I had ideas about using melodies in mnemonics.
I also had ideas about how an accent of imagined person can indicate something such as a digit:
Accents are:
| Accent | Digit |
|---|---|
| Scouse (Liverpool) accent | 0 |
| Posh English of London | 1 |
| American Southern state | 2 |
| Nigerian | 3 |
| Italian | 4 |
| Indian | 5 |
| Japanese | 6 |
| Cockney | 7 |
| Scottish (Glaswegian) | 8 |
| French | 9 |
I also thought of how an album selection and then its track selection could be a memory system. E.g. 10 albums each with 10 tracks would represent 100 choices or sequential 'locations'. Replacing lyrics of a song with syllabus notes could be a way to make some notes memorable and reachable via a music index:
| Letter | Person 1 | Person 2 | Person 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Abba | 1950s compilation | 60s compilation |
| B | Beach Boys | Beatles, John Lennon | More Beatles |
| C | Chicago | Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald | Commodores, Lionel Richie |
| D | David Bowie | Deep Purple | Dire Straits |
| E | Elton John | Elvis Presley | Eurythmics |
| F | Fleetwood Mac | Bee Gees | Billy Idol |
| G | Genesis, Phil Collins, P Gabriel | George Harrison, Ringo Starr | Grease soundtrack |
| H | The Hollies (Buddy Holly) | The Dubliners | Duran Duran |
| I | Blondie, Ramones | Eric Clapton, Cream | Bruce Springstein |
| J | Jimi Hendrix | Billy Joel | Bon Jovi |
| K | KC and the Sunshine Band, funk | Kinks | Kenny Rogers |
| L | Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday | Leo Sayer | Lou Reed |
| M | Madness | Madonna | Manic Street Preachers |
| N | Neil Young | Stone Roses, Happy Mondays | Supremes, Three Degrees, Diana Ross |
| O | Oasis | Oliver Soundtrack | Musicals compilation |
| P | Pink Floyd | Police | Prince |
| Q | Queen | Marvin Gaye | Michael Jackson |
| R | R. E. M. | Rolling Stones | More Rolling Stones |
| S | Simon and Garfunkel | Simply Red | Stock Aitken and Waterman (Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue) |
| T | Take That, Robbie Williams | Talking Heads | 2000s Compilation (eg. Katy Perry) |
| U | U2 | Red Hot Chilli Peppers | Terence Trent Darby |
| V | The Who | The Proclaimers | The Temptations |
| W | Wham | Whitney Houston | Wings |
| X | Xmas play list | Robbie Robertson, The Band | Rod Stewart |
| Y | Yes, John Anderson | More Kinks | Tom Petty |
| Z | Led Zeppelin | Tina Turner | Tom Jones |
| spare | Blur | Bob Dylan | Bob Marley |
| Bond songs | Chicago | Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald | |
| Commodores, Lionel Richie | 70s compilation | 80s compilation | |
| 90s compilation | 2010s compilation | 2020s compilation |
I chose the artists and bands, above, because I have heard many of their songs before and could pick 60 bands/artists and take 10 songs from their discography.
On that theme of replacing lyrics with revision notes.
