Hello Joseph,

Memory in playing music is, as far as I know, divided into 3 kinds:

1.       Analytical memory or what you call conscious memorization based on the structure and tonal analysis.

2.       Muscles’ memory, your sub-conscious memory which is based on your muscles wanting to go to the “usual” places.

3.       Photographic memory, or in other words the ability to see the score, a capacity Arthur Rubinstein often talks about.

I’ll start by explaining (3), though I personally almost don’t use it at all. The use of this memory can be helped by always playing from the same scores and remembering where the passages are on each page (right or left) and recalling it like a photographic vision when in need. It doesn’t really work if you play from copy pages or change editions all the time.

Mostly, we work with (1) and (2), depending on your character and capabilities you’ll divide it evenly or not. The muscle’s memory is good for everyday and a little less so when you’re facing a stressful situation. The reason is that being tense, your muscles don’t actually feel the same and because of that they might not go to the “good places” they are used to. Add to that the fact that your brain, which wants to control the situation in thinking what are the good notes- is destabilizing your sub-conscious knowledge as well by bringing in Doubt.

Though muscular memory is not 100% reliable, it is extremely useful. It needs however some help.

First, it is important to recognize the passages where you are going to only use (2). They are usually the technically difficult passages, and when you play them while in a stressful situation, you must concentrate on your physical sensations and try to relax the muscles so that they feel like “usual”, then you must trust them when doubt comes. Secondly, it is important to use (1) together with (2). In some passages, especially in variations, rondos and recaps, there are just tiny changes that can get you mixed up. It is therefore useful to analyze them and see in what consists the difference, what does it bring to the piece’s evolution and how do you need to play it physically (kind of sound, articulations and so on) which would bring this difference on.  It is also a way to connect the conscious knowledge to the sub-conscious one.

The subject of the connection between memory and imagination might interest you as well.

Hi Joseph, I'm also an amateur and only started playing piano not so long ago. I think I can remember quite well pieces which helps me a lot to learn fast because I don't need to read the notes all the time which is quite tedious for me still. I usually memorize the melody first by listening to the piece quite a lot before playing it, I try to listen to different interprets not to get used too much to one interpretation so that I can still find mine afterwards. Then I try to play just the melody on the piano by heart and this always forms a very good basis for me to learn the piece. The big difficulty, for me at least, is when the tonality is a difficult one then I tend to play the melody but in the wrong tonality and this does not help so much...Then, my teacher gave me quite a good tip, we always try find the chords that corresponds to groups of successive notes to get the successive hand positions. Once the hands positions are well established, it is quite easy to remember the piece.
Sometimes, we also try to find secondary melodies but this too hard for me, I cannot think to two melodies at the same time....
So I think my memory is a combination of remembering the primary melody from the notes perspective and the accompaniment from the hand positions.
I really think this can be learned, tips from my teacher have helped me so much. 

Edna, thank you for making my day!
I was having coffee and followed your thoughts about memory/imagination. I googled your name and ended up listening/watching your YouTube videos "Bach Prelude&Fugue in E minor" and "Vista."
Changed my whole feeling for the day. Thank you for your Being and on the Web.