Another reason why we “forget” is that we try to do too much of something in a single study session.
Such “forgetting” takes place by a process called interference, which can be understood as follows:
- Similar mental activities use similar parts of your brain.
- It is possible to saturate any part of your brain with new information. In this state, your brain is like a sponge that is already thoroughly soaked and can absorb no more.
- Once any part of your brain becomes saturated with new information, any attempt to add more information will be fruitless and possibly destructive by interfering–becoming confused with or by replacing the information that is already there.
Note: It is important to understand that interference only applies to similar material that is studied in similar way. Information that is dissimilar (that exercises different parts of your brain) does not interfere. Furthermore, information that has already been consolidated (already securely stored in long-term memory) is not vulnerable to interference.
Implications for Students and Teachers
Don’t study-practice too much of a single skill (ear training, for example) in a single session. Your brain can absorb only so much so fast and needs time and rest in order to consolidate the new material.
Divide you study-practice sessions to include a diversity of skills (technique, scales, chords, chord progressions, rhythm, ear training, improvisation). This works because different parts of your brain do not interfere with each other.
Study-practice any given skill is small sessions spaced over time. You will learn far more if you study a single topic for five minutes a day every day than if you cram on the same topic for one hour once a week.