Memory tricks

For as many summer terms as I can remember I've always told myself not to take on too much the following year and to try and save more time for my hobbies and getting out in the fresh air. Then once July finishes I happily reflect on all the activity that went on, appreciating all the experiences and the following year cram even more into my schedule. The harp has now become one of my hobbies and yet again has taken a back seat while I get the various lessons, exams, school concerts and my own performances out of the way. At least in February when I did my grade 1 there were only a few concerts dotted around and my own pupils' exams seemed a long way off. I am now in the middle of those exams, and the extra lessons some pupils seem to need, along with all the other activities mentioned. Needless to say I have done a lot less practise this time around, certainly not every day, and those practise performances to captive audiences have been few and far between. When I have given a performance I've chosen to include other favourite pieces rather than all the grade 2 pieces.

I am hoping to get all three exam pieces videoed by the exam date as this will test how well they are known. Today I got Chris to film Mountain Stream and the second take can be found just below this post. This one was quite easy to memorise as the arpeggios are based on chords. Fortunately I did pay attention in theory and harmony classes so the patterns in this piece make sense and that means it is easier to remember. When Bagpipes Play by Bach is also straight forward to remember as it is a tuneful melody in the right hand with the left hand doing a mixture of bass line and chords. Learning the dynamics right from the start also helps me remember what the music should be doing. Many players think they need to learn the notes first then get the dynamics, expression and accents in but it is worth learning all the detail within the music right from the start. That way you learn the piece once rather than learn then re-learn. More of a challenge has been Goblin Rustle. I didn't put as much effort into this back in May and June as I found it harder to memorise than the others. I've gradually spent more and more time on it but have had to be imaginative to remember all the various patterns. I divided it roughly into sections and firstly aimed to learn the beginning and penultimate sections as these are similar. They are not identical but noticing the differences is another way to memorise it. I then added the thrid section then the ending. The second section was the last bit to be learnt properly. I'd play the whole piece without music to see where the problems were (usually all the right notes, not necessarily in the right order) then I'd play through with the music to see what the right order was. I now need to play it to an audience to see if it survives the added pressure! I am meeting up with some family members on Thursday so will spring a performance on them when they least expect it!