I will sing, sing a new song

Submitted by Matthew Schulkind on Thursday, 2/10/2011, at 10:52 PM

Some of the articles that we read this week examined what people learn when they learn a skill. I was thinking about this issue and in particular, how one learns to play a new melody on an instrument. It has been a long time since I played an instrument, so I cannot remember how much of rehearsing a piece is verbally mediated. One of the things that we have said about procedural memory is that it is NOT verbally mediated. So, the question is: when do we switch from a verbally mediated representation (‘Frosty the Snowman’ = F D E F B A) to a skilled / procedural / non-verbal performance (that is, you just sit down and play - or sing if your instrument is your voice - the song). Does the transformation happen all at once, or is the transition gradual? Is losing the need for the verbal labels an indication that you finally ‘have it’? Those of you who do not play an instrument might reflect on learning a new physical skill (e.g., learning a new play in basketball).