3. Learning music effectively

Chunking

As Barbary Oakley describes in her book A Mind For Numbers, chunking is the process of bundling bits of information into a bigger chunk, through meaning. By understanding the relation between the different elements of a larger piece of information that piece of information becomes easier to access in the brain, as one chunk of information. This chunk can be as little or big as you can imagine. For example, in learning a piece of music this can be as little as the connection between two notes, or as big as the connection between the different movements of the piece.

Oakley explains that creating a chunk happens in the focused mode of learning, rather than the diffuse mode. Important is understanding the basic idea of what you are trying to chunk. Without understanding a chunk may be formed, but without the handles to link to other ideas or chunks.¹ To give the analogy with music again; instead of just trying to memorize a piece note for note, understanding the ideas behind the different sections and their connections, a much stronger mental image is formed in the brain.

Bottom-up/top-down learning

So, on the one hand we have chunking, also considered as bottom-up learning by Oakley, on the other hand we can look at the bigger picture: top-down learning. Especially by combining these methods of learning we strengthen the learned chunks even further. With top-down learning we get to understand the context of multiple chunks, and by doing so we know where these chunks fit in, and where they do not.² While it is a good idea in learning music, to start learning small chunks, putting them together into larger chunks and eventually learning the whole piece, at the same time looking at the structure of the whole piece or sections will make it easier to conceptualize the different chunks.

In an interview with pianist Boris Giltburg conducted by pianist Tiffany Poon in September 2020, in which he talks about learning multiple Beethoven sonatas in a relatively short period of time, he says that he usually uses this method of starting with smaller blocks, putting them together, but for this project he did the opposite. Playing from the score in tempo from the beginning, fixing chunks where needed, he tells he was able to memorize two sonatas on the first day of practicing.³ It is clear that he intensively made use of top-down learning in this case. Although it might not always be possible to sight read a piece from the beginning, there are of course other ways to look at the bigger picture, like reading through the score or listening to a recording.

It is also good to note that, as Oakley explains, if you are trying to build connections between chunks before the basic chunks are embedded in the brain, it does not work as well. It might be that in Giltburg’s case, by his experience with Beethoven or music in general, he already quickly had a basic idea of the chunks by just playing through, connecting to earlier experiences with music.

Mental representation

For the chunks to be as memorable and stable as possible it is important to have a great understanding of the material you are studying. In music, you will gain a rich image of the music you are studying by looking at this music from different perspectives. In Karsten’s “In de Muziek” this is discussed quite elaborately. At one point she calls the human senses the windows of the brain, and indeed by using the different senses our mental image or representation of the music becomes stronger in our mind, and therefore easier to reproduce. Of course, it is important to develop your hearing to enhance your mental representation of pieces of music, but also vision is essential in improving your mental image, whether it is looking at the score, your instrument, your surroundings, or yourself in a video recording (or others!). Touch is another important sense, or body awareness. Again, the whole mental representation of the music can be enhanced if we focus on the contact with our instrument, but also the relaxation and movement, or even pulse and direction of the music, in our whole body.⁴

But besides our senses we can also focus on the music from a technical or musical perspective. We can look at all the information present in the score or focus on the musical story, which might be related to the score, the historical information of a composer or period, your personal experiences. We can also focus on our technique, and the technique that is needed for a particular passage, or our emotions that come up when we imagine, play, or listen to the music.⁵ Regarding our technique, it can be important to focus on the different ways we use our fingers, arms, or other body parts, but research shows that the complex motor movements needed for making music our best learned unconsciously or implicitly. By focussing on the musical expression with our mind and emotion, we can enhance and develop our technical skills. When body, mind and emotions are working together, efficient learning and optimal performance can take place.⁶

4. Designing the app >

Oakley, “A Mind for Numbers”, 54-60.
Oakley, “A Mind for Numbers”, 54-60.
Together with Classical, “13 Beethoven Piano Sonatas in 9 Days?!”
Karsten, “In de muziek”, 50-52.
Karsten, “In de muziek”.
Williams, “Quality Practice”, 14-15.