Ways to develop musical memory. Thesis: Basic methods of developing musical memory in music pedagogy

17.03.2015 22:45

Musical memory- this is the ability to quickly memorize a piece of music and the ability to reproduce it as accurately as possible after an arbitrary period of time. We talked about the memorization process itself in an article about musical memory and its types.

This time we'll look at various ways and methods, how to develop musical memory and use it effectively when learning pieces that you learn from notes. This question worries both professionals and amateurs.

Professionals have to perform in front of an audience on stage. To feel at ease and free on stage, it is advisable to know the piece by heart. And amateurs sometimes want to play in front of friends or at an amateur concert. Playing without looking at the notes frees you up to play the instrument, allowing you to focus on your technique.

How to learn a piece of music

There are some rules to help you remember a piece of music:

1. Having taken the notes, carefully analyze the musical text.
2. Play slowly what you intend to learn several times. Do not pay attention to the difficulties and stoppages that arise - at this stage it is important to embrace the entire work and let it appear in your head. If the piece is large, focus on a small part of it.
3. Play and practice difficult passages to understand their structure in detail.
4. Set aside the piece you are learning for a day so that your brain can work on its own on a subconscious level. Remember the piece only mentally, and if you have any gaps, just look at the notes.
5. After this, you need to transfer the work (or part of it) to the instrument. This should be done gradually, slowly, trying to peek at the notes as little as possible.
6. Having learned a piece by heart, it is necessary to repeat it regularly to firmly consolidate it in memory. It is recommended to do this every two days.

There are three main types of actions that contribute to memorization musical material :

• Semantic grouping- dividing the material into logically completed fragments. When memorizing thoughtfully, small fragments are combined into larger ones.
• Semantic correlation- search for common features of tonal and harmonic plans, melody, accompaniment, voice guidance.
• Detection semantic reference points- based on such a place, you can easily reproduce the entire semantic group.

Methods for the development of musical memory according to I. Hoffman.

I. Hoffmann’s technique today represents one of the most effective ways memorizing a piece of music. The basis this method The following stages of development of musical memory comprise:

1. Working with music text without an instrument.

This stage is characterized by familiarization and initial learning of the material. It is necessary to study the musical text well and mentally imagine its sound. When presenting musical material with the help of internal hearing, one should identify and determine: the mood and idea of ​​the work, features of development artistic image, and, of course, understanding author's intention and your personal vision. Careful analysis of the musical text is very important for subsequent memorization.

2. Working with the tool.

Understanding the artistic intent of a musical work is the main goal of the first playing on an instrument. After this, a thorough study immediately begins - the most difficult places, as well as supporting semantic points, are identified. Places that are difficult from a performance point of view are worked through at a slow pace. At this stage, the analysis of textural, melodic, harmonic features continues, within the framework of which you develop an artistic image. When learning by heart, you should start with individual fragments, and not immediately learn the entire work.

3. Work without music text, by heart.

The next stage of consolidating a piece of music in memory is carried out in the process of playing it by heart. The creation of artistic or figurative associations that activate emotional memory, which helps to assimilate the material more reliably, can provide significant assistance. To increase the effectiveness of repetition, it is recommended to introduce something new each time - either in your associations or in techniques.

4. Work without a musical instrument and without musical text.

This stage of work is the most difficult. Reliable memorization is achieved by alternating mental reproduction with playing an instrument. Repetition in the mind stimulates memory with auditory images, enhances the emotionality of the game, and deepens the perception of a musical work.

In question development of musical memory Reasonable pedagogical actions aimed at correct memorization are very important. They contribute to the successful development of general and musical memory in students, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on creative and technical growth. Dear teachers, do not be too strict with your students. Sometimes they can't play or sing by heart because they're just embarrassed by you or afraid of making a mistake. This can be fixed by simply becoming a friend to your students :)

Memorizing musical works in everyday life occurs spontaneously, and we often do not think about the mechanisms that resurrect music, rhythm, and lyrics in our minds. However, holding works of music in the mind and their subsequent reproduction has its own laws and principles of operation.

Musical memory is the ability to store musical material and then reproduce it in accordance with the original.

Musical memory is an important part of musical abilities, such as musical ear and sense of rhythm. At the same time, it is characterized by the preservation of not only the work itself, but also the associations of a person’s emotions and experiences at the moments of listening or playing music. This is its uniqueness and specificity as a process of human brain activity.

Research

Music plays a central role in the life of society important role, and many of the findings about the development of musical ability date back several hundred years. However, scientific research into the connection between musical abilities and other mental activities of a person has been conducted since the development of psychology. As in any other scientific direction, there were 2 points of view on the issue of separating musical memory into a separate structure:

1. Some researchers talked about the specificity of this phenomenon, which is a separate structure in the psyche.
2. Other scientists were of the opinion that musical memory does not exist in nature - it is a complex of several categories of human memory.

Today, there is a widespread point of view that has been confirmed in further research, which is as follows:

All main types of musical memory are involved in the process of memorizing music - motor, emotional, visual, auditory, logical. Which of them will play a more significant role depends on individual properties the personality of the musician himself.

In most cases, the most important resource in memorizing music is auditory, followed by tactile and motor memory.

After clarifying the essence of the phenomenon, scientists became interested in questions of its development. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote that musical memory is given to us by nature and is difficult to improve in any way. However, most of the scientific community was inclined to believe that musical memory, like other types of human memory, can be developed, and there are effective methods, giving positive results with regular use.

According to N. Rubinstein, methods for developing musical abilities should be based on understanding and awareness of the work, and not on mindless memorization and playing.

Development in childhood

Until the age of 10, it is much easier to develop musical abilities - during this period the psyche is receptive and flexible. The child is inquisitive, the associative series is formed quickly and for a long time. Teachers have developed methods that are an effective means for developing musical memory, the most effective of which are:

1. “Repeat the rhythmic pattern.” Cards are pre-prepared for all children with a rhythmic pattern - these are images of notes without stave, different in duration. Everyone gets a card. The children take turns coming out, showing it and clapping the drawing. The rest try to remember it, and when the leader closes the card, the children must clap the drawing with their palms for memory. This exercise develops not only memory, but also a sense of rhythm.
2. "Rhythmic Sketches". An adult chooses one simple melody for each child, plays it, and the children must recite the rhythms from memory. If the child’s capabilities do not allow him to cope with the task, then he misses his turn, and then he gets another melody. The teacher monitors which of the children copes with the task better or worse, and, depending on this, determines the degree of load.
3. "Jump ropes." The teacher plays a melody on the piano. The students’ task is to remember its movement, rhythmic pattern, how the fingers are positioned, and then reproduce the melody in different octaves and keys. Gradually, the teacher complicates this exercise by adding pauses, changing the tonality, and changing hands one at a time. The guys must remember the played melodies and subsequently reproduce them exactly.
4. "Imitation". The essence of the exercise is that the guys play the roles of animals on musical instrument. For example, you need to play how a bear walks, a horse gallops, etc.

1. "Note steps". Before the exercise, cards are prepared for each participant in the game with a drawn ladder of 8 steps (one octave), each step is one note. The teacher plays the sounds, and the kids determine the note and its level by ear.
2. "Musical picture". The teacher selects a picture with several characters, each of which represents a note. Then the resulting melody is played, the children’s attention is focused on each of its objects. Then the task is to repeat each object separately for the first time, and then the whole picture.
3. "Guess the melody". The teacher selects several melodies unfamiliar to the children, assigns them numbers and plays them. Then, based on excerpts from these works, the children must determine musical number. The teacher can also mix several notes from different melodies, and the children should notice the confusion and sort it out by its notes.

For the full development of musical memory, it is important not to forget about other aspects of the child’s personality that are directly or indirectly related to musical abilities.

Rhythm is of great importance in this matter. There are separate methods for teaching movements to the beat of music and training coordination.

Great musicians

History has known a phenomenal, extremely rare musical memory, which was laid down from birth and manifested itself without any preliminary development in early childhood. We know such musicians, their names will be remembered for centuries.

1. The most striking example is Mozart. His musical possibilities They are surprised: it was enough for him to listen to a piece of music once and then reproduce it by ear. The first concert took place when Mozart was 3 years old.
2. Willy-Ferrero conducted for the first time at the age of 6. He kept all the pieces he played in his memory, and then could reproduce the music in his own way with virtually no preparation.
3. L.N. also noted a phenomenal musical memory. Oborin, S.E. Feinberg, composer A. Glazunov, L. Beethoven. Our contemporaries talk about high level the musical memory of I. Kobzon, who at any moment will be able to perform any of his songs, although he has thousands of them.

Techniques for effective memorization of musical works

IN AND. Mutzmacher developed methods for developing memory, which consist of techniques of human intellectual activity that help memorize a musical text:

1. Semantic grouping. The work is divided into separate parts that carry a semantic load. And if forgetting occurs, memory relies on significant, semantic moments, which helps to reproduce the entire musical test in the mind, connecting the parts.
2. Meaningful correlation. Comparison, contrast characteristic features harmonic plan, melody, tonality, accompaniment.

I. Hoffman proposed a formula for the simplest memorization of music. It consists of 3 parts:

1. Work without tools. At this stage, the musical text is studied, mental perception of music occurs, which is carried out by determining the main mood of the melody, and with the help of which it is expressed, the key idea of ​​the work, the position of the author and one’s own position regarding this music. This stage of memorization significantly influences the formation of thinking, visual memory, and analytical abilities.
2. Working with the tool. Its essence is to play the piece at a certain tempo, but accuracy of execution is not required. At this stage, the development of a musical piece begins, the semantic parts, problem areas, and unusual movements are determined.
3. Work by heart (without text). Playing a game by heart completely absorbs a musician, which is why this skill is important in development musical personality. At the same time, the performer himself, according to his desires and needs, focuses on different aspects of the work: bass, melody or pedals. At this stage, the musician’s associations play an important role: they fill the work with meaning, sincerity, and emotions. Also, connection with associations is one of the principles of memory development in general.
4. Once a piece has been learned, regular repetition is necessary in order to retain it in memory. And the older a person is, the more repetitions need to be done, since memory capabilities decrease with age. It is recommended to do repetition meaningfully, to look for new semantic content or connections between parts of the work.
5. Work without an instrument or notes. The stage that is the most difficult, but it is precisely this that is worth striving for as the main indicator of mastery. It is accompanied by the development of auditory images, which enhance the expressiveness of the game, its brightness, and the greater immersion of the performer.

The influence of comprehensive and systematic training

Based on the analysis of the exercises described above, we can conclude that the formation of musical memory involves the use of a set of measures when the visual, motor, auditory, and logical resources of a person are involved in the process. The basis of their development is regularity.

Musical memory combines motor and artistic thinking, and improving one without the other cannot give the desired effect.

