I remember phone numbers more by the pattern on the keypad, not the actual numbers. If you asked me someone's phone number I likely could not tell you, without stopping to think about it (and getting confused), but I could show you instantly.
I can see how colour coding could work - pity the colour blind though :-?
I learned piano as a child. Had trouble reading the music but could play by ear. My music teacher would play the piece first and I would just repeat it from memory. It wasn't until I made the mistake of telling my mother I was doing it that way that she told the teacher, who then stopped playing the tune before we started
Needless to say, gave up music lessons soon after :roll: