How do you memorize a new song?

[mambo4]

I manually chart the song , even if handed a chart.
Usually a chord chart with bar lines d.c. al coda's etc, occasionally notating specific parts. These are not my own secret scribbles or weird system- I try to write a normal standard notation chart a musician can follow. The process of listening and analyzing enough to work out the structure, progression, and basic rhythm usually solidifies my memory. plus I now have a chart that I wrote which I can refer to if things get hazy.

Other than that, practice and listen.

 

[smogg]

Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition

 

[mrjim123]

If it's easy I just listen until I memorize it. Otherwise I chart it. Charting is very helpful, to the extent that having charted it it's often already embedded in my memory, so I can file the chart for the future.

The more you do this the eàsier it gets.

 

[tb-player]

I listen to the song for at least a few days without picking up the instrument. Once I’ve internalized the tune, it usually only takes a couple of play-thrus to have it down. Any difficult lines, I’ll either write out or play on a loop until it’s in my muscle memory.

 

[Liam Wald]

YOUTUBE

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Write out a chart with chords and vocal clues, understand how the song fits together and how the bass line fits, after I understand it then it’s repetition. But when I understand the song it takes far less repetition.

 

[r_bnks]

By playing along without transcription.

 

[Grinderman]

 

[sedan_dad]

You won't be able to run if you insist on using a crutch.

 

[Wasnex]

It depends. Some songs are relatively easy to memorize and some songs are extremely hard.

For easy songs, I generally take some notes and build cue cards (if necessary). I might write the key and first note, form (something like AABA), and if necessary a few bars of the typical bassline. The cue cards only required when I am first learning the material, or if I have not played it for a long time.

The bands I worked in typically wrote out lead sheets for everything. Before first rehearsal we were given a lead sheet and recording. The cue cards I mentioned in the previous paragraph were sort of a tool to help me get off the page.

What I think makes a song hard to memorize: 1. If the bass line varies and must be played note for note. I remember trying to memorize FourPlay's "Bali Run." It's fairly fast and technical, but that was not the problem for me. What I struggled with is the form varies. Essentially the arrangement had endings with different numbers of measures and thus different bass lines. I had all of the ending memorized, but keeping my place in regards to which ending to play was hard. The lead sheet for this was something like 7-9 pages long(with repeats).

Here's the song if you are interested:


2. I also struggle to memorize and retain more complex harmonic progressions. Back when I was still an active bass player, I had no problem memorizing 6 hours of cover band material including the bass part and my background vocal lines. In contrast I really struggle to get off the page with jazz standards, even songs I have played for decades. I can memorize most of the harmonic progression, but there are often a few changes where I need a lead sheet to find my way. I can work up a few harmonically complex tunes, but I find it difficult retain a couple of hours this sort of material.

Your ability to memorize material relies on innate talent to some degree. You need a minimum amount of natural ability. Even if you have the necessary talent, you may have to work hard, but it gets easier the more you do it. I am pretty sure I could get better at memorizing jazz standards...but my job didn't really require it, so I spent my time on other things.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Practice it about 20 times!

 

[ryco]

Listen to the song a couple of times.
Start at the beginning and start running through it. Listen for the roots of the chord progression: then determine Major? Minor? Dom? something else?
If there is a bass note pattern or riff, figure it out. Signature lick? Figure it out.
Memorize song format going forward: Intro? Verse, verse, chourus? Bridge or B section or "lifts"? figure 'em out. Get a rough idea of all these different parts.
Then start running the song from beginning to end over and over 'til you have it memorized.
Get it down ruff, and then go back and work on any tricky parts - with or without music going.

This is how I've always done it forever and ever.
By running the song from beginning to end helps stamp the song format/sequence into my brain. This way I can provide the foundation to lead everybody else thru the tune.
Of course a lot of times things get changed around, but at least I know the foundation.
ymmv and peace

 

[2112]

I will listen to a song many times, then chart it, which helps me internalize the bass line note-for-note, the chords, and the roadmap. Then, I'll play thru the song against the recording using the chart. Staying tethered to the chart too long builds undesired long-term dependency on it. So, depending on complexity, I start weaning myself off after about a dozen run-thrus starting with non-challenging parts. Eventually, I start working on more challenging pieces and signature fills... and before too long, I'm playing the song free of the chart.

 

[TOOL460002]

Listen a lot. Scribble some stuff on a piece of paper I somehow manage to keep safe longer than my social security card. Bring said paper to practice. The usual.

Actually, I'm a very visual and kinesthetic learner. Every musician is at least the latter. There is something about writing it out and having a visual representation that locks information in. It also forces you to transfer information from sound to brain to pen to paper. It's like when the teacher says you can bring a 3x5 card in but don't need to use it. Best analogy I got. I don't know what that says about my analogy game.

 

[InhumanResource]

As our first rehearsal approaches, I find myself preparing a small bunch of songs. None of them is particularly challenging from a technical point of view, but this will be my first time ever playing the bass with other people, so I am mostly worried about how will I manage to keep up with the groove and how to setup my instrument's sound properly.

But something that is getting in the way of my primary concerns is the fact that I don't yet remember the songs note-by-note without looking at some sort of transcription, so I have prepared printouts and handwritten notes to help me visually remember grooves, song structures, variations and such. This is what I always did when I used to play the guitar, until the time when the song has been rehearsed enough so that I don't need visual aids anymore. Reading a full transcription at rehearsals is unwieldy, therefore I make my own notes with "clues", with the target of fitting everything I need for a song in a single page. It's not a perfect system... for instance this time I am really struggling on how to capture on paper all the small variations for "Are you gonna go my way" without transcribing the whole thing.