When a piece of music is performed, all the past experience of the performer is involved. The more performance options in the arsenal, the better the quality of the work will be performed, and the more confident the musician will feel.

MUSICAL MEMORY AND METHODS OF ITS DEVELOPMENT

Safronov E.I.

In modern musical performance, the problem of the development of musical memory has become of great relevance, the reason for which was the tendency that arose more than a century ago and gradually established itself as a trend for concert performance of works on the stage without notes. Since then, questions of the development of musical memory have been of concern to both students of music schools, and venerable artists, teachers and prominent scientists. The importance of musical memory is enormous for practice: essentially, no one kind musical activity would not be possible without certain functional manifestations of musical memory. Memory, according to the definition of the Encyclopedic Dictionary, is “the ability to reproduce past experience, one of the main properties nervous system, expressed in the ability to store information about events in the external world and the body’s reactions for a long time and repeatedly enter it into the sphere of consciousness and behavior.” Musical memory is “a person’s ability to remember, store (short-term and long-term) in consciousness and subsequently reproduce musical material.” According to psychologist V.I. Petrushina, « good musical memory is the rapid memorization of a piece of music, its durable retention and most accurate reproduction even after a long period of time after learning.”. . Being a complex, composite ability in its structure, musical memory interconnects various types of memory in organic unity:auditory, emotional, constructive-logical, motor-motor (“finger”), visual. Let us note that in a properly organized musical memory (due to the specifics of musical activity), the auditory component will play a dominant role, since music is the art of auditory impressions.In auditory memorydistinguish, in turn, the ability to remember melody, harmony, timbre, rhythm, intonation.The performer's auditory memory is closely related tomotor memory: pScience must remember the direction of movements, speed and force of muscle contraction. Constructive-logical memory helps to understand the pattern of development of the composer’s thoughts, the content, the logical structure of the work, tonality, voice guidance, modulation, and the general dramatic plan.Emotional memory is responsible for preserving impressions of the emotional nature of music.Visual memoryconsists of memorizing written musical text and in most cases, compared to auditory memory, plays a secondary role.

Is musical memory edible, can it be improved under the influence of specially organized pedagogical conditions? According to some musicians, in particular N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, one must come to terms with what is given to man by nature. But modern music pedagogy, based on theoretical and experimental research, rejects such pedagogical fatalism and optimistically assesses the teacher’s potential in developing students’ musical memory. Opinions are sharply divided between specialists in musical performance and pedagogy on the issue of memorizing musical material: some adhere to the point of view that memorization should be intentional, voluntary; from the point of view of others, putting forward a mnemonic task as an end in itself is inappropriate. In their opinion, memorization is an accompanying task that arises in parallel with the resolution of artistic, interpretative and performing tasks. In this regard, we present the statements of some authoritative musicians. For example, a proponent of voluntary memorization A.B. Goldenweiser believed that from childhood a student must be taught to specifically memorize everything that is assigned to him, and the first thing a student should do after examining a new work is to memorize it. S.I. had a similar opinion. Savshinsky: “In order for memory to work fruitfully, the most important condition is a conscious attitude towards memorization.” Proponents of involuntary memorization spoke out for learning a work by heart, which would be carried out “by itself”, simultaneously with the achievement of other goals. G. G. Neuhaus said: “I... just play a piece until I learn it. If I need to play by heart, I won’t remember it yet, and if I don’t need to play by heart, then I won’t remember.” S.T. Richter also believed that it is better if “learning by heart takes place without coercion.” From the above it is clear that with regard to the types of memorization of musical material there are no uniform guidelines; a multiplicity of individual options is acceptable. The main, urgent tasks of the pedagogy of musical memory are how and how to rationalize the memorization of music, increase the productivity of this memorization, and improve its quality.

Modern educational psychology has proven that memorization, which comes from understanding the material and its meaningful assimilation, is qualitatively superior to memorization divorced from understanding. It follows from this that a piece of music should be memorized only after it has been thoroughly analyzed.The thinking student knows that if the first impression is clear, precise and musical, much of the work has already been done. Before playing the entire piece, the student must clarify many things about it. You should first think through the large lines and outline smaller ones (phrases), after which you can add details.Music psychologist D.K. Kirnarskaya writes: “Musical memory uses the material that is provided to it by the internal analytical ear, since what is not understood and undivided cannot be remembered: chaos does not lend itself to conscious fixation. And a person remembers any material not immediately and not suddenly, but most often gradually, that is, out of necessity, decomposing this material into elements and layers, into stages and sections, which fit into memory step by step.”Summarizing the above, we conclude that an in-depth understanding of a musical work, its figurative and poetic essence, the features of its structure, form, that is, the awareness of what the composer wanted to express and how he did it is the main, primary condition for successful, artistically complete memorization of music .

The following techniques and methods of memorizing will help streamline the process of memorizing a piece of music:

When memorizing large, large-scale works, it is preferable to move from the general to the specific. First, you should understand the musical form as a whole, and then move on to the differentiated assimilation of its constituent parts. When memorizing difficult things, priority attention should be given.

The semantic units (fragments, parts) of the memorized musical material should not be too small or too large in volume. You need to limit yourself to a piece that fits into your memory without much difficulty.

Memorizing music is greatly facilitated by highlighting semantic reference points in the text, which usually coincide with the beginning of a particular section musical form. Any intonation can act as a semantic support point, chord combination, the first link of a figurative ornament.

In-depth memorization of individual fragments of a work is facilitated by comparing these fragments with musical material already known to the student from his past experience. By comparing the new with the familiar, relying on the familiar, the student remembers more successfully and quickly.

One of the specific and very difficult for less advanced students. is a method of “speculative” memorization, devoid of support for real sound and based solely on intra-auditory ideas.

Getting startedWhen analyzing a piece of music, you must carefully:

sing the entire piece with your inner ear (all melodic lines and all the echoes);

try to hear the harmonic vertical (if there is one);

tap or clap the entire rhythmic pattern (especially the most difficult places);

carefully study all the strokes, dynamics, fingerings;

understand the musical form of a piece.

At the end of the analysis, when big picture the piece will become completely clear, you can begin to perform it on the instrument, already clearly imagining the purpose and tasks that need to be accomplished in this piece.We must not forget that all these actions must be performed with unremitting attention and concentration. If attention has become dull and fatigue has set in, then it is worth postponing classes for a while in order to continue them with a clearer consciousness, because musical material should be stored only in long-term memory with conscious access. Having started with a competent analysis of the work, you should then just as purposefully learn the work by heart. It is better to memorize in the beginning also without a tool.

You should learn thoughtfully and slowly. First, it is better to mentally divide the work into parts (you can mark the parts in the notes with a pencil), finding along the way a similar or identical musical text, sequential development, a similar or identical rhythmic pattern. Such preliminary analysis helps to better remember musical material, and sometimes reduces the time when memorizing similar or identical passages. All possible melodic lines must be sung with the names of the notes, with pure intonation and in precise rhythmic movement.The method of singing a musical text out loud with the names of the notes allows you to connect auditory and constructive-logical types of memory to the work. If, while singing this way, you also mentally imagine the performance of this text on the instrument (and with the correct fingering!), then both the visual memory will be at work and the motor memory will be prepared for real performance.It must be remembered that the best memorization is obtained only with gradual memorization. At the same time, having learned, for example, the second bar, you need to return to the first and repeat them together. The same principle applies to sentences, periods, parts. It is necessary, as it were, to “string” the learned passages onto a single thread of memory, all the time returning to the beginning, and repeating what was previously learned along with the newly memorized material. Only after such a painstaking, but very required work it is necessary to return to playing the instrument and consolidate what has been learned at the table with motor memory.When performing on an instrument, your inner ear must constantly monitor the result obtained. In fact, the ideal version of performance is one in which the musician first hears the required sound within himself, then performs it, and compares the resulting sound with what his inner ear has stored in memory. In the form of a formula, it looks like this: “I hear (with my inner hearing) – I perform – I control (with my inner hearing).”

Basic rules for developing musical memory

Practice systematically and always certain time.

Strive to ensure that first impressions are correct and musical.

When learning anything, focus your attention on one thing at a time.

Learn notes and chords in groups. If you don't know harmony, learn chords by their structure, that is, by the intervals they contain.

Choose a fingering that is comfortable both for your hand and for the meaning of the passage. This fingering should no longer change.

Remember the expressions as carefully as you remember the notes.

Compare passages that have something in common with each other.

Learn music not bar by bar, but by phrases or larger pieces of music.

If you make a mistake and need to play again, do not return to the beginning of the piece: the previous phrase can serve as a starting point.

Practice few repetitions with frequent breaks.

If the passage does not lend itself, put it aside until next time.

Follow the accuracy, ease will come by itself.

When the piece becomes familiar, start working on the more difficult parts.

Focus on practicing only one aspect of the music at a time - coloration, legato, pedaling, etc.

If you make a mistake, go back and play the failed passage slowly once: the last impression, like the first, must be accurate.

In each play, begin to learn the episodes in accordance with the pre-prepared “headings”.

Free yourself internally and leave the movements to the subconscious.

Don't try to think ahead. Let the development of musical thoughts itself suggest what will happen next.

If you think that you are about to forget, switch your attention to rhythm and expressiveness.

If you forget the music during class, immediately look at the notes and try to find the reason for the error.

If you forget during a performance and are unable to improvise, do not go back - continue with the next musical title

The following tasks, in our opinion, will contribute to the development of students' musical memory.

The student is offered a simple melody. He carefully plays it from sight, then the teacher removes the notes of the melody.

Exercise:

play this melody from memory;

play this melody an octave higher;

play a given melody from another sound.

2. The teacher performs a song familiar to the student on the instrument while singing. The student listens carefully. The teacher suggests completing a number of tasks to master the rhythmic structure:

tap out the rhythmic pattern of the melody;

reproduce the rhythmic pattern as follows: the student taps the first phrase on the table, the second phrase “to himself,” the third phrase on the table, the fourth phrase “to himself.”

3. The student listens carefully to the melody performed by the teacher. The teacher offers to complete a number of tasks aimed at speed of memorization.

Listen and determine the number of bars;

listen and sing repeating melodic elements;

listen and determine the direction of the melody;

sing the beginning and end of the melody;

play the melody in full.

4. The student is asked to play the melody from sight.

The teacher plays three melodies, including the melody that was offered to the student. The student's task is to recognize the melody.

The teacher taps the rhythm of four melodies, including the melody that was offered to the student. The student’s task is to recognize the melody from the rhythmic pattern.

Thus, musical memory represents a complex complex of different types of memory, but auditory memory is the most important. Meaningful memorization is qualitatively superior to unconscious, chaotic ones. Logical methods of memorization, such as semantic grouping (dividing into semantic units), comparison of memorized fragments with musical material familiar from the students’ past experience, as well as highlighting semantic strongholds in the text are the most effective.

