How can I make memorizing (musical) notes easier?

Question

I'm learning piano and memorizing notes for me is the biggest challenge. I already know the notes it just takes me a while to get them. Im already familiar with the acronyms that help you memorize them but when I play it needs to be a bit faster so it gets a bit harder. What will help me to memorize them?

Answer 1

Get a blank sheet of staff paper and write out the notes.
Get another sheet of staff paper and randomly write out the notes.
Put that stuff aside and for a few minutes and picture in your mind a note on the staff and name it. Then reverse the process. Say a note name to yourself and picture where on the staff it will be. This is a process called visualization.
Pick up a piece of music and look at the notes and name them, don't attempt to play it at this time, just name the notes.
Do this ten/fifteen minutes a day, add as part of your practice time.
We learn by repetition, and recitation. So repeat the process. It will come to you. Don't give up.

(Note: Visulization is widely used by athletes. They sit in a trance like state and play a game in their mind. They see them-self making the perfect move, making the perfect shot. Heck, why can't we do the same thing and see ourselves giving the best performance.)

Answer 2

I've been playing piano for 16 years. When I learned how to read music I never memorized the notes using acronyms. I just knew that the notes are ABCDEFG. I just memorized where the C was so that way I could logically read where the the rest of the notes were. I was like learning how to read a new language. After you see the same thing over and over again it just becomes easier.

Answer 3

It's been said a lot. But it takes time. When I started play musical instruments back in 1968, it took me a year to memorize anything! I to, was frustrated, but I continued to play, and wish I was better. Now, so many years later, everything seems second nature. Very seldom do I think technically anymore. I play Blues, Country, Rock, Jazz, Classical, New Age. I know more than a thousand songs, and still, I wish I was better. So I still work at it. A few years ago my son, who is 26, had some friends over. They were listening to Linkin Park, the song" In The End". One of his friends asked if I knew it. I said no, but start the video over, and let me tune to it exactly. Half way through it I had learned the guitar parts, the bass parts, and fingerpicked the piano part. The friend said " man, I wish I could do that", I said " you will, just keep playing"!!!!!

Answer 4

The best thing you can actually do is simply to not allow stress to factor into your practicing and memorization. If you start worrying that you aren't finding the notes fast enough then you may actually starting rushing your decisions, which in turn can lead to more mistakes and therefore a longer period in which it will take to learn the material. So, in fact practice is the only way to learn and memorize the notes - but take your time, because musicians are not born overnite. If you are committed to learning then in time you will regardless.
A small thing that may help in the meantime is to isolate certain groups of notes and develop your own lesson plan that will involve using just those few notes. This will help you to learn the notes in a faster period of time because you will not be forced with a greater multitude of decisions.

Just remind yourself that in time all of this will become second nature.

Answer 5

Ohhh it will come, I promise!! Practice really does make perfect here. I have played for some 40 years now and must admit I sightread most stuff - rarely bother to learn anything to play without the music. I never ever have to even think what a note is - my fingers just play it.

Scales do help too - just keep on practising - and enjoy it. You are learning to do something that a lot of people are envious of these days - pianists are becoming few and far between. HAve fun :)

Answer 6

It takes a lot of practice. Working through your scales, slowing and precisely until you get it right, and then slowly, working your way faster each time. I don't play the flute, but I play piano and with generic music theory, its a matter of getting your fingers to memorize a specific pattern to each scale, so when you are asked to play for example a B flat Major scale, your hands will know what to do without having to think about it. if that makes sense. But practise is probably they best thing you can do =)

Answer 7

Music is a language, and there really is no shortcuts here. Reading notes on the staff is not unlike learing a completely different alphabet; you just have to memorize the pattern such that you can instantly recall it.

Remember: it's not the NAME of the note that is so important; it's that when you see the note on the staff it means something to you in terms of how to sing or play the note on your instrument of choice.

Answer 8

It's like learning a different language and you can't do that by just memorization. You have to put it to use.
So practice, practice, practice!! The more you read music, the easier it gets.

Answer 9

You should take sections of the piece and work a slow tempo with them...once you have done well on one section move on. Practice alot and its better to go slowly and get it right than fast and mess up alot. Visualize the notes in your head to help memorize.

Answer 10

ive played violin for 3 years now and i still havent memorized the notes. i can play them but i havent memorized them