Here are some nursery rhymes, etc. which can be used for memorising revision notes; I like the idea that the tunes are simple:
| No | Song Title | Artist/Ref | Also known as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Letter | Song Title | Artist/Ref | Also known as |
| 1 | A | Alphabet Song | Charles Bradlee (folk / Mozart) | |
| 2 | Alice the Camel | Dem Bones | ||
| 3 | E | Alouette | ||
| 4 | Animal Fair | Hickory Dickory Dock | ||
| 5 | TH | The Ants Go Marching | The Animals Came in Two by Two | |
| 6 | A-tisket-a-tasket | a pocket full of posies | ||
| 7 | B | Baa Baa Black Sheep | ||
| 8 | Bear in Tennis Shoes | You are my sunshine | ||
| 9 | The Bear Went Over the Mountain | For he's a jolly good fellow | ||
| 10 | Be Kind to your Web-Footed Friends | Here we go / fair music | ||
| 11 | Bicycle Built For Two (Daisy) | |||
| 12 | Big Rock Candy Mountain | |||
| 13 | Billy Boy | |||
| 14 | J | Blow the Man Down | ||
| 15 | Brahm's Lullaby | |||
| 16 | G | Buffalo Gals Won't you Come out Tonight | ||
| 17 | C | Clementine | ||
| 18 | D | Do Your Ears Hang Low? | ||
| 19 | The Farmer in the Dell | A Hunting We Will Go | ||
| 20 | F | Frere Jacques | ||
| 21 | Frog Went a Courtin | |||
| 22 | He's Got the Whole World in his Hands | |||
| 23 | If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands | |||
| 24 | H | Head Shoulder Knees and Toes | ||
| 25 | Here we go Round the Mulberry Bush | |||
| 26 | X | Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry | ||
| 27 | I | I Love You You Love Me | This Old Man | |
| 28 | Z | I'm a Little Teapot | ||
| 29 | Itsy Bitsy Spider | |||
| 30 | I've Been Working on the Railroad | |||
| 31 | L | London Bridge | ||
| 32 | M | Mary had a Little Lamb | ||
| 33 | Michael Finnegan | |||
| 34 | The More We Get Together | |||
| 35 | O | Oh Suzanna | ||
| 36 | K | Oh Where oh Where has my Little Dog Gone | ||
| 37 | U | Old MacDonald had a Farm | ||
| 38 | V | On Top of Old Smokey | ||
| 39 | Polly Put the Kettle On | |||
| 40 | P | Polly Wolly Doodle | ||
| 41 | Pop Goes the Weasel | |||
| 42 | Ring Around the Rosies | |||
| 43 | Q | Rock-A-Bye Baby | ||
| 44 | R | Row Row Row Your Boat | ||
| 45 | CH | She'll be Coming Round the Mountain | ||
| 46 | SH | Shortnin' Bread | ||
| 47 | Sing a Rainbow | |||
| 48 | S | Sing a Song of Sixpence | ||
| 49 | N | Skip to my Lou | ||
| 50 | T | Take me out to the Ballgame | ||
| 51 | W | Waltzing Matilda | ||
| 52 | Y | Yankee Doodle |
26 Tunes and 13 Instruments as Spelling Prompts
You can have 26 melodies to represent letters A to Z. You can play any melody by using any of 13 instruments; and that choice of instrument implies the second letter: A/E/I/O/U/L/N/R/S/T/C/H/(Other)
So, for instance, with a visual item that has a foreign spelling, you could imagine its theme tune by using one of the melodies played with one of the instruments. "SP..." is an example where 'S' ['Sing a Song of Sixpence' melody] has its instrument based on the second letter 'P'; 'P' is not in 'A/E/I/O/U/L/N/R/S/T/C/H/' and so I use the 'Other' instrument which is the Harpsichord [see below].
Suggested instruments:
| Digit | Lettter Prompt | Instrument (Synth sound) |
| 0 | O | Tenor sax |
| 1 | I | Church organ |
| 2 | A | Accordion |
| 3 | E | Grand piano |
| 4 | U | Double Bass |
| 5 | N | Violin |
| 6 | S | Sawtooth lead |
| 7 | C | Celesta |
| 8 | T | Trombone |
| 9 | R | Flute |
| 10 | H | Harmonica |
| 11 | L | Harp |
| 12 | Other | Harpsichord |
Spellings or numbers expressed as melodies
What if we add 100 melodies. E.g. 100 classical music melody snippets; and what if we associate each of those pieces with each of the 100 spelling prompts from the 'Double Digit Acrostics' article. So now, a 1 in 100 melody plus the choice of instrument provides a three digit number: look up the two digit number of the melody and append the one digit number of the instrument to make a three digit number. Or treat the melody as a spelling prompt just like in the 'Double Digit Acrostics' article; then the instrument decides what letter to append to that prefix. If no double digit acrostic is applicable then use the A to Z alphabet plus instrument method mentioned earlier in this article.
But the double digit acrostics are also spelling prompts; so a melody and its instrument are also a way to make a spelling prompt. If the word that needs spelling does not match up nicely with a double digit spelling prompt then resort to using the simpler alphabet method explained earlier in this music spelling article.
