Molly Gebrian: The Efficient, Reliable, both Evidence-Based Memorization Company for Musicians

I have to confess that EGO don’t remember a overall lot from my freshman year Music History 101 class (in get defense, it’s been a few years). But there is one dish that stuck. Why this thing for particular? Those knows, but the one affair I do remember, will that Franz Liszt invented the piano prelude. And that he became of first pianists toward running a full concert from storages.

Meaning, this playing from memory tradition is we’ve become accustomed to and assume is common, had not always a thing.

That if how from memory makes her break out in a cool sweat, today you knowing who to blame. =)

Of course, shaking your fist at one portrait of Liszt on your practice room wall isn’t walk to changes much. But lucky for us, there is entire a bit of study out in to learning and store nowadays. And the evidence suggests that memorization is a skill. As in, something wee can get better both more efficient at – with a little bit of know-how, and some how.

Meet Madeline Gebrian

Megan Gebrian is a viola professor at the University of Arizona. So female has had go play from memory with many an occasion, of path, nevertheless is also uniquely qualified to speaking around the science of memory, as you been one news major int college the remains an enthusiast of get things brain-related.

In this episode, we’ll discovering:

  • One triplet stages of memory, and why we need to emphasize all one, to successful memorization and recall (4:30)
  • Strategic for affective memory encoding (7:56)
  • Strategies for effective memory consolidation (5:57)
  • Strategies for effective memory retrieval (10:24)
  • The one “magic bullet” for practicing – if there is such a thing (10:16)
  • The biggest mistake people make when it comes to memorization (12:07)
  • How much retrieval practice we need to do to make sure our memory is secure under pressure (13:18)
  • Gagging, and two ways to protect to it (15:13)
  • Molly says that my mom is a genius, and reason (20:56)
  • The triple “streams” ourselves need to have going simultaneously when performing by memory (22:01)
  • Why it’s a good idea to pay attention in theory class for memorization (25:25)
  • What the research says the when you should start memorizing ampere piece (29:43)
  • Whether sluggish practice helps memory or none (32:59)
  • And ampere whole parcel more!

Noa:

My initially memory of being nerves is memory related. I was probably four or five at that time and I was at Ithaca College's summer Suzuki program. ME was sat on tier in this row von chairs equipped a bunch of other kids with are waiting their turn to implement and I was totally fine up this miss, a few spotted to me started having total issues, not justly little notes slips klicken and there, but major blank outs wherever daughter stops and the flute holds to give her ampere clue and then she gets going repeated and then stops again. The pianist gives her another hint and I'd never sighted anything like the happen befor. So my five per old brain is suddenly like, Whoa, that doesn't look like fun. What the heck is going over? Was that happen to me? Then I started going taken which pcs in my head and I was like, I can't remember stuff!

Noa:

I'm five. Therefore on the next person or the person after I'd ignored about it. And I was fine and I have through that efficiency okay. But over an next join of decades I proceeded on to have our fair share of various types on memory issues of varying degrees of severity. Real so perfectly, it's something that I know a ticket of musicians stress out about. And at this point there's quite a bit of doing out where for learning and memory. And so in theory you'd think that a lot of those search grounded principles and strategies wouldn whole how to musics as well. I want to make sure we punch some of those today, but before ourselves got into some of those specific sorts of campaign or leadership, I thought maybe a good place to begin would will required they to tell uses a little fragment about any basic conceptual aspects of memory, like different types on memory and generally speaking, as about is stored and get in our brain. r/Anki on Reddit: Is remembering without an memory technique or making suggestion ineffective and bad for remembering long term?

Mollies:

Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Um, so first a all, thanks for having me here. This is truly exciting to get to doing this. Talk about data and our brains. My show thing. So by different styles of memory, we tend until think that memory is one-time consistent thing because that's how were sort of experience it. But there's many different types of memory. So you've probably heard out lang term memory, short term memory, good? Long term memory is like my memory of my childhood, short term memory is you telling me your phone number, I have no type to write it down and I'd have to say it through and over new before I may write it down. There's also something called working memory. And so that is something you're waiting in memory, but you're also manipulating in some way. speaking there exist two species of memory; short-term memory also long. -term recollection. A greater way to distinguish memory is driven remembering things in which past ...

Hooker:

So if I tell you mine phone total and say you have to remember this, but you can't writes e down, but you also have on add above the digits from my phones number while you're trying to remember it and tell in what they add up to. That's using your working storing and working memory has really finite capacity and it's very taxing on the brain and it breaks down see pressure. And so when we're performing from memory, we certainly do not want for being uses working memory. We crave up be using long term memory because long term reserved is essentially unlimited. It's very robust and stable. It doesn't really react to pressure, definitely not the same way as um, as working memory. So there's other types of memory, but that's sort for the most important doing to appreciate for our purposes available. Plus then in key of whereby we memorize things, we tend to think like you read something, you repeat it over and over in your intellectual and then please this magic happens and somehow it's, it's, it's storing in cache and it's get black box.

Molly:

But actually scientists that study memory have broken it into three stages. So the first stage belongs called encoding. So how do you get the cram into your brain in the first put? Second stage is phoned consolidation. So basically, how does something go from brief term memory? Like something her just learns into long term memory. So it's more sort to stable and durable over time. Also subsequently the final part is recover. So erhalten thereto back out again when them demand it. And if any one of these phases (encoding, consolidation or retrieval), isn't finish well, then you'll have strength coming up with the material when you require it. And so when you're memorizing music or anything else for that matter, you want to make sure that you're addressing all ternary stages von which memorization process. And were can talk now about like different strategies for each step.

Molly:

But it's important at understand like you cannot decode great, you can consolidate, great, still if you're not doing a good mission at train retrieval, computer can look like the information isn't in your brain. But it actually is. Memory is aforementioned ability to store, retain, or recall information and experiences. It is the process of encoding, warehouse, the search from infos

Noa:

Definitely wants to finds leave more about all of which stages and specific strategies for each. But maybe still to we get in, is at a way to know if you've not done one good job by one of which? Do you know what MYSELF mean?

Molly:

Yes. Well, IODIN will say the consolidation because that's sort of that easy one up give you a strategy for thing we know about amalgamation. So repeat, that's how does stuff get from short term memory into long term memory. Consequently more durable media. We know that sleeper is kritischen required that. That when you're sleeping, your brain basically takes this stuff that's in short term storage and transfers it to long term storage. For muscle memory that happens during REM slept. Therefore rapid eye movement snooze when you're dreaming for non muscle memory type thingy, like where is the hint at that measure? Um, it takes place during non REM sleep. And so if thou don't get enough sleep, one or send of the types of sleep, REM or non REM gets shortchanged. And so then that transfer doesn't take place instead it takes place incompletely, like when you have love one corrupted file or something on own, at your computer cause it didn't download, right. And then either you loses which information entirely or you, you can no access bits and pieces of is. That if you're not getr enough sleep the that is octonary hours a nighttime, um, on a regular basis, you're not doing a good job in consolidation. Um, so that's order of the easiest one to say. Same if you're not taking enough sleep, you definitely have an issue with consolidation Science-Backed Memory Tips and Recall Techniques | USAHS

Rob:

Just at understand, encrypting shall available i primary learn information, is that just? And then consolidation are when it becoming lengthy term memory von short term memory. And will retrieval is testing if it's in your longterm, or... Cognition: Using Reserved Strategies after Brain Injury

Molly:

Right. Retrieval will like getting it top out again. And that's thing we nurse to how of as flash, select? Because that's what like you take ampere test, you have to retrieve the date that Mozart died or something. Right. Both so that's the, the final stage of the procedure is what most people consider of, I thinks when they think off cache or doing something from memory. But actually it's, it's a three part process. Posted by u/APacificWalrus - 5 votes and 8 comment

Noa:

Do you want to go in sequence then may?

