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How do you memorize your parts for live shows?

A week after?
I've struggled to remember a part as I'm playing it!

In my hey-day, such as it was, it was mainly memory.
For new songs, if we'd not had time to rehearse beforehand, I'd use a cheat-sheet...usually a lyrics sheet with the chords.
I generally got by with that.
This was in various mainly covers bands, playing 2/3 times a week.

Coincidentally, I'm finally getting around to organising a box of folders of said lyric sheets, notebooks, tabs, etc onto my tablet, using Setlist Helper.
I'm not gigging right now, but if I get a call, I'll be ready...assuming I'm allowed use it!
 
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A week after?
I've struggled to remember a part as I'm playing it!

In my hey-day, such as it was, it was mainly memory.
For new songs, if we'd not had time to rehearse beforehand, I'd use a cheat-sheet...usually a lyrics sheet with the chords.
I generally got by with that.
This was in various mainly covers bands, playing 2/3 times a week.

Coincidentally, I'm finally getting around to organising a box of folders of said lyric sheets, notebooks, tabs, etc onto my tablet, using Setlist Helper.
I'm not gigging right now, but if I get a call, I'll be ready...assuming I'm allowed use it!
Ha.
 
It was intended for Lee as he tours regularly with different artists.
I learn by playing the songs over and over and over.....If I have sheet music it is hard for me to get away from it once I start with it. All the gigs I do demand memory. No Charts on stage. I spend a lot of time going over the material. I am doing three tours in succession and learning all the material at the same time. Some is review but when I finish a gig I tend to shove the songs into the back of my head and have to spend some time relearning them. Tedious but, for me, the only way.
 
Thank you very much for your reply. Memorization of lots of songs is my biggest challenge.

Before I memorize, note for note , I may a quickie chart like the attached simple example to help me visualize the overall song form. That makes learning the details a lot easier. I stash these in my digital sheet music folder after I am done.

Thanks again.
 

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I learn by playing the songs over and over and over.....If I have sheet music it is hard for me to get away from it once I start with it. All the gigs I do demand memory. No Charts on stage. I spend a lot of time going over the material. I am doing three tours in succession and learning all the material at the same time. Some is review but when I finish a gig I tend to shove the songs into the back of my head and have to spend some time relearning them. Tedious but, for me, the only way.
I learn by playing the songs over and over and over.....If I have sheet music it is hard for me to get away from it once I start with it. All the gigs I do demand memory. No Charts on stage. I spend a lot of time going over the material. I am doing three tours in succession and learning all the material at the same time. Some is review but when I finish a gig I tend to shove the songs into the back of my head and have to spend some time relearning them. Tedious but, for me, the only way.
I have to agree 100% with Lee.
Usually given a set list plus a few extras and I listen to the song literally all day and most of the night. What im doing is really setting the program in my psyche.
Then i rehearse the material to know end so when it sound check time and show time im hopefully good to go.
Lee tell my friend LL.. will said Howdy.
 
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Thank God, it's not just me...
We record rehearsals (2 PZM's to mic pres, to compressors, to CD)
I find listening back (while spending hours in traffic) has helped.
 
So glad to come across this thread. Thought something was wrong with my memory. To dependent on the sheet music recently.
Brain power's a muscle you have to work like any other :D For me, when I learn songs from sheet music, there comes a point where I want to hang onto the music and don't feel confident that I have it memorized even though I probably do. And I think overall I memorize quicker if I only use my ear. But in general, if I play through something 5-10 times, I have it memorized either way, unless it's really hard. But using the sheet music instead of learning it by ear makes me take more time to memorize it for sure.