Note: 0 to 9 are represented by the instruments too (so 'musical piece with instrument' can represent a 3 digit number).
| No. | Prefix | Classical piece extract or popular music | Broader work | Composer | Comment about the Prefix |
| 0 | WE | Wedding March | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Felix Mendelssohn | |
| 1 | A | A Musical Joke | Ein musikalischer Spaß, K. 522 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 2 | AC | Ach, ich fühl’s | The Magic Flute | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 3 | AL | Allegretto | Symphony No. 7 II | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
| 4 | AN | An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube) | — | Johann Strauss II | |
| 5 | AR | Aura Lee | Traditional | Approximately matches prefix | |
| 6 | AS | As Time Goes By | Herman Hupfeld | ||
| 7 | BA | Badinerie | Orchestral Suite No. 2 | J. S. Bach | Badinerie means pleasantry, jesting, or banter |
| 8 | BE | Beautiful Dreamer | Stephen Foster | ||
| 9 | BI | Bianca e Fernando (A Tanto Duol) | Vincenzo Bellini | ||
| 10 | BO | Boléro | — | Maurice Ravel | |
| 11 | BR | Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 | Brandenburg Concertos | J. S. Bach | |
| 12 | BU | Bundeslied, Op. 122 | Ludwig van Beethoven | ||
| 13 | CA | Canon in D | — | Johann Pachelbel | |
| 14 | CE | Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude | Cello Suite No. 1 in G major | J. S. Bach | |
| 15 | CH | Children’s Scenes (Kinderszenen) | Op.15 No.1 | Robert Schumann | |
| 16 | CL | Clair de lune | Suite bergamasque | Claude Debussy | |
| 17 | CO | Consolation No. 3 | Consolations, S.172 | Franz Liszt | |
| 18 | CO | Confutatis | Requiem in D minor | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 19 | CO | Coppélia Waltz | Coppélia | Léo Delibes | |
| 20 | CO | Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest | Coronation Anthems | George Frideric Handel | |
| 21 | CU | Cujus animam | Stabat Mater | Gioachino Rossini | |
| 22 | DE | Deh vieni, non tardar | The Marriage of Figaro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 23 | DE | Der Hölle Rache (Queen of the Night aria) | The Magic Flute | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 24 | DI | Dies irae | Requiem | Giuseppe Verdi | |
| 25 | DO | Don Giovanni Overture | Don Giovanni | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 26 | DR | Drinking Song (Libiamo ne’ lieti calici) | La traviata | Giuseppe Verdi | |
| 27 | EC | Ecossaise in E-flat major | — | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
| 28 | EN | Haydn | Emperor Quartet | Main hymn melody | Approximately matches prefix |
| 29 | EY | Eyeglass Duet | Mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
| 30 | FA | Fantaisie-Impromptu | — | Frédéric Chopin | |
| 31 | FE | Feuerzauber (Magic Fire Music) | Die Walküre | Richard Wagner | |
| 32 | FL | Flight of the Bumblebee | The Tale of Tsar Saltan | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
| 33 | FO | Four Seasons: Spring | The Four Seasons | Antonio Vivaldi | |
| 34 | FR | Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring) | — | Johann Strauss II | |
| 35 | GE | Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods) | — | Johann Strauss II | |
| 36 | GL | Gloria | Gloria in D major | Antonio Vivaldi | |
| 37 | GR | Grand March | Aida | Giuseppe Verdi | |
| 38 | GY | Gypsy Rondo | Piano Trio No. 39 in G major | Joseph Haydn | |
| 39 | HE | Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) | — | Felix Mendelssohn | |
| 40 | HO | Horn Concerto No. 4 | — | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 41 | HY | Hymn of the Cherubim | Liturgy of St John Chrysostom | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| 42 | IN | In the Hall of the Mountain King | Peer Gynt | Edvard Grieg | |
| 43 | IN | Intermezzo | Cavalleria rusticana | Pietro Mascagni | |
| 44 | IN | Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso | — | Camille Saint-Saëns | |
| 45 | JU | Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity | The Planets | Gustav Holst | |
| 46 | KN | Kalinka | Traditional | Approximately matches prefix | |
