Two Crucial Keys to Memorization

For years I’ve heard the debate about whether church musicians should use sheet music, chord charts, and music stands during a service.

I have my own thoughts on this topic, but one thing is certain: the ability to memorize and recall music is an indispensable tool for every musician. Whether it’s a ‘four chord and a capo’ worship song or a 30-page classical piano solo, this is a skill every musician should develop.

For some musicians, memorization seems to come effortlessly, while others struggle to remember an 8-bar passage. We’ve all spent countless times playing and replaying the music in our heads, trying to assure ourselves that we’ve got it.

How can you improve your ability to memorize? Practice! And like anything, practicing the right way. Here are two ideas that may help you become a better memorizer.

Chains

When you think of music as a series of chains, one musical idea leads to the next. The nice thing about learning in chains is that once we learn a sequence well, it feels natural. The problem is that it can depend on circumstance.

I can remember playing for hours in a tiny practice room in college my freshman year. At the end of the year I performed on a big grand piano on a stage rather than the little upright in the practice room. It was as if I had completely forgotten my music. My circumstance changed; the room, the piano, the environment, the noises, the people. Everything changed and that distracted me from being able to recall the next musical idea.

Have you ever played a passage only to get into an endless loop? In that moment, that was me. For an example of a chain, say the alphabet. Now say it backwards. Not that easy, is it? Why? Because we've memorized the chain of A,B,C,D,E,F,… rather than Z,Y,X,W,V,U. Chains are a great tool for memorizing, but if you want to become an expert, there has to be more.

Cues

Specific points in music that you can instantly recall are called ‘cues’. These cues allow you to get back on track should you forget what chain is coming next. Like anything in music, cues must be rehearsed. This way, you can start immediately anywhere in the song. What do cues look like?

Basic - Basic cues include perhaps the way you might voice certain sections or the fingering you use on a melody.

Sections - These are natural breaks in the song: a verse, chorus, or bridge. Usually there’s a musical change tied to these sections, so it’s fairly easy to remember each section. All you have to do is put the sections in the right order. It’s also a lot easier to remember the chord changes of each section rather than to view the song as a whole.

Mood - Mood cues help you know when a section of the song changes, for instance, from solemn and reflective to triumphant and powerful. Think of how many Hillsong tunes build to a huge bridge or solo.

Interpretive - These cues signifiy musical changes such as tempo, dynamics, and the way you might personally interpret a section of the song.

Putting it Together

How to you combine all of these chains and cues in order to memorize more effectively? Chains happen more naturally, so practicing the song from top to bottom over and over will help that. But, don’t just practice from top to bottom, start at different cues in the song.

Start at the intro and then jump to the bridge. Start at the softest part and jump to the loudest. Start at the solo. Start at the most difficult part. Jump around so that you can start at any point in the song. Make sure you are concentrating on the chords for each section. You should be able to instantly recall the chord structure of each section. Is it a 1564 or 6415 progression? Then combine the sections to form the entire song.

The Real Challenge and the Real Reward

At the end of the day, as keyboardists, we are not playing extremely challenging worship songs. The more challenging aspects can be changing sounds at the right time, playing to a click, playing with feel and musicality, and using arpeggios effectively. Remembering the chord structure and form of the song is something in which you should gain proficiency in order to concentrate on those other aspects.

Ultimately, the better you memorize and the more you practice, the more free you will feel during worship. That allows you to truly engage in the worship moment rather than having your head stuck in a page.