Literature:

Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2nd ed., - M.: Sov. Encyclopedia, 1982. – 1600 p.

Petrushin V.I. Music psychology. – M.: Academic project: Triksta, 2008. – 400 p.

Tsypin G.M. Learning to play the piano - M.: Education, 1984. - 176 p.

Kirnarskaya D.K. "Musical ability"- M.: Talents -XXIcentury, 2004. – 496 p.

MacKinnon L. “Game by heart” - L.: “Music”, 1967. - 145 p.

Introduction

Chapter I. The essence and structure of memory

1.1 Memory processes

1.2 Classification of types of memory according to the nature of mental activity

1.3 Classification of memory according to the nature of the goals of the activity

1.4 Classification of memory according to the duration of storage of material

1.5 Memory features

1.6 Motivation and memory

Chapter II. Musical memory and its role in the student’s performing activity

2.1 Main types of musical memory

2.2 Techniques for learning by heart

Chapter III. Basic methods of developing musical memory in music pedagogy

3.1 Methods of memorization according to I. Hoffman

3.2 Methods of memorization according to V.I. Mutzmacher

Conclusion

List of used literature

INTRODUCTION

Just as painters recorded the “visual” history of the human race, so great composers did the same with respect to its musical history. Sound, which is the object of perception for one of our main senses, plays an important role as a component of the image imprinted in memory. Auditory perception is generally an important mental ability, and its development helps improve our ability to use synesthesia , - the most important tool mnemonics, consisting in combining the main five senses for the sake of improving each individually and simultaneously obtaining a cumulative effect from them collaboration for the benefit of improving mental abilities, especially creativity and memory.

So, if you heard on the radio that A. Smetana at the beginning of his musical career was known as a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm; that two of his children died in early age; that he was tormented until the end of his life by a serious illness, during which the composer's brain steadily deteriorated, and that he, despite this, continued to compose and set out in great detail the nature of his physical decline and the effect it had, in particular, on his memory. Having learned all this, you will perceive his music more deeply, empathize with the composer, and also learn more about the historical era in which he lived and worked.

The ancient Greek poet Aeschylus, in his famous poem “Prometheus Bound,” called memory the mother of all muses and the cause of all things. The name of the ancient Greek goddess of memory - Mnemosyne - is still preserved in scientific use. These are terms such as “mnemonic activity” or “mnemonic actions”. Memory is a treasure life experience and professional excellence. To paraphrase what Socrates said about a friend, we can say: “Tell me what you remember, and I will tell you who you are.”

Great creators who made a great contribution to the development of mankind and left their mark on history often had extensive memory, partly given from birth, but more often developed through constant exercise. Historians claim that many outstanding commanders - Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Alexander Suvorov - could remember by sight and by name almost all the soldiers of their many-thousand-strong armies. The famous ancient philosopher Seneca was able, according to his contemporaries, to repeat two thousand unrelated words.

Phenomenal memory is almost always a sign of extraordinary ability. V.A. had such a memory among musicians. Mozart, S.V. Rachmaninov, F. Liszt, who, after listening to a very complex piece of music once, could play it by heart. As a student of the famous teacher Karl Czerny, F. At the age of 14, Liszt played him all the preludes and fugues by I.S. Bach from The Well-Tempered Clavier, and in different keys.

Among modern musicians, the famous Russian pianist, laureate of the International Competition named after P.I., undoubtedly has an outstanding memory. Tchaikovsky Denis Matsuev. This is what he said in one of his interviews with a correspondent from the magazine “7 Days”: “And God gave me technology, like a good memory. A couple of years ago, early in the morning, one conductor called me and asked me to play one of V.A.’s concerts in Paris that evening. Mozart instead of a sick pianist - without prior rehearsal. I knew both this work and the conductor’s performing style well and... agreed. Arrived in Paris. Due to traffic jams, I barely made it to the stage. And when the orchestra began the introduction, it was stunned - a completely different Mozart concerto sounded. It turns out that in the morning, in a stressful situation, the conductor, while talking to me, mixed up his number! I was shocked - after all, the last time I played the music that was playing was a couple of years ago and after that I didn’t repeat it. I almost died on the spot, but then I gathered my courage and began to frantically remember the notes...

When after the concert I told the conductor about what happened, he didn’t believe me at first. And then he fell to his knees and apologized for a long time for the mistake” [14,340].

Good musical memory is the rapid memorization of a piece of music, its durable retention and most accurate reproduction even after a long period of time after learning. V.A. had a gigantic musical memory. Mozart, F. Liszt, A.T. Rubinstein, S.V. Rachmaninov, A. Toscanini, who could easily retain in their memory almost the entire basic musical literature. But what great musicians achieved without visible difficulty, ordinary musicians, even if they have the ability, have to conquer with great effort. This applies to all musical abilities in general and to musical memory in particular. “Musical memory, like memory in general, playing an important role in the field of all mental work, is more difficult to develop through artificial methods and forces one to more or less come to terms with what each given subject has by nature” (N.A. Rimsky - Korsakov) .

This fatalistic point of view is opposed by another, according to which musical memory can be significantly developed in the process of special pedagogical influences.

Playing from memory is known to expand the performing capabilities of a musician. “A chord played as freely as you like according to the notes does not sound half as free as one played from memory,” said R. Schumann.

Target: To find out the basic principles of the development of musical memory of children's music school students

An object: Educational process in children's music school

Item: Methods for developing musical memory

Tasks: Study psychological, pedagogical, and musical literature;

1. To identify the influence of musical memory on the musical and performing development of children;

2. Expand types of memory;

4.Formulate methods of musical memory;

5.Identify practical ways to memorize musical material

CHAPTER I . ESSENCE AND STRUCTURE OF MEMORY

1.1 Memory processes

Memory, like any other cognitive mental process, has certain characteristics. The main characteristics of memory are: volume, speed of imprinting, accuracy of reproduction, duration of storage, readiness to use stored information.

Memory capacity is the most important integral characteristic of memory, which characterizes the ability to memorize and retain information.

The speed of reproduction characterizes a person’s ability to use the information he has in practical activities. As a rule, when faced with the need to solve any task or problem, a person turns to information that is stored in memory.

Reproduction accuracy reflects a person’s ability to accurately store, and most importantly, accurately reproduce information imprinted in memory. Duration of retention reflects a person’s ability to retain the necessary information for a certain time. For example, a person is preparing for an exam. He remembers one academic topic, and when he starts to learn the next one, he suddenly discovers that he does not remember what he taught before. Sometimes it's different. The person remembered all the necessary information, but when it was necessary to reproduce it, he could not do it. However, after some time, he was surprised to note that he remembered everything that he was able to learn. In this case, we are faced with another characteristic of memory - the readiness to reproduce information imprinted in memory.

Memorization is the process of imprinting and subsequently storing perceived information. Based on the degree of activity of this process, it is customary to distinguish two types of memorization: unintentional (or involuntary) and intentional (or voluntary).

Unintentional memorization is memorization without a predetermined goal, without the use of any techniques or manifestation of volitional efforts. This is a simple imprint of what affected us and retained some trace of excitation in the cerebral cortex. What is remembered best is what has vital important for a person: everything that is connected with his interests and needs, with the goals and objectives of his activities.

In contrast to involuntary memorization, voluntary (or intentional) memorization is characterized by the fact that a person sets a specific goal - to remember certain information - and uses special memorization techniques. Voluntary memorization is a special and complex mental activity subordinate to the task of remembering. In addition, voluntary memorization includes a variety of actions performed in order to better achieve a goal. Such actions include memorization, the essence of which is repeated repetition. educational material until it is completely and accurately memorized.

The main feature of intentional memorization is the manifestation of volitional efforts in the form of setting a memorization task. Repeated repetition allows you to reliably and firmly remember material that is many times greater than the capacity of individual short-term memory.

What is remembered, as well as realized, is, first of all, what constitutes the goal of the action. However, what is not related to the goal of the action is remembered worse during voluntary memorization aimed specifically at this material. However, it is still necessary to take into account that the vast majority of our systematic knowledge arises as a result of special activities, the purpose of which is to remember the relevant material in order to retain it in memory. Such activity aimed at remembering and reproducing retained material is called mnemonic activity.

On another basis - by the nature of the connections (associations) underlying memory - remembering divided into mechanical and meaningful.

Rote memorization is memorization without awareness of the logical connection between different parts of the perceived material. The basis of rote memorization is associations by contiguity.

In contrast, meaningful memorization is based on understanding the internal logical connections between individual parts of the material.

If we compare these methods of memorizing material, we can come to the conclusion that meaningful memorization is much more productive. With mechanical memorization, only 40% of the material remains in the memory after one hour, and after another few hours - only 20%, and in the case of meaningful memorization, 40% of the material is retained in memory even after 30 days.

Comprehension of the material is achieved by various techniques, and first of all, by highlighting the main thoughts in the material being studied and grouping them in the form of a plan. A useful technique for understanding the material is comparison, i.e. finding similarities and differences between objects, phenomena, events, etc.

The most important method of meaningful memorization of material and achieving high strength of its retention is the method of repetition. Repetition is the most important condition for mastering knowledge, skills and abilities. But to be productive, repetitions must meet certain requirements. Firstly, memorization proceeds unevenly: after an increase in reproduction, there may be a slight decrease. Secondly, learning occurs in leaps and bounds. Sometimes several repetitions in a row do not provide a significant increase in recall, but then, with subsequent repetitions, there is a sharp increase in the volume of memorized material. Thirdly, if the material as a whole is not difficult to remember, then the first repetitions give better results than subsequent ones. Fourthly, if the material is difficult, then memorization proceeds, on the contrary, first slowly and then quickly. This is explained by the fact that the actions of the first repetitions are insufficient due to the difficulty of the material and the increase in the volume of memorized material increases only with repeated repetitions. Fifthly, repetitions are needed not only when we learn the material, but also when we need to consolidate in memory what we have already learned. When repeating the learned material, its strength and durability increase many times over.

It is also very important to correctly distribute the repetition over time. In psychology, there are two methods of repetition: concentrated and distributed. In the first method, the material is learned in one step, repetition follows one after another without interruption. With distributed repetition, each read is separated from the other by some distance. Research shows that distributed repetition is more efficient than concentrated repetition. It saves time and energy, promoting a more lasting assimilation of knowledge.

The method of reproduction during learning is very close to the method of distributed learning. Its essence lies in attempts to reproduce material that has not yet been fully learned. For example, you can learn the material in two ways:

Experiments show that the second option is much more productive and expedient. Learning is faster and retention is stronger.

