my teacher thinks it's time i learned a concerto from memory, and i will have a go, when i've stopped laughing ........ most of the time i can't remember what day it is !!!

Well, I find that muscle memory plays quite a lot into memorizing music, and as such, you might find it easier than you think. When you know a piece really well, you can stop using your brain to focus on the notes and rhythms as much, and just play, unlike trying to remember what day of the week it is (which I'm no better than you at (I thought today...or I guess it's yesterday now...was sunday)) which is entirely a function of the brain. Which concerto is she going to have you work on?

she's thinking of one of the gluck concertos, which i haven't played at all ....... i'm thinking i'd rather have a go at something i've done already, but at least she didn't say ibert !!

If you take a little section at a time slowly, you'll get it.
What day is today? Lol!
I am not sure if I have played any of the Gluck Concertos. Hmm... I'll have to give some a listen to.

Flutist06, you must be a night owl like me.

Kara and Angie,

In my case I find it easier to graphically memorize the score. I make a picture in my mind of what the score looks like, and gradually I add dynamics and so on.
It's much like taking a picture of it, small parts at a time, and enhancing the "resolution" of the image...
Sounds a little crazy, but this is quite an exercise not only for playing, but keeps the mind at work :-)

Zevang

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Sorry, Flutist06 too...

Sounds like you have a photographic memory Zevang! I would think that would make things a bit easier. Strangely enough, I do have one when it comes to textbooks and the like....After reading something once, I can tell you exactly what it said, what page it was on, and where on the page that bit of info was, but I have not noticed a similar effect learning music. For me, it's just a matter of playing until I get it memorized (but the number of tines I have to play something is dwindling, so that's good). Oh, and yes, Kara, I am quite the night owl....I generally try to stay off the computer late at night, but I'm almost always awake.

I personally have to learn to feel the piece, to feel the harmonies and melodies, but it does take time, I am being requred to memorize some music for some concerts which is good in a way

we've gone for Bach sonata in e minor, it's one i know well already, i can sing the piece in my head so it might not take so long to play it without the music. Thanks for all your comments, much appreciated

Angie, I feel for you. I truly hate memorizing. I can't remember people's names--why should I remember lines of music, right?

What generally worked for me was learning something a measure or two at a time, but closing my eyes while I played it back, and just getting the "feel" of it--probably activating the muscle memory that others were talking about. I find that the relatively few pieces that I memorized 20 odd years ago are pretty quickly recalled if I sit down (generally at the piano, although I did memorize some flute/piccolo pieces for marching band and such--my flute lessons, luckily, did not hinge on my shoddy memory), close my eyes, and let it all come back, so I must have set those pieces in glue somehow.

Good luck! - Judy

Sounds like you have a photographic memory Zevang! I would think that would make things a bit easier

Flutist06, I think that's my case, yes. I have also a keen spacial sense, which I don't know exactly if has some effect on this. People often say that I would be a good navigator.

Zevang

"People often say that I would be a good navigator."

You know, I have that kind of ability too....No matter where we are, I generally have a pretty good idea of at least the general direction we have to travel to get to our destination....It's kind of handy!

I memorize the hand movements mostly. Then the rhythm/speed, then everything else.

Yeah Flutist06, that's my case too. As AndrewB just said, we very often know directions where to go. Exactly the opposite is my wife. This is so funny about her. When she comes out from an elevator in front of me, for example, she suddenly stops, looks to one side, then to the other, and looks at me. We just laugh then, because we both know at that moment what's happening: she simply doesn't know where to go... :-)

Zevang

Zevang, your wife sounds a lot like me. I get lost in the Olive Garden just trying to find the rest room!