SPECIALRESEARCHPROJECT:

MusicalPerformanceMemorywithAr.Co.Sys,aMusicalMnemonicMethod(AMMM)

AMMMwasintroducedin2017inthelastyearoftheInternationalPianoAcademyFreiburg,continuedasaspecialresearchprojectof the IWF(Institut fürWissenschaftundForschung)at theMuKViennaUniversity in2018,andfeaturesamulti-yearstudyofamethodology specially developed to analyze and train the pianist musician’s onstage performance memory. It draws on themillennium old knowledge ofmnemonics, the art and science ofmemorization, aswell as recent cognitive, psychological, andscientificresearch,andintroducesacompletelyinnovativeaspect:ThecreationandmethodicaldevelopmentofArCoSys~Artificial‘ColorSynesthesia’(or‘Chromesthesia’,or‘sound-colorsynesthesia’)chromaticallyappliedtotheprimaryharmonicrelationsoftheCircleofFifths.The integrationofArCoSyssystematically intoamultilayeredretrievalstructurebyrepetitionwithpurpose is theobjectofstudyandfoundationoftheArCoSysMusicalMnemonicMethod.AMMMisavoluntaryandfeed-backbasedopenstudywithagrowingnumberofparticipants;studentsandprofessionalsfromallinstitutionsarewelcometoparticipate.*

•Repe^^onisthemotherofmemory.Butretrievalstructureisitsfather!

Mul$-Integra$onalNeuro-Synap$cCoding -a fancynameforpartofaprocess thatcanbeused tospecifically trainand improvemusicalperformancememorywhichremainsachallengeformostaspiringinterna^onalconcertpianistandrecordingar^staswellasforthemyrmidonsofthemusicalworld.

Asweknow from the studyofmemory,mnemonics, it is thedevelopmentof a retrieval structure thatenablesaccess toa largeamountofdata.Whilemo^vatedamateursandyoungPadawanscanrememberashuffleddeckofcardsinunder2minutesandthenumberπatnolessthan2000,confirmedworldrecordsinmemorizingashuffleddeckof(52)cardsliesat21.9secondsforspeed-sta^s^callyabout2.35cardspersecond,acardevery0.42seconds(helloVegas),andinmemorizingthenumberπat67,890digitsforvolume-Mr.ChaotookoneyeartomemorizePiandwasgoingfor100,000whenhemadeonemistake,stumbledatnumber67,890,whichconspicuouslyhappenstobeastraight(goodbyeVegas).

The quintessen^al lesson from the perspec^ve ofmusical and piano pedagogy is the realiza^on that the heroic feat ofmemorymasteryisnotamiraclebutbasedonalearnedandrelentlesslytrainedspecialability:mnemonics.Analogousisseemsthatmusicalmemory isnotonly the resultof talent (anoble lie,whichdoesn'thurt),nor genius,norbygene^c inheritance,nor inexplicablemystery,normagic;notdipping indragonbloodortheriverStyx,norbyakissofthegods,norbytheassistanceofasix-wingedSeraphim angel replacing the bea^ng heart of a prophet with an ember of illumina^ng fire … the special ability of wieldingmnemonicsisaspectacularlyandprogressivelydevelopedskill,a"technique",andmasteringittakes10years,10,000hours.Justlikemasteringthespecialabilityto“playthepiano"really,really,really,reallywell.

SomeofthemostcommonlyusedEurocentricmnemonicsystemsarethemostfamouslythe‘MemoryPalace’(MethodofLoci,SirConan Doyle immortalized in the character of Detec^ve Sherlock Holmes), the ‘Journey Method’ (or Narra^ve Method),the ‘Major Mnemonic Method’ (formalized number/lerer/word/color associa^on), and the ‘P.A.O.’ (Person-Ac^on-Object, or‘Dominic’) System.ChampionsandSavants in thefielddesignanddevelop theirownuniquesystemsbasedonsimilarprinciples,osenwithout formulated realiza^on: essen^ally ar^ficial, as in trained, Synesthesia, cul^vated by repe^^onwith purpose; alsoknownas‘deliberateprac^ce’(K.A.Ericsson).

Tenthousandhourstostart,20.000forMastery…

j.margulis@muk.ac.atwww.MuK.ac.at

www.JuraMargulis.comwww.PianistToPianist.com

AMMM 1 © JM

Musicalmemoryandespeciallymusicalperformancememoryaremostcomplexsystemsandnotentirelyunderstoodtoday.QuantumComputingandArtificialIntelligenceresearchandapplicationmaychangethatrapidlyandreading(andremembering)scorefromthemusicstandmaybecomeobsoletewithretinalorcontactlenshud-display(‘terminatorview’)applications.Asoftoday,observationaldataisavailableofforexample“firsttimerepertoirememorization incontrolledenvironment” (i.e.howmanyrepetitions,howmanymistakes,howbig thechunks,overall time,onstageperformance,electrodesoncraniummappingneuro-clusterfiringzones&cetera;e.g.fromtheMusicLabofDr.RogerChaffin),butitisadifficultfieldtostudyassomemusicianscanmemorizeandperform20minutesofmusicatonce,ataglance.Whiletheartoftraditional(non-musical)mnemonicscanbetrainedbyformalizedmethods(and10,000hours)tothelevelofworldchampion,savant,evenneargenius,andasworldclassmusiciansoftenperformfeatsofincrediblememoryability(e.g.playinga30.000notesconcerto,40minsofmusic,orconductingfrommemorya6houroperawithalmost100%precisiononstage,astheyalsoperformatemotionalpeakoutput,expressivelyandwithabandonment)whichareabsolutelyon-parwithmnemonicworldchampions…itisremarkablethatthereisnomethodicalorformalizedmnemonicsystemformusicalperformancememory.Itisalllearningbydoing.Anddoingitmoregetsbetterresults,asweknowfromexperienceandobservation.IfapianisttakesayeartomemorizeallBeethovenSonatasandthenperformstheminconcert–thatpianist’smemorywillhaveimprovedsubstantially;andlearningmorerepertoirewillbecomeeasier.Thebrainisamuscle-inthesensethatitcanbetrained(bymethodicalrepetition)andbecomesstrongerwithcontinuedexercise.