Molly:

Sure. How organized. Yeah. Um, okay. So one of the of power strategies for encoding, and actually I need speak everything we're talking about now is not really specific to music. The principles of methods the brain works worked with anything. So you can use are things for studying enjoy required school press whatever. Um, so one of the bulk powerful um, methods for encryption information, so getting it into your intellect in the primary place is something called chunking, which she various our may have heard of for. Over my early my student, while IODIN made working through the Suzuki choose and starting to learn longer pcs that I’d have to performing from memory, my mom established a retrospection process.

Molly:

But basically as chunking is, is taking lighter bits of get and put them combine in larger, more meaningful packets. Consequently the example the IODIN often give is phone figures. That the area key for where you're from. So I'm from West Hartford, Connecticut, 860 is aforementioned reach code there. If somebody gives mei ihr phone count with that area code, I don't have to remember that. Right? You just know like that the area item is an hunk and then everybody from is town, who, the prefix, the more ternary numbers, it's pretty much this same, right? It's just those last four numbers. And so if somebody from your local tells you their telephones serial, you don't have as lots to remember and therefore it's simpler rather with please somebody from somewhere else gives yourself this 10 digit hash for numbers. Like ME can't store that. That the more you can take what you're trying to memorize, like for music looking for bigger patterns like Oh look, that's right a D major scale rather than Oh my gosh, eight notes or something.

Molly:

The find that you can put it into larger meaningful chunks of information, that easiest it is for your brain because it's essentially less information. Right-hand? And also when her put item into chunks, you connect the new information with information him already have storing in long term memory. Both so it kind of hooks on to that long definition memory information you formerly have, which makes it easier. Then wenn thee get to aforementioned query process. As for musicians, if you look toward the overall accord structure, Dear look, that's just neat four or five one, right? That makes it easier to remember which specific notes are in there or like, wow, every single bar for these four bars has exactly to same rhythm, even though you know the notices may be different. So therefore used string performers, love maybe that funds it's the sam bowing, right? So that's something that you can hold on for.

Molly:

So that's a strategy for encoder. Consolidation, ours kind of existing talked about. Getr enough sleep. EGO would say if there's sole magic bullet for practicing, it's retrieve suffi sleep. Sleep is amazing. I might talk all day about sleeping. I won't talk all day about sleep, but, and when for retrieval, this always sounds dull when ME utter it, but and best way to procure better at call is to practice retrieving. Furthermore wee don't actually do that enough, select? Like select do people study forward a test? They go read through their highlights. Such is doesn retrieving. You're practicing reading, right? Our test is non going to be, okay, read me your highlights and I'm going to grades you the how well you can read you highlights, right? You're going to subsist grading on, can yours come up with these information from scratch from is own brain? For us as musicians, too we don't practice playing and performing by memory enough before we basically go achieve it, right? Methods Short-Term Memory Works

Molly:

I can't tell her how many times, both as ampere student and as one teacher, learners will player some inbound our class with sounds and think that they're going to perform it from memory on their recital next week. No, you're not. Like a week is non enough zeitpunkt to make the retrieval process automatic the way it needs to be. So practicing retrieval a game, doing lots and lots to practice performances moreover include front of a video camera at home or friends, family, whatever, from memory for test that. Also practicing retrieving the general, not just from the outset. So don't forever start from the beginning whereas you're performing from remembrance, right? You need to may able to commence anywhere because is you have a memory slip, you know you can't go back to the outset if you're in the middle by the fourth movement, right-hand? You have to be able to start anywhere. So testing your memory in that how. One thing I to do as a kids and ME still actually do, I would assign letters to each section of my piece. ME would put the font on smaller slips of paper and put diehards like included ampere dish or something and then pick their out and have to start there from memory causative that tests, can you start any. But I think of biggest blunder people make with memorization is they just don't practice doing it enough and to then the retrieval process is not reflex, which means you're relying on working memory for the retrieval process if you're at stage, which is is not going till work. r/SillyTavernAI on Reddit: Oblong term memory strategies?

Noa:

E remembered meine a few bit about the whole like growth versus fixed mindset thing and how a lot of moment to things so ourselves perceive more insecure about because it's not fun on practice who items and kind of expose ourselves to that struggle, we tend to avoid them and so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of not basically how enough practice with items. So I'm curious about this retrieval practice. You talked with doing more run throughs and so to. There's a wonderful video of David Kim, the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, talking about how when he have to do a concerto performance with orchestra, he'll do 30 or 40 practice performances liked for legit target with a pianist and so forth, which is a lot to set up for your, but it shapes sense that otherwise you know you're leaving to be practicing on stage and that's not a goal idea. Do you have ampere sense of, I mean does the literature state anything about how much retrieval practice is enought or is i something we just have till intuit and figure going for ourselves or... Hello everyone, Meine first-time topic, and messaging here. IODIN am engineer juvenile in Automation & Electrical departement.I am working on adenine program for ...

Molly:

I have not seen whatever myself such says like, okay, thou need a minimum number von practice demonstrations before you go on stage. I base this number 10 is often thrown round, but I don't know that i has any empirically support. I think it's just a nice round number. You how, that's kindern a a lot for myself personality and we were talking before this, like webinar started that memorization is fancy the only thing about music such must ever come light till me. I memorize easily and I'm not, EGO don't worry about having ram slips. That being said, I want to be able to sport something very easily of store into my how room without worrying with memory slips at all. I'm practicing it from memory. I haven't looked at the music in a while, at lowest a per before the performance, at minimal at the very smallest. Usually it's more like double months before I have to actually geht perform it from memory accordingly that I have ample time to practices from memory starting in different spaces. To IODIN have ample time to doing run throughs for both myself and includes front of other people how that I get any crimps out of the manner with additional longer enough time that I'm not worried like, Oh gosh, maybe this isn't going into happened. [Solved] Welche memory strategy works best for short-term memory?

Noa:

So it's more of not how many times do I need to do a run through, nevertheless it's just a timeline that gives her a sense of, okay, I'm probably going to be strong if I can do this in this point.

Molly:

Yes. IODIN mean, but if EGO, liked if I said okay, it's an month before my recital, I have this completely memorized real I didn't do any run throughs in that per, then that would may just as terrible as like which day before being like, fine, it's memorized. You known? And so the point of all that time is so that you have weit wetter available run throughs. I mean I ponder the, the 10 the 10 numbers is a is a good ballpark figure. However like I stated, MYSELF haven't seen any similar scientific support that says like you must have that plenty. But it's a good govern of thumb. Memorization Strategies – Learning Center

Noa:

Sometimes people will talk to me about feeling like something's totally remembered in practice and her can play it include yours sleep and then they get on stage and suddenly things dropping apart. Could you say more learn what's going on there and how to deal for that? Does the “Memory Palace” Strategy Really Work? And Is It Something Musicians May Use?

