How Possible It is to Learn 5 songs a week?

[Donald Thompson]

So, I want to get in the Army band. They gave me a list of genres to play(country,jazz,R&B,Pop/Rock, and Latin). If I had 6 hours after work, would that be enough enough with homework, drums, and singing?

 

[Mushroo]

Welcome to TalkBass!

How many songs have you learned so far? How long does it usually take you to learn a new song? What is your typical method for learning songs? (By ear, standard notation, TAB, chord charts, youtube tutorial, teacher shows you where to put your fingers, etc.?)

I think learning 1 song per day is a perfectly reasonable goal.

 

[Gorn]

It's doable. Don't you have to be in the army to play in their band?

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

It's doable. Don't you have to be in the army to play in their band?

Yes. I don't know if it is still true, but you had to read.

 

[Donald Thompson]

I'm in the Army. The band players me told they don't do sight reading anymore, so it's more like preparing songs for a gig.

 

[Mushroo]

I'm in the Army. The band players me told they don't do sight reading anymore, so it's more like preparing songs for a gig.

Can you read music? Have you played a gig before? How many songs did you play at the gig? How long did it take you to prepare those songs (and using what method)? Did your friends in the band give you a list of songs to learn for the audition?

 

[DirtDog]

So, are you looking to change your MOS or is this a volunteer band on base kind of thing? Or you already in the MOS change process and this is the audition?

 

[Donald Thompson]

Welcome to TalkBass!

How many songs have you learned so far? How long does it usually take you to learn a new song? What is your typical method for learning songs? (By ear, standard notation, TAB, chord charts, youtube tutorial, etc.?)

I think learning 1 song per day is a perfectly reasonable goal.

Played for more than a year. Played in some church. I like learning by ear, but I prefer charts. I don't know scales names, but I can play major scales up to one octive. I can use the Nashville system. I have trouble with using my pinkey finger( I play on a 32 inch)

 

[Mushroo]

Played for more than a year. Played in some church. I like learning by ear, but I prefer charts. I don't know scales names, but I can play major scales up to one octive. I can use the Nashville system. I have trouble with using my pinkey finger( I play on a 32 inch)

When you played in church, did you play songs? How many songs? How long did it take you to learn the songs?

 

[Donald Thompson]

When you played in church, did you play songs? How many songs? How long did it take you to learn the songs?

I played on drums most of the time. I struggled at first with bass since I was trying to copy the bass player(impossible lol). So it used to take me a 3 days to learn a hard song. Now, it takes me 15 to 30nmims for a song.

 

[Donald Thompson]

So, are you looking to change your MOS or is this a volunteer band on base kind of thing? Or you already in the MOS change process and this is the audition?

Change my MOS.

 

[Mushroo]

I played on drums most of the time. I struggled at first with bass since I was trying to copy the bass player(impossible lol). So it used to take me a 3 days to learn a hard song. Now, it takes me 15 to 30nmims for a song.

If it takes you 15-30 minutes to learn a new song, then you should be able to easily learn 5 songs in a week (if you practice 30+ minutes per day).

My suggestion is to turn off the computer, learn the first song RIGHT NOW, and then you will feel good about your progress.

 

[lz4005]

I played on drums most of the time. I struggled at first with bass since I was trying to copy the bass player(impossible lol). So it used to take me a 3 days to learn a hard song. Now, it takes me 15 to 30nmims for a song.

That answers your question. If it takes you 30 minutes or less to learn a song you should be able to learn those 5 songs in 2.5 hours or less.

edit: d'oh. Mushroo and I were typing the same thing at the same moment.

 

[MrLenny1]

Go for it.

 

[brianrost]

The band players me told they don't do sight reading anymore, so it's more like preparing songs for a gig.

You have to be kidding me. Boy, standards sure have fallen if that's true. All of the band members I knew when I was in the Army were trained to sight read.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Depends. One can learn 5 blues songs in a day but may not be able to learn an epic Yes song in his life time.

 

[Ric5]

How Possible It is to Learn 5 songs a week?


Yes unless they are extended prog rock songs

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

Depends. One can learn 5 blues songs in a day but may not be able to learn an epic Yes song in his life time.

I've never heard a Yes "song". I've only ever heard their endless temporal musical journey portals to another dimension. I've never attempted to learn one, as I am not a wizard.

To answer the OP: you can definitely do this. It will be rough! The fastest way to memorize things is to do them in many different ways. First, tab/chart it out. Then, learn to sing some of the words (the first line of each part helps a ton if you can't manage them all. Next, play through it on repeat (in the key you are going to play it in). Most importantly, get off Talkbass and all other social media, and start learning the tunes!!!

 

[mellowinman]

If it's 5 impossible songs, it doesn't seem likely.

Luckily there aren't that many impossible songs.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Depends on the song. I can learn five I IV V tunes per day.
But it took me 6 months to learn TOPs "What Is Hip?".