Pegging using loci or location has been a popular memorization method since ancient times when Roman senators used Loci to memorize speeches that sometimes lasted for several hours. Ancient orators did not carry notes with them.
But using loci rooms is not the only way of pegging. Many people use lists. As I wrote earlier when I introduced pegging this list might be the alphabet or any list already memorized like the nine planets or the 44 presidents of the United States.
The only requirement is order and numbers. The alphabet has its own order and the presidents would most likely be in chronological order.
Both those lists are abstract. We made the alphabet more concrete by creating fun alphabets like my list of popular singers. There are many ways of making the alphabet more concrete. Just associate each letter with an item that can be experienced with the senses.
“A” might be applesauce , an ape or astronaut. “B” might be a battlestar, bumble bee or a banana. “C” might be a calico cat, cow or a candelabra. It is best to come up with your own associations.
Some people knowing they have to number the items use numbers. They might use soundalikes like: one is a sun; two is a school; three is a bee; four is store; five is dive off a high platform; six is a stick; seven is heaven; eight is a skate; nine is crime’ ten is a wren.
Others use associations that look like the numbers. One is a pencil or a tree; two is a swan; three is an Alfred Hitchcock profile; four is a sail boat; five is a bike; six is an elephant trunk; seven is a boomerang; eight is a snowman; nine is a balloon; ten is a bat and ball.
You can also associate the numbers with concrete items and make popular associates for dozens of numbers. For instance here is a numbers pegging list that I created.
Geoge Washington. He is on the one dollar bill and he was the first president
Dancers. There are usually two.
The Three Stooges, or musketeers
The Beatles. John, Paul, George and Ringo
A tape recorder. In the old “Mission Impossible” television series, the tape would self destruct in five seconds.
Actress Tricia Helfer who played Number Six in “Battlestar Galactica.”
Seven Up.
A skate. Skaters do figure eights.
A reindeer. Santa has nine of them.
Cowboy hat. It is a ten gallon hat.
George Clooney who starred in the film “Oceans Eleven.”
Monkeys. Think of the film, “Twelve Monkeys.”
Huckleberry Finn who was thirteen years old in the novel.
Shakespeare. A sonnet has fourteen lines.
Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in World War II won 15 medals.
Candles. Jimmy Clanton sang “Sixteen candles make a lovely glow.”
Mary Poppins, who worked for the Banks family at 17 Cherry Tree Lane.
A semi truck is an eighteen wheeler.
Gold clubs. The 19th hole is the watering hole.
Eye glasses. Perhaps you have 20/20 vision.
A wine glass. At age 21, we can drink.
A rifle. Some rifles are 22’s.
The Bible with its well-known 23 rd psalm.
Keifer Sutherland, the actor who starred in the series “24.”
Buck Rogers who'd who lived in the 25th century.
A Texas or Arizona Ranger. A very old television western about the Arizona Rangers was called “26 Men.”
Dresses after the film “27 Dresses.”
A television set. Remember the old 28 inch screens.
An airplane. The B 29 won World War II.
A hippy who would not trust anyone over 30.
An ice cream cone. A popular brand has 31 flavors.
A comic book which usually has 32 pages.
Frank Sinatra who make many 33 1/3 RPM records
A Matador. Thirty-Four is the area code for Spain.
A camera (35 Millimeter).
There’s more to it, which can be obtained from emailing me and asking for Mary Ann’s pegging list. You may make any changes that make sense to you.
