Have you ever ended a practice session feeling so accomplished and productive only to discover that you’ve seemingly forgotten everything the next time you sit down to play?
It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like you’ve put in seriously hard work only to have it all seemingly float away into nothingness.
I’ve had so many practice sessions that feel productive in the moment but then they don’t translate to lasting change.
So much so that I’ve recently embarked on a journey to discover how to make practice more efficient and effective.
I’m searching for answers to questions like:
- Why can I play it perfectly yesterday but forget it today?
- Why does a piece disappear from my memory after I stop practicing it?
- Why can I play it when I see the music but not from memory?
- Why do I remember the beginning but forget the middle?
- Why does my memory fail when I’m nervous?
For years I’ve secretly worried that I simply don’t have the talent to play that way that I’ve always imagined myself playing.
That somehow, I just don’t have what it takes to progress.
But the deeper I’m digging into the research, the more I’m discovering about the power of concentrated study, the importance of setting clear practice goals, and how most of what we’re taught about the most effective ways to learn is wrong.
Most people tend to blame some shortcoming on themselves when things aren’t going as expected. But in many cases, the better questions to ask are regarding your environment or learning tactics.
What I’m learning is that forgetting piano music quickly doesn’t necessarily mean you have a bad memory or can’t learn something new.
Forgetting piano music quickly may actually be a sign that you haven’t given your brain the right types of opportunities to practice retrieving the information.
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- Why Do We Forget Piano Music?
- The Difference Between Knowing a Piece and Being Able to Recall It
- 8 Tips to Stop Forgetting Your Piano Music
- #1: Practice Recalling the Music – Not Just Playing It
- #2: Start Practicing From Different Places
- #3: Practice Smaller Chunks
- #4: Use Spaced Repetition
- #5: Strengthen Your Memory Away From the Piano
- #6: Understand the Structure of the Music
- #7: Test Your Memory Before You Think You're Ready
- #8: Don't Immediately Rescue Yourself When You Forget
- What To Do When Your Memory Fails
- Why Playing a Piece From Beginning to End Isn't Enough
- A Simple Piano Memory Practice Routine
- Final Thoughts
Why Do We Forget Piano Music?
It’s always easiest to blame yourself when things don’t go as expected.
One major reason for this is that we’ve been conditioned to believe that if you put in the time doing something, you’ll automatically improve.
Spend 27 hours playing tennis over the course of a month and you’ll automatically be a better player at the end of the month than you were at the beginning.
But according to a couple of researchers who spent their careers studying what separates the best from the rest in their book called Peak, this simply isn’t true.
Time spent doing something does not necessarily lead to improvement.
It’s only through very specific and coordinated effort that improvement can actually happen.
In other words, stop blaming yourself for the frustrating gaps in learning piano music.
And start getting curious about your learning process.
Here are a few of the more common gaps in piano learning.
You Practiced Recognition Instead of Recall
There’s a big difference between:
“That looks familiar.”
and
“I know this so well I can play it without even looking at the notes.”
When you’re working on learning a piece, you’re typically, at least initially, looking at the score.
Each time you play, you’re following the written sheet music to determine which notes come next.
And so you may assume that if you play something from sheet music, say 100 times, you would automatically be able to play it the 101st time without sheet music.
But unfortunately, your brain has gotten so used to reproducing the music from the sheet music that unless you specifically practice the skill of retrieval, you won’t actually have memorized the music.
What you’ve actually practiced this whole time was recognition rather than retrieval.
You Relied Too Heavily on Muscle Memory
Similar to recognition over retrieval practice, it’s quite easy to become very dependent on muscle memory when learning music.
Muscle memory is the physical memory you form from playing something.
It’s one of the first types of memory formed but also the weakest under pressure because any little deviation in your finger positioning can interrupt the neuron firing.
But studying music on a deeper level, things like getting familiar with the key signature, basic chord changes, and knowing the structure of the piece can really augment the initial muscle memory.
When you suddenly have a sudden lapse in muscle memory but have worked on developing your other types of memory (aural, analytical, and visual) you can pick right up where you left off.
You Practiced the Piece From Beginning to End Too Often
If you always practice a piece from beginning to end you’ll have a much tougher time starting anywhere but the beginning.
When performing in front of other people, it’s really common to experience a heightened state of emotion which can cause more mistakes than you might normally make.
But if you don’t practice starting at various points throughout the music, you’ll have to start back at the very beginning every time you have even the tiniest of errors.
There’s also a tendency to spend more time on the beginning of the piece than any other part of it when you’re always playing from beginning to end.
You Didn’t Give Yourself Enough Retrieval Practice
In their book, Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, the authors emphasize the importance of practicing retrieval.
When it comes to memorizing piano music, this means giving yourself plenty of opportunities to practice playing without the music in front of you.
And the harder you struggle to learn something, the greater chance you’ll remember it on a longer term basis.
Contrary to what we’re led to believe, learning shouldn’t feel easy.
If it feels easy, you’re probably not learning as deeply as you need.
There’s freedom in knowing that learning should be effortful because it means if you put in the work, you CAN learn something.
It very much ties into the message from Peak that anyone can learn improve at almost any skill under the right circumstances.
