Learning a Tune/Song

[Gregorski]

I appologize if this topic has already been discussed - I couldn't find much. Anyway, I started playing in an established band (trial period) and the leader gave me a list of 20 songs - mostly disco/funk/pop from the 70's. What is the best/fastest/most efficient way to learn those songs to, say, get by during the first regersal (in a week), and then in the long run, properly learn the bass lines?
cheers,
Gregorski

 

[Lobster11]

For me, the hardest part of learning new songs is getting them deeply etched in my head. Once you've accomplished that you have the basic groove and changes down pat, and the rest is details. At that point you could totally fake it if you needed to, and are in a much better position to learn the actual bass line if you need to do that. So, my advice is to create a playlist on some device, or burn a CD, or whatever, so you can listen to the songs over and over again until you've fully digested them. IME the rest is usually easy.

 

[mambo4]

How to learn songs quickly comes up regularly

What is the best technique to learn 30 songs as fast as one can?
How Possible It is to Learn 5 songs a week?
What's the best way to learn new songs?

If it were me I would make a full chart for each while listening on spotify / you tube
For some (like me) the act of transcribing helps solidify memory,
others (not me) claim a chart is a crutch that discourages memorization.

 

[Treblefree]

Put them in a playlist, print the best charts/tabs you can find (You can also youtube some playthroughs or tutorials on items you are struggling with). Start jamming along with them every day. Try to polish about 4 each day while getting the gist of the others. Start with the hardest 4 and work your way to easiest. Spend last two days playing the set 3-4 times in a row.

 

[Treblefree]

And like the others said, key is to listen to this list too while not playing. Be very diligent in understanding the changes and sections well so you can replicate to the best of your ability. Like if you are driving around to work/etc, listen to the list intently.

 

[Gregorski]

Thanks everybody for the input.

 

[chuck65]

Ultimate Guitar app
Has Notation , tab , backing , metronome, choice of instruments to play along with or not…
It may not be like the artist recording, but it will get you to the point of jamming with the original recording with very little time spent .

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I learned how to use iReal Book on an iPad to make charts when I landed in a wedding band that had different members all of the time and played a wide variety of music. iReal Book has a way to search for existing charts, but inevitably you will have to make some. If you don't know how to do make charts, you could ask the singer for their vocal sheets and then chart them out with chord names above the words.

I am not a big advocate for the listening practice where you have a playlist. I think you really have to interact with a piece of music to learn it otherwise you just end up thinking about other things. Singing the parts while listening is an approach you can try if all you can do is listen. Tapping your fingers along with the basslines or actually fretting in the air will help you too. The more brain power and muscle movement the better. Just be careful about doing this while driving...it can get dangerous as you divert your brain.

 

[jnewmark]

YouTube is your friend. Not only can you find the original song, you will also find a half dozen bass players giving " tutorials " on it. From there, I make a playlist, and scribble down some shorthand notes about each one. Worst comes to worst, you can usually find the chords or a tab chart on Ultimate Guitar or one of those places. Then its just a matter of repetitious practicing until you get it down mostly. If they don't care about playing the bass part note for note, it gets somewhat easier.

 

[Engle]

Listen to them as much as you can.
Chart them out for yourself. I will often print out the lyrics and add chords/notes.
Once you can play through a tune, turn the chart around and play by memory. This may not happen in one week if you have a whole set to prep, but don’t get stuck depending on charts in the long term.

 

[mambo4]

print the best charts/tabs you can find

A beginner might have to google and print a chart.
But If you have the ear / theory I would strongly encourage writing your own chart.
The struggle to figure it out yourself will reinforce memory.

 

[JRA]

What is the best/fastest/most efficient way to learn those songs to, say, get by during the first rehearsal (in a week), and then in the long run, properly learn the bass lines?

- reading the bass part.

- immersing yourself in the task.

- prayer and/or luck.

the more you are pressed to deliver tunes that you don't know (or skills that you haven't previously built/used) = the better at it you get!

do your best --- that's all any of us can do, any time, any place. good luck!

 

[Jeff Hughes]

A chart does not have to be musical notation. They can just be chords and measures. Depending on the song that could be all you need. Don't be afraid of the word chart though in case you don't read notation.

 

[homecooken]

YouTube.

 

[Hasty]

I used to have an occasional church gig where we had to learn new charts every week and play them by memory. They would send out the bounce and set list on Tuesday and we had until Saturday afternoon sound check (no rehearsals). Repetition was my friend. At least the bounce had a click track and announced the bridge/chorus changes, which helped immensely.

I shared this website with my daughter a while back and it has some interesting ideas that might be helpful:

How I memorized 20+ Snarky Puppy songs in one week - Bob Reynolds

 

[mambo4]

A chart does not have to be musical notation. They can just be chords and measures. Depending on the song that will be all you need. Don't be afraid of the word chart though in case you don't read notation.

Yes. This is what I used to do before I began pursuing notation.
But I did use real staff paper, and real bars lines / repeats / D.C. Al Codas etc.
basically charts like they have at https://www.jazzstudies.us/

 

[micguy]

I play church gigs, where most weeks, I'm learning a new song or two, and learning new arrangements, adapting to a different key on a song or two, etc.

If it's a new song, I sometimes (happened this week) learn it just by playing along. For more complicated stuff, I'll make a chord chart - stopping the tune as I go along to write everything down. Sometimes, we have charts provided

After I have a chart, I play through it a few times, then, once I know a certain part of it, I start looking away. As I play through it more and more, I look away more, and I eventually can look away for the whole thing. It takes a couple sessions usually to get something committed to memory, and after that, it's repetition to polish things - get everything nailed to where the chord structure is in my head. That way, when I get to the gig, I can adapt the part I'm playing to fit what's happening around me - the actual part I play is something that I'm working on through rehearsal, run through, and when we do 2 services, I'm usually still tweaking a bit here and there for the second service. The key is that the chord structure is firmly embedded in my head, so I'm just working on the particulars of the part I'm playing at the gig.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

If you can find an isolated bass track on YouTube (or elsewhere), that helped me out! Songster isn't a bad way to go either.

 

[RGerhart]

Whenever I'm faced with a fill-in situation or joining a band that has immediate gigs lined up, I look at the following things first:

How many songs are there? How many do I know (and can play comfortably)?
How much time each day can I work on the repertoire before the first rehearsal/gig?

After answering these questions, it basically comes down to time management and figuring out how detailed I want to get with writing out charts and learning the songs. Ideally, I prefer to chart things out note-for-note complete with chords, but I rarely have time for that anymore. Learning the most iconic bass parts of songs and then getting the feel down correctly are the most important aspects of learning the songs.

And yes, as others have mentioned, listening to the playlist while you are not able to sit down with a bass is great for getting the songs and their structures down confidently.

 

[Discount Bassy]

Ask pertinent questions, such as "In what key?" "Which version?" "Do you have recordings of your band doing these songs?". Get ahold of copies to listen to/play along and adjust them to be consistent with the answers to the pertinent questions. Listen to the songs. Don't just play them, LISTEN to them. The cues for the details pertinent to you are often in the parts played by others or in the vocals. Listen to the songs. Play along with the songs. Be ready to make mistakes at rehearsal and and be ready to learn from them. Do your best. Fake it if you need to. Fake it a bit anyway. Sometimes your "faked" line works better than the recorded line in the arrangement/line up used by the band. Ask questions during and after the rehearsal.