How to Memorize Music: Effective Piano Practice Tips

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[@talasadaqa5452]

1. Memorize right hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly) 2. Memorize left hand (keep checking that you're memorizing the section correctly) 3. Put hands together (try to do it from memory the first time & do it very slowly) 4. Move to the next section (size of the section depends on the complexity of the piece, but each step for one section shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 minutes) 5. Connect from the beginning facets to take into account when memorizing: 1. Notes 2. Rhythm 3. Fingering 4. Phrasing 5. Expression (dynamics, written words e.g. rallentando, accelerando, etc.)

[@Critique808]

I do this and 6. Play by feel. Memorize the feeling. Muscle memory 7. Play with eyes closed. Close eyes when practicing sections.

[@boldcautionproductions9203]

Great video, this answered the question I just left on your newest video... For piano, I was struck by a quote, "Amateurs practice until they get it right, Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."

[@DrewSadikman]

My Shakespeare director at school always say,"Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect."

[@DrewSadikman]

toothless toe, maybe, but what she means is that if you practice it correctly, it'll be great, but if you always practice wrong, you will perform "wrong."

[@nolongerinuse1684]

that's what my band director says

[@didibergman5903]

Practice makes progress

[@Martonymttamborine]

Well I'm 54 and just starting out as I love this instrument. I don't care how long it takes I'm going to learn to not only play but enjoy making music. A great comment attached gave me some more confidence I.e if you tell yourself you cant play...you won't! So thank you for the video. You have started me on my journey!

[@LivingPianosVideos]

The ultimate test how well you know the music is if you would be able to play it mentally away from the piano. You may need to move your fingers in order to get through the piece at first. It is a advisable to have the score next to you so you can refer to it when you are unclear about what is written. Practice this way until you can play through the entire piece away from the piano hearing all the parts and imagining all the finger and hand movements.

[@douglascutler1037]

Kind of memory overkill, in my view. Just practise the piece so you can start fresh from any given measure or distinct phrase including fingering plus chord or scale knowledge. This will weave analytic and muscle memory together into a very tight fabric. Enhance with slow and hands separate work for more difficult passages.

[@pauljohnbodie5631]

@@douglascutler1037 Is his approach radical? I'm new to the piano, pre-Grade 1. I liked the sound of what he's saying, and I like his videos generally, but my teacher isn't keen; he said it's difficult to refer again to the score once you've memorized a piece, and you might have to refer to it again. But I'm thinking now that if you've memorized it properly you wouldn't have to refer to the score again (?).

[@douglascutler1037]

@@pauljohnbodie5631 It's not radical but it is extremely hi-end, pro-level stuff. What is described is the type of mental agility and ability possessed by top professional concerts pianists. It can take many years to get good at and is enhanced by a thorough understanding of musical theory as well as a a highly trained inner ear. Let's say you're a top concert pianist rehearsing a concerto with orchestra and conductor. The conductor might expect you to start the performance from any bar that they might want to polish. You need to know the piece so well you can enter at any measure at full speed. I would not recommend beginners in piano concern themselves with memorizing every single note and keystroke. It is better to have an enjoyable experience of music where at least some of the time you allow things to work on auto pilot or muscle memory. Muscle memory is also an important performance component and not just the mental or analytical approach described. Also, there is nothing wrong with learning music where you still need to look at the music. While pro level solo piano is almost always performed from memory, much collaborative piano performance like choral accompaniment, vocal accompaniment or small ensemble playing is performed from the sheet music - even at the pro level.

[@pauljohnbodie5631]

@@douglascutler1037 Thanks, Douglas.

[@southpark4151]

@@douglascutler1037 ​ LPV's method is very good though. And it does begin with 'the ultimate test ------ is'. That's being at the 'top of the game'. It is probably on the level of what those stunt pilots do ---- eg. red bull stunt plane racing, or maybe Blue Angels. They go through in their mind and their body what needs to be done - accurately, precisely and pretty much automatically and very smoothly. For Blue Angels and stunt plane racing, their lives depend on it. For concert pianists and professional musicians etc ----- errors and stumbles etc are generally not an option. But - naturally, the abilities of people do vary - among people.

