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How to memorize songs

#81
Just dropping my 2 cents on my experience. Not sure if anyone else has similar experience.

I come from a classical background with nearly zero band experience. I’ve always been a fairly good sight reader and even freelanced as a choral singer for a while but never had to memorize much (even for my junior and senior tuba recital).

When I got into bass playing a few years ago (at age 35), having to memorize tunes was a big challenge for me. I needed chord charts and my eyes would be glued to it. But now, I feel like I can listen to a tune a few times and I’ll get the hang of it. Having a chord chart definitely helps, of course.

How did I do it? Like others have said, lots of repetition and doing as much memorizing as possible. Thankfully with YouTube, we can watch videos of people playing; some even have tabs or notation. Since I wasn’t playing live much, I’d force myself into a “live” situation by posting YouTube covers where I’d memorize the tune and record in front of a camera with no editing. It took a few years of that for me.
 
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#83
LBS-bass said:
I'll meet you halfway and suggest that writing the chart might make a difference if you're actually committed to learning the song, but I've seen just as many people clinging to their own handwritten charts as anything else. The key, once again, is getting away from the chart and forcing your memory to engage, no matter who wrote it. Does it help at that point if you're the one who just wrote out the changes? Probably, since you still have a memory of that, too. But if you can't get away from the paper none of that matters.

I've known people who played the same charts for SIX YEARS and couldn't play without them. That's incredible to me, but it is what happens when people rely on the charts and won't take the next step.
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Of course you need to get off the paper; you can’t get off the paper if you don’t get off the paper. My point was that if you wrote it, it’s easier to remember. There have been gobs of studies on this. It’s just true. Either way you have to get off the paper. I acknowledge your point that you have to want to do so, but that’s not really germane to the OP, who clearly does want to.
 
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#84
lermgalieu said:
Of course you need to get off the paper; you can’t get off the paper if you don’t get off the paper. My point was that if you wrote it, it’s easier to remember. There have been gobs of studies on this. It’s just true. Either way you have to get off the paper. I acknowledge your point that you have to want to do so, but that’s not really germane to the OP, who clearly does want to.
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The main point I took issue with was where you said that if you work off someone else's chart, it will hurt your ability to memorize. There's not a distinction to be made there that I'm aware of. If you work off any chart and don't get away from it, that will hurt you. If you work from any chart and do get away from it, that will help you.

Anyway, this is a dead horse that doesn't need to be beaten to death. I think we both understand what we're trying to say but perhaps not saying it well.
 
#85
LBS-bass said:
The main point I took issue with was where you said that if you work off someone else's chart, it will hurt your ability to memorize. There's not a distinction to be made there that I'm aware of. If you work off any chart and don't get away from it, that will hurt you. If you work from any chart and do get away from it, that will help you.
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There is a distinction, you have acknowledged it, but you say there isn’t a distinction. My point wasn’t about using a chart and not getting away from it. My point was about using a chart and the relative ease/ability to get away from it if you wrote it versus someone else. Fine, let’s move on.
 
#86
lermgalieu said:
There is a distinction, you have acknowledged it, but you say there isn’t a distinction. My point wasn’t about using a chart and not getting away from it. My point was about using a chart and the relative ease/ability to get away from it if you wrote it versus someone else. Fine, let’s move on.
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I don't see it that way. The distinction doesn't appear as something that hurts your ability, overall, if you have intention. But yes, let's move on.
 
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#88
Depends on the song.

Some songs I have to take on in little bites and sections. An example of that comes to minds is Panic in Detroit.



Setting the volumes just right so I can comfortably hear the song, the parts and the drums and what I'm doing is often one of the main challenges. I find it best for everything to be only just loud enough--no more than--to most clearly hear what I'm learning or re-learning, which is actually quite low.

Also, some songs and the parts are so simple and hypnotic there's nothing to it. I actually put more time into tracking and perfecting my feel for where the changes are. (I might be slightly A.D.D.)

example
 
#90
Rayjay said:
-Memorize the lyrics- very very important!! These give you 1) a point of reference 2) the ability to express the song and its meaning. I once had a guitar teacher who absolutely would not let us play a song until we memorized the lyrics. It was a pain and I hated it. It was actually some of the best advice I ever got!
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Unless I'm singing it...

not gonna happen. :)
 
#91
Marko 1 said:
Unless I'm singing it...

not gonna happen. :)
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As far as knowing the words, I get it! I'm definitely not naturally inclined to do that. But at the very least it's nice to know the first line of each verse so you know what verse you're on, or maybe more importantly if the singer takes a wrong turn, then you can hop onto their part of the song at save the show (...maybe...sometimes....):laugh:. I've also been able to pull us out of a few endless vamps because the singer turns around for a desperate clue to the next words. Good times.

