Verbalization and musical memory in string players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of verbalization about a brief etude on collegiate string players’ short- and long-term recall of the etude in question. We examined competing hypotheses that suggest it is possible that verbalization (i.e., verbal analysis of musical features) (a) could aid in recall both by highlighting patterns and constraints that inform the music’s creation and by facilitating the creation of explicit performance cues that help to bridge gaps between associative recall chains or (b) may hinder recall by interfering with the creation of procedural and auditory memories necessary for musical performance. Participants (N = 20) were assigned to experimental conditions in which they learned an unfamiliar etude either through repetition alone or through repetition followed by the completion of a verbalization worksheet provided by the experimenter. Recall was tested both immediately following initial practice and 24 hours later to examine the effect of verbalization on both short- and long-term retention. Findings indicated no differences between groups on immediate recall performance but significant differences at the 24-hour recall task with participants in the verbalization condition recalling more material. In addition, the patterns of errors found across groups indicated a strong primacy effect. Theoretical implications for the study of memory processes in musical contexts and practical implications regarding the preparation of memorized performance are discussed.