Posted on 01. Oct, 2009 by Flauwy

The String Method

Today you will learn how you can memorize a bunch of information with a very simple method. It is called the String Method. This article is based on Ulrich Voigt’s book “Esels Welt” which is only available in German. It is a collection of nearly all known menmonic works of the past 2.500 years.

To memorize any kind of ordered lists we will need sophisticated methods to remember every single part of the list without forgetting half of it before we even reach its end. One of the easiest methods to do that is by creating a string – a creative story which is built with the elements of the list. Those lists could be anything from the countries of the world, over the musicians of the baroque era, to the table of the elements. Let’s have a look at the different ways how to create such a string.

The Chain Method (A-B / B-C)

Any list is divided by its elements. For this demonstration we will use a very simple shopping list with five items:

1. Banana (A)
2. Milk (B)
3. Bread (C)
4. Potatoes (D)
5. Butter (E)

To memorize this list you could now put the elements in relation to each other (A-B-C-D-E). We do that by creating little stories with each element. To make sure we memorize the right order (which is not necessary for a shopping list but for the table of elements it certainly is) we imagine this story in the sequence of A-B / B-C / C-D / D-E.

Example:

A-B = The Banana is used for banana milk shake.

B-C = Milk is a great dip for bread.

C-D = The bread is filled with potatoes and therefor shaped very strangely.

D-E = Baked potatoes taste great with melted butter.

As you can see, each element will link you from one association to another. It is very simple and quick to create. On the other hand it is bad for long lists because you will not be able to keep track where exactly you are in your list. This is because it is not connecting A and C for example. There is absolutely no connection whatsoever. Hence I would never suggest this method although it ultimately will help you to memorize your shopping list. But memorizing the countries of the world with this method would be too clumsy and full a potential pitfalls. So let’s jump to next method in line.

An alternative to the association above would be an “imagelink”: Bananamilk (a milk carton shaped like a banana); Milkbread (a bread with udder) and so on.

The String Method (A-B-C)

To bring all elements of a chain into relation to each other they should be weaved together. It will still be a connection like above but instead of breaking the relationship after each association it will be used to create an ongoing sequence – a story.

Example:

A-B-C-D-E = The Banana is filled with milk. When we bite into the banana the milk pours over the floor. We wipe it with fresh bread. The soaking bread could be used like a sponge to clean the potatoes. We bake the potatoes and the soaking bread and coat them in delicious butter when they are ready.

This is still an A-B / B-C chain. But when we reach the butter we will remember the banana much easier because all elements now belong to each other.

Why this will improve your memory

The story is already built with most of the seven mental elements. We use fantasy for creating the story. The natural order of the links are folowing a certain logic. By imagining this story we use our visualisation. We also transform the original elements into something new (sponge-bread). And finaly we associate them with each other . This will help our memory to come back to each part of any list we want to memorize. Of course this depends on our ability to recall every single link. Hence we should make sure to improve  our associations. You can learn how to create a perfect association on our sister website Memory-Sports.com.

First Usage: Numbers

Now that you learned how to use this method you can switch to Charles articles about how to memorize numbers: The Shape System and the Dominic System. It will be very easy to memorize dates, telephone numbers or pin codes with these combined methods.

The downside of this method

Although the String Method is better than the plain Chain Method both are lacking flexibility. We cannot jump back and forth so easily. Sure we can recall the list backwards. But can we say which element is number fifteen in a list of thirty? Not without recalling and counting half of the list. What happens when we are forgetting one or a few elements in the middle? We will most certainly not be able to recall the following elements. If we are even forgetting the starting image we probably could not recall anything of the list. This is why this method is a beginners method. You can jump into action very quickly and without much effort. Don’t think bad about the String Method just because of this. Try it out. Use it for your first steps in a world of fascinating methods for your memory. It will already blow your mind. And soon we will talk about more evolved ways how to improve your memory.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Tags: 7 mental elements, Chain Method, String Method