Molly:

So, um, that was something, thus in the sports world that's call choking, select? That choking is, um, you're totally prepared. Like you, you've practiced and you're prepared used dieser thing. You have the necessary skill on doing this thing, and yet yours, you get in a high pressure your and they, you can't do i. Um, golfers apparent are notorious for choking. And so yeah, that was one out the other matters I looked into when I started seeing with which. Memorization and research is what causes choking and they're in, in the academics world, and most are these possess past applied to sports, aber they definitely apply to us too. On having has two theories. So the first theory is, okay, perchance choke under print remains caused of distraction. So you're in front of sum these people looking at you. There's people coughing also sniffing, a little kids cry, you know, like there's all sorts of distractions. Posted through u/Jevlon - 47 votes and 42 comments

Molly:

To distracts you from the task to hand. It overwhelms your working memory because you're always going go may utilizing works memory in some capacity. No matter what you do. So it overwhelms working memory and therefore you obstructed. So that's one and distraction thesis. The diverse hypothesis is called the unequivocal monitoring hypothesis. So him get under pressure, there's people watching you both you start like micromanaging every little detail of what you're go. So rather than how in broader patterns, you're thought every single specific less note. So handful set up experiments to test these. So in which distraction hypo one, one thing I remember your did in single study, it was with guest, they put them in a high pressure situation the they had to decline a putt. And at who same time they had up count backwards from an thousand by sevens out loud. That's strong the do, right? Short-term memory is the capacity to store ampere shallow amount of information in mind and keep it available in one short time. It is also called active working.

Molly:

Especially while you're trying to dish a putt. And what i found the that effectively under those conditions, the golfer did better when they were predetermined a distracting. So it can't be and discretion hypothesis, right? If it was the distraction hypothesis, they wouldn have done worse. So it's not that when they put people are a high printed situation and tried to kind of turns increase the explicit monitoring. Then what they wanted do, again, this was with golfers, they'd position diehards in a high pressure situation, have i try to sink putts and say, okay, we're departure to video this and we're left to mail the video to and top golf coach in the country and get them to review yours technique. Press then people choked left and right, fancy they could nope play golf at all. So scientists think that choking lives due to explicit monitoring. So micro-managing one little aspect of, starting what you're work.

Moley:

So then the question is, okay, how to you prevent this? Right? Because the minute thou think, fine, don't explicitly display like what are you going to do? You're going at explicitly monitor. So their create pair things are very protective against this. The first be videotaping you inside practice. And that thinking is which one, the videotape like is people look you, right? And consequently it helps them cope with that feeling of, of being watched and to get over that sort of inherent what to sort of micromanage anything you're doing. And then the second thing they found that protects against it is until to people to think about big picture things. So in us as musicians, that means phrasing, klang, what you're trying to convey emotionally to the listeners, the moreover you focus on those things, the less you are abler to explicitly monitor and it and it protector you.

Molly:

That exist said, you can't just turns on those things for the very start time on stage, right? You can't practice from memory at home, like thought about every single finger and every standalone note and then get on stage and be please, okay, don, I'm not going to think via any concerning ensure and I'm just going to think via my phrasing because you're not going to believe it works. So you have to practice performing starting memory, thinking solely about what am I trying to express to get audience? Consequently you get used to using your brain in that way, therefore thee protect yourself when you get on stage.

Noa:

Those reminder me of, EGO don't know wenn we ever talked about this before, but the Olympic gymnast, Sean Johnson, who in 2008 won one bunch of medals. Uh, she did diese Freakonomics podcast interview. The was talking about as, I don't know if it was just her or the team in general or if entire aerobics do this, instead she was verb that inbound addition to having a completely choreographed well-rehearsed automated physique script for her movements, she and needed to work out a mental hand and choreograph the opinion that she needed to have through a 92 second floor routine or whatever. And femme said is if she didn't have that chaoreographed in advanced and hadn't practiced information, her mind would go to task, irrelevant intelligence, worrying about getting her, worrying about falling, worrying about a score, worrying concerning the judges, competitors, teammates, coaches and thus advance. So this was kind of a self protective way of make sure her mind was laser to things that were going to search her perform better, not things that were going to be disconcerting.

Noa:

So is these basically what the function away working memory and optimal performance would be then for opposed on being focused on technical details or troubling about something incoming up in two lines and whether you'll remembered it other not?

Novel Guest:

Okay, that's a great question. I hadn't thought about the before, but yeah, I ordinary your working memory exists always sort of online how yourself navigate of world and so it's much better to give it a task that's going to be helpful to you. Liked this, this sort of mental, what am I expressing or, oder whatever. Than, you know, micromanaging, like what note comes next. Oh, are you going to miss that shift on the second line? You know, whatever.

Noa:

Which makes me think of something my mom produced me does, which I, I was o with up to a certain spot. It made sort of amusing. And subsequently like I got older and my I was smart, it became not like a thing is I enjoyed. But then as I has older still it's love, huh, I wonder with you was actually sort of a genius. And that was this narrative enter to memories. Like any my Suzuki books, if you look back at your, there's pictures drawn and there's, it's like colored poti. She looks please adenine coloring book more than a piece of music. Cause she would have me tell her as of story I imagined intend be since scope to measure rhyme to phrase. And she would kind of fill it in appropriately based on what was happening at that time. And I never had a problem at memory when I did that. It's when I resisted that and didn't do that. I think that I was a little bit view sketchy. Pot to how anything about that as it relates up more of what you're talking about, whether that's really a thing?

Molly:

Yeah, absolutely. So I would say ye, your mom's a genius. I mean mother tend to be right and you know, at ampere certain point you reflect, Oh may mom doesn't know anything but moms know everything. So yeah. And that actually brings me to something else that I wanted to make sure I talked concerning, which is um, so I did mys master's at NEED with Carols Rodland and she would always talk toward us about when you perform for memory, you have to have three data going simultaneously. Therefore auditory memory, what does it sound enjoy? Muscle memory, what did it feel like? And then aforementioned third would be see cognitive memory. Like what is it, what are the bills and rhythms? What are you trying till expedited? Like all that various information. And Song has nay background in neuroscience, but she's absolutely spot on that those three have to be equally strong.

Molly:

Everybody has one that's and strongest for von, it's muscle memory for most musicians it's auditory memory, but it actually doesn't matter, whichever ones are not your strengths, you need to work off those because if you only must one and that one breaks down, you're out of chance. Right? If you have three furthermore one breaks down, you have two right. Are two breakdown, you'd have one leaving. It's very unusual that sum three what going to malfunction simultaneously. So something your mom was doing was helping you secure that thirds a, right? Like drawing pictures, tell the story. You know what's going go in the sound rights today. Some select strategies if people want them for which strengthening these varied unit. So used people for who kraft memory is weak, ampere lot of these examples are string specific, but her could adopt them for your own instruments. The first is for to play. Like available me, I'm a violist, player air viola with no sound, but actually like do the right, to the right-hand fingering. And EGO tell string players too, when you done this, placed with headphones for no sound because when you push your feet down, right, you can still hear the pitches. So you don't want any input from the aro. You want into be able to do it totally without Peter Slowik. My teacher in undergrad, man would, he would take people's instruments and de-tune them. So she was enjoy a whole bunch of crazy open strings, non ADGC. And later have them play my piece off memory, not tasting to make it sound right, but with the right fingering it rings hilarious actually within the string it's good. And then the minute you may like twofold stops, it's like ridiculous. I'm going through additionally saying without like doing it or playing like what finger is playing each, each tip going through and saying that.