[@crashboredom2]

Mark hamill teaching piano! Love it! :)

[@Feldspar__]

What a treasure this man is.

[@SuzanneMetz]

This is such valuable information! I am re-learning the piano after many year of not playing. There are times when it feels like moving bricks from the front to the back year, one at a time. I plan to watch every one of your videos to provide a new foundation! Thank you!

[@brentbakke4114]

What a good teacher in all "aspects"....thank you for these videos, to maximize one's playing, "time is precious".... .....

[@LivingPianosVideos]

I'm so glad you appreciate this video and so many people have watched it. It is one of the most important things I learned studying with my father, concert pianist Morton Estrin.

[@sndman60]

This instructor/teacher is so inviting and motivated. His joy of playing translates to students. He is very articulated. His methods really help. Added value, very much appreciated, Thank you,

[@rafaelgomez1989]

One of the VERY BEST explanations on MEMORIZING MUSIC !!!!

[@aquaphone]

Dude! Thank you so much! I don't even play piano. I'm a beginner learning the guitar. I'm learning to play really simple pieces like "The Star Spangled Banner," or the beginning of "Ode to Joy." I can play the pieces pretty easily when sight reading but can't play them without the sheet music. I think this will help. This concepts even help for my graduate studies in anesthesia! Thanks again.

[@CareyPortnoyBeauford]

I don't interact with a lot of musicians, this was actually very encouraging, thank you. I've always thought there was some truth in this principle with drums too. Play it as slow as you have to until you play it perfect, and only then speed up or add more.

[@MercuryK52]

Thank you for a great video! I'm quite new to the piano and this was very helpful!

[@KazYasuda]

Simple and extremely helpful. I wish I knew these tips when I was a teenager but I believe it is never too late!

[@buellwinkle69]

WOW,,,,, Robert Estrin really shines as a teacher, I wish I would have found someone like him many years ago..... Words really do not convey the value of what he shares with us here on KZbin...

[@bearifiablepau2095]

Agreed. and twelve years later from when this video was posted, he's still churning out invaluable tips!

[@danielribastandeitnik9550]

Excellent video! I'm a self learner piano player, been practicing for 3 months, and I always thought that piano players read and played at the same time, I had no idea that memorization was so important (thank god I'm good at that). I realized that on my own when I saw that there was no way I could keep my eyes on the sheet and play at the same time. The sheet is there to you to learn the song and to help you along the way when you are playing, but your focus em 95% on the keys and, if you are playing the song with ease, it's because you memorized it.

[@walken199]

you are not exactly correct, memorizing and sight reading a piece are 2 different things. A good sight reader can play a piece at tempo without ever played the piece before and this takes years, as to memorize a piece is simply to not depend on the sheet music when for example you need to perform for an audience.

[@afl8182]

Daniel Ribas Tandeitnik I read sheet music as I play, partly because I'm a fast reader but also because I have not the best memory. Depends of people, I think both sight reading and memorization are important skills

[@BedtimeStoriesPiano]

I don't think there's a rule to it, it's the same principle as typing on a keyboard, for example I could say something for you to type and you wouldn't need to look at the keys themselves in order to write it it would just flow subconsciously, Hey if Stevie Wonder can memorise then anyone can.

[@smillat5851]

The tips about learning the chords first in the left hand really helped me

[@grettagip]

Through the trials and struggles of impatient playing, I've learned this theory to be absolutely true! It can be hard to slow down and break a piece down bit by bit, but by exercising patience and diligence it really does pay off [in memorizing]. Ultimately, it actually saves you time!

[@truechampoftrance]

This gentleman is so articulate and professional, you can actually hear his passion through his voice as he tries to guide you... But for some reason he reminds me of a slimy businessman.... But keep up the amazing work mate! Everything you post is valued.

[@plenumduvi5243]

The type of person to scam most likely wouldn't put in the years of discipline it takes to get as good at piano as he is.

[@rufochka1]

very helpful! i have to start memorizing this semester and i have never been taught how. My teacher told me that learning harmonies is the key to memorization, you are the first person i have come across on youtube that has mentioned this.

