Memorize Lyrics of a Song

Throughout human history, people have used song lyrics to pass down information without the use of written language.[1] In contemporary times we tend to rely less on oral history, but there are still lots of reasons to memorize song lyrics. Whether you have a big performance coming up, or you just want to be able to belt out the lyrics to a popular song while driving your car, there are a number of steps you can take to learn a song by heart.

Steps

Taking Advantage of Your Strengths

  1. Evaluate your learning style. There are a number ways to break down the various ways in which people learn.[2][3][4] When it comes to rote memorization, your senses are a particularly helpful lens through which to view your personal learning style.
    • Auditory learners absorb new information most effectively by hearing and/or speaking it out loud.[4]
    • Tactile learners absorb new information most effectively through movement; they learn best by doing things for themselves.[4]
    • Visual learners absorb new information most effectively by reading it, or seeing a visual representation.[4]
  2. Determine what your learning style is. Just by reading a little about these different learning styles, you may already have an idea which of them you favor. Keep in mind that no one learns through just one of these styles exclusively; we use our senses in combination when we learn. That said, most people tend to rely more heavily on one of their senses (or on a particular combination) when they learn, and understanding this will help you decide which approach to memorization is likely to be most effective for you. If you’re not sure what kind of learner you are, an online learning style self-assessment questionnaire can help you nail it down.[5]
    • If you want to try a less systematic approach, just try the techniques that sound interesting to you, and see what works best.
  3. Incorporate your learning style into your approach. Now that you understand your brain a little better, it’s time to consider the best way to go about memorizing those song lyrics. Remember, you don’t have to confine yourself solely to the techniques recommended for your primary learning style; most people will learn fastest if they incorporate elements of all three.
    • Auditory learners are at an advantage when it comes to learning song lyrics, as songs are by nature auditory. If you are an auditory learner, listening to a song on repeat is likely to be your best bet. Singing or speaking the lyrics aloud to yourself will also help. At first you will need to read the lyrics as you sing or speak them, but with repetition this will become unnecessary.[4]
    • Tactile learners will also benefit somewhat from singing along with the song they are trying to learn, although in this case it has more to do with their propensity to learn by doing than any particular benefit of auditory processing. If you are a tactile learner, you will also find writing the lyrics out by hand a few times very helpful.[4]
    • Visual learners will want to spend some time studying a written copy of the lyrics. If you are a visual learner, watching a music video of the song you are trying to memorize can be a good tool, as it will help you associate visual imagery with specific lyrics. You may find it helpful to highlight different verses of the lyrics with different colors, as well; when you are trying to recall a specific verse later, you can call to mind the color in which it was highlighted, which may help you visualize the words on that part of the page.[4]

Cementing the Song in Your Mind

  1. Listen to the song as often as possible. It's important that you not just try to memorize written lyrics. Listening to the song is probably the most important step you can take. Songs are noted for being one of the easiest things to memorize;[6][7] this is why setting information to music is a frequently recommended technique for all sorts of rote memorization,[8][9] and why most people have at some point experienced memorizing a song without even trying, simply by listening to it over and over. Listen to the song you are trying to memorize as frequently as possible: in the car, on the bus, in the shower, while doing chores, while doing homework, while getting ready for bed, and generally whenever the opportunity presents itself. You may start to get sick of it, but you will be much closer to your goal of knowing it by heart.
    • This will be especially effective if you sing along with the song. If your goal is to perform the song, it might be a good idea to practice singing. Having the lyrics memorized won't be much help if you can't sing in key.
  2. Recite the song as if it were a poem. This can help you think of it as a sequence of ideas or events. Many people learn lyrics more effectively when they imagine them as a narrative, rather than just a collection of rhymes.[10]
  3. Connect emotionally to the song. The more interested in or engaged by something you are, the easier it is to retain information about it.[7] Try to find parts of the song that interest or resonate with you, and look up any lyrics that are confusing. This is especially important if the song you are trying to memorize is in a language in which you are not fluent; it is much easier to learn something when you understand its meaning than when it is just a succession of meaningless syllables.
  4. Make it fun. Introducing elements of play and/or competition can make the process of memorization more engaging.[11] Time yourself reciting the lyrics to the song you are trying to memorize, and then use that time to set yourself a challenge; try to see how quickly you can recite the whole thing from memory. Draw a visual representation of a line you are struggling with, or a comic using the lyrics as dialogue. Challenge a friend to see which of you can deliver the most dramatic rendition of the song. Anything that helps you enjoy the process of memorization will be a big help.
  5. Use flashcards. Flashcards are particularly helpful because they incorporate every learning style: tactile learners benefit from making the cards, visual learners benefit from seeing them, and auditory learners benefit from reading them aloud, either to themselves or a study partner.[4] Make a series of numbered flashcards (you want to learn them in order, after all), with one card for every line of the song. On the front of the card write the first 2 or 3 words of the line, and on the back complete the rest of it.
  6. Visualize and associate. This is a trick used by memory performers, or people who perform feats like memorizing multiple decks of playing cards in memory competitions.[12] It involves associating whatever you are trying to memorize with a specific, striking mental image. While this is not the most practical approach to memorizing an entire song, it may be useful if you can’t seem to get one or two tricky lines to stick in your head. Imagine, for example, that you are struggling to commit the lyrics, “You are so beautiful to me” to memory. The trick is to create a slightly strange mental image in association with these lyrics.[12][13]
    • Think of other words these lyrics sound like. In this example, you might turn “you” into “ewe,” and “are,” into the letter “R,” and combine them into a mental image of a group of acrobatic sheep forming the letter “R” with their bodies.
    • Instead of, “so beautiful,” you might think, “sew beautiful,” which might lead you to imagine the sheep each embroidering the word, “beautiful” onto a piece of cloth while performing their acrobatic feat.
    • Lastly, “to me” could simple become, “two me,” leading you to imagine two identical versions of yourself gazing in wonder as the ewe “R” sews, “beautiful.” This is very silly, but it is also much more likely to stick in your mind than a random sentence with which you have no particular visual association.
  7. Sleep on it. Your brain continues to process and learn about things while you sleep. Not only will being well-rested help your brain function at its best, but studying or practicing a new skill right before a good night’s sleep has been shown to increase the speed with which you learn, and your ability to retain that information.[14][15]
  8. Write the Lyrics Down. Writing down the lyrics on a piece of paper will help you engrave the words into your brain and you can also bring the paper wherever you go so whenever you have time you can look over it. Sing the song out loud or in your head while you read the lyrics on a piece of paper.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/art/folk-literature
  2. ↑ http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview
  3. ↑ http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-styles.shtml
  5. ↑ http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml
  6. ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/why-does-my-child-remember-some-things-but-not-what-she-studies
  8. ↑ http://studytipaday.com/2012/02/29/memory-use-or-create-rhymes-and-songs-to-remember-formulas-or-detailed-information
  9. ↑ http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304483804579284682214451364
  10. ↑ http://www.guitarworld.com/acoustic-nation-tips-memorizing-songs
  11. ↑ http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/13043/education/12_great_memory_strategies_for_better_grades.html
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/best-memory-trick.html
  13. ↑ http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/memory-association.html
  14. ↑ http://www.musicindustryhowto.com/how-to-remember-lyrics-to-a-song-in-4-steps
  15. ↑ http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0033079
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Memorize_Lyrics_of_a_Song&oldid=289255"