New research has shown that individuals who play an instrument are more capable at identifying errors and correcting mistakes, and that these benefits apply to amateur musicians as well as professionals.
The study, led by Dr Ines Jentzsch for the University of St Andrews, tested the cognitive abilities of musicians and non-musicians, with the research concluding that learning an instrument could “slow or even prevent” the mental decline associated with aging.
Interesting. The immediate feedback of sound seems to be the key to bringing those hypersensitive states of mind about. If one isn’t playing his instrument properly, it is usually obvious. Steps can always be taken to methodically eliminate errors, so for those who are willing to spend the time to practice those areas that need improvement, the improvement will come.
Memorization is not so easy. Blank loci are like notes out of tune, but you can’t just move your finger up a string to fix it. The source of the error may be hidden among the many possibilities, and the personal nature of memorization makes the teaching of proper form very difficult. What are some ways that one could practice in order to improve with certainty, even if slowly? How does one “train his ear” or “play the difficult passage slowly and repeatedly,” so to speak, with memorization?