Repe^^on is clearly an important factor, but from tradi^onal (non-musical)mnemonicswe know that the crea^onof a retrievalstructureisthekey-withfirmgraspofgrouping,clustering,chunking,whichistotraintoformandasmanyassocia^onsaspossibleasfastaspossiblewithinaknown(trainedornatural)environment.Mnemonicmastersdon’ttraintomemorizeortoremember,thetraintheirretrievalstructure.Rainman,brilliantlyportrayedbyD.L.Hoffmanintheeponymousmovie,wasgrouping,clustering,andchunking matches and probably had a savant, poten^ally synesthe^c (even chromesthe^c – seeing numbers also as colors andclustersofnumbersascolorclouds)mathema^calawareness.

All methodical approach to the improvement of musical performance memory necessitates a greater, moredefinedabilityofaren^ontodetailandaformalizedgraspofmusicalformthatnecessitatesknowledgeofmusictheory and formal analysis, not difficult things to acquire as a student, best by the age of 8 or 12. Taken thatknowledgeforgranted*wecangraspaclassical8barcadence-createlinkedneuroclusters-byanalyzingitsform(harmoniccadence),melody (interval contour independentof tonality/keyboard layout),emo^onal (happy-sad,calmorexcited)andprogramma^c (phrase culmina^on)narra^ve,&cetera, andaddar^ficial color synesthesia(the colors not represen^ng emo^onal content but rather a chroma^cally and logically organized mnemonicdevice).Themoreassocia^onswecreate,andthemorewerepeatthatprocess,theberertheresults.Thissystemis fallible becausewe are notmachines, but it has unlimitedpoten^al becauseof its ability to recombine andimprove.TheAMMMaimstoformandthentotrainasolidmul^-integra^onalretrievalstructure.

Areliablememoryislikeaperfectgesture–agesturerepeatedsomuchandsoconsistentthatthatwholeneuroclusterisconnectedbyreliableandfastneuralpathways–insteadofadiffusecloud,theelectricitytravelsstraightlikealightning.Whenyourepeatapassageandsometimesitworksandsometimesitdoesn’t,youarepracticingthemistakesaswellasthehits…masteryistorepeatapassageflawless10,000times.Whentheneuroclusterisproperlylinked,thesynapticpathwaysaresheathedbyasaltatoryagent–myelin–tofacilitatefastertransmission.Theflashinthepicturesbelowonrightsidewastravelingthroughafamiliarandoftenrepeated,easieraccessedandmoreefficientlyconnected(asin‘memorized’,‘easiertoretrieveatwill’)pathwaycreatingneuroclusters.

Like–onceyoupicturedit–MoonwalkingwithEinstein.ImaginethewholeMichaelJacksonthing,iconicsilvergloveandsocks,andwithhimEinstein,disheveledhairandthree-piecesuit,bothmoonwalking,music,lights…andyouasMJwithAEonstage…manyaccesspointstriggeringeachother).Takeamomentheretoimagineitagaininmoredetail,itdoesn’thavetobe10,000times**

Myelina^onofneuralpathways Effectofsaltatoryconduc^on

Dating back to the poet Simonides of Ceos (the father of theMethod (of) Loci, ca. 500 BC), traditionalmnemonics is an arcane art.MnemonicswascriticaltotheacquisitionandretrievalofknowledgesincebeforetheHomericEpic.Mnemonicsincludetheknowledgeandassistance of alphabet, grammar,mathematics, numerology, architecture, the ‘Method Loci’, ‘Major’ or ‘Dominic’ ‘Systems’,mnemonicdevicessuchasthehand(includingthephalanges),thepentagram(five-pointedstar),thedodecagon(twelvesidedsolid),Plato’smysticalPolyhedron, fromAstrology, theTarotdeckof cards, the circleof fifths,&cetera–all to createa retrieval structure.The special abilityMnemonicsisaspectacularlyandprogressivelydevelopedskill,a‘technique’,verymuchlikeplayinggolf,chess,orthepianoonaworld-classlevel.Almostanyspecialabilitycanbecultivatedbyrepetitionwithpurpose;alsoknownas‘deliberatepractice’.

Pegasus

You should rely onformal,harmonic,tonal,melodic, and pitchspace music analysesnot as crutches to bethrown away once youfeelsecureenough,butasthewingedwarhorseyourideintobattle.

