Dweezil Zappa World

Some Tips for improved Learning and Memory

#1: Chunking: Break difficult material into smaller pieces. When you master these smaller pieces, string them together into

progressively larger pieces. This eases the strain on your memory and allows you to learn new things faster, easier and with

fewer mistakes.

#2: Don’t practice your mistakes! Have a teacher or tutor help you early on in your learning. If you notice any problems in

your performance, stop and work on the problem until you’ve solved it and can perform it correctly. Don’t expect that it’ll

simply iron itself out “in time” ­ it won’t, and you’ll have a hard time unlearning it later.

#3: Master before you move on: Before you try to move on to more complex tasks, make sure you’ve got a very firm grasp on the

basics. Before you try to string two chunks together, make sure you have mastered each chunk on its own.

#4: Practice A little and often: Don’t torture yourself with endless repetitions and hour upon hour of practice. Let your

brain breathe. You will learn material faster if you approach it in frequent small bursts, and you won’t get nearly so bored

or frustrated.

#5: Take it slow: Slow practice strengthens connections in your brain, lessens the possibility for making mistakes, helps you

to bridge the gap between sections and gives you confidence. Try it!  Remember: Speed is a byproduct of accuracy!

#6: Visualize: Think about what you’ve learned in your previous lessons, mentally rehearse pieces and fingering. Mental

visualization works the same areas in your brain that you work when you’re actually practicing, and you can do it any time,

any place!

#7: Build bridges between new knowledge and old knowledge: Find the relationships between your new learning and things you’ve

learned previously. Find where this new material sits in the grand scheme of things. Gain some perspective. By finding a

context for new material you learn, you’re more likely to remember it.

#8: Practice in different environments: Avoid heavy reliance on environmental cues by practicing in a variety environments.

Practice alone, with friends, in the morning, in the evening, in your bedroom, in the park. By doing this you’re less likely

to freak out and forget things in new situations.

#9: Give it meaning: Your memory for meaningful things is much stronger than your memory for detail. Try to build as much

meaning as possible into the new things you’re learning. If you can’t find the meaning within your own existing experiences,

find a way to invent some meaning using your imagination. That’s what it’s there for!

#10: Enjoy! You will learn much more if you’re in a positive frame of mind and if you’re enjoying the learning process. Be

proud of what you achieve. Don’t worry if you appear to be progressing slowly ­ you will get there eventually.

#11: Leave your instrument in an accessible place. If it takes you ten minutes of puttering about to get ready to practice,

you will likely not bother at all. Bye a stand for your instrument and leave it somewhere nearby.

#12: Hear fast before playing fast. You can't play fast until you can hear and think fast.

#13: The Learning Diamond. In his book Effortless Mastery, Kenny Werner introduces this image of learning. It's at the end

and a lot of people have missed the fact that this is one of the greater points he makes in the book.

In what follows, I replace the word "effortlessly" with "relaxed", meaning without unnecessary stress in the body or mind. To

me, the use of the word "effortless" implies that practicing is not work, and that is a poisonous idea. I look at the propper

physical and mental state as "dynamic relaxation", meaning being relaxed but awake and flexible, ready to act.

In order to really master something you need to work at it using what Werner calls "the learning diamond". It has four

corners, or points. One is at the top and can't be taken away and that's play in a state of dynamic relaxation. The other

three are "play the whole piece", "play fast (or in tempo)" and "play perfectly".

when you learn something new and sit down to practice, you must always be relaxed, plus any two of the remaning three points.

The possibilities are:
 
A.  Play it effortlessly, in time and perfectly but not the whole thing. There may be a really small part of the piece you

can play in time and perfectly and still do it without any effort. It may be as little as one or two notes.

B. Play it effortlessly, perfectly and play the whole thing but not in time. Play it perfectly and without any effort as

slowly as you need, not worrying about keeping time.

C. Play it effortlessly, in time and the whole thing but not perfectly. This has a therapeutic effect. You will get a feel

for how it is to play the piece in tempo by playing it in time and all the way through but not perfectly.