Have you ever completely frozen during a recital or speech, forgetting everything you prepared?

You’re not alone—and that terrifying moment happens even to seasoned performers.

As a concert violinist, I often have to memorize hours of music and recall it under pressure. So how do I do it—and how can you?

In this blog, I’ll share my 5-step memorization method that’s helped me perform confidently on some of the world’s biggest stages. It works not just for music, but for any skill you need to recall when it matters most.

Step 1: Listen First—A Lot

Before I even touch my instrument, I listen to a recording—on repeat. Think about how you can sing every word of your favorite song without trying. That’s the power of passive familiarity. Listening adds “invisible” practice hours, even when you’re not technically practicing.

🎯 How to do it:

• Play the piece on repeat while walking, cooking, or commuting.
• Let it sink into your subconscious.
• Let the music live in your ears until it becomes second nature.

💡 Bonus tip: If you’re playing a piece with multiple instruments (like a quartet), listening helps you understand the full texture, not just your part.

Step 2: Study the Score Visually

Now that your ears know the piece, it’s time to train your eyes. Visual learning reinforces memory in a different way—and helps you catch problems before they show up in your playing.

🎯 How to do it:

• Sit down with the sheet music while listening to a recording—no instrument yet.
• Spot patterns, tricky shifts, and potential fingering traps.
• Mark visual cues that help you escape loops or repeated mistakes.

🧠 Why it works:

This builds a visual map of the piece in your brain. You’re linking what you hear with what you see—so if your hands forget, your brain can jump in with the roadmap.

Step 3: Build Muscle Memory

Now it’s time to play—but don’t rush this part. Playing with bad habits only reinforces errors.

🎯 Practice intentionally:

• Use slow, mindful repetition.
• Don’t let your fingers make “autopilot” mistakes.
• The more times you play it correctly, the more likely it’ll hold under pressure.

💡 My rule:

If you play it wrong 9 times and right once…

which version do you think will show up on stage?

Step 4: Perform Before You’re Ready

This is the secret sauce: simulate performance conditions. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s pressure. You need to feel what it’s like when the stakes are just a little higher.

🎯 How to do it:

• Play for a friend, family member, pet—anyone who’s willing to listen. You could even busk on the street!
• Notice exactly where your memory breaks down.
• Go back, fix those spots, and try again.

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• Open live studios and get real-time feedback—for free.
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• I use Tonic myself to prep for concerts, and it’s been a game-changer!

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Step 5: Loop All the Steps

This is where the magic happens: memory becomes bulletproof when you cycle through Steps 1–4 again and again. Each pass deepens your understanding and strengthens recall.

♻️ How to combine steps:

• Listen while reviewing the score (Steps 1 + 2)
• Play while visualizing and refining ideas (Steps 3 + 2)
• Performance isn’t just for proving—it’s for improving. Use a live audience to experiment, adjust, and strengthen your memory under pressure. (Step 4)

⏰ How long does it take?

On average, I memorize 1 minute of music in about an hour.

A 30-minute concerto? Around a week with 4–5 hours of practice per day.

It takes time—but it works. I’ve trained this way my whole life—and you can too.

Final Thoughts

Memorization isn’t just about repetition—it’s about strategy. When you train your ears, eyes, and hands together, you build a memory system that holds up—even under pressure.

Remember:

• Don’t skip the listening or score study.
• Avoid mindless repetition—context is everything.
• Make performance simulation a regular part of your routine.

Want to go deeper?

Join me (and thousands of musicians around the world) on Tonic.

Practice live. Challenge yourself. Build confidence—one performance at a time.