The success of memorization largely depends on the level of self-control. A manifestation of self-control is attempts to reproduce the material while memorizing it. Such attempts help to establish what we remember, what mistakes we made during reproduction, and what we should pay attention to in subsequent reading. In addition, memorization productivity also depends on the nature of the material. Visual and figurative material is remembered better than verbal, and logically connected text is reproduced more completely than scattered sentences.

Preservation is a process of active processing, systematization, generalization of material, and mastery of it. Retention of what has been learned depends on the depth of understanding. Well-understood material is remembered better. Conservation also depends on the attitude of the individual. Personally significant material is not forgotten. Forgetting occurs unevenly: immediately after memorization, forgetting is stronger, then it occurs more slowly. That is why repetition cannot be postponed; it must be repeated soon after memorization, until the material is forgotten.

Sometimes, when preserved, the phenomenon of reminiscence is observed. Its essence is that reproduction delayed by 2 - 3 days turns out to be better than immediately after memorization. Reminiscence manifests itself especially clearly if the initial reproduction was not meaningful enough. From a physiological point of view, reminiscence is explained by the fact that immediately after memorization, according to the law of negative induction, inhibition occurs, and then it is removed. It has been established that conservation can be dynamic and static. Dynamic storage occurs in working memory, while static storage occurs in long-term memory. With dynamic preservation, the material changes little; with static preservation, on the contrary, it necessarily undergoes reconstruction and certain processing.

The strength of preservation is ensured by repetition, which serves as reinforcement and protects against forgetting, that is, from the extinction of temporary connections in the cerebral cortex. Repetition must be varied, carried out in different forms: in the process of repetition, facts must be compared, contrasted, they must be brought into a system. With monotonous repetition, there is no mental activity, interest in memorization decreases, and therefore conditions for lasting retention are not created. More higher value for conservation has the application of knowledge. When knowledge is applied, it is remembered involuntarily.

Reproduction and recognition are processes of restoration of what was previously perceived. The difference between them is that recognition occurs upon a repeated encounter with an object, upon its repeated perception, while reproduction occurs in the absence of the object.

Reproduction can be involuntary or voluntary. Involuntary is an unintentional reproduction, without the goal of remembering, when images emerge by themselves, most often by association. Voluntary reproduction is a purposeful process of restoring past thoughts, feelings, aspirations, and actions in consciousness. Sometimes spontaneous reproduction occurs easily, sometimes it requires effort. Conscious reproduction associated with overcoming certain difficulties, requiring volitional efforts, is called recollection.

The qualities of memory are most clearly revealed during reproduction. It is the result of both memorization and retention. We can judge memorization and preservation only by reproduction. Reproduction is not a simple mechanical repetition of what is captured. Reconstruction occurs, i.e. mental processing of the material: the plan of presentation changes, the main thing is highlighted, additional material known from other sources is inserted.

The success of reproduction depends on the ability to restore the connections that were formed during memorization, and on the ability to use the plan during reproduction.

The physiological basis of recognition and reproduction is the revival of traces of previous excitations in the cerebral cortex. With recognition, the trace of excitement that was trodden during memorization is revived.

Reproduction forms:

Recognition is a manifestation of memory that occurs when an object is re-perceived;

Memory, which is carried out in the absence of perception of the object;

Recall, which is the most active form of reproduction, largely depends on the clarity of the tasks assigned, on the degree of logical ordering of the information remembered and stored in the DP;

Reminiscence is a delayed reproduction of something previously perceived that seemed forgotten;

Eidetism is a visual memory that retains for a long time bright image with all the details of what was perceived.

Recognition of an object occurs at the moment of its perception and means that there is a perception of an object, the idea of ​​which was formed in a person either on the basis of personal impressions (memory representation), or on the basis verbal descriptions(imagination). Recognition processes differ from each other in their degree of certainty. Recognition is least certain in those cases when we only experience a feeling of familiarity of an object, but cannot identify it with anything from past experience. Such cases are characterized by uncertainty of recognition. There are many similarities between definite and indefinite recognition. Both of these variants of recognition unfold gradually, and therefore they are often close to recollection, and therefore are a complex mental and volitional process.

The process of forgetting is a natural process. Much of what is fixed in memory is forgotten to one degree or another over time. And we need to fight against forgetting only because what is necessary, important, and useful is often forgotten. What is forgotten first of all is what is not used, what is not repeated, what there is no interest in, what ceases to be significant for a person. Details are forgotten more quickly and are usually retained in memory longer general provisions, conclusions.

Forgetting comes in two main forms:

Inability to remember or know;

Incorrect recall or recognition.

Between complete recall and complete forgetting, there are varying degrees of recall and recognition. Some researchers call them "memory levels." It is customary to distinguish three such levels:

Reproductive memory;

Recognition memory;

Facilitating memory.

Forgetting occurs unevenly over time. The greatest loss of material occurs immediately after its perception, and later forgetting occurs more slowly.

Forgetting can be complete or partial, long-term or temporary.

In case of complete forgetting, the fixed material is not only not reproduced, but also not recognized. Partial forgetting of material occurs when a person does not reproduce it all or with errors, and also when he only learns it, but cannot reproduce it.

Long-term (complete or partial) forgetting is characterized by the fact that a person fails to reproduce or remember something for a long time. Often, forgetting is temporary, when a person cannot reproduce the desired material at the moment, but after some time he still reproduces it.

Forgetting can be caused by various factors. The first and most obvious of them is time. It takes less than an hour to forget half of the material you learned mechanically.

An important factor in forgetting is usually considered to be the degree of activity in using available information. What is forgotten is what there is no constant need or necessity. This is true most of all in relation to semantic memory for information received in adulthood.

Forgetting may be due to the work of the protective mechanisms of our psyche, which displace traumatic impressions from consciousness into the subconscious, where they are then more or less reliably retained. Consequently, what is forgotten is something that disturbs the psychological balance and causes constant negative tension (“motivated forgetting”).

Other forms of forgetting are false recall and false recognition. It is well known that over time, what we perceive loses its brightness and clarity in memory, becomes pale and unclear. However, changes in previously perceived material can also be of a different nature, when forgetting is expressed not in a loss of clarity and distinctness, but in a significant discrepancy between what is remembered and what was actually perceived.

The main significant causes of forgetting that goes beyond the average are various diseases of the nervous system, as well as severe mental and physical trauma. In these cases, a phenomenon called retrograde amnesia sometimes occurs. It is characterized by the fact that forgetting covers the period preceding the event that caused amnesia. Over time, this period may decrease, and even moreover, forgotten events may be fully restored in memory.

Forgetting also occurs more quickly when you are mentally or physically tired. Forgetting can also be caused by the action of extraneous stimuli that prevent us from concentrating on the necessary material, for example, annoying sounds or objects in our field of vision.

1.2 Classification of types of memory according to the nature of mental activity

The classification of types of memory according to the nature of mental activity was first proposed by P.P. Blonsky. Although all four types of memory he identified do not exist independently of each other, and moreover, are in close interaction, Blonsky was able to determine the differences between individual types of memory.

Motor (or motor) memory is the memorization, storage and reproduction of various movements. Motor memory is the basis for the formation of various practical and work skills, as well as the skills of walking, writing, etc. Without memory for movements, we would have to learn to carry out the appropriate actions every time. True, when reproducing movements, we do not always repeat them exactly in the same form as before. But the general character of the movements is still preserved.

Movements are most accurately reproduced under the conditions in which they were performed previously. In completely new, unusual conditions, we often make movements with great imperfection. It is not difficult to repeat movements if we are used to performing them using a certain tool or with the help of some specific people, and in the new conditions we were deprived of this opportunity.

Emotional memory is memory for feelings. This type of memory is our ability to remember and reproduce feelings. Emotions always signal how our needs and interests are satisfied, how our relationships with the outside world are carried out. Therefore, emotional memory is very important in the life and activities of every person. Feelings experienced and stored in memory act as signals that either encourage action or deter actions that caused negative experiences in the past. Reproduced, or secondary, feelings may differ significantly from the original ones. This can be expressed both in a change in the strength of feelings, and in a change in their content and character.

Figurative memory is the memorization, preservation and reproduction of images of previously perceived objects and phenomena of reality. When characterizing figurative memory, one should keep in mind all those features that are characteristic of ideas, and, above all, their pallor, fragmentation and instability. These characteristics are also inherent in this type of memory, so the reproduction of what was previously perceived often diverges from its original. Moreover, over time, these differences can deepen significantly.

The deviation of ideas from the original image of perception can take two paths: confusion of images or differentiation of images. In the first case, the image of perception loses its specific features and what the object has in common with others comes to the fore. similar items or phenomena. In the second case, the features characteristic of a given image are enhanced in memory, emphasizing the uniqueness of the object or phenomenon.

Particular attention should be paid to the question of what determines the ease of reproducing an image. In answering this question, two main factors can be identified. Firstly, the nature of reproduction is influenced by the content features of the image, emotional coloring images and the general state of a person at the moment of perception. Secondly, the ease of reproduction largely depends on the state of the person at the time of reproduction. The accuracy of reproduction is largely determined by the degree to which speech is involved in perception. What was named during perception, described in a word, is reproduced more accurately.

Many researchers divide figurative memory into visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory. Such a division is associated with the predominance of one or another type of reproduced ideas.

Verbal-logical memory is expressed in memorizing and reproducing our thoughts. We remember and reproduce the thoughts that arose in us during the process of thinking, thinking, we remember the content of a book we read, a conversation with friends.

The peculiarity of this type of memory is that thoughts do not exist without language, which is why memory for them is called not just logical, but verbal-logical. In this case, verbal-logical memory manifests itself in two cases:

Only the meaning of the given material is remembered and reproduced, and precise preservation of the original expressions is not required;

Not only the meaning is remembered, but also the literal verbal expression of thoughts (memorization of thoughts).

If in the latter case the material is not subject to semantic processing at all, then its literal memorization turns out to be no longer logical, but mechanical memorization.

The development of both types of verbal-logical memory also does not occur parallel to each other. Children sometimes learn by heart more easily than adults. At the same time, adults, on the contrary, have significant advantages over children in remembering meaning. This is explained by the fact that when memorizing the meaning, first of all, what is most essential, the most significant is remembered. In this case, it is obvious that identifying the essential in the material depends on understanding the material, so adults remember the meaning more easily than children. And vice versa, children can easily remember details, but they remember the meaning much worse.

1.3 Classification of memory according to the nature of the goals of the activity

There is also a division of memory into types, which is directly related to the characteristics of the activity itself. Thus, depending on the goals of the activity, memory is divided into involuntary and voluntary. In the first case, we mean memorization and reproduction, which is carried out automatically, without volitional efforts of a person, without control by consciousness. In this case, there is no special goal to remember or remember something, i.e., no special mnemonic task is set. In the second case, such a task is present, and the process itself requires volitional effort.

