Those good habits

My last few posts, headed as "working at the instrument," should provide some fairly redundant information for anyone with a good practice discipline. The use of a practice log, metronome, and timer are standard tools for many, if not most, successful musicians. They're mentioned in the context of this blog on memorization practice because, as it was in my case, not memorizing for so many years helped me to neglect some of those good habits that I'd already learned. 

That's not to say that I wasn't using a metronome, practice log, or timer over the years, but it is to say that committing to memorization practice has made those items essential. And as I already posted, returning to memory forced a lot of these good habits to return.

None of the information given so far has, in fact, told the reader how to specifically memorize specific notes. As we'll soon see, there isn't one way, and the memorization process will take on multiple facets--just as there are three, and possibly more, types of memory. 

Because the memorization process is multifaceted, it's best to have as much as possible working for you, and this includes using all of the good habits that you may have already learned. So, take a moment to consider what your good habits are now and what they may have been at one time. Do you have any good habits that I haven't already mentioned? Post them here! (You can even post your bad habits, if you'd like.)