Memorization frees up the conscious mind of the performer and enables it to focus on things other than the reading of a script (i.e. the sheet music). With the work memorized, our conscious mind is free to more fully focus on other, more musical, aspects of the performance.
Some musical situations all but require the use of printed music. For example, larger ensembles, such as a Jazz Big Band or a Symphony Orchestra, universally use printed music. This is primarily due to the complexity of the compositions/arrangements, the short rehearsal time for each work, the sometimes-enormous length of the works, etc. However, in smaller groups (i.e. jazz combos or classical soloists) we may alternatively see performers with sheet music, or without.
Of course, in some styles of music memorization is a given. I’ve seldom seen a rock band with music stands, for instance. In jazz and classical styles, however, we may find some players using printed music and some playing from memory. So, if the use of printed music is an accepted practice in these situations, why would anyone memorize? Surely it is easier to play with sheet music? What is the benefit of memorization?
Some would say that there are multiple benefits to memorization, many small, a few large. I would agree. In my opinion, however, the greatest benefit to the performer can be summed up as increased artistic control and freedom.
Memorization frees up the conscious mind of the performer and enables it to focus on things other than the reading of a script (i.e. the sheet music). With the work memorized, our conscious mind is free to more fully focus on other, more musical, aspects of the performance. The more completely we have memorized the work, the more we will reap the benefits.
No longer chained to reading the printed page, the performer can put their attention to aspects of tone, technique, musicality, and nuance more completely. This is helpful not just in performance, but also in the practice room. Great strides in tone production and intonational accuracy more easily occur with memorized music than when we are print-reliant. Additionally, when rehearsing or performing with others we may find we are more acutely aware of what they are doing, and are thus more able to respond musically.
Memorization not only frees our conscious mind, but it also frees our ears. Most people seem to hear more, which is especially important when improvising. If you have only improvised over tunes using sheet music, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing when you are freed from the page.
Memorization may indeed require extra time or effort, and it’s not appropriate for every performance situation. However, in my experience, memorization results in a greater musical and artistic freedom for the performer, enabling a greater attention to the “in the moment” aspect of music making. In short, it’s worth it.
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Starting today, you can hum, whistle or sing a melody to Google to solve your earworm. On your mobile device, open the latest version of the Google app or find your Google Search widget, tap the mic icon and say “what's this song?” or click the “Search a song” button. Then start humming for 10-15 seconds.
Do you know that song that goes, “da daaaa da da daaaa na naa naa ooohh yeah”? Or the one that starts with the guitar chords going, “da na na naa”? We all know how frustrating it is when you can’t remember the name of a song or any of the words but the tune is stuck in your head. Today at Search On, we announced that Google can now help you figure it out—no lyrics, artist name or perfect pitch required.
Hum to search for your earworm
Starting today, you can hum, whistle or sing a melody to Google to solve your earworm. On your mobile device, open the latest version of the Google app or find your Google Search widget, tap the mic icon and say “what's this song?” or click the “Search a song” button. Then start humming for 10-15 seconds. On Google Assistant, it’s just as simple. Say “Hey Google, what’s this song?” and then hum the tune. This feature is currently available in English on iOS, and in more than 20 languages on Android. And we hope to expand this to more languages in the future.
After you’re finished humming, our machine learning algorithm helps identify potential song matches. And don’t worry, you don’t need perfect pitch to use this feature. We’ll show you the most likely options based on the tune. Then you can select the best match and explore information on the song and artist, view any accompanying music videos or listen to the song on your favorite music app, find the lyrics, read analysis and even check out other recordings of the song when available.
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Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.
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