[@louturks23]

Memorizing a piece came to me without any plan. I practiced it over and over again. And before I realized it, I had it memorized

[@thomaspick4123]

Robert is wonderful. Your dad must have been such a great teacher imparting his wisdom on many. Timing is the hardest for me. I try to use the metronome often. If fingerings are not suggested, I try to come up with something comfortable, but it may not be correct. I like to practice the scale for the song to ingrain the notes in my head before attempting the piece.

[@andym28]

When i was a child, with a piece i was desperate to play, an active mind and aural, visual, kinesthetic information sources (teacher playing, music, a mirror, the feel of the instrument) and often the stress of performance, i can remember all of those pieces very well. As an adult learning something with less time for a bit of fun but feeling different i couldnt memorise something i did 2 weeks prior. So i went back to being a kid in my approach.

[@mclaire12]

i memorizes automatically from age 4 to ag 45 when member of my family got into a traumatic situation. i took care of it and never memorized anything gain. i am in tearsMuriel

[@PhrygianBlack]

Very, very useful! I always try to analyze the music before hand by writing down each chord and then figuring out how all the chords actually function using roman numeral analysis. This technique helps me to, not only memorize the music, but also understand it better.

[@sweet.dreams]

thankyou thankyou thankyou, best lesson i ever had, im self taught learning by just putting sheet music in front of me and learning it all at once, i started right off with beethoven sonatas, took me 1 year to learn the first and leaned so many bad habits, but your ideas are so simple wish i knew this 40 years ago when i started, i expect this will actually make my playing decent, awesome and thanks again

[@MichaelCarter]

Thank you for your teaching. I tried it last night and again this morning, last thing and first thing of the day, and it worked. I had to really restrain myself to one tiny section. Two measures, a brick in each hand. Measures 1 & 2 of Sonatina No. 1 by Beethoven in G major 4/4 time. Memorized. 100 beats per minute. Perfect. With expression! Did I say no music? 12 minuets of actual play time this morning did it. Again. I repeated the entire process, only focusing on those two measures. I am 72. Started in early elementary school with The Snake Dance in my first recital. Usually, I am very sloppy. This is a much more rewarding way to learn real piano music.

[@christylarsen691]

Thank you! This was very helpful to me. I'm trying to learn to play Beethoven's Sonata No 8, 2nd Movement "Pathetique". Your lesson on trills helped me to figure out how to do the fingering, position of fingers, and ending to transition into the next set of notes.

[@dkorolski]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, worth every penny

[@ultimatefather]

Thank you for the lessons. I've wondered why it took me so long to learn certain pieces. This helps out a lot. I will stay tuned. You give excellent lessons. You answer the questions that most teachers can't answer right off. You make learning more interesting and fun!

[@1d0m3n30]

Great video. Just one more suggestion (I read about it and I agree): when you practice (one hand or both together), try always chunking snippets with an overlap. So, for instance, if the first 4 bars are "A B A C | D A E D | A B B C | B D C B", supposing a 2 bars snippet, the first chunk would be "A B A C | D A E D", and the second one for instance "E D | A B B C | B D C B" (using E D of the fist chunk to make a connection with the second one). This way it will be way easier to put all of the snippets together.

[@pauljohnbodie5631]

I think he alluded to that but suggested just adding one note of the next phrase to make the connection.

[@imasahm13]

Thank you so much! I only had two years of piano when I was in the 5th and 6th grade -- decades ago! We just bought a beautiful 1936 Hamilton Baldwin and I am trying to learn again on my own and have already made the mistakes which you reference in your video. After 47 years since my last lesson, I am considering taking lessons again and learn how to play well to enjoy the rest of my years. Thank you so much.

[@polarpalmwv4427]

Wow. I have never had a piano teacher who was ever able to explain how to memorize music. (Not even college professors who I have taken lesson from.) Guess what? I have never been successful at memorizing piano music. I have read from so many sources that being able to visualize the music away from the piano is key to memorizing and yet I literally cannot form mental images (a condition known as Aphantasia) so I have been convinced that I can't do this. I now feel motivated to find a simple piece to test this memorization method out on. Thank you for this!

[@LivingPianosVideos]

This video may help you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipOzcqWtd86BhKc

[@josephandersen6112]

great stuff you're got there - what you offer can be a precious help TO ANYONE ! thanks a million

[@philmiller99]

One problem I had when memorizing music is that if I lost my place somewhere in the middle of the piece I had to go all the way back to the begining and start all over again.

[@kcomrade]

im 23 as well and i started about 2 months ago. but i just like playing piano so much and i believe i can still become decent. i think its important what you believe. if you believe what people are telling you, that its impossible to become good at this age it will be harder. im tutoring kids at school and i made the same experience. if they think they cant do it, they cant!

[@malebuls]

thank you much no matter what you teach makes me better on my play i am 55 and re started piano after 40 years look forward for more tips Nelly

[@Genralix]

This is how I've been doing it since I started, happy to know I've been doing it right, excellent Robert

[@Mocha2009ful]

So useful. I was also at a loss on how to memorize--shall I remember the notes from the sheet but they will not mean anything unless I also know the sound so it is only logical that I memorize the sound of each hand, tho I prefer to memorize/play them together so I know how it sounds. However, I refer to the music sheet for a "pattern" on the "difficult" parts that my brain cannot remember. Also like "silvizzle," I am glad to know I am not the only one who "questions" the notes :).

[@ashleysloan2734]

Thank you for these tips!! I’m excited to get started with this approach.

[@devidasdandgaonkar6421]

Thanks, very good lesson in a very simple and effective way. I feel very bad, I have started it very late (60).

[@thebest16781678]

thank you for teaching a valuable lesson for memorization piano music.

[@dianaoconnor43]

I thank you. I have just taken up the piano again after fifty odd years and am surprised and a little intimidated by how much I've forgotten...so I am right back to first lesson stage...I like your thoughts and "tips" ...shall try them and hopefully surprise my teacher at third lesson. Shall be following you..much appreciation

[@2liter8]

Geez i can see some quality teaching here. for years i've been starting then stopping for months over and over cause I couldn't make any progress.

[@michaelsmith697]

Very good video! Memory in piano learning and performance is so very important!

[@saarthifonseka4999]

Excellent Thank you for sharing this! Highly appreciated

[@thepianoplayer416]

1 of the easiest and most accessible tool for memorization is recording. Nowadays there are so many little gadgets you carry around may have a video or sound recording feature. Instead of playing the same thing over and over, you play it as many times as it takes to get the right notes into a recorder. The rest of the time listen to the playback. Once you get the tune into your head, playing the right notes become much easier.

[@PelleAKs]

Thanks for the input. I wished I learned this secret then I was young. The two allegories about memorizing is the best and not just for piano and music. Especially the allegory about the paper is really important for humanity today then we have so much knowledge about different models for the society.

[@LearnClassicalGuitar]

Excellent teaching tips and implications for ALL instruments, not just piano. Bravo!!!

[@warren2062]

Thank you for this most valuable instruction.

[@LiliVG]

Excellent! Truly top notch advice.

[@leonrinehart7948]

Awesome teacher!

[@Carino391]

Excellent advice thank you, I’m hoping to memorise some pieces I have to play at two weddings to help with nerves…..

[@lunchmind]

Thank you so uch . THiis makes clear sense to me. I have been making the mistakes that you pointed out commonly made in conventional practice.

[@jonthebob2159]

Great that i find this video when my recital is today

[@musicisgreat5740]

WOW! thank you! i need to know this .i am a Mentally challenged with dyslexic Person I Play! from Monday to Friday everyday 10 am to 5 pm with a mine 15 break ..i live in Oregon Eugene area thank you! wIth a SMILE!

[@kathleencook3060]

That was very heloful! I will learn my next piece by this method from the start

[@7Butter7fly]

Just found your site....many many thanks! I am a senior, (played by ear all my life)....now take classical piano lessons? I love it so???? Along side my Teacher yours posts are so valuable!!!!!just listened to, how to memorize? I have a new piece to learn....Clementi Sonata in C ...Ops 36 part one.....so I’m going to try to memorize....according to your teaching!!!!!, Wish me success! Thank yu again for your sharing....valuable! Martha

[@Rbigraff]

I play piano accordion. Your tips work well for learning accordion scores.

