MUSICAL MEMORY - online book

A System To Cultivate The Musical Memory For Musicians.

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	MUSICAL MEMORY.                                               2r
	whilst irregularly formed passages, such as Ex. 12, are only retained with much greater difficulty. 39.   Connection Between Visual and Muscular Memory.—In some respects the classification of passages for visual memory bears a resemblance to the classification for muscular memory; in fact, the ultimate analysis of visual memory reduces it to a most delicate form of muscular memory, and its superiority is due to the sensibility and retentiveness of the muscles of the eye. In muscular memory, passages formed upon the exact repetition of a figure, and therefore requiring the repetition of one series of movements, correspond in visual memory to passages formed also upon the exact repetition of a figure, but which, however, must produce a regular pattern with regard to black and white notes. Ex. 6 fulfils the requirements of both forms of memory, and would generally, although probably unconsciously, be memorized by both. 40.   Retention of Progressions of Chords.—In considering notes in combination, the irregular dispersion of black and white. notes makes progressions of chords in general, too difficult to be retained merely by the aid of the eye, and other forms of memory will be found more suitable. There are, however, some few instances in which the regular sequence of notes considerably lessens the difficulty. Ex. 16 is a type of such :—
	41.   Hitherto we have considered passages which are most easily memorized by this form of memory. We shall now show how it may sometimes be forced into employment in passages which are not specially suited for it, but simply as a result of the employment of what we shall term Visual Control. 42.   Visual Control and Visual Memory.—In piano playing we employ Visual Control when, on account of the special difficulty of a passage, we think that by fixing our attention on the keyboard we are more likely to play the passage with perfect accuracy. It is, however, by no means necessary that on the many occasions on which we employ visual control that we also employ visual memory. A passage may be memorized by the ear and by the intellectual memory, that is, we remember the sound of it and that it is formed upon some chord, or some progression of chords, yet when we reproduce such a passage upon the keyboard we may wish to keep a careful surveillance