How To Learn Lots of Songs Quickly for a Gig

[gmarcus]

This is such a great thread!
I have a lot to learn.
Thanks to everyone who contributed!

[James Judson]

Depends how much "time" you have. Worse case scenerio >>> phone rings "We need a bass player and we're on in 15 minutes". Listening and watching is imperative here. Reading fingers (guitard, keyboardist) is a nice problem to have (some guitar/keyboard lessons can help). Also knowing who knows the song the best (follow him) and a good conductor can teach a song as your playing. I usually look to the singer as the conductor. I tend to watch the guitar (chord changes) but listen to the drummer (dynamics). You can learn on the fly. It can be done.

Usually we have more time than that.

If I have time heres what I do.

1. Secure a copy of every song on the set list.
2. Prepare a cheat sheet on every song. Sometimes its only the name and what key but I like to have all lyrics with a bass "note" over the words. A sharpie can highlight and bring attention to any little fo pahs that you might miss while your jamming along.
3. Listen to that song list every chance you can and better yet play along.
4. Insist that we do not vary from the set list. Not carved in stone but close. My cheat sheets are in order.

The LEARNING/MEMORIZING part???? My brain ain't big enough for that so if you want me, a music stand is part of the package. I NEVER learn/memorize a song for just one performance.

No matter how much planning you do the band will throw you for a loop and thats when you get creative and just make it work (usually by ear).

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Jarrett

Isn't the Alcohol song in 6/8?

I actually looked it up, and we're both wrong. It's in 3/4. Oddly though, when I counted, I count 1-2-3, 2-2-3 and it seemed to fit, thus I came up with 6/4.

I've been married for 11 years, so I know I can be wrong.

[Jarrett]

Where did you find that info?

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Jarrett

Where did you find that info?

I looked it up in a fake book.

And speaking of, a fake book is a great way to 'fake' a tune quickly. But like anything you get from the internet, it's still a good thing to play through it once for a reality check. Sometimes the chord voicings in the books don't necessarily work for the song.

[Jarrett]

I don't agree with that assessment in the fake book, it feels more natural in 6/8 to me when I count it. The accents are off when trying to count it in 3/4, but I guess it could be written that way if the emphasis notes aren't meant to always fall on the one.

[Winemule]

Originally Posted by Jarrett

Something I thought I should mention is revisiting songs. For example, I learned Brick House in 1993 for a band I was in. I played it with them for a few years. Everyone that heard it loved it, thought the bass part was dead on.

I just went back a couple of weeks ago and listened to again and I have been playing some of the more subtle parts wrong for a long time. No one caught it, even me until recently.

Obviously my ears have gotten better over the years. Back then I guess I could only hear the main parts, but now I can make the more subtle pieces in there that really give the line life. Could I have continued to play that line incorrectly without anyone ever knowing, yep. But it did me good to go back and relearn it. I learned something from music I thought I already knew. Cool how that works. I hope I get a chance to relearn it in another decade or so

Ooooh, yeah. I had the "learn 50 tunes in two weeks" thing thrown at me, and I must have done it well enough, since they kept me on the gig. Six months later I went back through all of it again, and let's just say there was a lot of detail I'd missed first time out, and even some I'd had and then lost, even though I was gigging pretty regularly. So it was good to go back and get the little bits nailed.

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by jive1

I actually looked it up, and we're both wrong. It's in 3/4. Oddly though, when I counted, I count 1-2-3, 2-2-3 and it seemed to fit, thus I came up with 6/4.

I've been married for 11 years, so I know I can be wrong.

With my orchestral hat I'd put it in 12/4, but with my rock hat I'd probably say either 3/4 or 4/4 with a triplet feel. And I could certainly write it as 6/8 though it doesn't have the 6/8 lilt to my ears. But it's not a question of "what's right" it's a question of " have you accurately conveyed the sound you want".

Which brings another "learning songs quickly" lesson. It helps if you have a common language with the band you are working with so you can convey ideas quickly, and some common ground as to how the music should feel. When you are racing you will take shortcuts, and they don't matter as much if they are the same shortcuts the rest of the band would expect.

I work at being multi-lingual. I speak jazz, blues, folk, rock and orchestral.

[Thor]

First of all, 2/5 of you belongs in the DB forum. Now that you have admitted your curmudgeonliness. You smell kinda funny anyway, I thought it was the Down Under smell, now I know its Down Under the Bass forum brimstone smell.

Communicate music with musicians? Good luck finding one that can read. Not that common around here (RI) actually.

Quote I heard recently "We don't play music, we shred."
Yeah, but can we shred in BbM7b5 ?

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by Thor

Yeah, but can we shred in BbM7b5?

