Faulty Musical Memory?

[Hekbass]

@mbeall For some reason, I gave you a link to a clip from the Big Bang Theory show. ***?? My bad. Hopefully this one will work:


Project 25 is the metal band I play in...the guys that wanted a "soloistic" bass player. Odd, I know, but I'm glad I found them. I can literally do anything - slap, tap, chord my way through somewhat regular guitar riffs, and no one bats an eye. Shweet.

 

[mbeall]

Far out. Reminds me of Dethklok. That's all I got cause I'm not a new school metal fan. My metal collection stops at "And Justice For All." Regardless, since your digging the music and the freedom they give you I understand the speed drills now. However I would venture to guess that you are not focusing as hard on harmony with Project 25 as you are when trying to recall Gloria's Step. If music is a language it sounds to me like your losing you "Jazz" accent in favor of developing your "Metal" accent which focuses less on "changes" and more on rhythm and timbre. But the way our brains work is pretty set. We will sound like what we practice and we will get rusty on the old ways in favor of the new. In a round about way what I'm trying to say is I think your memory is fine.
If you still have a passion for playing things like a Scott LaFaro tune you just include it regularly in your practice and playing time along with everything else you want to develop. Remember what Stravinsky said...

"Good composers borrow, great composers steal."

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Hekbass]

Far out. Reminds me of Dethklok. That's all I got cause I'm not a new school metal fan. My metal collection stops at "And Justice For All."

Oh man, I'm VERY old school. I kinda like Dethklok, but I don't have anything by them. The so-called New Wave of American Metal has left me completely cold. I've seen most of those bands live, as openers for acts I've gone to see, and I still don't like any of them. Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Bullet for My Valentine, Shadows Fall...YAWN. Yes, they're talented, but they're not hitting me.

The band I'm in strikes me as different from all those bands. I don't think we are 'metalcore' or anything like that. If it had sounded like that to me, I wouldn't have joined. But, maybe it does to you, and if it does, I can't help it. I think the vocals is the only thing that places our sound into the "new school metal" ballpark, but I think the riffs themselves are a bit more old school. Add my crazy bass lines and the drummer's odd accents, and I think we definitely do not fit within the "metal wave" of recent years.

I'm into Slayer, 80's Metallica, Death, Suffocation, Napalm Death, Septic Flesh, Obituary...in short, bands from the 80's or early 90's. Of course, I also love older stuff like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Cream, Zeppelin, Hendrix...the forefathers. I like old school blues like Muddy Waters and James Cotton. Add some of my other faves: Tori Amos, Primus, Bob Marley, Cachao, Tito Puente, Mr. Bungle, plus a lot of old school jazz and funk and a bit of classical...I mean, I'm pretty eclectic in my listening, I think.

But, yes, when it comes to me as a musician, I've found that I am inevitably and primarily a metal player, with some crazy influences that spice up my playing. And it's true that as of late my listening habits have gone back to mostly death metal, and very little jazz. I go through waves like that, I guess. Just a couple of years ago I listened to jazz probably 70% of the time, and now it's probably like 20%. *shrug* It is what it is, I can't help what I feel like listening to. LOL!

So, given that, I do find that trying to learn a jazz tune in this context is almost me trying to "salvage" my "jazz side." So, perhaps that's why it didn't stick. But, funnily enough, it just happens with anything I learn - Metallica tunes, etc. So, it's still kind of mysterious. Heh, heh.

Anywho...thanks for the advice.

 

[Anonymatt]

I have the same problem.

Always heard that the best time to review something you're trying to memorize is just before you're about to forget it.

This is for when you'd like to be memorizing tons of stuff and don't want to waste time w/ redundant studying. Everything just goes in the queue of stuff you're just about to forget.

I guess you just have to be honest w/ yourself about how you review the material after initially committing it to memory. I'll play a song nonstop for a couple weeks, and if I don't review it for a couple weeks after, poof. This is my issue.

You know when you're working out and you get buff to a certain level and you slack off 'cause you're satisfied w/ things... then you lose it because you don't maintain. And the maintenance wouldn't really be that hard!

 

[phillybass101]

EDIT: I don't do drugs at all or drink excessively. Never have. I only smoke regular cigarettes (about 2 cigs per day), and I drink sporadically (about 2-3 drinks per month.) So, it's most definitely not related to any sort of chemical abuse.

And there we have your problem. Just kidding. Man relax and take the pressure off of yourself. I learn a song gradually. I listen to it at first without any stress to learn or memorize it. This way it becomes a part of you, ingrained. I do however listen to it over and over again. before you sit down and work out the parts, learn the song. I believe you are concentrating so much on the actual parts and licks you lose focus on the song. learn the song first, the verse, chorus. bridge etc, in your head. Once you have the layout of the song down, just figure out the parts. You will remember the parts if you remember the song.