AMMM 2 © JM

TheBenedictinemonkandmusicologistGuidoMonaco,orGuidod'Arezzo(ca.1000AD),theItalianDominicanfriar,philosopher,poet,andcosmological theoristGiordanoBruno (ca.1500AD),andmanymoreusedmnemonicdevises in the formative timeof classicalwesternmusic.MnemonicartwasslowlyabandonedaftertheadventofJohannes[GensfleischzurLadenzum]Gutenberg’sprintingpress (c.a. 1500AD), but remains critical to e.g.modern cryptology, psychology, andAI research. Curiously nomethodicalmemorytrainingdevelopedinthefieldofclassicalmusicperformance;noretrievalstructuredesignedspecificallyformusicperformancewasformulated.Eversincetheadventof‘playingfrommemory’(ca.1850,greatgrandfatherLisztinventedthe‘pianorecital’)andespeciallysincemodernrecordingtechnology(ca.1950)anditsstandardsetting jeweler’s-lensclarity instudioproductions,almosteveryadultconcertpianisthasbeenandremainsconcernedwithonstageperformancememory;itisoneofthemostfundamentalaspectofpre-andonstagefrightforstudentsandprofessionals.

TheAMMM(ArCoSysMnemonicMusicalMethod)researchprojectaimstodevelop,test,andeventuallypublishamusicalperformancememorymethodintroducinganArtificialColorSynesthesia(ArCoSys)ColorCircleofFifth(CCO5)combinedwithasequentialarrangedandrepetition-basedscore recognitionandmemorizationsystemwithmany levelsof integratedassociations, i.a. formal, functional,melodic,spectral,emotional,visual,tactile,&cetera.

Asmusiciansandpianists,wehaveaccesstoanumberofdis^nctmemoryagents,andofcoursetherearegreyzones:

• FormalandStructural(e.g.eightbarphrase,firsttheme,exposi^on,sonatamovement)• HarmonicandFunc^onal(e.g.cadence,figuredbass)• NaturalandNurturedMelodicMemory(singit)• PerfectorperfectlyRela^vePitch(absoluteandrela^veintervals)• Emo^onalandExpressive(happy-sad,howmuch)• Programma^cNarra^ve(story)• ParernRecogni^onandReproduc^on(sequences,gestures)• Topography(specificsymmetry)oftheKeyboard• RoteRepe^^onMuscleMemory(reallycascadesofcomplexgestureneuroclusterfirings) • NaturalColorSynesthesia(frequencyand/orkeysignature)• &cetera• &Ar^ficialColorSynesthesia

Whichonesdoyouthinkyouareusingintheprac^ceroomandonstage?*

Mnemonicdevices(mul^pleaccesspointorganiza^onofretrievalstructure)areusedinmanysitua^onsandenvironmentsandincorporatesimpleversionsoftradi^onalsystems:

Signs in a hotel parking garage – a classical application of the ‘Major MnemonicMethod’ (formalizednumber/letter/word/color association) thoughneither chromaticallycorrectnorparticularlyformalized.Butithelpsguestsfindtheirdestinations.

‘NarrativeMnemonicMethod’ ‘MajorMnemonicMethod’Itusedtobe…&Peaches…poorPluto Both(almost)true NoPcerhymeas(formalized)number/wordlink **Doyoustillremember‘Moonwalkingwith…?ItisanexampleoftheP.A.O.(Person-Action-Object)orDominicSystematwork.MoonwalkingwithEinstein:TheArtandScienceofRememberingEverything–isalsoamemorablebookbyJoshuaFoer(2011).

AMMM 3 © JM

InterludiumI:Considera^onsofMusicalPerformanceMemory

•Fight,flight,orfreeze

Stressandadrenalinresult infight, flight,or freeze- i.e.,nervousbehavior.Understandthatphenomenonandcounteract itonstagebyslowingdownandlisteningtothemusicyoucreate.Donottrytogetthroughonmusclememoryautopilot.Consciouslisteningneedstobepreparedinrehearsal,inpracticing.Ifyouwakeuponstagewithonlymusclememoryatyourservice,youareinjeopardy.Ifmusical,melodic,harmonic,formal,andtopographicalsynestheticmemoryhasn'tbeenformedandyourelyon"flow"alone,youmightfindyourselfintrouble.Don'tpreparepreparation;prepareperformance.

AchilleswasinvincibleonthebattlefieldnotbecausehewasdoubledippedinPhlegethon,butbecausehestudiedwithChironfor20years–repetitionwithpurpose!

•TheFlow

The state of flow, an inspired performance, Kairos^, is the highest pursuit of a concert artist. It seems thatwe arewilling toabandonmusical,melodic,harmonic,formal,andtopographicalsynestheticmemory–oncewefeelsecure–Insearchoftheflow,astateofeffortlessattention,satori.

Butconsiderthis:WecertainlyagreethatMozart,Beethoven,Chopin,andLisztwereperformingwiththeabsoluteabandonmentof an inspired flow. Can we imagine that they were not deeply aware of and completely certain about rhythmic patterns,harmonic systems, key signatures and names, interval contours and with the foresight of improvisation? It is reasonable toassumethattheywere.Muchofthemusictheyperformedwastheirown–originalcompositions–andtheywereallcategory-shattering improvisers.Tomaster the flowweneeda rich retrieval structure.More retrieval structureawarenessgivesamoredifficultwavetoride,buttheflowisevermoresoexceptional.

•Asafetylineintheblizzard

Intheregionsofeternalice,buildingsareconnectedbysafetylinessothatinhabitantscanfindtheirwaybetweenlivingquarters,laboratory,andouthouseinextremeweatherconditions.

On stagewe sometimes find ourselves lost in the blinding darkness of an adrenalin blizzard. Suddenly our usual faculties areconfused due to a glandular infused augmentation of our attention capabilities which can also lead to ‘impulse variability’.Usuallywecancrunchacertainamountofdatawhenpracticing,that'swhatweareusedtoandpreparewith;butwithadrenalin,ourcomputationalabilitiesaresupercharged(fightorflight)andbesidesbeingabletonoticeeverythingthatweareusedtofromthepractice room,we findourselves suddenly able to also think aboutour laundry list,wonderwhether that cough from theaudiencemeantdisapproval,noticehowstrangeandalienour lefthandisbehaving,andobserveourselvesdoingall thatfromthe outside, suspecting that that can't be good and expecting imminent disaster. That condition is, if nothing else, terriblydistracting and devastatingly terrifying. We experience panic if we are unprepared for that condition and thus permit theconfusionandsometimesfreezeand/orpokeattheinstrument.InthePolarRegions,manyfrozetodeathafootfromtheirdoorwithoutasafetylineduetodisorientation.

Inpreparationweneedtocreateasafetyline,betterseveral,fortheblizzard.Thefirstandmostintuitiveismelody(usuallyintherighthand).Wehavetopreparetheknowledgeofthemelodiclineindependentlyofthekeysinfrontofus,thewayweknowasongmelodywithoutevermemorizingitfromthescore-awarenessofintervalsandrhythm.Transpositionisagoodmethodtobecomeindependentfromthetopographyofthekeyboard.Wehavetounderstandthemelodyatalltimes,notrote-memorizeit.Thesecondisthebassline.Wehavetounderstandthefoundationoftheharmonicsteps,toknowthestructuralpoints(usuallyinthe lefthand)againasamelodic line,andbeawareof theharmonic functions - it’susuallycadence, sequenceormodulation.Transpositionisagainagoodapproach.Mostallelse-middleground-isusuallypatterned;it'sgoodtobeawareofthekindofpatterns.Inaddition,it'shelpfultohaveastructuralunderstandingofthemusicondifferentlevels-expositionordevelopment,AorB,firstorsecondtheme,ortransition…

Ifwepractice performancewith safety lines for the eventuality of an adrenalin blizzard, andwe findourselves confusedby amomentofaugmentedattentioncapabilitiesonstage,wecaninstantlyfallbackonoursafetylines.Ifthemindisabouttogetyoulost,bringyourattentionbacktothemelody,thebass line, thefamiliar. Ifwecreatethenecessaryprecautions inpreparation,adrenalincanprovideanexhilaratinganduniqueexperience,ajoltofjoy,afeelingofbeingparticularlyalive,aKairos^.

AMMM 4 © JM

•Prac^ceroomtoStageDoorwayEffect

Scien^ficresearch(Brenner&Zacks)observedthatwalkingthroughdoorwaysinterfereswithmemory,facilitatesforge�ng.Morespecifically: the “doorway effect” is a theory based on the fact that retaining a memory is more difficult aser literally walkingthroughanactualdoorway(toanotherroom,theoutside,theotherlecturehall,inoroutthechurch,astagedoor).Itappearsthatmemoryworksbererwhenremainingintheroominwhichitoriginallycapturedtheinforma^on,andthatonelosessomeoftheinforma^onwhenwalkingoutoftheroom-inrealloca^ons(likeyourprac^ceroom,theuniversity,amuseum,ashoppingcenter,thegreenroom)aswellasinvirtualrealitysimula^ons(likeanAvatarprogramatDARPA,orSkyrim,theSims,orDes^nyonPSX).It’scalled the “encoding specificity” principle and suggests that memory organizes informa^on (amongst other things) ‘loca^onbased’(exterior).

Research suggests that memory is op^mized to keep informa^on ‘at hand’ un^l its “shelf life” (sta^s^cal usefulness, need ofprojectedaccessibility)expires.Thissortofmemoryrepresenta^onhasbeencalled“eventmodel”byRadvansky.Inthesecases,thebraindoesn’tstoreinforma^oninanorganizedretrievalstructure(asthattakesmorecalories).Imaginebeinginasubwaysta^onmemorizingthenumbers(andperhapsnames)ofstopstoyourdes^na^on,anoperahouselet’ssay.Aseryoupassedthroughtheslidingtraindoorsandenteredtheportaloftheoperahouse(acoupleofdoorsreally),most likelythebraines^matedeach^methattheusefulness,shelflife,oftheinforma^onhasexpired,beenprovencorrecteach^me,andslowlydiminisheditsrecall-ability.Itisapparentthatanarra^veiseasiertorememberthanashoppinglistfortheuntrainedmemory.

Mastermemory iscul^vatedbymnemonic training– thecul^va^onofamul^-layeredandosenemo^onallyconnectedretrievalstructure.Soloistsarecapableofrememberingatremendousamountofinforma^onbasedonseveral,mostlyinexplicableandun-researched,mnemonicapplica^ons.Concertpianists,forexample,canperforma45-minutepiecewith30.000individualnotes,thathavetobeperformedinanabsolutelypar^cularorder,withrhythmicalanddynamicvariability,passionatelycrea^nganemo^onalandformalnarra^ve,frommemory, liveonstage.AndinRachIIItheyinaddi^oncoordinatewitha largebodyofmusicians,alsofrommemory. The research on the doorway effect is for the career musician (concert pianist for example) and themethodicalpedagoguequiteinsigh�ulandrelevant:

Thestageandtheprac^ceroommustbecomethesameroom.