Our capacity is diminished by half, but that still leaves a lot of shreddability.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Jarrett

I don't agree with that assessment in the fake book, it feels more natural in 6/8 to me when I count it. The accents are off when trying to count it in 3/4, but I guess it could be written that way if the emphasis notes aren't meant to always fall on the one.

After a good listen, I agree. It's not in 3/4, at least based on the drum beat.

Originally Posted by fingerbun

With my orchestral hat I'd put it in 12/4, but with my rock hat I'd probably say either 3/4 or 4/4 with a triplet feel. And I could certainly write it as 6/8 though it doesn't have the 6/8 lilt to my ears. But it's not a question of "what's right" it's a question of " have you accurately conveyed the sound you want".

I think 4/4 triplet would work, that count works for me. 1-and-uh, 2-and-uh, 3-and-uh, 3-and-uh . 12/4 actually sounds right too. IMO, if it were 6/8 it would have more of a 2 feel or straight feel based on the count of 1-and 2-and 3-and. But if you were counting as 8th notes, then 6/8 would work too.

When we did our recording, the guitar player counted us in as 1-2-3, 2-2-3 thus 6/4 stuck in my head. Which worked for our recording, IMO.

Which brings another "learning songs quickly" lesson. It helps if you have a common language with the band you are working with so you can convey ideas quickly, and some common ground as to how the music should feel. When you are racing you will take shortcuts, and they don't matter as much if they are the same shortcuts the rest of the band would expect.

I work at being multi-lingual. I speak jazz, blues, folk, rock and orchestral.

Exactly. As this tangent discussion illustrates. As long as you guys can count it in together and lock, it works.

[jive1]

Here's another topic I'd like to add, since we're talking about communication......

Learning a song on the fly.
Sometimes you might have to learn a song on a gig, for whatever reason. You get a request with a $100 bill or nice boobs associated with it, you have a guest musician sitting in, BL plays a song that isn't on your list, etc. For some, this is a really stressful thing. For me, it's one of the most exciting things in music. It's where you really can turn water into wine, or into urine if you're not careful. It doesn't have to be a trainwreck, and it can be alot of fun and sound good.

First off, you can do all the stuff I mentioned in my other posts. Except that this time, it's going to be at game speed, so you will be doing it much much faster. See if the song fits one of the money chord variations, if not quickly learn the chords. Get the feel and groove of the song, and listen to each other.

There are 2 keys:
1. Communicate effectively on stage.
2. Trust your ears.

Communicating on stage
The key to pulling off a song on the fly is to have good communication on stage. It really helps to know theory and be able to communicate it. That way when you tell someone the chords, they know it. Or when you say the song goes to the 4th on the chorus, or it modulates a minor third, or play heavy on the one, they will know what you are talking about.
It's also really helpful to know the language and lingo of your genre, like the names of different beats, and the styles. Knowing the names of the different grooves like an uptown shuffle and west coast swing when you're playing Blues, or 1 drop or ska when doing Reggae, or 2 step and El Paso dance when doing country will let you convey alot of musical information with just a few words.
Visual communication is helpful as well. One of the advantages to learning an additional instrument like the guitar or the keys is that it let's you see what they are doing, and you can adjust your bass line from there. You can also use various signals for stops, changes in tempo, additional measures, solos, transition to a different section, modulation, breakdowns, etc. It's helpful to have a band-leader or director conduct this stuff. But, whether it's visual or auditory, the signals must be clear and understood. Make eye contact! Visual communication is also very helpful for counting in a tune and calling a key. For calling the key, I recommend using visuals since B, C, D, E, and G all sound the same on a loud stage, and reading lips won't help you there either. I use fingers up for sharps, and fingers down for flats to give people the key signature. For example, 2 fingers up for D or 2 down for B flat.
Counting in a tune is important. If done properly, you can convey the tempo and feel and get the band tight from the get go. Counting in a tune can be subtle, like just tipping the headstock of your bass while you count or it can be nice and loud for everyone to hear. Here's a couple of example of counts:
Rock - 1, 2, 3, 4 or 1, 2..1,2,3,4
Swing - 1-and-uh, 2-and-uh, 3-and-uh, 4-and-uh