What is your method for memorizing a song faster than just keep playing it all the time?

Listen and play, listen and play, listen and play, then listen and play.

I like to play along with YouTube videos of the track we are doing. If it’s too much for me to grab that way, I’ll watch videos of other people doing bass covers. Almost every song we do is popular enough that covers exist on the tube, so I just cop those until I’ve got it. I’m lucky that the bands I’m in gig a lot, so I kind of just tripped on stuff at gigs until I got it right. The guys were all thankfully patient with me. But anyway, listen and play. Listen and play.

 

[Chris Y]

As our first rehearsal approaches, I find myself preparing a small bunch of songs. None of them is particularly challenging from a technical point of view, but this will be my first time ever playing the bass with other people, so I am mostly worried about how will I manage to keep up with the groove and how to setup my instrument's sound properly.

But something that is getting in the way of my primary concerns is the fact that I don't yet remember the songs note-by-note without looking at some sort of transcription, so I have prepared printouts and handwritten notes to help me visually remember grooves, song structures, variations and such. This is what I always did when I used to play the guitar, until the time when the song has been rehearsed enough so that I don't need visual aids anymore. Reading a full transcription at rehearsals is unwieldy, therefore I make my own notes with "clues", with the target of fitting everything I need for a song in a single page. It's not a perfect system... for instance this time I am really struggling on how to capture on paper all the small variations for "Are you gonna go my way" without transcribing the whole thing.

What is your method for memorizing a song faster than just keep playing it all the time?

Learning songs is all about repetition, listen and play along over again until it is planted in your memory, try not to rely on charts etc as they will ultimately distract you from actually remembering the arrangements and the timing changes etc.
Every change in a song has cues from other players/instruments. You need to listen and learn to follow/lead each other as required, it will soon become second nature.

You mentioned this is your first rehearsal.
Try not to overthink it and limit the number of songs you learn as a band. You should all try to agree on 4-5 songs for the first time together, some songs will naturally come together and should be used as a reference point for choosing the next 4-5. Sometimes tracks that sound great just don't work together as a band until you all progress as a unit.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

As our first rehearsal approaches, I find myself preparing a small bunch of songs. None of them is particularly challenging from a technical point of view, but this will be my first time ever playing the bass with other people, so I am mostly worried about how will I manage to keep up with the groove and how to setup my instrument's sound properly.

But something that is getting in the way of my primary concerns is the fact that I don't yet remember the songs note-by-note without looking at some sort of transcription, so I have prepared printouts and handwritten notes to help me visually remember grooves, song structures, variations and such. This is what I always did when I used to play the guitar, until the time when the song has been rehearsed enough so that I don't need visual aids anymore. Reading a full transcription at rehearsals is unwieldy, therefore I make my own notes with "clues", with the target of fitting everything I need for a song in a single page. It's not a perfect system... for instance this time I am really struggling on how to capture on paper all the small variations for "Are you gonna go my way" without transcribing the whole thing.

What is your method for memorizing a song faster than just keep playing it all the time?

My first though is: you may be using written material as a "crutch" (" ... I don't yet remember the songs note-by-note without looking at some sort of transcription ...").

To answer your question more directly: I start out by listening to the song, repetitively, until I can play it fairly accurately, just from those listening sessions. I get the song "in my head" where I know it/can hum it.

Then, I pick up my bass and do some play-along. If I still haven't gotten the notes entirely correctly, I will resort to some written materials.

As others have said, though: repetition is the key (for most of us) to memorization.

 

[-Stingray]

I found that when I rely on any kind of charting I then can't wean myself from the charts. My only advice is to play it along with the MP3 a bazillion times.

 

[MtManiac]

Assuming we’re talking about learning covers, but even if not some of this will still apply:

There is a chord progression for each section of the song, and usually those sections repeat, with the exception of the bridge and sometimes what’s played during a guitar solo/keys solo/sax solo, etc. I learn the chord progression for each section.

I also listen to the original recording over and over again - while I driving, walking the dog, etc. Doing this, I learn 1) the melody of the bass line so I can sing it or hear it in my head and know how it sounds, and 2) hear how it interacts with the other instruments, especially the primary melody.

All of that helps me keep it together when I’m playing with the band.

The third thing of course is just the technical aspect of playing the song, and that’s all about repetition, slowing down hard spots to get my fingers used to playing them, bringing things up to speed, and just mastering the part.

And all of that is also assuming I have some kind of notation - whether something I’ve picked out myself while listening, mentally or on paper, or sheet notation, or tab, but I try to play without visual aids as much as possible and as soon as possible.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Unless the song is super simple, I will usually transcribe it (in standard notation). By transcribing it, I will see any little quirks (eg. an added bar of 2/4, an added bar running into the second verse, etc...) and that helps me understand what's going on. Depending on the song, I may just write chord changes or actual full parts or a combination of the two.

Once that is done. I'll run the songs several times with the chart. After that, I will try running the song and only glance at the chart when needed and then finally, without the chart. Any sections that need work I will loop and slow down until I can get it and then bring it up to full speed.

When I start transcribing a bassline, my initial intent is to go note-for-note, but not every song needs it and going for every nuance and variation is a lot of work. Sometimes I will simplify lines or just make sure the signature parts are there.