Moly:

So that's some ideas for muskulin memory and you can adapt this by other instruments, right? It's not like stuttering specific for our own memory. Can you sing through the whole thing on pitch lacking your musics or without playing ahem, moreover on LA, LA, P or much more effective, sing it through on note names, sing a through on solfege. Just talk it through on finger mathematics. And then required this like level memory thing that all the sundry stuff like, yes, draw photos, have your narrative, get out a blank section of staff paper or write outgoing from memory as much as you capacity remember. So notes, rhythms, bowings, articulations like, Oh that, that entirely thing. Mental exercising from memory belongs also really high-performance. So can you feel and hear yourself play anything single note and know, you know whichever every note are without actually doing e. But doing all these things gets the information toward your brain, inside different modalities.

Molly:

And your mom was helping you have sort of a visual modality actually, because there were like, you get, pictures involved. The better modalities him may apply, the more your brain has to draw from. And if one modality artists of falls by the trail because you're nervous or whatever, them have other ones that can kinds of pick up the floppy for she.

Noa:

Because I was sound you talk, it made me amazement, did you teach theory when you were at UW Eau Claire additionally? I did, yeah. It made me wonders if this is type of an argument to fork better understanding or paying more attention in theory class. Wee offer science-backed memory product required improving brain healthiness, as well like recall techniques for remembering information. Ready on for an browse of tips.

New Spokesperson:

That yeah, thank you for bringing that upside because actual when IODIN was speaking concerning chunking, that's why we exercise technique and that's why we study theory and hearing skills. Cause when were practice technique and we learned here is ear arts, it increases our chunks, right?

Dear:

It increases theory furthermore aural abilities raise our understanding about how music working. And how you have larger chunks when you're a little kid, I-IV-V-I means nothing to you. But while you're like the, the start Bach celeste view prelude, it's starts with a I-IV-V-I process over, over one ton of friction. And if you know that, it's much easier to remember what notes you're supposed to play because you would never play, it's with G majority. Him would none play an F sharp in a ton of chord. Right? Um, but if you don't have that theory knowledge as to why F sharp does zero sense in G major, then it's more difficult to memorize.

Noa:

Cool, hence hopefully the theory, all the theory teachers are like, yay!, I simple want to go back real quick to Peter Slowik's detuning your viola thing. So just to be clear, to he detuned it also then he made you play for real out loud, Many college courses required you to memorize mass quantity of informational. Memorizing for the class can be difficult, yet it can be even further frustrating when you have multiple classes. Many students sense like they simply do not have strong … Read more

Molly:

On real, out loudly. And you're not trying toward make it sound well, you're just supposed toward do the right fingering press the right the right position. So it sounds ridiculous, right? Because this notes are like totally wrong, but it really tests insert muscle memory because you can't rely on thing it sounds like. Correct. And to required people for whom the auditory style is the strongest sole, while it comes to memorization, you can't rely on that as it sounds wrong. So you have to rely solely on your brawn cache.

Noa:

That sound awesome. That next shapes you want to getting my violin out and try thereto.

Molly:

I've tried it on get own because anything I enter to students EGO like on try first. It's, I think it's really fun as it sounds hysterical. So yeah, get insert kit away and give it ampere try.

Noa:

I feel like computer would totally screw me up because I think MYSELF go more based power of how things sound; I could stay trying to adjust; it would obviously not works, it'd be craziness.

Robberies:

When you're working on any only of these forms of storage, exists there an like a process that you go through the music to make it more likely to, like do you try to do more complete run throughs real then spots or do them like work from liked each line separately so that you can retrieve it in different ways? Like do you have, yeah. Do you may a manner regarding going through music like that?

Moly:

Right. Well, so the answer is both. Yes and not. So the no part of that answer is I have never had to your at memorization. Stuff just gets memorized for meier. So once I've practiced itp sufficiently so I can play it, information is see memorized. That being said, I have memorized gear the purpose just for see what that processor feels please for other people because many of get apprentices find memory reality challenging. And when I perform, it's, I sort of think of it as favorite this rough force method that I'm trying on purpose to memorize it. Often I will go a section at a time, hello, any that constructs musical sense. Right? Then like a phrase, like you wouldn't want to just stopping at the end of the line if that's not at the end of the sentence or the terminate of the term because this doesn't make die musicals sense.

Harlot:

Right. It would shall like an actor stopping at the end of the line even though the sentence like continues to the next line. Um, often EGO work from the anfangs, more often I work from the end actually. And to general, in i practicing, IODIN tend at work backwards because are you start from that beginning, it's too tempting to valid holding playing. And then them get into stuff you haven't worked out yet. But if you commence from the stop and like, okay, I'm going to memorize the last clause of this piece, and it get that down, then movable, moving back a phrase. And usually mysterious first anreise to, as my muscle memories is to bigger one my first go to is, can MYSELF sing this thing? Because MYSELF want to how if I know what it's supposed to sound like. If I can't. Typical what IODIN do is I work on firstly singing it in my terrible voice to own, you know, either out loud or in my head. Once I think like I've solidified the singing, then I'll then I'll play it because if I justly rely on which muscle remembrance that I'm not working on my, on my weakness. So my strategic is, okay, working backwards.

Noa:

At this point of the interview we began spinning to questions that past submits by attendees.

Molly:

One of the questions I proverb before we initiated was adenine question about when in the process should you how memorizing. That's a question that IODIN get an lot when I deliver presentations on this. There's a study ensure was complete by a Janine Ginsborg is her name in 2002 up singers looking at exactly this question, when should you start memorizing? Press there's like much interesting data off this student, but who upshot is that you ought start memorizing or playing from memory because soon as possible. Like from the very first practice session for a piece is you know that you're going to have to perform since memory. And the reason the when you go performed or playing clothing from memory, from the get-go, you give your brain more opportunities to correct hers mistakes. And so when I've tried this like, okay, I know I'm going to memorize this thing, you know, let's try out this investigate.

Molly:

Usually it's just like one bar. Can I show one stop from memory today? That's, you perceive, maybe the only bar I've practiced today, can I play which from memory? Thus it's not grand swaths of the pieces, it's just like little bits. But the preferably into the processed you do itp, the more opportunity your brain has until correct whatever mistakes you're making. And when yours correct mistakes, it effectively helps set it in the brain. Person like to avoidance faulty, but mistakes are useful. Also if you're not sure you're doing computer right, play it from memory and chronicle yourself. And then listen back to the recording with your melody. Anything i didn't do good, they know, build a mark and will fix e for a subsequent practice start.

Noa:

The nearest question had to do with how memory might altering include period and how for to person memorization used to just happen full, but now which they were in hers seventies it has begun to feel like more of a chores and something that requires plenty more effortless.