Trust Your Ears
Even though you have visual cues by watching other players, sometimes they can fool you. Keyboard players nowadays love using the transpose feature. Guitarists use capos, and detune. So, in the end you will have to trust your ears. You can use the stuff I mentioned in a previous post about harmony/dissonance and the movement of chords, just a whole lot faster. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to sit out or play something simple on the first measures just so you can listen to what's going on.
The 2 most important things you can do is play in time, and play in tune.
For playing in time, the drummer's hihat or ride will be your best friend for most styles of music. Lock into that to get the feel and the tempo, and use that to anticipate the snare and kick so you can sound really tight. If you are playing Latin, listen to the percussion instrument playing the clave, usually a castanet. Sometimes the drumming can be complex, so you'll need to focus in order to not distracted and to lock in. Even if you don't know the right note, if you play it in time, it can sound like a passing note until you find the right one. The key though is playing in time, otherwise the groove is lost, even with the right notes.
For playing in tune, remember about harmony and dissonance and using what you know to find out what you don't know. If you know the key of the song, you will have an idea of what chords will be used in the song. As long as you are playing a chord tone, you are in tune/harmony. If not, then you have dissonance. But you can always use dissonance as a passing tone. Remember that regardless of what things look like, if you sound out of tune, you are out of tune. Get back in tune ASAP. Play simply until you have a feel of the song, even if it's just playing the root and fifth. And if you are creative rhythmically, you can do alot with just those notes.
Don't just listen to the chords as they are being played, but the motion of the chords as well so you can anticipate the changes. Listen to the melody as well, as it can be a cue for changes or dynamics. If you think you will be lost without the melody during the jam or solo parts, sing it in your head like a prayer so you know your place. And of course, your drummer can be a great friend if he is the type of player who will play fills to lead you into another section of a song, or control their own volume to lead you to changes in dynamics.

To pull off learning a song on the fly, you will need to learn how to deal with multiple visual and auditory stimuli, with much of it essential to getting the song down. Relax, and forget about yourself, and focus on what's going on around you. If you practice this, you will be able to deal with the stimuli on stage as you would deal with all the distractions while walking down the street - you focus on what you need to, while being aware of where you are, but not having to take in everything you see, smell, hear, or touch consciously.

Even though learning a song on the fly can be fun, it's no substitute for being prepared. And the more prepared you are beforehand, the easier it is to learn a song on the fly. And what I mean by prepared is know your theory, listen to alot of music, learn alot of songs, talk to and work with lots of musicians, learn the lingo and the nuances, work on your ear, and have a positive attitude about it.

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by Thor

First of all, 2/5 of you belongs in the DB forum. Now that you have admitted your curmudgeonliness. You smell kinda funny anyway, I thought it was the Down Under smell, now I know its Down Under the Bass forum brimstone smell.

Communicate music with musicians? Good luck finding one that can read. Not that common around here (RI) actually.

Quote I heard recently "We don't play music, we shred."
Yeah, but can we shred in BbM7b5 ?

Hmmm....firstly I am sure the alcohol song might or might not be in 3/4 but it is definitely not in 2/5, though after enough alcohol it might seem that way.

Gotta love Talkbass....where else can you discuss limiting the spread of pornography, the finer points of bondage, and occasionally music at the same time

Buy an upright and come over to the dark side. You'll love it!

[NWB]

I may be alone in this, but in next year's election I'm going to do a write-in vote for Jive for President.

[fingerbun]

Originally Posted by NWB

I may be alone in this, but in next year's election I'm going to do a write-in vote for Jive for President.

Do you have to wait? Obama is en route to visit us in Oz now. I'd be much more excited if it were Jive.

[jive1]

You guys crack me up. I'm flattered, but being president would be like being a bandleader for a bunch of politicians - no, thanks. Drummers, vocalists, and guitarists are enough of a challenge.

But, I'd love to go to Australia someday.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by jive1

You guys crack me up. I'm flattered, but being president would be like being a bandleader for a bunch of politicians - no, thanks. Drummers, vocalists, and guitarists are enough of a challenge.

But, I'd love to go to Australia someday.

Come to think of it, that position is not a headache I'd want to impose on anyone that I respect. OK, no pres. vote then.

However, there is that open office for Grand Pubah of the Water Buffalo Lodge....

[jive1]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Its only music and we all use the same chords and notes ..right?. The diff is what style of music are you playing? I found rock was not that much different than country except country didnt use much 1/8 notes and rode the root/fiths more with a walk here and there.
The oldies songs used allot of the same walks like "You gave me a Mountain etc...easy once you see there really isnt a huge diffrence just a change up of the chording and the way they are played.

Lots of truth here. It's amazing how when you learn one song or bassline, you've learned a bunch of others without even realizing it. That walking bass line can be used in Blues, Country, Rock, Swing, and Jazz by just changing up the tempo and feel. That shuffle you play in the pentatonic box for Blues can sound real funky if you play heavy on the one and add some syncopation. You can change it even more by just switching up one note, as well.

It's true, even though are styles are different, we still use the same notes, chords, etc. It's all music. Sort of how a screwdriver can be used to take apart a PC, fix a car, repair a guitar, pry open a paint can, stab an opponent, etc. Same tool, different uses.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by NWB

However, there is that open office for Grand Pubah of the Water Buffalo Lodge....

I'm totally down for that.

Buffalo buffalo ow woo woo!

[fingerbun]

Well, I did my first paid gig over 30 years ago, done literally thousands since, and I knew a lot of what this thread covered so far, but I've still picked up a few useful new ideas.

Never too old to learn, I say.