How does that note go? What is the next phrase? Just when am I suppose to turn that diphthong? Learning new music can be a time consuming, and sometimes confusing process. Luckily for us, a team of French researchers have come up with a surprisingly easy rehearsal hack: Sleep on it.
Here is how it works:
-
Study new material (a new song) shortly before you go to sleep.
-
12 hours later, review the new material.
For instance, if you usually hit the sack at 11PM, try your first study session at 9 PM. Go to bed, get a good night's sleep. Then, 12 hours later at 9 AM, go over the music again. That's it in a nut shell.
The study showed that when test subjects learned new material at night, went to sleep shortly afterward, then reviewed the material 12 hours later, their results were amazing! They learned the material in half the time and they remembered it for much longer. But don't skimp on the morning relearning, because it takes both sessions to make the song stick.
If you want to learn more about this process, called PM/AM Practicioner, check out what Noa Kageyama, Ph.D.has to say on his website: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/simple-practice-scheduling-hack-couldnt-possibly-effective-seems/.
Then, go sleep on it!
