Memorizing songs w/ variations

Trist6075 · #1 10-29-2005, 05:34 PM

This has been a problem for me. Wondering how everybody else goes about it. Well im not in a band right now which could be part of it but when i practice by myself sometimes i try to learn songs but it seems to be kind of a waste cuz ill learn it but then a little while later if i try to play it especially if theres lots of variations ill start fumbling or forget the next part and just stop playing and i feel like i suck then, like if i try to just play bass in front of someone. I think its also like when im in front of ppl like i can play it in my room but if im playing the bass ill mess up cuz i forget the next variation. Should I not worry about learning songs till im actually in a band? Maybe i should just work on other stuff like my ear and groove or something or just practicing playing thro chord changes and what not?

Coutts_is_god · #2 10-29-2005, 06:19 PM

I just make stuff up on the spot sometimes. I mean for like every song actualy. Someone told me once "to be a good bass player you have to fake it alot" I took that advice to heart.

MuzikMan · #3 10-29-2005, 08:29 PM

When I'm learning songs with a lot of parts I'll begin by "listening", not playing. I will listen to it until I am comfortable with knowing what the song structure is. Then I will learn the individual parts. At this point it doesn't matter to me which order I learn them in, I treat them as their own entity. When I can play all of the parts comfortably it is much easier to put all of the pieces together.

BTW get in a band right away! There is no better way to progress as a musician, not just a player.

steveksux · #4 10-29-2005, 10:45 PM

Yup. Listen to the song on the way to work a bunch of times to get the organization under your belt, and to try to pick out all the parts. Once you're familiar with it, then drag out the bass and see how close you are to knowing the bass parts.

I learn the organization first, and thenn try to figure out all the bass parts too. Great ear training. THen you can run over it once or twice with the bass and you have it down.

I find if I just try to learn the parts right away, you concentrate on the trees and miss the structure of the forest.

Randy