[@AlfaAxel]

Thank you - the parabel with straightening out the paper reminds me of a very important lesson from computerscience, regarding writing computer programs: It is sometimes (very often indeed) easier to rewrite a program than it is to correct the mistakes. There is a psychological explanation to that fact: You need to make design decisions, and those decisions are the real "glue" which makes the program stick. Like the dynamics, they are a most important part of the musical experience. :)

[@enville0715]

I like the way you teach. Have heard about your method. Have mainly sight read music and would like to begin again to memorize to have more freedom. Thank you!

[@profeluisegarcia]

You are a wise man.Thanks

[@LastCast2011]

Love it! this is my weakness in music, bad memory! Thank you!

[@LivingPianosVideos]

Here is a video where I show how I practice using this method: livingpianos.com/how-to-practice-a-new-piece-on-the-piano/

[@LastCast2011]

@@LivingPianosVideosvery helpful,,,thank you!!! applying this method to a piece I'm learning now!

[@thepianoplayer416]

Good tips. Started with Bach's Goldberg Var. the Aria around 30 bars 1 at a time like a turtle but eventually got to the finish. The last piece played was the last composition of Bach Contrapunctus Fugue #1 (BWV 1080) piano arrangement. My city has "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos in public areas. Went to 3 separate ones and played the Fugue #1 lasting between 3 1/2 - 4m from memory. Any piece of music involves interpretation. Gets a bit flexible with tempo & dynamics with the right notes...

[@Whit3King]

ive been on youtube searching around for teaching. your sir are by far the best so far. your have some real spunk and its fun to listen to your teaching. Also you dont just say the lesson, you seem to really love the music and that the most important part for me. I cant read music for sh*t but I love to improvise, seems more fun. maybe im wrong

[@maihazah]

A very valuable step by step advices on music memoraization. A disciplin which every piano~loving and keyboardist should follow. Congrat. Thanks.

[@catherinesinclair]

Thank you very much, very good idea. Now I know why I am still in beginner book 2 after many years. Will try your method asap.

[@e13c7r0nic]

This is a great video. This is kind of how I've unconsciously learned to memorize, but your explanation and the way you laid it out is perfect. Thank you so much for making these videos!

[@salvadornieto7844]

This is really good stuff... I am an amateur guitarist and this summarizes what I learnt on memorization. Thanks.

[@hshlom]

Great video! I'd say the 5 facets to take into account should include a new Number 1 - Chords and Chord Progression. This will help in understanding, fingering and memorization.

[@LivingPianosVideos]

This is an excellent point: livingpianos.com/how-to-memorize-music-faster/

[@MsFiddle3]

Never too late to learn to memorize, thanks for all the tips. Now, I am learning a piano piece to play with cello, I've been working on just getting from A to Z with one hand and then the other, have managed to put them together a little, thought I needed to memorize it and then voila, here's your video. GREAT! Thank you! How do I approach learning without the cello here. Tape the cello and learn to play against it? Difficult to hear the cello part in my head, when learning the piano. HELP!

[@michaelbeary]

Great videos, I appreciate your enthusiasm

[@Wranger243]

I've become a bit stuck with a passage of music in the piece I'm learning, this will certainly help!

[@MadisonVD]

Certainly some of the best practicing advice. 👍

[@UrbanMuzikVEVO]

When i memorize a piece i usually do it treble and bass together and i also usually do it bars by bars. i will play it over and over again until i can play it flawlessly before moving on to the next bars. hehe. btw im a newbie. just started piano for 2 months now.

[@gamer163]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I would always get bored trying to perfect simple songs like "Joy To The World" and eventually give up because it was too simple and therefore un-entertaining. Just learned a similar length-ed song in less then 5 minutes thanks to your tips!

[@juliesmith9952]

True

[@barbbirdyard]

Great lessons. Since retiring, I am trying to improve my piano playing. Thanks for the guidance. You're a great teacher.

[@bj81955]

Thank you so much for the memorization tips. I've always been very lacking in this area and your instruction will help immensely. Thanks. Brandon

[@Ajaxelmon]

Wonderful, just wonderful -- and exactly what I needed! Thanks.

[@TheWreyno]

Thanks for your advice and will like to play piano like a pro but I dont know how to start. Bless u and ur family..

[@stephenjoeagi]

I enjoy very much your videos and comments.I have a photographic memory, and when I learn a piece by heart, at first I rvisualise important parts of the score, and later (when I connect all the phrases together) the position of the hands.I 'orchestrate' the movements of my hands, and always have a 'point de repère' that I can refer to in case I get lost I have friends who can transpose a Ballade of Chopin because of their musical concept of the piece, but I rely on my photographic memory. Thanks

[@MrSNBryan]

Splendid ! thanx ! I have such engrained mistakes such as described. In pieces I learned, or not ! Regards from Brazil.

[@JustNow42]

Well done, love it

[@thepianoplayer416]

Tips: from the last page or last few bars, the mid sections with the last page and then the opening. Psychologically gives impression you've made it to the finish by starting from the end first. Practice with your ears. Make recordings and listen or compare other's recordings. If something sounds good, chances are you haven't made mistakes. Even hum the melody. Repetition. First get the correct notes. Then rest and come back later. First few times gets choppy. Eventually get faster & more flow.

[@AlyssaAmato17]

Great tips! Thank you!!! I am a beginner and the breakdown is making things much easier for me.

[@slymet]

Good advice. I will have to apply it. I always hated recitals as a child and memorized music through muscle memory. Memorizing always seems to be more work than I want it to be. I am not a professional pianist but do accompanying. Your advice on sight reading would probably interest me more.

[@LivingPianosVideos]

I have many resources on sight-reading. Here are some for you: livingpianos.com/how-to-practice-the-piano-part-2-sight-read-almost-anything/ and livingpianos.com/how-to-sight-read-part1-why-sightreading-is-important/ as well as livingpianos.com/tips-for-improving-your-sightreading-sightreading-part-2/

[@cmoreno12345]

Wonderful video. Thanks for the pointers. This is exactly how I memorize music, but I can improve by working on smaller sections.

[@davidn5073]

Many thanks, Robert. I much appreciate your help.

[@soldivider1984]

mg, The video is clear and with detail. practice it out! Thanks for the video again, sometime when you practice the clarity runs out and missed the steps. XD

[@floydthebarber71]

Be careful, muscle memory is both a blessing and a curse. You will go blank. And you will get stuck. And it will be embarrassing. Make sure you know what you are playing.

[@thepianoplayer416]

This is a good video with very good tips. What I find in the beginning when playing more difficult pieces you tend to have trouble keeping up with a fast tempo. You listen to a pro play the same piece it usually sounds much faster. That you're constantly slowing down. Especially working with 18th century music you have a lot of ornamentations that are almost like running through them as 64th notes just to keep the right tempo.

[@ThomasFMPayne]

You are brilliant, Robert.

[@kathleencook3060]

I also think listening to the recorded piece, fixes the composition if the music into the brain. That is learn to sing or hum the piece orally. Ingrain the "style" ( e.g swing?) Reading any notes. Has helped me trying to play a "Swing style" for the first time.

[@hdrevolution123]

Sir, you have memorised your script for this video very well indeed.

[@bigstroke2069]

Thanks. I will try your suggestions.

[@republiccooper]

This is strange to me. I never used any of these techniques and I usually memorise piano music very well. I just play it and memorise it. How hard can that be? But if it's tricky I just read it though on the metro and look for patterns. But I do remember it by sections.

[@amandajstar]

You probably haven't thought through the steps described here, necessarily involved in memorization.

[@nachogiraldez8590]

Great video and explanation. Thanks.

[@jimdunleavypiano]

Everything you said makes perfect sense. Great video!

[@bsamar99]

Thats some great video you have prepared. You have included stories to make it more interesting. Will watch the rest of the videos as well.