Involuntary memory is not necessarily weaker than voluntary memory. On the contrary, it often happens that involuntarily memorized material is reproduced better than material that was specifically memorized. For example, an involuntary heard phrase or perceived visual information is often remembered more reliably than if we specifically tried to remember it. Material that is in the center of attention is involuntarily remembered, and especially when certain mental work is associated with it. The ability to constantly accumulate information is the most important feature psyche, is universal in nature, covers all spheres and periods of mental activity and in many cases is realized automatically, almost unconsciously.

The efficiency of random memory depends on:

From the purposes of memorization (how firmly, for how long a person wants to remember);

From learning techniques.

Methods of learning are:

Mechanical verbatim repetition - mechanical memory works, a lot of effort and time are spent, and the results are poor;

Logical retelling, which includes logical comprehension of the material, systematization, highlighting the main logical components of information, retelling in your own words - logical memory (semantic) works - a type of memory based on the establishment of semantic connections in the memorized material;

Figurative memorization techniques (translation of information into images, graphs, diagrams, pictures) - figurative memory works. Figurative memory is of different types: visual, auditory, motor-motor, gustatory, tactile, olfactory, emotional;

Mnemonic memorization techniques (special techniques to facilitate memorization).

All living beings have memory. Evidence has emerged of the ability to remember even in plants. In the broadest sense, memory can be defined as a mechanism for fixing any formation acquired and used by a living organism. Human memory is, first of all, the accumulation, consolidation, preservation and subsequent reproduction by a person of his experience, i.e. everything that happened to him. Memory is a way of existence of the psyche in time, retention of the past, i.e., that which no longer exists in the present. Therefore, memory is a necessary condition for the unity of the human psyche, our psychological identity.

1.4 Classification of memory according to the duration of storage of material

Most psychologists recognize the existence of several levels of memory, differing in how long each level can retain information. The first level corresponds to the sensory type of memory. Its systems hold fairly accurate and complete data about how the world is perceived by our senses at the receptor level. Data storage duration is 0.1-0.5 seconds.

If the received information attracts the attention of the higher parts of the brain, it will be stored for about 20 seconds (without repeating or replaying the signal while the brain processes and interprets it). This is the second level - short-term memory.

Short-term memory is still amenable to conscious regulation and can be controlled by a person. But the “immediate imprints” of sensory information cannot be repeated; they are stored only for tenths of a second and the psyche has no ability to extend them.

Any information first enters short-term memory, which ensures that information presented once is remembered for a short time, after which the information can be completely forgotten or transferred to long-term memory, but subject to repetition 1-2 times. On average, a person can remember from 5 to 9 words, numbers, figures, figures, pictures, pieces of information in one sitting. The main thing is to ensure that these “pieces” are more information-rich through grouping, combining numbers and words into a single integral “piece-image”.

Long-term memory ensures long-term retention of information. It comes in two types:

DP with conscious access (i.e. a person can voluntarily extract and remember the necessary information);

DP is closed (a person in natural conditions does not have access to it; only through hypnosis, when irritating parts of the brain, can he gain access to it and update in all details images, experiences, pictures of his whole life).

Working memory is a type of memory that manifests itself during the performance of a certain activity, serving this activity by storing information coming from both the CP and the DP necessary to perform the current activity.

Intermediate memory ensures the retention of information for several hours, accumulates information during the day, and the time of night sleep is allocated by the body to clear intermediate memory and categorize information accumulated over the past day, transferring it to long-term memory. At the end of sleep, intermediate memory is again ready to receive new information. In a person who sleeps less than three hours a day, intermediate memory does not have time to be cleared, as a result, the performance of mental and computational operations is disrupted, attention and short-term memory decrease, and errors appear in speech and actions.

1.5 Memory features

Firstly, memory characteristics are associated with personality characteristics. Even people with good memory do not remember weight, and people with poor memory do not forget everything. This is explained by the fact that memory is selective. What suits a person’s interests and needs is remembered quickly and firmly. Second, individual differences are found in memory performance. It is possible to characterize a person’s memory depending on how developed his or her individual memory processes are. We say that a person has a good memory if he is different:

Speed ​​of memorization;

Durability of preservation;

Reproduction accuracy;

The so-called memory readiness.

But memory can be good in one respect and bad in another. Individual qualities of memory can be combined in different ways.

The best is a combination of fast memorization and slow forgetting;

Slow memorization is combined with slow forgetting;

Rapid memorization is combined with rapid forgetting;

Memory characterized by slow memorization and rapid forgetting is characterized by the lowest productivity.

The predominant formation of one type of memory is associated with personality characteristics and the characteristics of human activity. Thus, artists have well-developed emotional memory, composers have auditory memory, artists have visual memory, philosophers have verbal-logical memory. The predominant development of figurative or verbal memory is in connection with the relationship between the first and second signaling systems, with the typological features of higher nervous activity. Artistic type is distinguished by the predominant development of figurative memory, the thinking type is characterized by the predominance of verbal memory. The development of memory also depends on a person’s professional activity, since in activity the psyche is not only manifested, but also formed: a composer or pianist remembers melodies best, an artist - the color of objects, a mathematician - types of problems, an athlete - movements.

The type of memory determines how a person remembers material - visually, auditorily or using movement. Some people, in order to remember, need to visually perceive what they are remembering. These are people of the so-called visual memory type. Others need auditory images to remember.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that memory types should be distinguished from memory types. Types of memory are determined by what we remember. And since any person remembers everything: movements, images, feelings, and thoughts, then different types of memory are inherent in all people and do not constitute their individual characteristics. At the same time, the type of memory characterizes how we remember: visually, auditorily or motorically. Therefore, the type of memory is an individual characteristic of a given person. All people have all types of memory, but each person has a specific type of memory.

Belonging to one type or another is largely determined by the practice of memorization, that is, by what exactly a given person has to remember and how he learns to remember. Therefore, a certain type of memory can be developed through appropriate exercises.

Memory development does not occur by itself. This requires a whole system of memory education. The cultivation of positive memory properties is greatly facilitated by the rationalization of a person’s mental and practical work: order in the workplace, planning, self-control, the use of reasonable methods of memorization, the combination of mental work with practical work, a critical attitude towards one’s activities, the ability to abandon ineffective work methods and borrow from other people effective techniques. Some individual differences in memory are closely related to special mechanisms that protect the brain from unnecessary information. The degree of activity of these mechanisms varies from person to person. Protecting the brain from unnecessary information explains, in particular, the phenomenon of hypnopaedia, i.e. learning in a dream. During sleep, some mechanisms that protect the brain from excess information are turned off, so memorization occurs faster.

1.6 Motivation and memory

Motivation in psychology is called the impulses that cause a person to be active in moving towards a goal to satisfy an existing need. It is divided into internal and external. External motivation is determined by some social factors, for example, when a student learns lessons under pressure from teachers or parents. Intrinsic motivation is activated under the influence of a person’s own motives. In this case, the student masters and remembers the educational material, because he is interested in this, and it seems vitally important to him, and also has great life meaning for him. Therefore, internal motivation seems to be more preferable than external motivation. When a person begins to learn something professionally, we have the right to expect that he is driven by internal motivation, and everything that he studies in his educational institution will be absorbed by him with great desire and interest. Therefore, the development of a good memory is directly related to the development of internal motivation in a future professional. This, in turn, is achieved through the process of self-education of a sense of responsibility and self-discipline.

CHAPTER II . MUSICAL MEMORY

2.1 Main types of musical memory

When memorizing a piece of music, we use motor, emotional, visual, auditory and logical memory. Depending on individual abilities, each musician will rely on a more convenient type of memory,

According to A.D. Alekseev “Musical memory is a synthetic concept, including auditory, motor, logical, visual and other types of memory.” In his opinion, it is necessary “for a pianist to develop at least three types of memory - auditory, which serves as the basis for successful work in any field musical art, logical - related to understanding the content of the work, the patterns of development of the composer's thoughts, and motor - extremely important for the instrumentalist."

This point of view was also shared by S.I. Savshinsky, who believed that “a pianist’s memory is complex - it is auditory, visual, and muscular-playing.”

The English researcher of problems of musical memory L. MacKinnon also believes that “musical memory as some kind of special type memory does not exist. What is usually understood as musical memory is in reality a collaboration of the different types of memory that each person possesses. normal person“It is the memory of the ear, the eye, the touch and the movement.” According to the researcher, “in the process of learning by heart, at least three types of memory must cooperate: auditory, tactile and motor. Visual memory, usually associated with them, only complements, to one degree or another, this peculiar quartet” [13,184].

To date, the theory of musical performance has established a point of view according to which the most reliable form of performance memory is the unity of auditory and motor components.

B.M. Teplov, speaking about musical memory, considered the auditory and motor components to be the main ones. He considered all other types of musical memory valuable, but auxiliary. The auditory component in musical memory is the leading one. But, said B.M. Teplov, “it is quite possible, and, unfortunately, even widespread, purely motor memorization of music played on the piano. Piano pedagogy must develop connections between auditory ideas and piano movements that are as close and deep as the connections between auditory ideas and vocal motor skills” [13,184].

Modern methodologists attach great importance to the development of musical memory to the preliminary analysis of the work, with the help of which active memorization of the material occurs. The importance and effectiveness of this memorization method has been proven in the works of both domestic and foreign researchers. Thus, the American psychologist G. Whipple, in his experiments, compared the productivity of various methods of memorizing music on the piano, which differed from each other in that in one case, before studying a musical composition on the piano, a preliminary analysis was carried out, in the other, no analysis was applied. At the same time, the time for memorization in both groups of subjects was the same.

G. Whipple came to the conclusion that “the method in which periods of analytical study were used before direct practical work on the instrument showed significant superiority over the method in which the period of analytical study was omitted. These differences are so significant that they clearly prove the advantage of analytical methods over unsystematic practice, not only for the group of students participating in the experiment, but also for all other student pianists.” According to G. Whipple, “these methods will be of great help in increasing the efficiency of memorization by heart... For the majority of students, the analytical study of music provided a significant improvement in the memorization process compared to immediate practical work on the instrument” [13,185].

Another psychologist, G. Rebson, came to a similar conclusion, who previously trained his subjects to understand the structure and mutual relationship of all parts of the material, as well as the tonal plan of a musical work. As the researcher noted, “without studying the structure of the material, memorizing it comes down to the acquisition of purely technical skills, which themselves depend on countless long training sessions” [13,185].

According to L. MacKinnon, “the method of analyzing and establishing conscious associations is the only reliable one for memorizing music... Only what is consciously noted can be recalled later of one’s own free will” [13,186].

A. Cortot held a similar point of view on the problem under consideration. “Work on memorization should be entirely reasonable and should be facilitated by auxiliary moments in accordance with the characteristic features of the work, its structure and expressive means"[13.186].