I've found of all musicians, the people who seem the most inclined towards the lyrics and the meaning of songs (besides the vocalist) seems to be drummers. Especially the really musical ones. Generally speaking.
 
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#92
See if you can find an isolated vocal track. More and more of these are on Youtube. See if you can hold down the bass line without any click or drums; merely off the singer's groove and your own pulse.

This is highly challenging, but fun and interesting. It will quickly reveal any timing or form issues.
 
#93
Lots of great stuff here! I have found that it's often helpful for me to do a full court press on a tune for a number of rounds, then, when I seem to hit the same stumbling blocks repeatedly, stop working on it altogether. The reason is it seems that my short-term memory is about full in regards to that "data" and will just keep glitching. When I return to is some few days later, after my brain has transferred it to long-term memory, it's far easier to tidy up the rough spots. This appears to be the way I learn best, but I suspect it is by no means universal.

The Bar Band Bassman
 
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#94
Learn the song structure/chords, rhythm, etc. Then learn the signature riffs. Then repetition, over and over playing through the tracks while listening for missed parts and refine… then repetition with backing vocals if you’re doing that part as well.

This is the process I follow, just had to learn 15 new songs over the last week and a half for a 4hr show tomorrow night (we lose our keyboardist for Friday and he’s back on Saturday). So had to learn these tunes quickly, they can be done without keys in a pinch and he’ll pick them up quickly as well so we can weave them in as needed.

I do use tool(s) to quickly breakdown/transpose the chord structures as a starting point (Moises and Capo Pro) then pickup the rest by ear.
 
#96
lermgalieu said:
...
you need to take the leap off the paper; I just think that leap is easier if you did your own chart, because you've already done some learning.
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It isn't really a leap, IME. By the time I've taken the dictation, reviewed, corrected, validated, fine-tuned and personalised the notation the song is already learned and the 'paper' goes back in the box.

But yes I think we are stressing the same point - making your own charts is a totally different process to just reading someone else's, and the outcomes are more favourable in every possible respect. It might be worth saying that the more 'method' applied to the process the more effective the result - just jotting down a few chord symbols on the back of a beer mat doesn't really count.
 
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#98
You’re on the right track with the “theory” part. Learning the building blocks of music is valuable.

I’ve been playing bass over 50 years and other than “signature licks”, I don’t “memorize” songs- I learn them. I’m not currently in a cover band, so when I do play gigs I either have lots of freedom to play off lead sheets, or I play written parts.
I’m a strong advocate for reading standard notation because other skills are developed in the learning process.
 
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#99
TyBo said:
In addition to things already mentioned, I also try to get the song itself in my head. Like, the lyrics and melody. Helps to keep the part oriented to the bigger picture. :bassist:
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Ear worms are particularly helpful but sometimes annoying. It does however in whole or part, get you much of the song internalized.

THE BEST TEACHER is also hearing the song w/o one's instrument handy. Especially if one already thinks they know the song. The subtleties, intentional or not, are there.
 
#100
What I do:
Start at the beginning and with bass in hand start going through the song.
First listen and concentrate on learning the chord progressions for the different parts - verse, chorus, bridge, etc
If there is a main bass line pattern, learn that.
If there are signature licks, take the time to learn those.

But I mostly start at the beginning of a song and play all the way through, fixing and correcting as I go along.
Play through it four or five times and then leave it. Maybe go back to it later in the day. You are probably going to be playing it for awhile, so just keep going through it a bunch of times a day for days.

I tend to run all the way straight through songs because it helps engrain the format =
iIE: ntro > verse > chorus > lift/bridge/"b' section > verse > chorus > outro.
This helps me to lead the band through the changes and sections.

But like everyone above has stated = it's all about repetition over & over & over 'til you feel confident in all aspects. Peeps just have a multitude of approaches and thru time you'll figger what works best for you.
My approach has worked for me for 50+ years - just how I've always done it. ymmv. Stubborn Taurus. HAVE FUN! :bassist::hyper:


A lot of friends listen to a song a few times before even playing along - just listening. It's an idea.
But that's not me :atoz: ☮
 

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