Piano Lesson Study Tips for Memorizing Music Knowledge

By Cynthia Van Landingham

Piano students need to learn music theory to tap into all their musical potential. This involves some memorization of facts, however, so that they come easily to mind while playing. Don't let this intimidate your or your piano student at home. This is not hard to do, it just takes a little creativity and planning. Here are three creative memory techniques that work, even for young children.

1. Organizing the material for easier storage and retrieval. Since music theory can all be seen on the piano keyboard, visualization is an important tool or organizing information that will be easily accessible. Scales, for example, should be learned on the keyboard without looking at notes on the staff. Mental keyboard pictures of the scales are much easier to store and retrieve than notes on the page. The same is true for memorizing chords. Start with memorizing the keyboard imagery first, then draw the notes out on the staff and play them.

2. Adding meaning to the material through association. The primary chords of each key can be memorized easily by associating them with acronyms for short ideas which are fun to recall. The primary chords in the key of D are D Major, G Major, and A Major. "Dga, Dga Drum' is the "beat" is use the remember this. Just come up with ideas that are fun for you and memorizing these will be easy

3. Funneling the material. Organizing the material you want to remember from General to specific will also make recall easier. For example, memorize the Circle of Thirds. Then memorize the Seven Keyboard Triads, which are made from the Circle of Thirds. Then Memorize the Major and Minor Chords from the 7 Keyboard Triads.

Follow these examples and create more creative ways of your own to memorize the music facts you want to keep at your fingertips. Remember this - you can memorize all the music knowledge you want to with a logical plan to get it done. Even very young children can use the tecnhiques above because they're so effective.

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