The German teacher K. Martinsen, discussing the processes of memorizing a musical work, spoke of “constructive memory,” meaning by this the performer’s ability to understand well all the smallest details of the thing being learned, their isolation and the ability to put them together [13,186].

The importance of an analytical approach to working on an artistic image is also emphasized in the works of domestic musicians-teachers. The following statement by S.E. is indicative in this regard. Feinberg: “It is usually argued that the essence of music is emotional impact. This approach narrows the scope of musical existence and necessarily requires both expansion and clarification. Does music only express feelings? Music is primarily characterized by logic. No matter how we define music, we will always find in it a sequence of deeply conditioned sounds. And this conditionality is related to the activity of consciousness, which we call logic” [13,186].

Understanding a work is very important for remembering it, because the processes of understanding are used as memorization techniques. The action of memorizing information is first formed as a cognitive action, which is then used as a method of voluntary memorization. The condition for improving memory processes is the formation of understanding processes as specially organized mental actions. This job - First stage development of arbitrary logical memory.

2.2 Techniques for learning by heart

In modern psychology, actions to memorize text are divided into three groups: semantic grouping, identifying semantic reference points and correlation processes. In accordance with these principles, in the work of V.I. Mutzmacher “Improving musical memory in the process of learning to play the piano”, methods for learning a piece of music by heart were developed.

Semantic grouping .. The essence of the technique, as the author points out, is to divide the work into separate fragments, episodes, each of which represents a logically completed semantic unit of musical material. Therefore, the method of semantic grouping can rightfully be called the method of semantic division... Semantic units represent not only large parts, such as exposition, development, recapitulation, but also those included in them - such as the main, secondary, final parts. Meaningful memorization, carried out in accordance with each element of the musical form, must proceed from the particular to the whole, through the gradual integration of smaller parts into larger ones.

In case of forgetting during performance, the memory turns to the reference points, which are, as it were, the switch for the next series of performing movements. However, premature “remembering” of support points may have a negative impact on freedom of execution. Using the technique of semantic grouping justifies itself in the initial stages of learning a thing. After it has already been learned, you should pay attention first of all to the transfer of the holistic artistic image of the work. As L. MacKinnon so aptly put it, “The first stage of work is to force yourself to do certain things; the latter is to not prevent things from happening on their own.”

Semantic correlation . This technique is based on the use of mental operations to compare certain characteristic features tonal and harmonic plans, voice guidance, melody, accompaniment of the work being studied.

If there is a lack of musical theoretical knowledge necessary to analyze a work, it is recommended to pay attention to the simplest elements of musical fabric - intervals, chords, sequences.

Both techniques - semantic grouping and semantic correlation - are especially effective in memorizing works written in tripartite form and sonata allegro form , in which the third part is similar to the first, and the reprise repeats the exposition. At the same time, as V.I. correctly notes. Mutzmacher, “it is important to comprehend and determine what in identical material is completely identical and what is not... Imitations, varied repetitions, modulating sequences, etc. require close attention. elements of musical fabric. Referring to G.M. Kogan, the author emphasizes that “when a piece of music has been learned and “goes” without a hitch, returning to analysis only harms the matter.”

CHAPTER III . BASIC METHODS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSICAL MEMORY IN MUSIC PEDAGOGY

3.1 Methods of memorization according to I. Hoffman

In our recommendations, we will take as a basis the well-known triad “I see - I hear - I play” and the principles of working on a piece of music proposed by I. Hoffman. These principles are based on different ways of working on a work.

1. Working with the text of a work without a tool . At this stage, the process of familiarization and initial memorization of the work is carried out on the basis of careful study of the musical text and representation of the sound using the internal ear. Mental musical perception can be carried out in the following directions - identification and definition:

The main mood of the work;

The means by which it is expressed;

Features of the development of artistic image;

The main idea of ​​the work;

Your own personal meaning in the analyzed work.

A thorough analysis of the text of a work contributes to its subsequent successful memorization. This is how, for example, the teacher of the famous German pianist W. Gieseking, K. Leimer, “recited” the text of L.V.’s sonata with his students. Beethoven in F minor, op. 2 No. 1: “The Sonata begins with an arpeggiated F minor chord from “C” of the 1st octave to “A-flat” of the second, followed in the second text by a grupeto on “F” of the second octave. Then comes the dominant seventh chord (from G of the first to B-flat of the second octave) with the final notes of the grupeto on G and subsequent repetition from the 2nd to 4th bars, after which the F minor quartet-sex chord and scale descent in eighths to notes "C". In the left hand, the F minor triad is replaced by a dominant seventh chord.

These first 8 bars of the main theme are easy to understand when thinking about the text you read; they can and should first be played by heart and then memorized.”

This method of memorization develops musical-auditory and motor perceptions, thinking and visual memory. What is seen must be understood and heard.

There are many known cases, as S. Savshinsky testifies, when a pianist learned a piece only by reading it with his eyes. F. Liszt performed his student’s composition at the concert, having reviewed it just before the performance. They say that I. Hoffman also learned “Humoresque” by P.I. Tchaikovsky during the intermission of the concert and performed it as an encore. S. Bülow, in a letter to R. Wagner, reports that more than once he was forced to learn concert programs in a railway carriage.

Developing the ability to learn a piece of music without an instrument is one of the reserves for growing a musician’s professional skill. Pronunciation of a musical text leads to the transfer of external mental actions to the internal plane and to their subsequent necessary “collapse” from a sequential process into a structural, simultaneous one, which fits into consciousness as if simultaneously, immediately, entirely.

Working with the text of a work at the instrument . The first playing of a work after mental acquaintance with it, according to the recommendations of modern methodologists, should be aimed at grasping and understanding its general artistic meaning. Therefore, at this stage they talk about a sketch of the work, for which it must be played at the right tempo; in this case, you don’t have to worry about the accuracy of execution. R. Schumann, for example, recommended doing the first plays “from beginning to end.” As the Eastern proverb says, “Let the first day of acquaintance become one of the thousand days of long-term friendship.”

After the first acquaintance, a detailed study of the work begins - semantic strong points are identified, difficult places are identified, convenient fingering is set, and unusual performing movements are mastered at a slow pace. At this stage, the awareness of the melodic, harmonic and textural features of the work continues, its tonal-harmonic plan is clarified, within the framework of which the development of the artistic image is carried out. Continuous mental work, constant thought into what is being played is the key to successfully memorizing a piece by heart. “Only what is well understood is remembered well” - this is the golden rule of didactics, which is equally true for a student trying to remember various historical events and for a musician who is learning a piece of music by heart.

What type of memorization - voluntary (i.e. deliberate, specially oriented) or involuntary (i.e. carried out unintentionally) - is more preferable in learning a piece by heart?

There are no clear answers to this question. According to some musicians (A.B. Goldenweiser, L. MacKinnon, S.I. Savshinsky), voluntary memorization should prevail in memorization, based on the rational use of special mnemonic techniques and rules, and careful thinking through what is being learned. According to another point of view, belonging to major performing musicians (G.G. Neuhaus, K.N. Igumnov, S.T. Richter, D.F. Oistrakh, S.E. Feinberg), memorization is not a special task of the performer. In the process of working on the artistic content of a work itself, it is remembered without violence to memory. Achieving equally high results, as noted by G.M. Tsypin, with the opposite approach to the matter, has a right to exist and ultimately depends on the personal make-up of a particular musician and the individual style of his activity.

Upon closer examination of the individual style of activity of various musicians, attention is drawn to the fact that among those who advocate voluntary memorization, there are many theorists and methodologists who have a pronounced logical orientation of activity and have an analytical mindset. The activity of such people is due to the activation of the left hemisphere of the brain, which in this case is the leading one.

Among those who advocate involuntary memorization, there are more “pure” performing musicians who focus their work primarily on figurative thinking, which is associated with the activity of the right, “artistic” hemisphere.

If the first group of musicians is characterized by the principle expressed in the statement of Professor S.I. Savshinsky: “In order for memory to work fruitfully, the most important condition is a conscious attitude towards memorization,” then the second group of musicians is characterized by the position expressed in the words of G.G. Neuhaus: “I... just play a piece until I learn it. If I need to play by heart, I won’t remember it yet, and if I don’t need to play by heart, then I won’t remember.”

Based on the above, two ways can be proposed in the method of learning a piece of music from memory, each of which does not exclude the other. One of these ways is voluntary memorization, in which the work is carefully analyzed in terms of its form, texture, harmonic plan, and finding strong points. In another case, memorization will occur relying on involuntary memory in the process of solving specific tasks searching for the most satisfactory embodiment of the artistic image. By being active during this search, we will involuntarily remember what we need to learn.

One of the pitfalls that many musicians fall into when learning a new piece by heart is memorizing it through repetition. The main load with this method of learning falls on motor memory. But this way of solving the problem, as the famous French pianist Marguerite Long rightly noted, is “a lazy solution of dubious fidelity and, moreover, a waste of precious time.”

In order for the memorization process to proceed most effectively, it is necessary to include in the work the activities of all the musician’s analyzers, namely:

By peering and studying the notes, you can memorize the text visually and then, while playing by heart, imagine it mentally before your eyes;

By listening to the melody, singing it separately with your voice without an instrument, you can memorize the melody by ear;

- “playing” with your fingers into the texture of the work, you can remember it motor-motor;

Including the mechanisms of synesthesia, you can imagine in your imagination the taste and smell of the fragments being played;

By noting the key points of the work during the game, you can connect logical memory, based on remembering the logic of the development of the harmonic plan.

The higher the sensory, sensory and mental activity in the process of learning a piece, the faster it is learned by heart.

When learning by heart, you should not try to remember the entire piece at once. It is better to first try to remember individual small fragments, because... We already know that “the percentage of retention of memorized material is inversely proportional to the volume of this material.” Therefore, a reasonable dosage of what is being learned must be observed.

There should also be breaks between intense mnemonic work and other activities that require great mental or physical stress. After the musical material has been learned, it is necessary to give it the opportunity to simply “sit down.” During this break, the formed traces are strengthened. If, after mnemonic work, some kind of psychological overload is allowed, then the learned material will be forgotten due to retroactive, i.e. “acting backwards”, braking.

In the same way, when starting to work on a new work, which requires increased attention, it will be difficult to remember it by heart due to the action in this case being proactive, i.e. “acting forward”, braking after doing hard work.

Working on a work without text (playing by heart). In the process of performing a work by heart, it is further strengthened in memory - auditory, motor, logical. Associations that the performer resorts to to find greater expressiveness in performance also provide great assistance in memorization.

Involving poetic associations to activate the aesthetic sense is a long-standing tradition in musical performance.

Poetic images, paintings, associations taken both from life and from other works of art are well activated when setting tasks like: “It’s as if in this music...”. The combination of audible sounds with extra-musical images and ideas that have a similar poetic basis awakens emotional memory, which is said to be stronger than the memory of reason.

