How to Retrieve an Old Piece You Do Not Remember

By Douglas Niedt

Copyright Douglas Niedt. All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.

The key to retrieving a previously learned piece is to get out the original copy with your written-in fingerings, then rely on muscle memory, consulting the score only where you lose the thread. This article lays out the full process — including a review schedule that tapers from daily to once every two months — plus the three types and three stages of memorization that keep the piece secure.

What is the key to retrieving a previously learned piece that you haven't played in a long time?

1. Get the copy out of the piece you used when you first learned the piece. Hopefully, it will have the detailed fingerings and annotations you wrote in the music back then.
   • Keep in mind, the way you learn a piece initially is crucial. Always write in the fingerings you use and other details of execution. This will significantly ease the process of retrieving the piece later on.
2. Begin playing the piece.
   • Rely on muscle memory as much as possible. Your fingers will remember more than your conscious memory. Play as close to the original tempo as possible to retain the thread of muscle memory.
   • When you reach a measure where you lose the thread and cannot continue, refer to the music to jog your memory.
   • Patience and persistence are key. A quick glance may be enough for many spots, but sometimes, you may need to invest some time to decipher and relearn a spot you don't remember.
   • Go back to the beginning and continue playing to the next spot where you lose the thread.
   • Continue the process, and each time you resolve a problem spot, go back and play from the beginning of the piece or, if it is a long piece, from the beginning of a section.
3. If your mind gets overloaded and is getting confused, STOP.
   • Take a break. Your brain will work on its own and usually sort out the confusion.
   • Experiment with the length of the break. Sometimes 15 minutes is good, an hour, a few hours, or sometimes it is best to wait and try again the next day.
4. Depending on the length of the piece, how well you learned it in the first place, and how long it has been since you last played it, it can take anywhere from a few hours to several days to recover the piece.
5. To retain the piece from here on out:
   • Review every day for one week.
   • Review every other day for one week.
   • Review twice a week for two weeks.
   • Review once a week for three weeks.
   • Review once a month.
   • Review once every two months.
   • Review once every two months.

It would be a good idea to re-memorize the piece using these essential tools:

Use three types of memorization:

• Visual and Intellectual Memory using Elaborative Processing: Use patterns, facts, and connections to reinforce memory. This involves recognizing visual and intellectual elements like chord shapes, right-hand patterns, and intervals.
• Aural Memory: Practice hearing the piece in your head without the guitar.
• Tactile Memory: Practice the piece while watching a movie or using other distractions to test muscle memory.

Use These Three Stages of Memorization:

• Encoding: Learning and internalizing the piece through listening, analyzing, and practicing.
• Consolidation: Moving information from short-term to long-term memory, supported by adequate sleep and review.
• Retrieval: Practicing playing the piece from memory, using random practice to simulate performance conditions.

For complete information about memorization, consult: https://douglasniedt.com/memorization.html