Faithfully memorizing bass covers - how many?

[kiat]

Am electric bass'ing in two bands : depping in a funk covers band and have learnt most of two sets of assorted covers from the 60s to present day (JB, Soulive, AWB, etc..). I'm also in a uke covers band with a very eclectic choice of music. I've memorized mostly the precise original bassline for virtually all the tunes and play without anything written in front of me. As I'm learning more I'm finding it hard to recall the ones I learnt a while back, however intensely - am finding it a little challenging.

But it got me thinking - what's a fair number of bass covers to memorize? Are there people who remember 100s, 1000s? I've got about 40 so far I guess.

How many do you reckon you've got mostly nailed? (that's the whole song bassline, with all changes, start to finish, not just riffs). What's a good or fair number for a covers bassist?

[kander]

I don't have a precise number but I can still play songs note for note that I learned back when I was 15 (13 years ago).

[IWishIWasBlank]

I had about 40 memorized from one band. At this point if I hear the song I can remember quite a bit of the positioning, but not exact frets. I've been out of the band for six or seven years.

[MalcolmAmos]

The band I play rhythm guitar in, I still after 10 years of playing the same songs (we have over 200 in the gig book and keep 60 + in the book I take to gigs) use a music stand and fake chord on stage. Why? I see my job as nailing the chord changes along with the vocalists. The vocalists have the lyrics on music stands and I have never received any flack from having my stand on stage. If we reach into the archives for a request I assume a I IV V and get close.

In the band I play bass the vocalist/rhythm guitar has over 100 songs in the gig book he takes on stage, however, it only contains lyrics - he wings his chord progressions and here I use no sheet music on stage relying on my ear and assuming a I IV V. Why? The rhythm guitar is winging the chord progression, i.e. it is not exact each time - so I let my ear follow what he is doing.

Of course understand 15 to 18 songs per hour is about all that gets played.

[Already In Use]

Maybe 25 to memory. I also use a music stand and fake chord sheets as insurance(relatively new) for the known songs and as a tool to play the ones I dont have committed to memory. In total I'm playing maybe 125 tunes with 2 groups of musicians. I worry about forgetting songs and want to know them all. Drives me nuts.

[troy mcclure]

I have played over 300 songs in the last 4 years in cover bands...do I remember every bassline note for note..no But I know the chord changes and the signature bass parts. My current band has 100 songs, if we haven't played a song in 2 months we go over it at reherasal to make sure we don't forget it. We also play some of these songs at the end of a gig if the bar has thinned out..a paid rehearsal if you will

[jruberto]

I play in an agency band; lots of pop, motown, classic rock, standards, etc. and have for about 10 years now.

The band has 400(ish) songs in the book, and I'm off the book for the most part. Probably half of those songs rarely get played, and I'll usually need to pull up a chart for the "deep cuts".

There's a "heavy rotation" of probably about 80 of those tunes, most of which I memorized back in the day and are just burned into my memory permanently. However, it is interesting to hear songs that I play way more often than I hear, in that I now remember "my versions" of them, which vary widely in their faithfulness to the original.

But, over those ten years I was also in up to 6 other bands at the same time, each of which required memorizing 10, 20, 30 tunes each (i hate reading on club gigs, so i memorize). Some bands that performed infrequently tho I would use a one-page cheat sheet that i'd keep on the floor next to my pedals, just with song titles, key, first chord, maybe bridge changes or any odd form stuff, etc....

[pocketgroove]

Anything I've learned to play, I can recall very quickly because I play by ear, and hearing the notes will allow me to pull the bass parts together again.

[Russell L]

Don't know how many, a lot, though, probably over 100 songs verbatum just from memory, although there are hundreds that I remember the changes to and can just play close to the original lines. I still use a book in one band to remind me of a few songs, but I'm trying to not learn any new stuff except by memory.

Has anyone ever noticed that as long as you keep reading a chart, you'll never remember it by memory? Seems that way sometimes.

[sammyp]

i've been playing in various cover bands now for about 12 years steady more as a leaad guitar than bass ....personally, i wouldn't worry about how many you have memorized - you take it as it comes - learn what you have to for your current band ....but here's a typical scenario that you shouldn't shy away from; your buddy from another band calls and needs a sub ...you only have 3-4 days to get the tunes down...you really don't wanna do it cause there's not enough time to do it well..

that's the type of situation we end up in, if you press ahead and take gigs like this eventually they get easier and easier ....later on in the musical journey bands start to call for you to sub and you already know 80% of the material ....feels good ...so take those opportunities that push the limits of time and comfort!

[jruberto]

Originally Posted by Russell L

Has anyone ever noticed that as long as you keep reading a chart, you'll never remember it by memory? Seems that way sometimes.

True for me.

In my "creative" projects (i.e. non-cover, original, co-creation, etc..) I am loathe to ever use charts for this very reason, no matter how complicated the material.

It's like I can either spend a few hours memorizing or else it is weeks or months of trying to wean myself off a chart.


