Richard Oliver

Found this on another forum I visit. Hope no one considers me passing this along in bad taste. Not meaning to rouse a ruckus. Was very surprised to see a review from a jazz musician who wrote the following:

I am a working jazz musician (no one important that you would know... just a local guy) and music teacher and have long struggled to memorize tunes (an ESSENTIAL skill if one wants to play jazz). For those of you who may not know, if one shows up on the bandstand with tons of "fake books" in tow, one immediately betrays oneself as a poorly informed and uneducated musician. Jazz musicians are expected to know hundreds of tunes, with chord changes and common substitutions, and be able to recall them in the heat of battle as it were: on a bandstand in front of an audience with other informed musicians on the stage with you judging your every move. Jazz musicians are expected to read perfectly as well, especially in the big-band setting. But don't show up at a small group jam session in New York with a fake book. Not if you want to be given respect or a chance to play.
Does it transfer to other areas? OH YEAH! I transcribed a Lester Young Solo called "Ad Lib Blues" and have been taking it through all twelve keys. I invented little mnemonic devices based on this book to help me remember some of the more complex intervallic relationships so I could get it through the keys more quickly. Yep... it worked.

AABA tunes? How about make them two rooms of the Mnemonic house? Place the II V I progressions in a single location (like the bench), and take the rest of the changes and put them in the other locations in order. Boom.... Cherokee.... memorized. All twelve keys. Done. In 15 minutes. WOW! (This is of course when combined with other musical knowledge and tricks I have acquired over the years)

Thought it might be of interest to TM'ers.


Amazon.com: Memorize the Faith! (and Most Anything Else): Using the Methods of the Great Catholic Medieval Memory Masters: Kevin Vost: Books

Vulgano Brother

I memorized the fingerings and learned to read my fanny off--hats off to the folk that actually memorize! (I, however, do have an impressive collection of trivia and other garbage in my head.)

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