Lesson: How to Memorize Music

Memorization Tips for Classical Guitar and Musicians – A lesson on how to memorize music. This lesson covers various ways to memorize your music for classical guitarists or musicians in general. Here’s a brief overview:

  1. Dedicate time to memory everyday
  2. Choose very small sections to memorize
  3. Identify musical elements (group notes together)
  4. Say things out loud to memorize naturally
  5. Use your music theory (identify chords, scales, sequences, etc)
  6. Simplify the music
  7. Memorize the end of the piece first

YouTube Lesson Link – Watch on YouTube or subscribe there.

Above: Graham Fitch talks through the correct ways to use the metronome. I know, I know, this is on piano and I’m running a guitar site, but I love Fitch’s lessons via Pianist Magazine on YouTube. I watch his lessons all the time because thinking in terms of music and not guitar can be very beneficial. It gets you away from all the guitar related complications and focuses you on the music. I used to (and still do) attend masterclasses for other instruments and have learned more about music from cross-disciplinary observation than from guitar lessons. In fact, I used to take lessons from violin and piano teachers to critique my actual musical playing.

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Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

3 Comments

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  1. Thank you for your time. Sharing your experiences and thoughts and knowledge. I am 66 years old and have music theory. And I have your books along with Fernando Sor complete studies and your level 1 and level 2 book I bought on Amazon. I use my Martin 0-18 parlor guitar and sagework guitar support. Thank you and God bless you John

  2. Dear Werner, I’d like to send you a copy of Bach’s French Suite no.1 first movement which I have written out for guitar. I used to play it on piano, so I know it well. It must be around grade 5-6. How do I send it to you for ypur comments? regards and thanks for an excellent series. John Hartley. ( I also am a jazz double bass player but enjoy the challenge of the classical guitar.

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