Kate's Voice

When I memorize a piece of music or a talk, it doesn’t take long before I see the pages in my head.  I flip through them mentally as I go along.  I know this happens after repeated exposure to a written document.  In fact, I seem to remember all of my notes and scribbling, too.  I understand this as pattern memorization of a sort, which is why I was so excited to discover a pattern memorization tool that I can teach others.

About ten years ago, I came upon the “memory palace.”  This is an ancient technique for memorization used by orators in ancient Greece, and rediscovered by Mateo Ricci in the late 17^th century.  Ricci used the technique to make Catholicism memorable to the Chinese.  While you could argue that it didn’t work out so well for Ricci, still it’s a great tool and one that I find very helpful.  The basic approach is to create a mental picture of a familiar setting.  You “place” reminders of what you are trying to remember throughout the mental picture.  To recall your piece, you simply “walk” through your setting and what you need to remember is all there.

It’s a great technique, and its usefulness is probably related to why it seems to be easier to remember what you have to say if you create movements to go along with a talk, or blocking as in a dramatic piece. Do that, by the way, if you have trouble memorizing your talks.  Block your part so that you move on specific words or ideas.  That will help your memorization significantly.

Recently, I found a wonderful description of the Memory Palace technique and instructions for its use on the blog, Litemind, written by Luciano Passuello.  This blog, by the way, is  one of my new favs and I highly recommend it..  I used the technique and memorized the grocery list of 9 items that he gives as a practice piece in one attempt.  Check it out.

What do you do to memorize?  Please share your tips.

Here are some other articles for learning memorization techniques:

How to memorize anything, on the blog JohnPlace Online

Brain Imaging Identifies Best Memorization Strategies, on Science Daily

Using Memory Effectively, on the website Study Guides and Strategies

Years ago, I studied voice with Seth Riggs, a teacher who had a profound impact on my teaching.  He taught me that the voice is the same instrument whether you are singing or speaking.  Today, when I teach singing, I teach people to find their “speech level.”  When I work with speakers, I listen for dynamics, tone, and phrasing, just as I would if they were singing.: The same physiology with slightly different applications.

This is why I was fascinated to read about Brian Eno’s latest project.  The composer’s new album is poetry read and set to music. ” ‘We are all singing. We call it speech, but we’re singing to each other,” Eno said (sang?) from London .’I thought, as soon as you put spoken word onto music, you start to hear it like singing anyway. You start to develop musical value and musical weight, and you start to notice how this word falls on that beat, and so on.’ ”

About a year ago, this relationship between singing and speaking was discussed in an article in Scientific American.  There is evidence that humans learned to speak because of music, and that we love music because it reminds us of speech.  Or is it the other way around?  My own experience is that whichever it is,  music and speaking are connected.  Now, I ask you, my readers, how is your speaking voice like your singing voice and vice versa?  Have you ever thought of this?  If you have, I would love to hear from you.  If you haven’t, here are some ideas to start the exploration:

As a speaker, consider that your voice is a musical instrument.  As a musician, you can apply dynamics, tone, expression, phrasing, and pitch, volume, and many other aspects of sound production and expression to what you are doing.  If you play an instrument already, you are already trained to take this approach.  Try it.

As a singer, your speaking voice is a guide for your singing voice.  Try speaking phrases before singing them.  Notice how your production is similar and how it is different.  Strive to speak on pitch and to be aware of how you may be affecting the sound to create a pretty voice, or a pop voice, or a “legit” voice.  Style is closely related to registration.  Basic vocal production as a singer is akin to “Xtreme” speech.  If you want to know more about this, let me know.

To read more about Brian Eno’s project, Drum Between the Bells, please see this Los Angeles Times’ article .

And for more thoughts on this topic, please see The Eloquent Woman.  (Great minds think alike!)