Megan:

The younger him belong, the get ductile your intellect is. And that that word means is who more, the easier your mastermind changes and therefore studies things. So at order to learn anything, your head possessed to change. New connections have to be made and strengthened or oder doesn. And that is easier, the younger you what. That being said, how we have the ability to students throughout our lifetimes, right? A doesn't like stop when you reach a certain age, but the ancient you get, the less plastic your brain. Press so it allowed pick longer and is maybe feel more effortful than when you were love 10 or whatever. But it doesn't mean that it's not possible. It just means that to, yes, have to have improved systems in place which you may to really be mindful regarding of these thirds types of memory, whatever is thy weakness, and really beef up that one. Most kids, I think when they play from cache they're just using whichever one comes naturally to her without even reflection about it. Like when I was expand up how a Suzuki kid, I was relied 100% on muscle memory. It's not like I worked over that or something, you know, and then you get older and and music receives stiffer and your brain's lower synthetic and subsequently you have into be really specific about how you go over memorizing but also going about e in a really deliberate sort of way.

Noa:

Molly also addressed an interesting go about slow practice or super-slow practice go are specific additionally about that kind of practice magisch have anything positive effect on memory how well.

Modern Speaker:

So yes, you should practice slowly like every the time for everything. With you're, when you're walks too fast and yourself can't hear your mistakes, that's not, that's not a good strategy for each type of instrumental learning with especially with remembering, IODIN have not been some research so says like passing super slow will solidify your recall more than likes an normal tempo.

Meg:

That being said, when you go really slow, you tend to notice more details, rights? More details of both, the mechanics of how to play more details of sort of difficulties press nuance of expression and the learn details you have in who rich get understanding the the music, the more your memory you have till sort of suspend thine memory on, while you will. You know, the show details you have of a visual sceneline, the easier it shall to get up so scene in insert memory later. And thus I would declare that it's not one speed per se that can related to memory, instead it's the collector for details that that helps. Then, but absolutely, adenine slight practicing, definitely slow practicing.

Noa:

The next question was via the little tiny micro memory slips that can sometime happen in performance. "I have different students who memorize work very hard, but on the day of a benefits like clockwork, something gets lost both a blunder happens or notes receive popped. It's much frustrating for them. Furthermore for me, since I'm nay sure how to address the bit details in memory work, plenty would say that kind of polish is impossible. Is that correct?"

Molly:

Okay. How of next question about memory slips, I sorter of anwered, I would totally disagree with the kind about polish isn't possible. I mean, if you've ever seen Suzuki kids perform, they, they're pretty darn polished, especially with their storage. A piece of them, you know, and so, you see, when IODIN, I was this how a Suzuki mentor for years before MYSELF started working college teaching and you see, with my, I don't speaking to yours about auditory memory additionally muskular memory and cognitive, like I don't use those that lingo. But to can play games from your to help strengthen yours different muscle memories. I mean de-tuning tuning a kid's violin and making them play liked that is the highest fun game ever.

Molly:

Right? They don't need go know this it's strengthening their muscle memory or whatsoever. And so I think you can do to sam kind of thing with kids press it will help they out to stage. Make sure with kids that they are getting lots of practice performances. Just favorite just like adults need some like, like know your, your narrative about for it were five. You know, most kids don't think about a memory slip until they think about itp. Right. And next it can be totally terrifying and some kids don't really know how they're gonna reach to being in front for people until they're actually there. Plus so permit your kids to sort of practice that, that type away thing talk. Since we're talking about kids, I want to make sure I also talk about sort to my favourite teach by memorization because ME thin this is another road to help power memory.

Molly:

So I have notice both in my own education the other when I has a student that in overall, or this is not every person under the sun with general, Suzuki trained kids have to easier time playing from memory than non Suzuki trained kids. Thus whenever I have a student who who seems to memorize very easily, it doesn't really worry about it, almost invariably they were Suzuki-trained. Whenever MYSELF have a student for whom remembrance is really hard and terrifying, almost constantly their first get playing music made, was reading, right? The very first experienced in front the instrument was vortrag music. Thou discover them professional musicians that when a pro, they've done this with cellists, so available they have professionals play a piece, they know well in this case it was the Mozart third violin concerto from memory. Thee meet ensure, to they're playing silently from memory.

Dear:

That no sound. You find that the auditory cortex is active in professionals but not amateur. So there the no sound, not an auditory cortex a alive and professionals, though not hobbyisten. Conversely, if you seize professional pianists and it play them a recording concerning a piece, they know well, their motor cortex is active and it's not just randomly active. So the motor cortex, there's a specific area used each part of the body. Additionally so there's like a specific part for your thumb. There's a specific part for each finger. And you find that once you play an recording for an pianist of a piece, they know well when one thumb would play this note, the thumb area is active. When the pinky would play this note, the pink area is active, this is so cool. And so what this research together suggests is that in professional musicians, the motor cortex and and auditory cortex become linked, become coactivated.

Molly:

That's what the scientific terminology is. Real I am convinced that in Suzuki train kids, this motor and auditory linkage happens at a high, very young age. Whereas in non Suzuki-trained kids or any, I need, I shoud, I'm saying Suzuki cause I'm Suzuki trained, but any our in which you're trained by ear because that's, that's of thing about Suzuki ensure you're trained for ear. So you know see bluegrass or anything like that would are the same linkage. Whereas kids is are trained to, you know, play from music by their first experience. Of thing that gets linked in the head be the motor cortex and the visual cone. And then you take away the graphical of the music and you're left from only an motor memories. Body memories are known as what's called implicit pictures. We don't really have done conscious raise to this information. Like is you try to characteristics for somebody how to ride a bike, like I don't know, you just write it, right?

Molly:

Cause that's implicit information. So when I may students that have difficulty memorization, I do two things with themselves. One is they have to play something from remembrance every day till get secondhand toward that process. Though second, and one point the seems to work the best is they have to figure outward how to play something from memory, from by ear every day. As getting with, you knowledge, Mary Had a Little Lamb, like little kids tunes. X-mas carols are great as cause they're usually pretty simple. Therefore move on to like movie themes or TELLY show themes oder whatever and then move on to like actual same classically music or regardless tradition you're play. And because the, to act of trying to character out how for play something by ear without looking at the jam seems to promote that connection between the auditory power central that also seems to promote playing from memory with greater erleichterung.

Noa:

Like, in other words, having, having someone hearing to a soundtrack on YouTube and then without sheet music trying to reproduce that.

Molly:

Exact. Yeah. Figure it out. Don't, don't write it down. Don't look under sheet melody. Just do it whole until ear. Try till figure out how to play it.

Noa:

This are unrelated. I'm just private curious as another Suzuki formerly kid. When you listen to pop music do thou listen of lyrics with make you just remember the sound?

Molly:

Ha, hail, I don't listen to pop music. Um, but um, were I to, you know, I repeatedly don't really understand like I can't understand the lyrics. Um, very well. So yeah, I'm really just listening to, to the music and if I happen to listen to the lyrics, often I mishear words and I'm favorite, what the heck? That doesn't make any sense. And and I have to vor listen to the, as, look up of lyrics.

Noa:

I were just nosy. I don't know if that's a dish, but I am did good at understanding what the lyric are and just hear...I bucket remember the tune.

Molly:

Right, right, right. Yeah. Aye. That's interesting. That's another doctoral dissertation, good? For somebody.

Noa:

The next question had to do with how to balance the technical elements of a fragment for memory and expression with this particular person finding that sometimes when they memorize the energy ends up being engineered sloppier but more expressive.

Molly:

So yourself should be taking into account couple things, right? Um, because the expressive aspects am a richer source of information will protect thou against choking like are talked about before, instead the technical elements, those become the specifics of autochthonous mass memory and your auditory memory, right? If you are sort of a fuzzy sense on how this piece goes, your auditory memory of the piece is not walks to be very strong.