| 47 | LE | Le cygne (The Swan) | The Carnival of the Animals | Camille Saint-Saëns | |
| 48 | LI | Liebesträum No. 3 | Liebesträume | Franz Liszt | |
| 49 | LO | Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I | Lohengrin | Richard Wagner | |
| 50 | LY | Lyric Pieces: March of the Dwarfs | Lyric Pieces | Edvard Grieg | |
| 51 | MA | March Alla Turca (Turkish March) | Piano Sonata No. 11 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 52 | ME | Méditation | Thaïs | Jules Massenet | |
| 53 | MI | Minute Waltz | Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 | Frédéric Chopin | |
| 54 | MO | Moonlight Sonata: Adagio sostenuto | Piano Sonata No. 14 | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
| 55 | NE | Nessun dorma | Turandot | Giacomo Puccini | |
| 56 | NO | Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 | — | Frédéric Chopin | |
| 57 | OP | Orpheus | Can-Can melody | Offenbach | |
| 58 | OV | Overture to William Tell | William Tell | Gioachino Rossini | |
| 59 | PA | Pastoral Symphony | Opening theme | Beethoven | |
| 60 | PA | Pavane | — | Gabriel Fauré | |
| 61 | PE | Peer Gynt: Morning Mood | Peer Gynt | Edvard Grieg | |
| 62 | PI | Piano Concerto No. 1 | — | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| 63 | PL | Plaisir d’amour | — | Jean-Paul-Égide Martini | |
| 64 | PO | Polovtsian Dances | Prince Igor | Alexander Borodin | |
| 65 | PR | Prelude in C major | The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I | J. S. Bach | |
| 66 | PR | Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4 | 24 Preludes, Op. 28 | Frédéric Chopin | |
| 67 | PU | Pictures | Promenade theme | Mussorgsky | Approximately matches prefix |
| 68 | QU | Entrance of the Queen of Sheba | Solomon | George Frideric Handel | |
| 69 | RA | Radetzky March | — | Johann Strauss I | |
| 70 | RE | Requiem: Lacrimosa | Requiem in D minor | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 71 | RE | Red River Valley | Traditional | ||
| 72 | RE | Rêverie | — | Claude Debussy | |
| 73 | RI | Ride of the Valkyries | Die Walküre / The Ring Cycle | Richard Wagner | |
| 74 | RO | Romeo and Juliet | Love theme | Tchaikovsky | |
| 75 | SA | Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale | Samson et Dalila | Camille Saint-Saëns | |
| 76 | SA | Salut d’Amour | — | Edward Elgar | |
| 77 | SC | Scheherazade | — | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
| 78 | SE | Serenade No. 13 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik) | — | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 79 | SE | September | Four Last Songs | Richard Strauss | |
| 80 | SH | Sheep May Safely Graze | Hunting Cantata | J. S. Bach | |
| 81 | SI | Sicilienne | Pelléas et Mélisande | Gabriel Fauré | |
| 82 | SM | Smanie implacabili | Così fan tutte | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 83 | SO | Solveig’s Song | Peer Gynt | Edvard Grieg | |
| 84 | SP | Spring Song | Main melody | Mendelssohn | |
| 85 | ST | Ständchen (Serenade) | Schwanengesang | Franz Schubert | |
| 86 | ST | St Matthew Passion: Erbarme dich | St Matthew Passion | J. S. Bach | |
| 87 | ST | Stars and Stripes Forever | — | John Philip Sousa | |
| 88 | SU | Sugar Plum Fairy (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) | The Nutcracker | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| 89 | SW | Swan Lake: Scene | Swan Lake | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| 90 | TA | Tannhäuser Overture | Tannhäuser | Richard Wagner | |
| 91 | TE | Te Deum: Prelude | Te Deum | Marc-Antoine Charpentier | |
| 92 | TH | Thieving Magpie (Overture to La Gazza Ladra) | Main overture tune | Rossini | |
| 93 | TO | Toccata and Fugue in D minor | — | J. S. Bach | |
| 94 | TR | Trout Quintet | Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 | Franz Schubert | |
| 95 | TR | Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark’s March) | — | Jeremiah Clarke | |
| 96 | UD | Una Donna a quindici anni | Così fan tutte | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | |
| 97 | UN | Un bel dì vedremo | Madama Butterfly | Giacomo Puccini | |
| 98 | VA | Valse oubliée No. 1 | — | Franz Liszt | |
| 99 | VI | Violin Concerto in E minor | — | Felix Mendelssohn |