How many songs can you play?

[LoveAlfalfa]

Hello all,

Just out of sheer boredom I decided to list all the songs I can play with passable proficiency (amazing what you can do when you're bored out of your mind during quarantine). Perhaps it can come of use whenever things open back up when I'm trying to get into bands, kind of like a resume. Granted I have probably forgotten more than a few basslines here and there over the years been at it since I was in Middle School but here it is.

Blitzkrieg Bop- Ramones (Dee Dee Ramone)
Come Together- Beatles (Sir Paul)
Feel Good Inc- Gorillaz (Damon Albarn)
Fix Me- Black Flag (Chuck Dukowski)
Float On- Modest Mouse (Eric Judy)
Jump Into the Fire- Harry Nillson (Herbie Flowers) (work in progress)
Little Green Bag- George Baker Selection (George The)
London Calling- The Clash (Paul Simonon)
Longview- Green Day (Mike Dirnt)
Low Rider-War (B.B. Dickerson)
Money- Pink Floyd (Roger Waters/David Gilmour)
Only In Dreams- Weezer (Matt Sharp)
Paranoid- Black Sabbath (Geezer Butler)
Pump It Up- Elvis Costello (Bruce Thomas)
Should I Stay or Should I Go- The Clash (Paul Simonon)
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana (Krist Novoselic)
So Lonely- The Police (Sting)
Stir It Up- Bob Marley and the Wailers (Aston Barrett)
Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith (Tom Hamilton)
Time- Pink Floyd (Roger Waters/David Gilmour)
With or Without You- U2 (Adam Clayton)

Main Riffs from
Evil-Interpol (Carlos Dengler)
Journey to the East Bay- Rancid (Matt Freeman)
Love Will Tear Us Apart- Joy Division (Peter Hook)
New Years Day- U2 (Adam Clayton)
Self Esteem- The Offspring (Greg K)
Super Freak/U Can't Touch This- Rick James/MC Hammer (Rick James)

Now I don't know what this accomplished or what is accomplished by posting this, but it's day 22 without the ability to go anywhere. So, yeah. Thanks for the click and hope y'all are staying safe and healthy.

 

[SteveC]

Not sure I could list them. Hundreds of them.

 

[Oddly]

Honestly, about 100 right now, off the top of my head.
Maybe not completely 100% note-perfect, but certainly very close.
I can probably fake another couple of hundred, if I've heard them before a few times, and you tell me what key you're in.
After that, if you give me notice, I'll learn it in a day or so.

I've several folders of songs from various bands/projects, and I'm trying to get it all organised into one efficient system.
I'll try to spend at least an hour every day working on tunes.

Now I'm talking standard bar-band stuff, blues, soul, classic rock, pop, folk-rock.
I don't do jazz, or Jaco, or Rush. (ie. the hard stuff)

 

[Nashrakh]

Good question. Without charts and sheet music, maybe a hundred. With paper, which I assume is not the point of the thread, there's about 250 more in my repertoire (but it's mostly big band stuff where reading is required).

 

[growlypants]

Passable proficiency, eh? Billions and billions!

 

[mrcbass]

I have 300-400 songs prepped for auditions/bands. Could probably play about half of those proficiently without notes, any of them with notes and there are probably another couple hundred that I could muddle through passably on the spot if required. List them? Ha! I can't even list all of the songs for any of my current bands when asked.... Most are pretty simple rock/country, but about 20% are a little more challenging and am glad I have them ready to go.

 

[DWBass]

Quite honestly.....probably well over 1000.........

 

[JRA]

How many songs can you play?

songs I can play with passable proficiency

TBH: without some music in front of me i'm not sure. maybe a few dozen...and those would be the last ones i rehearsed/gigged. that said: i could proficiently get through a bunch/dozens of real book tunes until my memory faded or i got confused.

so, i'm willing to stick with this story:
- with music = a bazillion!
- without music = 8 for sure!


can you remind me what key that's in?

 

[bassdude51]

About 5 hours worth but most are in the 1-4-5 chord pattern.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Definitely more than I can count. I’ve learned hundreds over the years.

 

[David McIntire]

Thousands, I think. I've always said, "My memory is both a blessing, and a curse". I still remember virtually all the songs of my first experiences and rehearsals, and rarely need refreshers. Last year alone I performed with 22 different acts. On paid gigs, and also a few more on unpaid gigs.

Recently, I tried amassing a "Real Book" of all the tunes I'd performed. That task just became too daunting. I wish I'd just kept notes along the way. A gig diary. But I didn't. Today? I keep set lists. And I write lists I acquire in notebooks, handwritten. I hand write ALL my charts. Seems to help my memory.

 

[LoveAlfalfa]

I don't do jazz, or Jaco, or Rush. (ie. the hard stuff)

I believe B.B. King told Billy Gibbons who was playing very heavy gauge strings "why you workin' so hard?"

I feel that applies here.

 

[gln1955]

Probably 100-150 bar band songs from memory. I've learned more, but haven't played in so long I doubt I'd be able to do even a passable rendition.

Add in maybe 100 songs for church that I've only played from charts.

 

[Kmonk]

Not sure I could list them. Hundreds of them.

Same here. I have a headphone with an SD card that holds 1,000 songs. I can play most of them.

 

[Bebo2020]

My basses can play all tunes, they have built in unlimited capacity.

 

[HotelX]

More than I care to count.

 

[Nanaki]

One at a time

 

[PWRL]

I really don't know. The thing is that I do a lot of playing by ear and from memory. There are a lot of songs I've heard enough to have memorized the bass lines even if I've never played them. Most of the Joy Division catalogue is like that for me.
In one of my bands from the last few years, we were all like that, so it was a pity it didn't work out. It would take me a really long time to come up with a list, and my attention span has been suffering lately.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Not sure I could list them. Hundreds of them.

I'm with you bro, thatd be an insane list. Not to mention that itd be dragging on for a week or so when I keep remembering others.

 

[micguy]

I do a lot of church gigs - typically learning a new song or two per week. Doing this for a number of years...at-any given time, I probably have 300-400 songs in working memory.