Here are some of A.T.'s remarks. Rubinstein, addressed to his students to awaken their creative imagination:

The beginning of Schumann’s “Fantasy”: “This first thought must be pronounced, recited, as if you were addressing all of humanity, the whole world...”;

Duet from “Don Giovanni” by Mozart - Liszt: “You have turned Zerlina into a dramatic person. You have to play naively, but you act as if it were Donna Anna. It should sound fun and at the same time passionate, and all together - light and playful." A.T. Rubinstein played an excerpt from the duet, imitating the coquetry of a village girl not only with sounds, but also with his facial expressions. “Here she raised her eyes to him, and now she looked down. No, you have a society lady, and here is a peasant woman in white stockings.”

Undoubtedly, a piece learned in such a way that the content of the music is linked to a wide range of associations will not only be more expressively performed, but also more firmly assimilated.

When a piece has already been learned by heart, it needs regular repetitions to be consolidated in memory. Just as a forest road, when not driven on for a long time, becomes overgrown with weeds and bushes, so neural traces, peculiar memory paths, are blurred and forgotten under the influence of new ones. life impressions. “All other things being equal,” pointed out L.V. Zankov, “increasing the number of repetitions leads to better memorization.” But "beyond certain limits, increasing the number of repetitions does not improve memory... Fewer repetitions... may produce better results than many more repetitions under other conditions."

Repeating material countless times for better memorization is reminiscent of “cramming” in nature, which is unconditionally condemned by modern didactics, both in general and in music pedagogy. Endless mechanistic repetitions hinder the development of a musician, limit his repertoire, dull artistic perception. Therefore, the work of a musician of any specialty turns out to be most fruitful when, as I. Hoffman noted, “it is performed with complete mental concentration, and the latter can be maintained only for a certain time. In studies, the quantitative side is important only in combination with the qualitative.”

As studies by Soviet and foreign psychologists show, repetition of learned material is effective when it includes something new, and not a simple restoration of what has already happened. It is always necessary to introduce at least some element of novelty into each repetition - either in sensations, or in associations, or in technical techniques.

IN AND. Mutzmacher in his work recommends, when repeating, to establish new, previously unnoticed connections, dependencies between parts of the work, melody and accompaniment, various characteristic elements texture, harmony. To do this, it is necessary to develop the ability to independently, without the help of a teacher, apply existing musical theoretical knowledge in practice. The variety of impressions and actions performed during the repetition of musical material helps to maintain attention for a long time.

The ability to look at the old in a new way each time, to highlight in it what has not yet been highlighted, to find what has not yet been found - such work on a thing is akin to the eye and ear of a man in love who finds all this in the object that interests him without much difficulty. That's why good memorization always one way or another turns out to be a product of the artist-performer’s “falling in love” with him.

The speed and strength of memorization are also related to the rational distribution of repetitions over time. According to S.I. Savshinsky, “memorization distributed over a number of days will give longer memorization than persistent memorization in one step. In the end, it turns out to be more economical: you can learn a piece in one day, but it is hardly forgotten the next day.”

Therefore, it is better to spread the repetition over several days. The most effective is an unequal distribution of repetitions, when more time and repetitions are allocated for the first study or repetition than for subsequent methods of studying educational material. Best results Memorization occurs, as research shows, when material is repeated every other day. It is not recommended to take too long breaks when memorizing - in this case it may turn into a new memorization.

“Test” playing by heart in many cases is accompanied by inaccuracies and errors, which, as V.I. quite rightly emphasizes. Mutzmacher, “require from the student increased auditory control, focused attention, and concentrated will. All this is necessary to record the mistakes made... The places where individual passages and episodes “join” require special attention. Practice shows that often a student cannot play the entire piece by heart, while he knows each of its parts separately from memory quite well.”

Even when a work has been well learned by heart, methodologists recommend not to part with the musical text, looking for new semantic connections in it, delving into every turn of the composer’s thought. Repetition of notes should regularly alternate with playing by heart.

Playing at a slow pace is of great benefit for memorizing a piece, which should not be neglected even by students with a good memory. This helps, as the Bulgarian methodologist A. Stoyanov points out, to “refresh musical performances, to understand everything that could have escaped the control of consciousness over time.”

Working without an instrument and without notes . According to A. Stoyanov, with whom one cannot but agree, a musician of any specialty “can only be convinced that he really remembered a given work when he, the musician, is able to reconstruct it mentally, trace its development exactly in accordance with the text, without looking at the notes, and clearly realize its smallest constituent elements».

This is the most difficult way of working on a work, and it was not for nothing that I. Hoffmann spoke about its complexity and “tiringness” in mental terms. However, by alternating mentally playing a piece without an instrument with actually playing an instrument, a student can achieve extremely strong memorization of the piece.

In the process of this method of work, what psychologists call a simultaneous image is formed in the mind, in which temporal relationships are translated into spatial ones. We find a whole series of thoughts on this matter in the work of B.M. Teplova “Psychology of musical abilities.”

So, V.A. Mozart in one of his letters says that he can spiritually survey a work he wrote with one glance, like beautiful picture or person. He can hear this work in his imagination not sequentially, how it will sound later, but all at once. “The best,” concludes V.A. Mozart - listen to it all at once.”

Similar thoughts were expressed by K. Weber. “Inner hearing has an amazing ability to grasp and embrace whole musical constructions... This hearing allows you to hear entire periods, even entire pieces, at the same time.”

According to K. Martinsen, “before the first sound is extracted, the general image of the work already lives in the performer. Even before the first sound, the performer feels in the form general complex the first part of the sonata, as a general complex he feels the internal structure of the remaining parts... Based on the general image, the master directs every detail of performing creativity.”

G. Shchapov also speaks about the ability to mentally grasp the content of music as a whole: “During performance, he (the performer) must have in his mind, on all the most important aspects, some synthesized summary of what he has already played, and at the same time, as it were, some extremely compressed summary of what he has already played. what remains to be played.” According to the Hungarian musician S. Kovacs, he mostly remembers the “general image” and the beginning of the play. Kovacs also reports that the best musicians, whom he asked about the “general image” of a thing, represent the “whole of the play” mainly spatially. S. Kovacs himself imagined the play as a kind of dissected architectonics, and its parts - auditory-motor.

Mental repetitions of a piece develop concentration on auditory images, which is so necessary during public performance, enhance the expressiveness of the game, and deepen the understanding of the musical composition. Anyone who masters these working methods perfectly is truly the happiest musician!

The development of musical and auditory memory is also promoted by:

Constantly learning by heart new prose, poetic and musical works;

Connecting other analyzers to the learning process, for example, associating the material being learned with different colors, movements, visual images;

Activation of motivation for personal significance and the need for memorization;

Selecting various melodies by ear on a musical instrument.

The following exercises can help develop visual memory:

Look at several different objects at the same time, close your eyes and list them in your mental image;

Drawing from memory of familiar people or objects;

Drawing from memory paintings by famous artists and comparing them with the original;

Recovery complete image a person or situation based on one detail and then drawing. For example, to restore the image of the noblewoman Morozova based on one of her raised hands.

To develop emotional memory:

Pick up an object associated with the memory of a previously experienced situation, and with its help remember other objects from the same situation. For these purposes, many people take pebbles, shells and various kinds of souvenirs from their vacation spots. At the same time, one should remember and revive visual images, lighting, smells and body sensations. Strike a pose and do a few physical movements, which were performed in the recalled situation;

Convey various emotions with lines and colors using abstract painting - sadness, elation, a state of anticipation, etc.

3.2 Methods of memorization according to V.I. Mutzmacher

One of current problems in the learning process - the speed of memorizing musical material. It is important for all types of student activities. The ability to quickly learn a piece by heart becomes a serious problem in a lesson where time is limited. Memorizing a piece is usually carried out in two ways: either from the particular to the whole, or from the whole to the particular. In the first case, a work or a fragment from it is memorized from beginning to end in separate passages, gradually each subsequent passage is added to the previous one learned earlier. But you can teach it another way: first, all the material is analyzed, certain phrases and sentences are isolated, their similarities and differences are established, and a diagram of their distribution in the melody is drawn up. Phrases are learned separately. The volume of these phrases is most often small, so they are remembered faster than sentences.

In practice, the first method of learning is most often used. Is he rational?

The solution to one of the most important problems in music education is the disclosure artistic content works - relies on auditory analysis of the material. By memorizing a piece from the particular to the whole, we can do holistic analysis musical material only after memorizing the entire piece. Only then does the assimilation of the play as a work of art begin in essence. Therefore, in practice, we can conditionally distinguish two stages of work on a play: the stage of memorization and the stage of artistic comprehension of the work, as if polishing it.

By learning a piece in the second way - from the whole to the parts, we simultaneously reveal its content. Developing the ability to reveal the content of a simple work that is accessible to them will help them penetrate deeper into the music and when getting acquainted with more complex works. This means that learning a play while simultaneously analyzing it will help students develop the skill musical perception, expanding their general musical horizons. Developing the skill of memorization by breaking down a whole into its component elements will help fulfill a variety of musical learning tasks. Students will become familiar with phrasing, elements of rhythm, the modal system, etc. At the stage of learning a piece by heart, we not only use lesson time more productively, but also directly solve the main problem musical education- the problem of perceiving the artistic content of a musical work.

By learning the play in the first way - from the particular to the whole, we move away from directly solving this problem. In this case, there is a fear that work on the play will be formal.

Quickly learning a play by heart allows you not only to use lesson time more rationally, but also to retain the play in your memory in the future. The decisive significance, as noted by the outstanding psychologist A.A. Smirnov, has not the result of memorization itself, but mental activity during the memorization process. Based on this, memorizing from the whole to the parts is completely justified; the melody is not just remembered, but remembered as an artistically meaningful piece of music.

In addition to the above, learning from the whole to the parts allows you to use logical techniques when memorizing. The use of mnemonic techniques contributes to faster, more accurate memorization of the piece, and its more durable retention in memory.

As a mnemonic device, we used the method of grouping musical material. When forming a skill, logical memorization using the grouping method, two stages are identified:

The ability to isolate certain phrases in a play, compare them, group them, that is, mastering the methods of grouping musical material, is a cognitive process;

The ability to use the results of such an analysis in order to remember a given grouping is a mnemonic device.

Our goal is to show how the method of grouping musical material is formed and used in practice. In the future, we will pay attention to this, although the assimilation of grouping as a method of memorization is only a particular aspect, and of course, it is also an acquaintance with the analysis of a musical work as a whole.

The specificity of the perception of musical material is that people with a trained ear simultaneously hear several lines: rhythm, pitch, timbre, etc. The emotional impression while listening to a piece of music seems to be put together from many musical components. In the learning process, you have to analyze one line at a time, then another, etc. This technique is used to isolate and group certain rhythmic, pitch, etc. structures.

