How To Memorize Piano Songs

Playing a song over and over only helps a little bit in memorizing a song.  This method is limited.  And if you are playing the song over and over by reading the music notation from a piano book, then you are really limited in memorizing the song.

True memorization comes more from the EAR than from reading a music book or relying on repetitive finger motion.  So, in order to really memorize a song you have to be able to hear it in your mind.  Here are the steps to take to get a piano song in your mind.

1.  Start out by playing the song from the sheet music several times.  Then play it very slow.  Then play it up to speed.  Now, play the song from the sheet music, but this time hum the right hand melody as you play the song.

2.  Now, without playing the piano at all. Hum the melody without any music.  Just hum the melody from memory.

3.  Go back to the piano.  Play just the first couple of measures with the music.  Now play those measures without the music.  Play and hum those measures without the music.

4.  OK...now here comes the tough part.  If the melody is truly memorized in your mind then you need to really exercise it and get it to SET firmly in your memory banks and the way you do that is by TRANSPOSING the song to a different key signature.  For example, if the song is originally in the key of C major, then try and play the first couple of measures in the key of F major or the key of G major.  This will really exercise your mind to memorize the song.  After you play the song in the other key signatures....go back to the original key signature and play the song again.  This time when you go back to the original key signatures the song will sound fresh, new, and exciting....and this will really help to cement those measures in your mind.

5. Now, go back and do the same process with the next couple of measures.  Keep on doing this at a few measures at a time until you have the song memorized.