The Difference Between Knowing a Piece and Being Able to Recall It
Playing from memory is a different skillset than playing from sheet music.
Your brain tends to automatically rely on the visual cues from the music in front of you unless you specifically work at retrieving the information without them.
The act of memorizing is really a constant series of pop quizzes.
- “Can I play the first few measures without music in front of me?”
- “Do I know in what key this piece is written and the predominant chords it contains?”
- “Can I picture the notes in my head as I listen to someone else playing this piece?”
And the goal isn’t to memorize every single piece of music you play.
The goal is to be strategic about your practice sessions in order to accomplish your individual goals.
As you learn a piece, it goes through various stages of learning.
- Recognition – “I’ve seen this before.”
- Familiarity – “I know how this part goes.”
- Procedural knowledge – “My fingers know what to do.”
- Aural knowledge – “I can hear the music in my head.”
- Visual/theoretical knowledge – “I know the notes, patterns, chords, and structure.”
- Retrieval – “I can start anywhere and play it without the score.”
Again, you won’t necessarily need to take every piece through all these stages.
But recognize that each stage requires a specific type of strategic learning.
8 Tips to Stop Forgetting Your Piano Music
Let’s talk about how to strategically work with your brain to improve the skill of memorization.
#1: Practice Recalling the Music – Not Just Playing It
If you’re going to play something without the music in front of you, then you need to spend time practicing without the music.
Start with just a measure at a time.
Sometimes I start by the memorizing the end of the piece because in a performance setting, this is often the part that falls apart.
By starting at the end, I can increase the number of times I practice retrieval and make it really solid.
I’ll then continue working front to back in my retrieval practice.
When I’ve gotten a solid handle of memorizing the piece, I test myself by seeing if I can think about a section and start playing it without looking at the music.
#2: Start Practicing From Different Places
When you sit down to practice your recall of a piece, get in the habit of always starting at a different place.
The main reason for doing this is because it’s very common to lose a sense of where you are in a piece when nervous.
But if you practice starting to play from all different spots, it’s much easier to pick up when you get lost in a higher stakes setting such as a performance.
Doing this will very quickly bring weak spots to light.
You’ll instantly recognize spots you thought you knew but actually don’t.
You can then work on strengthening your memorization of these spots so your memory is solid.
#3: Practice Smaller Chunks
If it seems like you’re not making progress, try cutting the music into smaller chunks.
When memorizing, the goal is to get information from short to long-term storage.
Your short-term or working memory, has very limited capacity and information stored here leaves quickly.
But once it’s converted to long-term, it’s much more stable, less easily forgotten.
Give yourself a better opportunity to transition information from short to long-term memory by only working with small chunks of information.
Maybe this means only a measure or two.
#4: Use Spaced Repetition
In Make it Stick, the authors emphasize a few different tactics to improve your recall.
One is something called spaced repetition.
Essentially this means giving yourself time between recall sessions.
Practice something and then let a day or so go by without practicing it.
Recall may be harder after taking the time off but it will show you spots where you memory is less secure.
You can then work on solidifying those areas.
If it takes effort to recall, then you’re giving your brain the best possible chance at remembering.
#5: Strengthen Your Memory Away From the Piano
Sometimes when I’m bored while waiting in line, I’ll test myself.
Can I recall the key signature?
How about that tricky section on page 3?
Here are a few ways to test your memory … no keyboard required:
- visualizing the keyboard
- mentally hearing the piece
- imagining your fingers playing a passage
- looking at the score and analyzing the harmony
- naming the chords
- tapping the rhythm
- mentally playing a section
Reinforcing the information away from the keyboard is one of the best ways to truly test your memory.
Find other ways to practice without a keyboard in my recent post: Learn How You Can Practice the Piano Without a Piano.
#6: Understand the Structure of the Music
I spent so many years trying to remember a string of completely random notes.
Instead of taking the time to do a simply analysis of a piece, I would just force my way into memorization.
It was not only time consuming but not a very stable method of memorization.
In Peak, the authors describe the importance of attaching meaning to information you’re trying to remember.
And when it comes to music, learning the basic structure is one of the best ways to invoke meaning.
Here are a few questions to develop a stronger sense of meaning:
- What key am I in?
- Where does this phrase begin and end?
- What chords are underneath this passage?
- Where does the melody repeat?
- What patterns do I recognize?
- Where does the harmony change?
- What is the form?
Strengthening your sense of the piece from all angles gradually shifts you from simple repetition to a state of actual learning.
And learning is where the magic happens!
#7: Test Your Memory Before You Think You’re Ready
When you’re learning, the importance of testing yourself can’t be over-emphasized.
If the information is to become really solid, you have to test and re-test.
It’s a continual process that gradually solidifies your knowledge of a piece.
Even from very early on in the memorization process, try the following:
- Close the music.
- Choose a random starting point.
- Play.
- Don’t restart when you make a mistake.
- Notice exactly where your memory breaks down.
- Write down the weak spot.
- Practice that spot specifically.
You can also test your memory by playing in front of someone because nerves had a whole other layer of challenge.
