bars. Play those bars through using the music 3-5 times.
2. Swivel your music stand around so you can’t see the music and try playing those same measures. See if you can play them three times. 
3. If you could play them fairly easily, go on to the next several measures and repeat the steps above, Then combine the 2 sections and play that longer section from memory.
4. If you had difficulty with the initial measures, turn the music stand back and look at the music. What did you need to know? What note or chord or finger did you need to place properly? Look for patterns that might help you. This is how the memorization process helps you learn your music, not just remember it. 
5. When you have refreshed your mind with those measures, play them through a time or two more with the music, then turn the stand around and play without the music, using your new understanding of those measures to help you. Repeat the process as needed.

Don’t use this process as a method to learn a piece. It is too slow and labor intensive, and it gives you only small glimpses of the piece as a whole. Learn the piece in larger sections and let your fingers become accustomed to the patterns before you begin memorizing. Your memorization will go faster and you will strengthen your note reading too. 

As you practice your memorization of any piece, be prepared for backsliding. Just because you’ve never had a problem with any given measure, doesn’t mean that one day you won’t “forget” it.  Over time, the gaps in your knowledge will be fewer and smaller and eventually totally insignificant. 

The key to the success of this process is in seeking to increase your knowledge and understanding of a piece. Don’t just repeat it; review it, read it, and learn it. Then you will truly be playing it “by heart.”