Memorizing and Maintenance A memorized repertoire requires two
investments of time: the first is for memorizing the piece
initially and a second "maintenance" component for implanting
the memory more permanently and for repairing any forgotten
sections. During the lifetime of a pianist, the second component
is by far the larger one because the initial investment is zero
or even negative. Maintenance is one reason why some give up
memorizing: why memorize if I am going to forget it anyway?
Maintenance can limit the size of a repertoire because after
memorizing, say, five to ten hours of music, the maintenance
requirements may preclude memorizing any more pieces depending
on the person. There are several ways to extend your repertoire
beyond any maintenance limit. An obvious one is to abandon the
memorized pieces and to re-memorize later as needed. Pieces that
are well memorized can be re-polished quickly, even if they
haven't been played for years. It is almost like riding a
bicycle; once you learn how to ride