Just a thought....

Memorization ability alone does not a professional make... As was mentioned by Dick Gaughan in the above copied text, there is much more to being a performer than just the ability to memorize lyrics. Knowing the WORDS is not necessarily the same thing as knowing the SONG. As was stated, a performer should know the story, the emotion behind it, and its relevance to the audience. A performer has to feel the emotion within a tune and be able to convey to the audience that emotion. But it's not necessarily all or nothing, either... I once knew someone who could memorize absolutely anything, he had a photographic memory. Five minutes after seeing a tune printed, he "knew" it. But when he went to perform the tune, there was nothing there. Technically, it was perfect. Perfect tone, perfect words, but no feeling. On the other side of the coin, I also knew a musician who could not remember lyrics to save his life, but he KNEW every tune he performed, and felt every nuance of the song. Sure, on some tunes he had to have a cheat sheet for the lyrics, but nothing was lost because of that. My point is that, no matter which category into which you fall, whether you have a photographic memory, or something akin to Alzheimer's, if you are a musician, you know it. You don't need a "definition" of what you are. You feel the music, and you are a musician. So what if you need a cheat sheet? "Just keep right on playing for those who will hear."

-Branwen-