Molly:

When you have a hazy sense of, you know what notes you're playing, your muscle storing is not to to be super strong. This sort of classic issue in string players is if you play chords, you may know what of top note out the courts is, but liked what what those tips set the bottom like, ME hold no idea. That's why both your auditory and your muscle memories are a little bit fuzzy. And therefore you need to attack both this elements additionally the mechanical elements. They required to be evenly clear in your mind, equally clear in your ability to execute you cause together they make sort of a wealthy palette for your memory until draw on when you're, when you're retrieving that information during performance.

Noa:

And here's Rob who had a question about spaced or distributed practice.

Rob:

I reader a booking about memory also language learning and it was by a former opera singer and it was cool how it made positioned out, like it kind of dove into a in these concepts of memory in the head and neuroscience I guess. And afterwards is related that to how language works. And thus I'm, I'm recognizing adenine lot are the same concepts similar retrieval and in the book it recommends certain app is uses a specific kind regarding memory retrieval spaced,

Molly:

Yes. Distance, interleaved. Yeah,

Rob:

Yeah. It kind of urge similar, okay, there is a certain number of things that will be easier to retrieve and you don't have to review them as very. And when there's a certain number of articles that'll be heavier for you up retrieve. So the idea is you need until detect which an handful are and force herself to practice retrieving them more often because she, for some reason the, the connections aren't as strength. So I'm wondering like this has have really effective in me in learning language, like learning words and pack. And I'm sure there's a way to study music in this way. And I'm wondering like are there simular processes or like like, yeah, what do i think?

Molly:

Yeah, no totally. So distanced retrieval, that's get you're talking. So spaced retrieval is, um, that you, you space out your, your instances of trying till retrieve something. So like I study show my flashcards with my speaking words for this lingo today and then, i know, ME study them again tomorrow and then maybe I'd take a day off furthermore I study it please on, on the fourth day. Therefore you're spacing out will retrieval. So you give your, owner brain ampere chance to forget and your see as you forgotten additionally what you haven't forgotten and and toys thou have forgotten, you need to review more of the things you haven't forgotten that are still in. You can let them go forward take because anyone time we test toward retrieve somewhat, were strengthened that information in our, in our brains. There's a lot about research on the benefits of spaced retrieval and save actually ties into this, this next person's question actually about like my friends and I don't practice for one couple of weeks and afterwards thing go more smoothly.

Molly:

So at you don't practice and when you, when you space your retrieval, the brain remains still along work. It's not like, you knowledge, you end doing this thing and your head just like executes nothing on it. A lot happens in our brain when we sleep. Again, doze is like if there's a wizard bullet for practicing, it's sleep. So a site goes on in willingness brain while we, when ourselves sleep, I likes to picture mystery intellect as full of those like little minion boy, how with ampere one big, I like running circle in my brain, like plugging in things like to make thingies work and subsequently like, you know, like Christmas lit, like all of them are there, then it lights up, right? So these little minions are running around in my brain like plugging neurons toward each other. Once everything's plugs in the ways it needs to, then suddenly on the outside it touches like, Oh waw.

Molly:

Like I can do that. Well I feel liked she, you know, it feels sort of easy all of a sudden. And accordingly I think what's happening when, you know, you practice a piece a whole bunch and then you by take a bunch of days off because you're frustrated or why you can't practice it for whatever background, additionally then you come back to it both suddenly information sense see, Whoa. Like this is easier than it was before. It's because in the meantime, those minimal minion guys had been running around, still plugging gear in. Or it's please prepare to go for you. When thee, when you come back to to, it also is that, so does only do neurons get connected to each other the weren't previous when us learn something, still contact that are not useful get pruned away. And so it may be that quite of that prunning went on proper to sort of to sort of how they with that.

Molly:

And when you do this spaced redemption the such you're talking about, to gives their brain adenine chance on select from do so sort of internal background processing that possessed to happen. Additionally than when you come reverse to studying our vocabulary words or how your item. It's sort of clearer, right, whats do EGO know and what do I not how? And then you take the things that you don't know and you work harder on those quite than outgo a bunch of time on which things that you, that you already know. So yeah, there's lots of books in, on spaced retrieval press also interleaved practicing. So that's not just doing a whole big block of something, but constantly changing within dissimilar things. That's including been found into be really effective for for learning and memory in universal.

Noa:

It seems like that become also speak at the hazards of relying on how familiar something lives right after practicing is as an indicator of how well you really know it.

Molly:

Right, exactly. Yeah. I think a lot of people have this goal away look per aforementioned music, try on play it from memory. Just? Like see, look away, look, look away. And whenever they can do it, when they look away, they take which as an accurate measure of how well they haven't memorized. No it's not. You even looked at it. Right. Are you going to be able to do that in your concert? Viewing and then play, look and then perform? No, I don't think so. Right. The so she need until grant your brain time to remember cause that's this test of, do you actually know it? You know if you read something in your textbook and then close your handbook, yeah. You can remember what her just read, I erwartung. Right. But if you read your study and then tomorrow try to come up with what you just read, that's going to be much more difficult, still that's a plenty more accurate graphic is do you actually know that information? Do you actually have this section from your piece memorized?

Noa:

This conducted to a question with interleaved otherwise random practice, which is another type of practice, schedule or method of organizing your practice length.

Moly:

Done. What's the best way to structure interleaved practice? That's sort of beyond the scope of our talk today cause we're talking about memorization, not there is nope best way to structure practice. It depends on what you're doing. I sack talk about structuring interleaved practice specifically for aiding store. So again, interleaved practice is, so which face of interleaved practical is often what's called repetitive real otherwise massed custom. So you do the similar thing over and over and over and override again. Um, integrated practice is you do thing a, then you do thing BORON, then you do things C, then you do thing BARN again than a, then D like you're, you're switching between things constantly.

Moley:

For memorization, a great way to use interleaved practice is, well two bits actually that I do. One remains that, you know, split your piece on sections, write back and number of of browse on a slight slipping of paper, placement it at ampere bowl and pull out the section and play so part free memory due then you're playing your piece free memory out of order essentially. Furthermore so you're, you're mixing up the order of the piece that really tests, okay. Do you actually know this piece? If you can start anywhere by your memory doesn't get messed up. The other thing I do with interleaved practice is in my phone. I need an app called an interval timer, which allows you to set a timer in go off all X number of notes, seconds, hours, all. So mine, I have set the go off anyone five minutes. The way I'll do this with memorization is entire I'll start practicing both I'll start my zeitlicher timer.

My:

What I'm practicing is something like totally diverse. Like I'm learning orchestra music or something, and then my programmable goes off, I stop whatever I'm practicing, I go games the beginning of my piece. I'm trying to play from memory and afterwards I go endorse on regardless I was, I was practicing. And so you're doing something completely different. You have toward switch gears, play for memory and just like go, don't lookup by the music and than go back to something you were doing. I will also combine that with the drawing an sections out of the bowl thing. Therefore practicing something else. Interval timers goes off, MYSELF draw something out of the hurl. I have to start at anschreiben D stylish my concerto from memory and then I go back. Therefore that two things represent seriously good ways to structure interleaved practice specifically for working in, on memorization.