Aswithallthingsofvalue,cul^va^onandconstantprac^ceiskey.Tokeepallthathasbeenachievedbehindtheprac^ceroomdoor,oneshouldarempttocreateacomfortableandfamiliarenvironmentintheprac^ceroom,gainauthorityandmasteryofthemusicandtheinstrument,andreturntothesameenjoyableandin^mateenvironmentonthestage.Imaginethedooroutoftheprac^ceroomisthedoorontothestageMatrixstyle.Theconcertperformanceisthe^pofaniceberg-alwayskeepthatinmindandinsight.

•Crea^onsthatappealtothearchetypesofmanbecomecollec^vememories.

Mnemonics,theartandscienceofmemory,developstheabilitytoformulateimages,scenarios,orsystems(knownorinvented],andlearn(andexercise,asinimprovespeedandprecisionthroughdeliberateprac^ce)tolinkthemtorandominforma^onorideas.

Imagina^on is a relatedphenomenonbutwith adifferentpurpose: not to remember thepastbut to experience thepresent. Toformulateimages,scenarios,orsystems[knownorinvented],andlinkthemfrommemorytoideasorinforma^onthroughthefilterandmagnifyingglassofpersonality,withideallyinnova^veandexquisiteresults.

Crea^vityisasimilarabilitybutservesyetanotherpurpose:tocreatefortheimminentfuture.Toformulateimages,scenarios,orsystems, link themwith imagina^on (based onmemory) to felicitous ideas or informa^on through the filter andmicroscope ofpersonalityandcharacter,thenmaterializeandprojecttheresults,andthensharethemwiththeworld.

Emo^ons are of course the driving force for the crea^ve process. To pursuememory, use imagina^on, and to be crea^ve is anemo^onally rewarding experience and can bring inspira^on and fulfillment if you pursue Kairos^ and technical excellence withmethod and abandonment. Emo^ons feel par^cularly goodwhen given shape (be it a statue, a sonata, or a kiss) and need anapproach,amediumthat isprovidedforexamplebytechniqueorapplica^on.Emo^onsarethe ignitedfuel,buttechnique isthecombus^onchamber,theenginethatpropelscrea^on.

Crea^onsthatappealtothearchetypesofmanbecomecollec^vememories.

^Kairos,orCaerus,wastheothergodoftime.Chronos,thethree-headedgod-fatheroftime[similartothelaterFatewiththesandclock,thehoodedcloak,andthetomeofdestiny],wasapersonificationofmeasurable(quantity)time.Kairos,theratherineffableconceptofthetimebetween time inwhich somethingmomentous happens,was a personification of change-bringing and experienced (quality) time:Asuprememoment,ablessedkiss,aphysicalormetaphysicalclimax,theascendancetotranscendence.

AMMM 5 © JM

InterludiumII:FamoususeofColorSynesthesiaMnemonicdevicesin(musical)history

Prometheus:ThePoemofFire,Op.60(1910)withaClavieràLumièresorChromolaColorOrgan.TheArCoSysprojectsuggeststhatScriabin’scolorcircleoffishswasnotanaturalbutanar^ficiallycreatedcolorsynesthesia.TheorganizaPonof12colors,while a surprisingly colorful ‘farbenreich’ (if not seemingly chaoPc) and individual arrangement on the keyboard, seems unlikely tomerelyaccidentallyreflecttheorderofthechromaPcspectrumwhenarrangedintheCircleofFiehs.

Alexander Scriabin; illustrious Color Keyboard and it’s surprisingly organized Cicrle of Fishs with same colors. The colorsappeartobearrangedwithoutbreakingtherainbowchain.Canthatbecoincidence?

WefindremarkablesimilaritiesinhistoricalmnemonicdevicesandmusicaltheorysuchastheGuidonainHand(ca.1000AD,notagalacticfantasyweapon)andtheManoEcclesiasticalwhichbothused4+1fingersand/or16+3/1phalangesofthehandtoorganizeplaceholders(Guido’smusicalnotation:solfègizedintervalsintetrachords).

MnemonicsingleHandDevicesandthe‘GuidonianHand’withanarrangementof4+1fingers(16+3+1phalanges,20placeholders

rainbowcircle=lineofthevisiblefrequenciesconnectedattheendstoformacircle

AMMM 6 © JM

ThemnemonicdeviceofGiordanoBruno(ca.1500AD)isa(slightlylopsided)dodecagram,using12alphabetlettersinageometricarrangement, is strikingly similar to an early representation of the dodecahedral Circle of Fifths by Marin Mersenne featuringgeometrical/harmonicconnections(ca.1600AD).

OneofGiordanoBruno’sAlphabePcandGeometricMnemonicDevicesandthe12pointed‘MersenneStar’

Formillenniabeforethegrandpiano,handsandfingershavebeenservingmankindasexpressiveandaggressivetoolsandasmnemonicdevices.Inmanytraditionalculturesaswellasinmodernsociety,handandfingergesturesareusedtoexpressemotionalstatesincombinationwithhandmnemonics,e.g.enthusiasticthumbup(+1,happy),fatefulthumbdown(-1,sad).Sincehandsandfingersaregenerallyfascinatingtopianists,ashort(certainlyincomplete)historicalintroductionintohandmnemonics:

TheremarkableFingerBinary1-(countingupto1024,1Gigabyte) thepugnaciousKnuckleHeads2-(countingupto14)

andtheevensimplerFingerHand(s)3-(counting5inonehandand10inboth)-Methods.

