Memorizing Vocal Music: Part 1
There are many ways you could go about committing a piece of vocal music to memory. I think the depth at which you should go depends largely on the song you are trying to memorize. But more importantly, in the age of hand-held computer-phones that can display the complete lyrics to whatever you want in an instant, why should you even bother memorizing in the first place? Lets start there.
So if you are going to perform a piece, usually the expectation is that it will be from memory. This expectation exists because watching someone perform is exciting because the audience can connect with the performer in a very special way. The performer is emoting, and sharing a story to the listeners. This storytelling can be severely hampered by losing that “eye-connection” with the audience. Of course in most cases the singer isn’t actually making direct eye contact, but being able to see the expression and to watch the singer share the musical story, is a really important part of performing. Have you ever tried having a conversation with someone who is looking down at their phone the whole time? You completely lose a very important part of communication when you stop looking at each other. Body language. Facial expressions fall under this category, and are essential for a compelling and captivating performance. With incredibly easy access to music online, or through music streaming services, people still want to see musicians perform live because of that human connection.
Okay so what if you aren’t performing? Should you still try to memorize your music? Absolutely. Even when you are not necessarily performing for an audience, singing through something from memory, can allow you to connect with the piece on such a deeper level. Why close yourself off to this experience?
Memorizing music is important. Okay, now how do we do it? The most obvious and simplest way is by listening to it over and over, and repeating it. Apparently Pavarotti never learned to read music, so often learned his music this way. However, select examples like this should be regarded as the exception, and not the rule. If you are singing a simple song, or something that is relatively easy to you, repetition could be enough. But what if you are singing something a bit more complicated, unfamiliar, or even in a different language?
One of the most important things to remember that as a singer, you are the only instrumentalist that can directly communicate exactly what they want to their audience by using words. Thus, the story of the text, and communicating it to our audiences is the most important “job” of the singer. Have you tried telling someone a story you didn’t understand or couldn’t relate to? It feels strange and you aren’t really sure how to deliver the story, you are simply relaying information. The first step to memorizing a more difficult piece should be to understand what you are actually saying. If the piece is in a foregin language, find a translation and study it to understand what each word actually means. Memorizing words becomes so much easier when you actually know what you are saying.
There are obviously a lot of things to think about when it comes to this topic. I will continue this next week to break up the giant word-wall a bit more.
DISCLAIMER
I am not a medical doctor. These posts are all anecdotal, based on experiences through my own learning, understanding and teaching. My musical knowledge is based primarily in the Western classical tradition, which by no means defines the only perspective to learn and understand music.
