MUSICIANS HAVE SUPERIOR MEMORIES

[vilshofen]

Posted without pontif- er, further editorial comment:

A new meta-study concludes musicians tend to have stronger short-term and working-memory skills than their non-musical counterparts. The research, published in the online journal PLoS One, finds they also appear to have a small advantage in terms of long-term memory.

Musicians Have Superior Memories

 

[Killed_by_Death]

This is one of many reasons I don't call myself a musician. My memory is horrible.
I can spend a few days learning a song note for note & if I don't play it again within 4 or 5 days, kaput!

 

[dannylectro]

Pick one...
A. I’m autistic
B. I’m not a musician
C. The study is flawed
D. All of the above

 

[micguy]

I can remember certain things really well - music, certain numbers, etc. What I had for lunch yesterday, or the name of the person I met 5 minutes ago, not a clue.

 

[Nev375]

I don't even remember what this thread's about.

Was it P-basses? It was P-basses wasn't it?

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

This is one of many reasons I don't call myself a musician. My memory is horrible.
I can spend a few days learning a song note for note & if I don't play it again within 4 or 5 days, kaput![/QUOTE

Dude, that's normal....I think. I start every practice session with a review of everything I worked on. When I commit a tune to a conditioned reflex I drop it from my review process.

 

[JRA]

musicians tend to have stronger short-term and working-memory skills than their non-musical counterparts.

comes in handy between beers.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

I can remember certain things really well - music, certain numbers, etc. What I had for lunch yesterday, or the name of the person I met 5 minutes ago, not a clue.

Sounds like you were a child of the sixties!

 

[Brad Johnson]

I'm one of those mutants who can remember and play thousands of songs, remember tons of often useless trivia...

and forget your name moments after I'm introduced. It would be fun to know why my musical memory is as sharp as it is. It only takes the mention of a song or maybe a couple of notes and the full arrangement starts playing back in my head. And I do mean "full". And not just songs... TV soundtracks, commercials, doesn't matter, it's all burned in.

Maybe I don't remember names because I don't consider them important. Then again I doubt I really considered segues on Gilligan's Island important either and I'm stuck with them.

If I repeat a name a couple of times it does seem to stick a bit better.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

I'm one of those mutants who can remember and play thousands of songs, remember tons of often useless trivia...

and forget your name moments after I'm introduced. It would be fun to know why my musical memory is as sharp as it is. It only takes the mention of a song
or maybe a couple of notes and the full arrangement starts playing back in my head. And I do mean "full". And not just songs... TV soundtracks, commercials, doesn't matter, it's all burned in.



Maybe I don't remember names because I don't consider them important. Then again I doubt I really considered segues on Gilligan's Island important either and
I'm stuck with them.

If I repeat a name a couple of times it does seem to stick a bit better.

I think your right. We tend to remember what is important to us
.

 

[dannylectro]

Tort pickguard. That is all.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I'm one of those mutants who can remember and play thousands of songs, remember tons of often useless trivia...

and forget your name moments after I'm introduced. It would be fun to know why my musical memory is as sharp as it is. It only takes the mention of a song or maybe a couple of notes and the full arrangement starts playing back in my head. And I do mean "full". And not just songs... TV soundtracks, commercials, doesn't matter, it's all burned in.

Maybe I don't remember names because I don't consider them important. Then again I doubt I really considered segues on Gilligan's Island important either and I'm stuck with them.

If I repeat a name a couple of times it does seem to stick a bit better.

Same here, particular in regards to remembering names.

 

[Toptube]

comes in handy between beers.

I don't remember your name. But I do remember that cool riff by the band who played before me.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I don't remember your name, but I do know you're the guy with the '59 Fender P in 2TB with the black pickguard and Brazilian rosewood board.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I think your right. We tend to remember what is important to us
.

And I know how rude that can come off to appear to not care about someone's name.


In my case it's about what I deem important AND care about or like. Without the combination my recall isn't as good.

 

[Groove Doctor]

The article above talks about musos remember things by breaking them into chunks, aka chunking.

That lead me to reading this.....
Link Removed

...and this
The many kinds of memory in music

 

[Brad Johnson]

I often play to amuse myself but I tend to immediately move onto the next idea. So I'll be playing and someone will say do that again and I'm like "What?".

And they think I'm joking. The same guy who can remember the music played when Ellie May was out back in the cement pond playing with the varmints (critters?) can't remember what he just played a minute ago?

Yeah, right.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

And I know how rude that can come off to appear to not care about someone's name.


In my case it's about what I deem important AND care about or like. Without the combination my recall isn't as good.

Its just human nature..

 

[AztecViking]

I have a friend who has often said to me "how can you possibly remember how to play 80 to 100 different songs" and I say "they are all mostly simple variations of the same thing".

 

[duff beer]

I have no problem remembering songs...even songs I haven't played in years are normally not a problem. I can also play a round of golf and the next day will be able to describe every one of the 80 - 90 shots I made in full detail...the club used, distance hit, length of every putt, and the score on each hole.

But sometimes I forget the simplest thing...like what I had for lunch.