And sammyp, that's good advice. In my starving artist days, I did not have the luxury of turning down a gig because I wasn't sure I could cut it. Taking those gigs was great for my confidence and my ear. And the few nights that I actually couldn't cut it were never as bad as I might have perceived them to be. Always got the call back. Today, I'm fearless. If I wind up getting my ass kicked on a gig... good. Clearly I needed it. :-D

[cableguy]

I've had 40-60 memorized in a band situation brfore. But I find there is a direct relation between talent, how much time available to play/learn, amount band plays/practices, how much a bassist likes the music and or is being paid to play said music, and the number of songs you can memorize. That said I'm not real talented.

[jgroh]

I have at least 100 in the bank. Our current working setlist is about 60 with a bunch we used to play or swap in and out to get to around 100. And if you throw in pretty much every Rush song I learned over the years that gets you to...what? 300? lol

[Bassamatic]

I play in 2 bands, we each have about 100 songs, plus stuff I learned years ago. I can play most of them right off, as like the poster above, I learn mostly from ear.

ALSO - I tend to "flavor" the songs with a bit of my own style, and only do the note-for-note stuff where is really matters.

[Scogman]

Originally Posted by sammyp

i've been playing in various cover bands now for about 12 years steady more as a leaad guitar than bass ....personally, i wouldn't worry about how many you have memorized - you take it as it comes - learn what you have to for your current band ....but here's a typical scenario that you shouldn't shy away from; your buddy from another band calls and needs a sub ...you only have 3-4 days to get the tunes down...you really don't wanna do it cause there's not enough time to do it well..

that's the type of situation we end up in, if you press ahead and take gigs like this eventually they get easier and easier ....later on in the musical journey bands start to call for you to sub and you already know 80% of the material ....feels good ...so take those opportunities that push the limits of time and comfort!

+1

Back when was in Music School (UNT) I was coming back from a recital. I was walking through the halls back to my dorm with my bass. Dude calls out and says, hey we need a sub for the 5 o'clock (jazz lab band), can you do it? I took it. Did it kick my ass, Yes. Did I do OK, Yes. Did I have to stretch, Yes. Did other folks ask me for combo gigs cause of the 5 o'clock lab band? Yes. I could never have auditioned into the 5 o'clock lab band. I was not that good at that time (freshman), I'm probably not good enough now 25 years later. But now I can say I played in the 5 o'clock lab band at UNT (once) and folks who know go "Whoa!." That was a real confidence booster and the confidence helped my practice and my playing.

Background: At the University of North Texas 1'clock lab band has won Grammy awards and were up for more recently. 2nd best bass player 2 o'clock lab band, third best 3 o'clock, etc ... That's a way over simplification but that's the basics. Other folks from UNT can chime in.

Reality is I wasn't anywhere near in the league of the 5 o'clock folks, but I got to play because I was in the right place and available. The older folks know this already but for the younger folks:
- In the right place at the right time
- Available
- Prepared
is pretty much how I've found life deals you luck.

[southpawpa]

I have maybe 200 or so memorized from my current bands and others from previous bands. I read alot on wedding gigs because the call list can get upwards of 300 songs. I do not read on club dates.

I do my best to memorize and not rely on charts but I do find the simple act of writing a tune out a great tool for memorization even though I don't use the chart after I write it. Same thing goes for lyrics.

I feel as though it's memorizing the tunes is just as much what I'm paid for as playing them. Hard to give an energetic performance with my nose in a binder.

[faulknersj]

I have committed a little over 150 songs to memory...but it has taken 3 years to reach this point. We currently add 3 new songs per week...all of which I committ to memory. I attribute the ability to save this many tunes to my memory bank to the fact that we gig 5-6 nights per week. After we rehearse the new tunes, this means we get to play each one about 5 times the following week. This really helps. Also, for me...the more songs we learn, the easier it gets for me to learn and memorize new material. The other thing that helps is that I figure out what key or keys each song is in so that I start to view each thru the lens of music theory. This makes it easier for me to remember songs as well.

[Octavian]

Originally Posted by faulknersj

I have committed a little over 150 songs to memory...but it has taken 3 years to reach this point. We currently add 3 new songs per week...all of which I committ to memory.

Do you find that you get brain farts sometimes on how songs are started? That has been my issue. I know the song but sometimes need a measure or two to remember how I start. I'm sure it's simply a matter of more repetition to fix it.

[LowDown Hal]

I don't remember what I had for lunch and it's only 13:41 here.

My "book" is the chord progressions and the song structure with occasional performance notes mixed in.

[zephyr_words]

I know about 150 rock\funk\hard rock\etc songs note for note. I've learned them all since October of last year.

It's not so bad. I can have a song memorized if it's simple (think Green Day, Blink 182) in about 20 minutes. If I play it a few more times after that it's usually committed pretty well. I have a pretty good memory though.

One thing I did when I started practicing everything in different keys was start a song off in the wrong key. So I've paid a bit more attention to that now =D