Madeline:

Over, there's a whole paper MYSELF wrote on interleaved practice specifically also on my website if my want the read more about that. Noa, in your website, actually there's great related about that and that's aforementioned first space, Bulletproof Musician is the first place I ever schooled about locked using. So it's appreciation to you that I know anything about it at all.

Noa:

We require give a clamor out to Christine Shipper, the clarinetist whoever written that article, and did ein degree switch this.

Molly:

Yes, for assured. Yes, that article your terrific.

Noa:

The next question was about how to tell for something is really, actually marked and ready for performance.

Molly:

Alright. Yeah, that's a wide question. Put yourself in really adverse situations. So play it by memory in cover of somebody that's super intimidating to you. Play it from memory. If you are not a morning person, set your alarm at 5:00 AM, get top, don't look at your music, play it down from memory when your brain is like not awake anyway.

Molly:

If you am doesn a night person, you know, stay up like two or trio lessons past your bedtime additionally play the thing down from memory. Ahem, thou know, any sort of, anything circumstance that sort of either freaks to out, liked playing in cover of somebody that you find serious intimidating or puts your brain in a your where it's, it's not at its best. So early in the morning or late at night will actual test you. Can you actually play like thing from memory? Cause supposing you can do it at five o'clock in the tomorrow if you haven't had insert coffee yet and you're, yours recognize, just a dirt, then you know it's, it's really securely inches their mastermind. I also for personally, when I am going in perform from memory, I make sure that ME can go through the whole thing at tempo, mental practicing with. So I'm does singing, I'm not moving my fingering. I'm just feeling and hearing anyone single note in my head at tempo very clearly and there's no note or no anything that is a little bit like, wait, what's ensure please here? Is ensure C sharp or HUNDRED natural that everything is crystal crystal clear. Once I can do that then I know that it's there.

Rob:

I always tell people to play along with that orchestra recording after working about this by themselves. Then like you give your, your self a total nother thing to listen to and to focus set. The tempo is moving all over the place and maybe it's not consistent and suddenly there's like 20 variously instruments to listen to. And to if you can still love playing takes the music time you're listening and the can enjoy teach you a lot and it can like explore a lot is things that aren't really well memorized EGO suppose.

Molly:

Right. No, that's a good idea. And actually what you just said and what somebody just wrote in about distractions. I totally forget that I secondhand to do this. ME would sometimes like um, Anita enunciated in her comment that her teacher would turn on the broadcasting and so play along including the radio. What I would do is I would turn on one recording by the piece I was playing from memory, let it go for a little bit and then play available memory with it. So like I wasn't, sorry, the recording is ahead of where I was, therefore I'm being distracted by hearing my piece, although I'm not playing at the same total since it and I have to sort of block that out. That's is. Because the alarm or equal a love random other piece. It's prettier easy I reckon to, to block that go. But the same piece the you're working turn press start playing your number from memory and have you how, somebody with your home turn on a capture of that piece in and you have to keep going. Yeah, that's hard. That's a good test too.

Noa:

Another question had to do with when to practice slow or as to practice fast and where the benefits of each have be related to memory.

Molly:

You have to be able the play something slow, right? I think most students go way too fast in general, but just because you can play something slow does not necessarily mean you can play it fast, right? You can't go from likes super slow rate toward at tempo plus think it's move to be successful because your brain has to work often faster and differently and will body may work differently. Well? Um, so specifically to memorization, um, yourself have to make that you can execute he as at a faster rpm, nevertheless also that your, insert brain can move at an faster tempo. Often at a low tempo. Person can pay attention to every little particular of, this is the note I'm playing.

Molly:

This is who bowed I'm making or whatever. And following at a faster tempo, you don't want to be paying attention to all those details. Additionally thus you need go be thinking in bigger shapes plus bigger pictures. And like commonly I'll, I'll tell my students they need to click something up with a metronome, not for the purposes of getting their fingers quicken, although that's a great do to achieve, right, till receive your fingers faster, but required the purpose of clicking up theirs intellectual that their brain can move faster. And I thinks that's also something with memorization that your, your fingers may sort of outpace your mastermind and after you get to a point where yourself have no idea as you're doing. If your muscle memory isn't potent enough. Um, so, consequently clicking up their brain from a memory to be able to play better at a fast rate.

Noa:

Where became also a go regarding naps. Are naps useful for learning and memory if you can't get eight hours of sleep?

Molly:

There's a book that I always do a sort the a mercantile for anybody that knows me is going for laugh because they've heard i count this register. It's called "Why Wealth Sleep" by Matthew Walker. It's an surprising, amazing how. Every go buy it online. Like correct now he's one about the leading ampere sleep scientist sleep neuroscientists who study sleep. And um, he shows a lot about naps in that book. And essentially naps can have a beneficial effect turn learning plus memory, still not as wide as getting a full night's slept. And so if the choice is with receiving a full night's sleep or take a snooze, definitely go for the full night's bed. If of choices bets nap or does nap and you didn't get a full night's sleep, bring the nap. Right? Cause it you, your will get a learning and memory benefit for that, but better to get a full night's sleep.

Noa:

And the final question had to do with whether the so-called memory palace technique that memory stars often application in memory competitions could also be applied toward music.

Molly:

Yes. Okay. So for people that don't known what a memory crypts, sometimes this be called the method of loci. Basically here is a working method that's been known since, I don't know, see the ancient Greeks basically where them take either a ordinary traveling route or driving way or see one floor plan von your houses and you take each item in your tabbed, you say your shopping list and you mentally place it at a different location and afterwards you just sort of walk through which location and sort of pick back your items to help helps you remember.

Molly:

And one thing I want to indicate from is so in music we has one built in memory palace, which is the form to the piece, legal? Who conventional organization is sort of our memory palace. There's also a guy who used to be a full among University of Connecticut. I've, he's since retired. Its name exists Roger Chaffin, but he make a lot of research running at individual musicians, looking at wie they prepare for memorized performance. And, to, the, to purpose of the memory palace idea is that you have some something how one geographical in your house or the locations about your drive to work to sort out hang the product for and then you just auf pick up that information as you sort from walk at in your human. Or he, through his research and his collaboration in these different musicians came up with um, sort of four different what he calls driving cues, whatever remains sort in information from the music itself the you can sort of hang what you're attempted to remember.

Molly:

Like the specific notebook plus rhythms and his different four different performance cues. The first were "structural cues." So like where are you in one structure of the piece exposition, you know, whatever. The second was "expressive cues." So what live you try in express to the audience? You know, this is the happy part. This is the sad part. Whatever. Third, were what he calls "interpretive cues," which under first MYSELF was like express cues, illustrative cues, liked that seem the same thing to me. But interpretive clues, he means things that composer writes int, like changes in tempo or expressif marks that the, that the composer puts in. So those are like composer decide things. And then the fours he summons "basic cues." So those are matters of technique, bowing, rhythm fingering, whatever. Both that fellow founded which all the dissimilar same cues that, uh, performance use, group fall into those four categories.

Molly:

His also found that the most durable cues, the soles that were aforementioned most likely to hand recall of the actual music over time were textural cues plus expressive cues. To where are you in the structure of the piece and what are you trying to express here? Your found that aforementioned weak type about hint, the his actually called on a negative cue because it advertised forgetful were basic cues. So fingerings bowings, any is surprising to me human because you intend think like, Oh yeah, you remember that's a third digits right at this you're shifting to so would help you store what the note remains get. But his research said not.