“Oh, you scythe hare” Lithuanian folk song

A A

The melody has two identical motives; it is not difficult for students to establish this. Their distribution scheme is as follows: a + a. Since the motives are the same, it is enough to remember one and repeat it when played twice, after which the melody will be learned by heart. Both the rhythm and the pitch coincide, so in this example it is not difficult to establish the similarity of motives. But in practice, there are more often plays in which there are changes in motives, or in rhythm, or in pitch, or in both the rhythmic and melodic pattern at the same time.

“Yurgyali Master” Lithuanian folk song

The motives differ from one another both in rhythm and in pitch. Their distribution scheme: a + b .

At the initial stage of training, it is difficult to establish and simultaneously take into account both rhythmic and pitch differences, as indicated. One learning of the skill of grouping material for students junior classes is already quite a difficult task. Therefore, the grouping method must be introduced gradually.

At first, you can use plays, in which one feature is practically enough to isolate the motives.

“Thank you Aunt” Lithuanian folk song

Two identical motifs are clearly repeated here. The rhythmic pattern of the melody consists of eighth notes only. Therefore, when analyzing these motifs, only pitch can be taken into account. Scheme of distribution of melody motives: a+a. When memorizing the entire melody, it is enough to remember one motive and repeat it when playing it in this scheme, that is, twice.

In this example, with the same rhythmic pattern, the pitch line is more active. But in melodies, rhythm can also be more active.

The pitch is alternating G and E, therefore, when analyzing motives, the main attention can only be paid to the rhythm, to various rhythmic structures. The first motive consists of eighth notes, and the second - of quarter notes.

Motif distribution scheme: a+b . When played by heart, alternating G and E in the first motive are played in eighth notes, and in the second - in quarter notes, ending on a quarter rest.

In the examples given, the patterns of distribution of motives in melodies are very simple: a+a, a+b. But their isolation is necessary for mastering the elementary method of analysis from the whole to the parts, for the initial acquisition of the skill of grouping material.

The shown examples of plays can be learned by heart and mechanically without much difficulty, without a deeper analysis of the material. But the essence of the proposed method is not so much to teach how to quickly memorize a play, but rather to ensure that students learn the method of analysis and grouping of material as a memorization technique. The effect of this method will be revealed later when learning more complex and larger pieces.

Most pieces do not have such simple patterns of distribution of motives as in the examples given above, but careful analysis of the latter makes it easier to memorize the entire melody.

Therefore, we can focus on the difference in pitch and, when memorizing, draw students' attention to this difference.

Phrases distribution scheme: a+b. In practice, when analyzed during the process of memorization, this material is also generalized according to only one criterion, and this, as we have already found out, is quite accessible to every student in the lower grades.

The grouping method can be used as a memorization technique and for simultaneous generalization of musical material according to two characteristics. Of course, this is only possible at a higher level, when certain skills in grouping material have already been acquired, an ear for music and rhythm has been cultivated, and there is experience in freely operating the method of grouping according to one characteristic.

The distribution scheme of rhythmic structures in the melody is as follows: a+b+a+b , and pitches - a+b+a+c . The general distribution scheme of motifs will coincide with the pitch scheme: a+b+a+c . Analysis of the material shows that it is necessary to remember not four, but three motives: a, b, c, since motive a is repeated. This makes it easier to learn the melody by heart: three motives are played according to the outlined scheme, and only then the piece is learned completely, which is not difficult. Actually, this ends the proposed initial stage of mastering the grouping method as a memorization technique. Students learned to analyze the meaning of individual motifs in the composition of the entire melody as a whole, in relation to each motif and its content. Together with the teacher, students are able to identify the culminating motives in a work; they know that individual motives are the basis of the group.

In parallel with solving the particular problem of teaching how to quickly memorize a melody using the grouping method, the teacher must set himself main goal- disclosure of the content of the work, penetration into its musical fabric for the most complete and deep understanding by students of the essence of music itself.

As experimental studies have shown, the analysis of musical material from whole to parts and the use of the grouping method as a memorization technique successfully influence the effectiveness of the learning process.

The strength of memory is positively influenced by the actions that we perform with the material we are studying. It is known that when learning a difficult musical text by heart, technically complex fragments are remembered better than simpler episodes. Such passages have to be repeated many times, and the fingering has to be thought through, as a result of which the difficult text makes deeper traces in the memory.

From experiments conducted by A.A. Smirnov, it follows that the more diverse actions we can take with the material we are learning, the greater our chances of remembering it faster.

The main methods of memorization in modern psychology are considered to be those that are associated with understanding the information being memorized, finding a certain sequence and logic in it, identifying semantic units that carry the main semantic load, and establishing intergroup connections.

Drawing up a plan for what you are learning has great potential for memorization. This clarifies the structure of the text and allows you to cover it all at once and in its entirety. The plan divides the material into pieces and fragments, each of which is recommended to come up with its own name reflecting its content. Further, through the names of the parts, it is recommended to link all the material into a single chain of associations. It is recommended to combine individual thoughts and sentences into larger semantic units. The process of memorizing by enlarged units is easier than by fractional and single ones.

To activate memorization, psychologists recommend activating figurative memory, which is associated with memory for various sensations. People who memorize text well include in the memorization process the activities of not only the main analyzer, but also others.

Greater opportunities for memorization are provided by memorization methods associated with preliminary autogenous immersion. This is the condition that I.P. Pavlov called it “phasic,” i.e., being in an intermediate phase between sleep and wakefulness. In this state, strong stimuli cause a weak reaction, and weak ones, for example, a word, cause a strong reaction. Therefore, the text perceived while in the paradoxical phase is remembered much better and to a greater extent than in the usual state of wakefulness. Experiments in this area conducted by the Bulgarian scientist A. Lozanov gave a new direction in teaching, called suggestive pedagogy.

But stronger memorization can also be achieved under the opposite version of the conditions - with interference that forces the student to concentrate more strongly on his learning. As a result, a stronger focus of excitation is created in the brain and the resulting conditioned connections become stronger.

CONCLUSION

Musical memory is a complex set of different types of memory, but two of them - auditory and motor - are the most important for it. Logical methods of memorization, such as semantic grouping and semantic correlation, improve retention and can be strongly recommended to young musicians wishing to advance in this direction. However, reliance on voluntary or involuntary memory may also depend on the thinking characteristics of the performing musician, the predominance of mental or artistic origin. Different stages of work require different approaches to memorization, and I. Hoffmann’s well-known formula relating to methods of learning a piece of music can serve as a good guideline in the work.

Proper distribution of repetitions during the learning process, when reasonable breaks are taken and attention is paid to the active nature of repetition, also contributes to success.

Achieving special memorization strength is characterized by highly qualified musicians by translating the temporal relationships of a musical work into spatial ones. The possibility of this level of memorization is ensured by repeated playing of a piece of music in the mind, at the level of musical-auditory ideas.

It is important to create a favorable psychological environment for the child’s activities, to find words of support for new creative endeavors, and to treat them with sympathy and warmth.

In the process of education, it is important to teach how to rely on intuition, rather than on reason, to understand oneself and the world. Because big discoveries are often made intuitively, thanks to inspiration and insight.

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Musical memory, or the ability to memorize dozens of pages of musical text and subsequently reproduce it over a long period of time, playing everything by heart, is basically the main thing that invariably causes surprise and admiration for the uninitiated.

Although this task is not the most important, it still sometimes causes difficulties for young performers. The most unpleasant thing is that it is the fear of forgetting the text on stage that is the main reason.

Fear of public shame is a serious reason. However, everything is not so sad if you know certain patterns and rules.

Firstly, there is no special memory called “musical”. Musical memory is like an elevator suspended on five cables. These cables are the five main types of human memory. Here they are:

1. Logical memory.

This type of memory helps us remember and keep in mind during performance on stage the type of texture, technical formulas, structural units of musical fabric (motifs, phrases, sentences, periods), changes in keys, and key signs.

All these are markers along the route, landmarks in space and time. But the most important thread that leads us along the line of development musical texture– this, of course, is the melody and the harmonic plan.

Naturally, for all this, the musician must have good skills, such as musical literacy, music theory, harmony, and analysis of forms.

Unfortunately, the level of teaching musical literacy in our music schools ah absolutely does not even meet the established software requirements, although they (these requirements) are quite elementary.

This is the first reason for problems with memorizing text.

2. Visual memory.

This type of memory needs no explanation. In order for it to work, it is necessary, firstly, that by nature this type of memory be present in a sufficiently developed state.

Secondly, the presence of musical text while working on a piece is a mandatory requirement. Unfortunately, children do not like to look at sheet music. Often, having learned a piece by heart, they subsequently carry out all their work at the piano without notes.

This does not allow the text to be properly retained in visual memory. As a result, this type of memory remains unused.

In addition, the musical text contains a lot of interesting information, which with this approach goes unnoticed. The quality of performance suffers from this.

3. Auditory memory.

I really like to do this experiment: after each of my first-year students has learned the piece by heart, I ask them to play the melody, the main theme of the piece, with one hand.

I always give this task in a slow piece of a song nature. Not a single student has ever completed this task! With two hands - please, with one - no way.

What does this mean? About the complete absence of participation of the ears in the process of memorizing text. Our students often cannot even pick out a melody by ear.

But it is in a music school that this skill should be brought to shine. This lack of auditory control is another major cause of problems with memorizing text.

4. Motor memory (motility).

The human brain is not able to control small durations in fast pace: fingers run much faster than the brain is able to work.

Fortunately, our motor skills cope with this task perfectly. This is the most reliable and most frequently used type of memory.

Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it not only does not need control, but it is precisely attempts to control motor skills with the head that usually lead to disasters on stage - complete forgetting of the text.

But if you manage to completely turn off your head and “not interfere” with your hands, then they will most likely cope with the task without problems. This is why our students love this type of memory so much. 90% of performances rely solely on motor skills.

5. Memory is tactile.

This is the memory of touching the keyboard. The tip of the finger, even without our efforts, remembers the nature of the touch in terms of dynamic nuances, timbres, touches and strokes.

It remains to be added that in order for a musician to forget the text on stage, all five types of memory must fail, and at the same time.

A kind of collapse. This is almost unbelievable, but it happens quite often. And precisely because there has never been much talk about the five types of memory.

Students usually use one - motor. And it’s very easy to turn off motor memory: just start controlling it. To do this, you just need to ask yourself the question: “I wonder what the next note is?” That's all. Failure is guaranteed.

IN general outline I outlined the main reasons for forgetting the text on stage. In order to prevent this from happening, these reasons must be removed. Of course, there are certain techniques and ways of working for this.

But this is already beyond the scope of one article. In addition, I am sure that music school teachers are familiar with these working methods. You just need to listen to them.