1FingerBinary(nerdsknow,aformofdactylonomy)hereshow=250(a)and971(gmassivelyovershootingtheonscreenobjective).Noticetheuseofalsoanothermnemonicdevice:Chunking–(a)righthandshows26andleftandrighthandsshow224;lh-rh224+rh26=250(sameinpictureg–lh+rh=960+rh11=971).SincethousandsofyearsagoMerchantsusedcomplexdactylonomy(andasharp-edgedabacus)tocountandorganizenumbers.Itseemslikelythat,whennumbers(hands)andfrustration(emotion)merged,ratherhecticgestureswereusedinagitatednegotiationsbetweenmerchants,bankers,creditors,debtors,andloansharks…1023,250,or250infingerbinarythricethrownwithemphasiscouldbemisunderstood.Inreplyperhaps,themoremodern‘TalktotheHand’(d)infingerbinaryusuallymeansnumber31,or32iftheotherhandisafist.

2 KnuckleHeadshereshows=April (b).With16(14+2thumbs)numbers it isprobablyamorearchaictradiPon,sinceperhapsthefirstsimplepre-bartersociePes. Itholds,usedwithonevacant2‘valley+knuckle’,12monthsoftheyear(ca.3000BC,convenientlyshowingthe30/31days/months)orthefullspectrumofthezodiac12(8,000BC)byassigning the ridgesandvalleysof theknuckledfist linear tomonthsorotherplaceholders.Thesightof twofists (b),especiallyapproaching fromthisperspecPve,suggestlessaselecPonofmonthsorbirthdays,butmuchratheranagitatedmerchantnegoPaPongeungoutofhand,sotospeak.

3FingerHand(s)hereshowsinglehanded=1,6,3,unusual3,and2awkward3s(c,d,e,f,g,anda).Theuseoftheopposablethumbinspiredcavedwellingforefathers(ca.25000BC)tomorethanround-holdingastick,andthehandandfingersplusthumbeventuallygaveourforbearersanadvantagesurelynotonlybytheversatilityofphysicaluse(hammer,plow,sword,sickle,writing,healing,tigerclaw,pianoplaying)butalsoasamnemonicdevice.Childrenlearnthedecimalsystemontenfingerseversince.

If(accidentally)FingerBinaryorFingerHandnumbersareinterpretedascolloquialandculturalgestures,pica(250)=‘Gangsta’10OK(especiallyovercross),picb=‘00’or approaching ‘KO’, pic c = ‘Gladiator Lives’, pic d = ‘High Six’, pic e = ‘A-OK’, ‘all good to go’, pic f = ‘TotallyDisco’. Pic e in some culturesmeans ‘all good’ or even‘excellent’,andinothersitisanaggravaPnginsult.Somebinaryfingernumbers,e.g.4or132,areconsideredrudeandevenoffensiveinmostculturestoday.

a

“MusicisGeometryin^me.”

ArthurHonegger(1892-1955)

“Thereisgeometryinthevibra^onsofthestrings.”

Pythagoras(ca.500BC)

ab

gfedc

AMMM 7 © JM

SPECIALRESEARCHPROJECT:MusicalPerformanceMemory

withArCoSys,aMnemonicMusicalMethod(AMMM)

TheArtificialColorSynthesisMusicalMnemonicMethod(AMMM)introducesaColorCircleofFifths(CCO5)withWhiteasthecenter–tothedismayofpainters(‘it’s.not.a.color!’)buttothedelightofpianists(‘well,itisactuallywhiteonallkeysandhasnoaccidentals”).Thechromaticspectrumisdividedinto12distinctcolors,easytoidentify,name,andremember(primecolorsnon-equidistant).Thecolorsdonotsignifyanemotionalmeaningtothekeyinthetraditionof‘affectivekeycharacteristics’(ca.1800s,beforeequaltuning),butaremeantasamnemonicdevicetoconnectandrecallcolorsinterlacedwiththeirkeysignatures(and their harmonic relations) and to create additional access (and trigger) points for the retrieval structure of musicalperformancememory.

TheMethodLoci(orMemoryPalace)usesaknownenvironmentatfirst,e.g.yourownhouse,asaretrievalstructure,beforeitmoves to more complex and abstract buildings all the way to an actual Memory Palace holding 10,000 dis^nct rooms.Considering this and other tradi^onal mnemotechniques, the AMMM experiment begins with the crea^on of a retrievalstructure:par^cipants(musicians)shallusetheknownenvironmentoftheCircleofFishsandarachtoeachkeysignaturethecolorsoftheAr^ficialColorSynesthesiaCircleofFishs(lastpage),eventuallymemorizingtheCCO5.

Curiouslymnemonicsisosenusedinthefirstplacetolearnthe–nowfamiliar–circleoffishs:

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MemoryNeedsEveryMethodOfNurturingItsCapacity.(Isamnemonicforspelling'mnemonic')

Thatcolor/keysignatureaccess-pointshouldbeasvividandimagina^veaspossible:TherearemanykindsofcolorssimilartotheonesrepresentedontheCCO5–‘orange’canbegoldorfruit;‘red’canbeafain^ngflowerortoreador’sflag;‘brown’canbeasdimasdirtandasshinyasahorsebackingallop.Themoreassocia^onsthemerrierandoneshouldimaginenotjustacolor,butacoloredtexture,intensity,hue,satura^on,surface…yellowcanbelikealightningbugorasummersunray.

