Article July 21, 2003 Issue

A scientific approach to memorizing music

By David A. Cornell

My parents encouraged me to study music. They saw to it that I had music lessons, and my mother used gentle persuasion to get me to practice—she brought my favorite snacks to me at the piano bench. We all felt that musical talent should be developed. I loved the piano, but I didn't discipline myself well and faltered when I had to perform in public.

One time when we visited a loved uncle, my parents asked me to play for him and his family. I did, but haltingly. Afterward, Dad said he feared I might never perform a piece of music perfectly from memory. I accepted this as a challenge.

Later on I learned an explanation that neuroscience gives for memory. It defines it at least in part as the recall of cellular arrangements in the brain, which have been ordered through observation or repetition. The number of memory cells and the efficiency of the individual at ordering them or recalling their arrangements are said to determine the limits of memory. Under this model, memory also can be lost if brain cells are damaged.