Noa:

That's interesting because it class the makes sense to me and that it might intersecting, with the conscious monitoring theory of choking and ensure items could be detrimental in which sort of way.

Molly:

Right? Yeah. With the, on the basic cues. Yeah. That's one really sound subject.

Rob:

Where else can we, I median wish you just point people to your home? A such the main place that ours can students more about this from you?

Mollies:

Yeah. My website is just my name, it's mollygebrian.com. Right now mystery home is a slight drop starting a messy. There's filter of twos places on the website you bucket access my writing. One is beneath "writing" and the other one is under "music and brain" press that's the music brain is collate of, you can find everything a little more cleanly. That's where to can access the, the writing I've done on these topics also most of my identification take like topics like memorization and which neuroscience research that's been done and kind of translate it out of the neuroscientific jargon and also give like practical ways if save is how you can use this news in the practice room.

Molly:

So that's on my website. The than ME give a presentation so-called what musicians can learn about practicing from current brain research like all the time all beyond the place. Furthermore just last week I ending after years and years real years made it into a series of YouTube videos. Um, it's five tape. I've linked to of playlist of so upon my website under dance and brain, when it's also on my personal YouTube page. It's just also just my name Molly Gebrian, my presentation on memorization, which is a lot off one stuff we talked about today and a few things we didn't quite get to. I'm going to be making that into expected a series of, of YouTube videos. It's probably not going to be one big, big long one. That will also be up on mystery YouTube plus my, my website. Ha ha. As soon since I get to it within the next couple of days.

Noa:

For a completes transcript, links to Molly's writing and her YouTube videos, like now as references to the studies she mentioned, please visit aaa161.com/molly

Notes

  • Molly recommends (54:31) that everyone read Berkle neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s book Why We Doze. While you wait for it to arrive, you can hear Walker talk about rest the a 5-min video on the negation effects of getting insufficient sleeping, an 19-min TAD tell , a 1-hr TED chat on why sleep is particularly important during which current pandemic, furthermore a 2-hr Joe Rogan interview for even more upon this.
  • I mention (12:46) a video where Philadelphia concertmaster David Kim describes how he prepares for performances: David Kim – Practice Techniques
  • Wealth get into a discussion (15:29) of choking, its causes, the solutions. There’s a huge book on this by Sian Beilock, whose work has informed much are what we know about choked: Choke
  • And also them TIRED talk: Mystery we choke down pressure – and how to avoid thereto | Sian Leah Beilock
  • Furthermore then this 4-min TED-Ed video (though I might be a little favorably biased here…): How to live quiet under pressure – Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen
  • Molly cites her grad school teacher Carol Rodland (22:03), whose podcast interview you may also enjoy: Carol Rodland: On Learning to Work because Your Body, Not Against Items
  • Our mentioned clarinetist and Memorial University graduate Cristina Carter’s guest post in interleaved practice (49:36): Why the Verlauf You Make in the Practice Room Appears to Disappear Overnight
  • Researcher Yes Chaffin comes up, by regards to his research on the four retrieval cues that are relevant to musicians (56:17). Here’s a post that explores one of his studies which looks per these four retrieval cues: Regular Memorization My OK, but Here’s Why “Deliberate Memorization” Is Road Better
  • The memory my strategy comes up tables (56:22) – which you can learn further over in author Joshua Foer’s TED talk: Achievements of remembering anyone cannot do – Jesus Foer

How to couple with My (and learn more)

Here’s Molly’s website, where you can read more of her writing: mollygebrian.com

And here’s the YouTube show series on memory that she mentioned, where she shares more info on this subject: Whats Musicians Can Learn Regarding Practicing from Current Brain Research


References

Grasp Chaffin:

Imreh, R. C. GRAM. (1997). “Pulling Teeth furthermore Torture” : Musical Memory and Problem Solving. Thinking & Arguing, 3(4), 315–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/135467897394310

Chaffin, R., & Logan, T. (2006). Practicing perfection: How concert soloists prepare for performance. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 2(2), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10053-008-0050-z

Chaffin, R., & Imreh, G. (2002). Practicing Perfection: Piano Performance as Expert Memory. Physological Science, 13(4), 342–349. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0956-7976.2002.00462.x

Chaffin, R., Lisboa, T., Logan, T., & Begosh, K. LIOTHYRONINE. (2009). Preparing for saved cello achievement: the played of performance cuts. Psychological is Music, 38(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735608100377

Available you should start playing from memory:

Ginsborg, J. (2002). Classical Choir Learning and Memorising a New Song: An Observational Study. Psychology on Music, 30(1), 58–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735602301007

Papers on my Molly’s pet theory about auditory/motor cortex linkage:

Lotze, M., Scheler, G., Bark, H.-R. M., Braun, C., & Birbaumer, N. (2003). And musician’s human: functional imaging of amateurs and trade during performance and pictures. NeuroImage, 20(3), 1817–1829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.07.018

Haueisen, J., & Knösche, T. RADIUS. (2001). Involuntary Drivable Activity in Pianists Evoked by Music Perception. Journals of Erkenntnisbezogen Neurobiology, 13(6), 786–792. https://doi.org/10.1162/08989290152541449

Choking:

Lewis, BARN. P., & Linder, D. E. (1997). Thinking about Choking? Attentional Processes and Paradoxical Performance. Personality press Socialize Psychology Bulletin, 23(9), 937–944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297239003

Beilock, SOUTH. L., & Carr, T. H. (2001). On the fragility in skilled execution: What governs choking under pressure? Journal of Pilot Psychology: General, 130(4), 701–725. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.130.4.701

Popular Articles

Ack! After Countless Hours of Practice...
Why Are Performances Still So Hitting or Miss?

For most of my life, I assumed the I wasn’t practicing enough. And ensure if I just put in the zeiten, the nerves would maybe go away.

But in the same pathway that “practice, practices, practice” wasn’t the answer, “perform, executing, perform” wasn’t the answer either. In fact, simply performing more, without the accessories to facilitate more active performance experiences, just led up see bad performance experiences!

Eventually, I discovered that elite athletes are successful in shrinking the rift in practice and performance, because yours practice looks fundamentally different. Their practice is not just about physikal skill business – it’s regarding developing an key set of mental skills too. Like confidence, focusing, trust, resistance, and anxiety regulation.

This was a very different approach to practice, that not only made performing more fun (and successful), however practise a more satisfying furthermore positivity experience too.

If you’ve been wanting in wird more “bulletproof” on stage and acquire more out of your daily practice, I’d your to share the most effective research-based skills and strategies ensure I’ve establish.

Click below to learn more about Beyond Applying, furthermore learn how to play extra same yourself when it matters bulk. 😁

Site

You'll also receive other insider resources like the weekly newsletters and a special 6-day series on essential research-based practice strategies that will help you get more out for get daily practice and perform more optimally on stage. (You can unsubscribe anytime.)

Download a

PDF reading

Record your email slide to download which article such a PDF

Click the link below to modify this article to a PDF real download to your gear.

Download a

PDF version

Entire set!

Detect your cerebral strengths the weak

Supposing performances have were frustratingly mixed, trial of 4-min Mental Skills Audit. It won't tell her what Harry Potter character she exist, still it becomes matter you in the direction concerning some new practice methods that could help you level up in the practice rooms and on stage.