Cheat Sheets

dbassman59 · #1 04-18-2009, 11:50 AM

How many of you bring chord charts to gigs?

I have to admit .. I bring mine ... even though I tuck it off into a corner ... I'm trying real hard to memorize everything ... but I still need a crutch every now and again ... I might only use it for one or two songs ... but it's always a comfort to have it ...

Any other guilty parties?

two fingers · #2 04-18-2009, 11:54 AM

Absolutely. I do mainly fill-in gigs these days. If you call me on Monday night and want me to play all 45 of your set songs by Friday or Saturday, I'm cheatn big time!

sleepy_monkey · #3 04-18-2009, 11:57 AM

I fill in for so many bands and have to learn so many songs, I have to use cheat sheets. I use my Macbook though and have all of the songs and chords and set it in front of my monitor or behind my amp so I can just glance at it and no one else is the wiser. I would much rather use cheat sheets than battle through the set.

I am pretty good at watching guitarists hands on the fly and playing too. I play 4-5 songs a gig that I have either never heard or never played before. BUT, the band I recently started playing with tunes their guitars a half step down, so that makes it a bit more challenging as I keep my bass in standard tuning.

barbarbass · #4 04-18-2009, 12:05 PM

Not only chord charts, but sheet music, as well. Helps me remember form, mainly.

Richland123 · #5 04-18-2009, 12:30 PM

I memorize all the music unless I am doing a fill in gig with another band, then I either use charts or main notes as a guide on the songs I never played before or play infrequently. I never bother with sheet music. I do use cheat sheets for just the lyrics when learning new songs until I have them memorized. I play with a guitar player who still uses cheat sheets for chords and lyrics on songs he has been playing for decades and I can't understand why.

ChrisB2 · #6 04-18-2009, 01:57 PM

In the cover band, I will occassionally ask the guitarists what key a song is in. Otherwise it's all from memory. But, I don't sing much so I'm only memorizing the bass line. Plus I usually learn a song without music so that helps.

In the praise band, I learn from a fake sheet so I end up needing it. But I don't mind using one there as much as I do in the cover band...

**Stumbo** · #7 04-18-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richland123

. I play with a guitar player who still uses cheat sheets for chords and lyrics on songs he has been playing for decades and I can't understand why.

IME, there are different levels of musical memory. Some people(one I know), if you give them a minute can pretty much remember the lyrics and melody to every song they have ever played and if you hum a few bars, can generate the chords/melody by ear with out too much effort.

Others people can sight read perfectly but nothing by ear or memory.

Most of us fall in between the two extremes.

Datsgor · #8 04-18-2009, 02:26 PM

I use cheat sheets on songs that the bandleader wants to bring in at the last minute. I memorize everything alse that I have time for. One thing though, If I use a cheat sheet, I don't seem to be able to memorize the song, and keep using the cheat sheet gig after gig. (I can't memorize it on the fly at the gig because I am too busy concentrating on cheating) I need to sit down and play it at home to let it sink in. Not all songs, but a good number of the difficult ones that I need the cheat sheet for in the first place. Strange but true.

mr.hughes · #9 04-18-2009, 02:31 PM

I don't use them on gigs that I do regularly - the idea being if I know I 'm going to be playing with the same band again and there's certain tunes I don't know then I simply have to learn them - that's what we do. But for bands I rarely play with then it's cheat sheets for sure. On one gig in particular, an Irish trad gig, I've scored the whole thing - there's simply too many quirks to wing it or learn it without playing it every night.

xgator4u · #10 04-18-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Datsgor

I use cheat sheets on songs that the bandleader wants to bring in at the last minute. I memorize everything alse that I have time for. One thing though, If I use a cheat sheet, I don't seem to be able to memorize the song, and keep using the cheat sheet gig after gig. (I can't memorize it on the fly at the gig because I am too busy concentrating on cheating) I need to sit down and play it at home to let it sink in. Not all songs, but a good number of the difficult ones that I need the cheat sheet for in the first place. Strange but true.

+1
I always bring them, even if I just put the binder [alphabetized] on the floor next to my cabs. I have needed them on more than one occasion. Set lists seem to change suddenly and when I hear a song start I am like W.T. F, what is that song, they tell me, and I again am W.T. F, look it up real quick, refresh my memory, and rock on.

dbassman59 · #11 04-18-2009, 04:54 PM

Seems most everyone uses them ... it makes me fee a little better ... I mostly use mine for lyrics ... One of the posters said if you always rely on them you'll never memorize the song ... He is so right! I sing lead on "Please Please Me" - Beatles ... There are two versus of two sentences ... It took me a couple of years to memorize .. I know that's pretty bad ... but I also sing "All Star" - Smashmouth ... a ton of lyrics .. I memorized those in a car trip I took once ... never have problem with that one at all ...

jazzbo58 · #12 04-18-2009, 05:55 PM

I have most songs memorized. If we're playing some new material, I'll have the chord changes taped down on the floor where I can see them.

Cheers,
Jim

B-NoteCowboy · #13 04-18-2009, 06:03 PM

I don't but I would if i were smart enough to use them.

I've only had one of those fill in gigs where I had to learn 40 songs in a week and I just memorized them all and no.... I'm not good enough to consistently pull that off! Pulled it off for that gig, but it drove me nuts doing so.

Memitim · #14 04-18-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richland123

I play with a guitar player who still uses cheat sheets for chords and lyrics on songs he has been playing for decades and I can't understand why.

Pilots who have flown hundreds of hours still bust out the checklist to walk through each pre-flight. Yeah, it's a matter of life or death for them so there's definitely more of an impetus, but I could see a musician doing the same thing just as a backup against brainfarts and distractions. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

**jmattbassplaya** · #15 04-18-2009, 10:20 PM

I`ve never really used them, but I pick up things more quickly than most other people I`ve played with.

To each his own I guess.

ForSix · #16 04-19-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbassman59

How many of you bring chord charts to gigs?

I have to admit .. I bring mine ... even though I tuck it off into a corner ... I'm trying real hard to memorize everything ... but I still need a crutch every now and again ... I might only use it for one or two songs ... but it's always a comfort to have it ...

Any other guilty parties?

Last night there was a Van Morrison concert on PBS.

The whole band, including Van Morrison, had music stands and charts.

justabass · #17 04-20-2009, 12:41 AM

If its a last min show or a fill in I'll makes notes on my set list like "all in" or just the bridge section or solo changes maybe a tricky ending. Basically just some notes. Works out well and the audience would never know the difference. If you get a rehearsal take your laptop and set up your set list as a word file. You can easily adjust your notes as you rehearse then just print it off...

Lazylion · #18 04-20-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbassman59

...if you always rely on them you'll never memorize the song...

This is not true for me.
I memorize eventually, but until then I use sheets. Call them a crutch if you will, but I would ask this question. Would you rather have a crutch or a trainwreck?

I've done hundreds of gigs with a music stand in front of me, and I expect to do hundreds more.

MNAirHead · #19 04-20-2009, 11:01 PM

I normally have a setlist.. it has key.. key change.. BPM, Time sig..any non trad background changes.

seanm · #20 04-20-2009, 11:41 PM

Never use cheat sheets....... mainly because I never get around to making them

I have almost all the songs I play *partially* laid out on paper. But I don't use cheat sheets at practice, so there is really no incentive to make them.

I am find if I always have the chords in front of me I never learn the song. I have to play without the chords.

However, I play classic rock, blues, and country. For the most part I can wing it if I have too.

I DO like to know the key the song is in though.