Totheini^atedeye,thelogicofgoingfromwhitemiddleC(or‘Do’)towardtheright/redwithmore#ssharps(La^n:dūrus=hard,firm,vigorous) seemscompelling;asdoesgoing toward the les/blueandbflats (La^n:mollis=gentle, sos, tender).Over^meonemightfindanothercolornamesthataremorenaturaltoone’schroma^cimagina^on,andthat’sok–everyoneisul^matelythemakeroftheirownretrievalsystem.

Ques^on:Inyourimagina^on,isGreenadis^nctcolor,oramixtureofBlueandYellow?WhataboutOrange(RedandYellow)?BonusQues^on:whichdoyouprefer,PurpleorViolet,andaretheydifferent,how?

TheAMMMexperimentusuallybeginswith a lecturebasedon thepreviouspages and con^nuesby applying theArCoSyscolor associa^on to an actual musical piece at the piano at the par^cipants own discre^on. Once a protocol has beenestablished(*formbelow),afirsttwo^mesmonthly,thenfivebi-monthlyemailupdateswithinayearisagreedon.Asonewouldsurelyprefertoencountermasterpieceswithanalreadyformedmnemonicmodel,IamhesitanttosuggestpreciousBach,Beethoven,Brahms,orBergasexperimentalmaterial.Letusthereforetakeasimple8barphrasefromonelererfurtherinthealphabetandoffmainstreampianorepertoire.

Eitheratoroffthepianoweproceedwithamethodicalapproach:separa^on,analysis, repe^^on,reintegra^onofmelodicandharmonicarcs,which–evenwithouttheArCoSyscomponent–remainsbutasoundalterna^veto‘justplayingitoverandover’.Ananaly^capproachtoperformancerepertoireseemsdaun^ng;Iamawarethatmanypianistslearnpiecesby‘playingitoverandover’(diditwhenIwas7).Relyingheavilyonsocalled‘musclememory’,reallyachainofcomplexgestureneuroclusters,isafeeblestrategy.Gesturalmemorydidnotevolvetoaccommodatecomplexstructures.Surelythecomposersdidnotknowtheirmusicinthatway…

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StoryfromOldRussia:Totrainmemoryproperlyinyoungpianists,thefamous‘WolfMethod’wasnotoriousinSt.Petersburgand beyond for many decades; the method was to memorize Bach’s 48 prelude and fugues from an open score. ‘Voicesseparately’ as the only further instruc^on; extreme advance by extreme exposure, like Conan the Barbarian ge�ng reallystrong aser pushing a millwheel for 15 years. Obviously aser ‘doing that’, the memory of the young pianist would haveimprovedimmenselyandmostlikelyamnemonicdevicewillhavebeencreated.AsaresultoftheAMMMprojectIimaginethatitshouldbepossibletomemorizeaneight-measureformalmostinstaneniouly,(includingtheabilitytotransposeit)thusenablingprac^calapplica^oninvastlylargerrepertoire.Let’susethisexample:

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Wewanttolearnthisstructure(and159more)byrepe^^onofthefollowingstepsinyourmindandatthepiano.Grasp:

1:HarmonicArc:i.e.cadencewithfunctions,figuredbass,andcolors;anout-composedmiddle-groundfromthebasslinecanbecomeaninterjectedcombinationasafirststep;2:MelodicArc(dynamicmainvoice;secondaryvoicesanout-composedmiddle-groundfromthemelodiclinecanbecomeaninterjectedcombinationstep;asasecondstep;1and2canbereversed;3:CombinationandReintegrationofthese(and/ormoreinterjectedcombinations)stepsinaclean,controlled,andexpressiverenderingofthemusicalscore(attheinstrument).

ItisalsopossibletostartwithMelodyfirstandHarmonicbasslinesecondbeforecombiningboth.Inthatcase,thenexttwopagescanbereadinreversedorder(version2/1–1/2).Inaddi^on,dependingonrepertoire,othersteps(e.g.‘out-composedharmony’inmiddleground,asecond,thirdvoiceinpolyphonicmusic,structuralform,emo^onalnarra^ve,&cetera)canandshouldbeincludedintheanaly^cphase,crea^ngmoreintermediatecombina^ons.

Once the cadence, the harmonic arc, is analyzed by either melody, harmony, or both elements, depending on the actualarrangement, we add ArCoSys color to that eight-bar form. Note the close rela^onship between the three colors hererepresented. Have a look at the ArCoSys Color Circle of Fishs colors superimposed on Number 21 of ’160 EightMeasureExercisesOp.821byCarlCzerny(1791-1857):

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Step1/2

Step1and2canbereversed.LetuslookattheMelodicArc:

� Grasp the interval structure (chains) and repea^ngparerns (chunking) as in thefirst four bars essen^allyD, C#, E,Dwithappoggiaturas in theFrenchStyle, typical chaconnematerial.Culmina^on inbar5onTonicbecomingDominant to itsownSubdominant(!)withthehighestnotesofar,an‘’a;lingeringonf#,descendingtoD,&cetera.

Onecanalsolookatthemelodyfromtheperspectiveoftheharmonicprogressionandcolor:

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Therearemanywaystocreateanarra^vefromthenotes;anotheroneissingingsolmiza^onorsolfeggio,aGuidonianGlove:laReeeeeee,miDooo,reMiiiiiii,faReeeeeee&cetera.

Andofcourse,wecanmemorizemelody(notnecessarilyharmony)byrepeated listening(exposure)andsingingalong…whodoesn’tknow‘Twinkle,Twinkle,LittleStar”…withouteverhavingconsciouslymemorizedit.Repeatedexposure☺ . Whenweplayamelodyonthepiano,letusdistanceourselvesfromthetopographyofthekeyboardandfocusonintervals(absoluteandtonal).Transpositioninthenextkeysofthecircleof5thsisagreatwaytotrainindependenceofmusicalmemoryand‘musclememory’.Topographyaspartofmemorizationmaycomeinhandylater,butfornowwearefocusingonretrievalstructure.

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Step2/1

Step1and2canbereversed(butpickoneforconsistency).LetuslookattheHarmonicArc:

� Grasptheintervalstructure(chains)andrepea^ngparerns(chunks)as1-5fallingchordinbars1,2;then5-1andfallingchordinbars3,4.InthemainkeyofDtheleshandharmonicbasemovesTonictoDominantinthesecondbar,remainsun^lmoving(notsurprisingly)backtotheTonicinbar4,classical.Thenculmina^onofthephrase(sF)whentheTonicturnsDominantonitsownSubdominantbar5; thentwosequences,Dominant inbar7,andTonicbar8,bothwiththefamiliar fallingchord.NotquiteBeethoven.

Let’saddcolor:

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As youplay the left hand, repeat thenameof the key, the color, and function.Whisper, speak,or sing if you like.Make theassociationsofthecolornotonedimensional,butimaginetexture,hue,saturation,temperature,&cetera.Makeityourown.

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LastStep

Step1and2canbereversed(butpickoneforconsistencyandalwaysincludingtheArCoSysCCO5).Morestepscanbeincluded,e.g. intermediate combinations of out-composed middle ground, complex symphonic or polyphonic open score, three-linenotation(Petrouchka),Concerti,&cetera.

As3rdandlaststep,wecombineallpartsallatonce,firstslowly,nottomakemistakes.Beforeplayingawrongnote,hesitate,listen,trytorecall…andifnotsure–lookinthescore.Thissystemcanserveasanintroduc^ontomemoriza^oningeneraland–withoutcolors–hassimilari^estotheLeimer-Giesekingmethodandother‘awarenessandreplay’methods.

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Proceedwith at least 12 pieces in different key signatures from theOpus 821 collec^on, berer 120. As Czerny suggested:“Practiceeachnumber(step)atleast8timesinsuccession”!Eventuallythear^ficialcolorsynesthesiawillbemoreintui^veandrecallable,s^lljustadevicelikethecircleoffishs,andwithexposureonewilldeveloppersonalapproachestothissystemandperhaps device own methods. One can branch out to larger forms and concert repertoire, of course, as soon as one feelscompelled.Anotherexample:

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~~~*ProtocolAssignmentforAMMMstudyparticipation:FilloutthefollowinginteractiveApplication&AssignmentPDFform,checkquestionboxes,save(asPDF,smartphonepicture,scan),attachtoEmailandsendtoProf.JuraMargulis,Jura@JuraMargulis.com,commentsandobservationsarewelcome.Subjectline:AMMApplication&Assignment.Ifyouhavenaturalcolorsynesthesia:pleasedrawyourowncolormap(keyboardorcircleoffifths)andemailtoJM.ThisemailwillestablishthebeginningoftheAMMMparticipationandastudylog.

Thisprojectappliestomin.conservatorylevelpianoperformancemajorsorequivalent.TheAMMisavoluntaryandfeed-backbasedopenstudywithagrowingnumberofparticipants;studentsandprofessionalsfromallinstitutionsarewelcometoparticipate.

PS:‘AMMM’isthesoundonemakeswhentryingtoremember,desperatelyseekinganestablishedretrievalstructure…

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ArtificialColorSynthesisMnemonicMusicalMethod(AMMM)ColorCircleofFifths

Artificial Color Synesthesia Chromatic Circle of Fifths

Jura Margulis AMMM © 2018

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AMM Participation Application & Assignment

Personal Information / Persönliche Informationen: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Í Family Name / Familienname ÍFirst Name / Vorname _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ÍCity / Stadt ÍCountry / Land _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Í Date of Birth / Geburtsdatum ÍNationality / Nationalität _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ÍTeacher(s) / Professor(s) ÍCurrently (or last) Studying at / Aktueller (oder letzter) Studienort _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ÍEmail Í Location and Date / Ort und Datum

Qa) which do you think you are using when practicing (on and off the piano)?

Qb) which do you think you are using when actually performing onstage?

FORMAL AND STRUCTURAL analysis onstage performance

HARMONIC AND FUNCTIONAL analysis onstage performance

NATURAL AND NURTURED MELODIC MEMORY analysis (interval and harmonic) onstage performance

PERFECT or perfectly RELATIVE PITCH recognition (interval and relative position) onstage performance

EMOTIONAL AND EXPRESSIVE (happy-sad) onstage performance

PROGRAMMATIC NARRATIVE (story) onstage performance

PATTERN RECOGNITION onstage performance

TOPOGRAPHY AND SYMMETRY of the keyboard onstage performance

ROTE REPETITION gestural muscle memory (really cascades of complex gesture neuro cluster firings) onstage performance

COLOR SYNESTHESIA recognition (frequency and/or key signature) onstage performance

& ARTIFICIAL COLOR SYNESTHESIA

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Qc) Í are there any that you find missing, that you know of or use?

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Í Comments

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