Even if it’s just your dog, upping the ante a bit solidifies your memory even more.
#8: Don’t Immediately Rescue Yourself When You Forget
When you do come across a slip in memory, don’t immediately reach for the sheet music.
Make your brain work a bit.
Focus on the melody, what you should be hearing, and even the shapes your hands make at this part.
Can you remember the underlying chords?
If you try and still can’t come up with the next part, does starting at the beginning of the section job your memory?
This is truly effective retrieval practice in action.
What To Do When Your Memory Fails
When you’re memorizing piano music, memory slips are inevitable.
But don’t panic!
There are effective ways to deal with them.
Step 1: Stop
Identify exactly where the memory slip occurred.
Step 2: Diagnose the Problem
Was it:
- a note?
- a fingering?
- a transition?
- a rhythm?
- a chord?
- a visual memory problem?
- an aural memory problem?
- simply losing your place?
Step 3: Go Back One Step
Figure out what you should have played.
Step 4: Practice the Transition
Really look at the spot right before the slip occurred.
Work on strengthening your memory of the area both before and at the area of the memory slip.
Is there a pattern you can connect with a spot where your memory is solid?
What do the notes at this spot look like?
Are there simple chords you can identify underneath the melody?
Look for different ways you can remember this spot and prevent future memory slips.
Step 5: Test Yourself Again Later
Let some time lapse and test the spot again.
Try picking the song up at the spot you missed to see if you can.
Make your brain work for it and you’ll have a higher chance of remembering it beyond today.
Why Playing a Piece From Beginning to End Isn’t Enough
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with practicing a piece from beginning to end every time.
But unless you use tactics to remember the piece from all different angles, you won’t automatically memorize it.
If you always play a piece from beginning to end, at the same tempo, follow the same sequence, stop when you make mistakes, and immediately restart, then you’ll learn this exact pattern of playing the piece.
Break that pattern and give yourself more flexibility by really digging into the music and learning it from all different angles.
Force your brain to retrieve and adapt.
A Simple Piano Memory Practice Routine
Here’s how I approach memorizing.
- Identify the smallest possible chunk of music you’d like to memorize.
- Spend a few minutes carefully looking at the notes.
- You might consider memorizing first the left hand, then the right hand parts.
- Once you can close your eyes and see the notes, try playing the section without the music.
- If you forget, pull the music back out and look until you think you’ve got it.
- Repeat until you have the music memorized.
If you find this process difficult, you’re not alone!
Your short-term memory is designed to hold very limited information so this is a process best done over a longer period of time.
Keep your practice sessions and music chunks short and you’ll make better progress.
Give yourself time between sessions, even taking a few days off between trying to recall information and you’ll strengthen your recall even more.
Above all, take heart that true learning is supposed to feel difficult.
The Goal Isn’t to Never Forget
I used to believe that forgetting was failure.
That I should never have to struggle to remember music.
But the deeper I’m digging into learning and how our brains really work, the more I’m learning that it’s not the forgetting that’s bad.
In fact, forgetting in and of itself is an opportunity for your brain to retrieve information.
And forgetting points out your weaknesses so you can develop strategies to remember.
The goal is to create a learning process that helps you:
forget → retrieve → discover the gap → practice the gap → retrieve again.
That’s a much more sustainable approach.
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself wondering, “Why do I forget piano music so quickly?”, I hope you walk away from this post with a different question.
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with my memory?”, try asking:
“What can this memory slip teach me about how I’m practicing?”
Forgetting doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t mean you aren’t musical enough, talented enough, or capable of learning the piece.
It may simply mean that you’ve been practicing recognition instead of recall, relying too heavily on muscle memory, or giving yourself too few opportunities to retrieve the music without help.
And that’s actually good news.
Because those are things you can change.
You can practice starting in different places. You can close the music and test yourself. You can break a difficult passage into smaller pieces. You can study the harmony and structure. You can give yourself time between practice sessions and come back to see what you actually remember.
Most importantly, you can start treating your mistakes and memory slips as information rather than evidence that you’re failing.
That’s the shift I’m trying to make in my own practice, too.
For years, I thought becoming a better pianist mostly meant putting in more time at the piano. Now I’m realizing that how I spend that time matters so much more than simply accumulating hours.
And perhaps that’s the most encouraging thing I’ve discovered: you don’t necessarily need a better memory. You may need a better way of practicing.
So the next time you sit down to play a piece you’ve been working on and discover that you’ve forgotten part of it, don’t immediately assume you’ve lost your progress.
Get curious.
Find the gap.
Figure out why you forgot it.
And then give your brain another opportunity to retrieve it.
Forget → retrieve → discover the gap → practice the gap → retrieve again.
That’s not failure.
That’s learning.
And if you want to continue your learning, here are a few other posts to explore:
- How to Memorize Piano Music Effectively: More tips to help you memorize with confidence.
- Beyond the Notes: Why Playing It Again Isn’t Practice: Dig deeper to learn more effectively.
- Practice Piano Without a Piano: No piano, no problem!
- Beyond the Notes: Toward a Philosophy of Piano Practice: The roots of my quest to practice more deliberately.
Until next time, happy practicing!
