Learning lots of songs fast

[Five or Six]

Reminds me of back in the day. A well known band had a bass player die in his 40s of a heart attack. Not a good thing. A keyboard player friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a couple of years showed up at my house. I hadn't been home only a few hours and I was beat.

He told me what happened and wondered if I'd be interested ln jamming with them. Why not, I just finished 3 years on the road! It would be fun, no pressure, low key! So, I jammed with them a couple of times. When I showed for a third fun evening everyone was just sitting around. Keyboard player said hey (my name) please set down, we have something to ask of you.

OK, what's up? Well, you've been jamming with us and we had something on the back burner. We never mentioned anything about it out of fear you'd walk out. We have a 5 hour corporate gig in 2.5 weeks. We really need you to step in? You can do it, you are a professional. Me - Thanks, so, I would need to learn your 5 song setlist in 2.5 weeks? Them - If you would, this is a big deal! I stood up and said, "I will see you guys later". Them - So, not a go right? Me - I can't learn 5 sets of music setting here with you wing nuts. I need your full list and to get home so I can get to it.

Them - So, you are in? Me - yes, see you next week, and I got the list. The place went nuts and I left. Out of 60 songs I knew 20. The other 40 I learned by making charts / little notes. Putting a bunch of time in so I wouldn't let them down. It takes work. An hour a day wasn't enough time for me to get 40 done. Be diligent and do the job. Notes, charts, whatever works for you and it will be fine.

 

[Barticus]

Hey y'all.

First, I bet this has been discussed before, so if there's an obvious thread that I missed, please share the link.

I got a new gig in a band that plays dance-able rock, classic country, blues, and a funk song or two. The band has been together for a long time, so their song list is huge and I have to learn a lot of songs fast (at least two sets+ for a gig on April 19). I started with about 15 tunes, but I have what may be an unhelpful instinct. I end up focusing too much on getting a great bass line down for each tune and spending 30 minutes on a 3 minute song. I wonder if now is not the time to do that and if I should instead be cranking through the list right now just getting song structure down.

I'm sure many of you have been in this situation. What was your approach and how'd it work for ya?

Thank you!

Use Moises.

Drop songs into Moises, separate tracks… view all chord progressions… isolate bass lines, drop bass track and play over and over. Listen to the song’s on Spotify, over and over… Done.

 

[lethargytartare]

I'm like Piranha -- I listen to the tunes exclusively until I've got it all down. Drilling the timing or signals for changes, etc.

As for playing, I would work on a few, and each night I'd start by playing through the ones I knew just once, then would drill into newer ones. I joined a band and had to ramp up on 35-40 songs. No deadline or impending shows, but I wanted to be fully on board fast. After a week I was zipping through 7 or 8 (one take, not worrying about little mistakes) and working on 3 or 4 more. The next week I'd be playing straight through 15-20 before hitting new ones (and my sessions got longer). After 3 weeks I could play them all and shifted to making a cheat sheet of notes for changes and such that I might slip up on. I'm an amateur, and that rote repetition is critical for me.

Good luck!

 

[Brandon Shea]

Use Moises.

Drop songs into Moises, separate tracks… view all chord progressions… isolate bass lines, drop bass track and play over and over. Listen to the song’s on Spotify, over and over… Done.

I hadn't heard of Moises before. How far can you get with the free version before you bump into a paywall? It looks super promising regardless; I'm probably going to dive into it later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Barticus]

I hadn't heard of Moises before. How far can you get with the free version before you bump into a paywall? It looks super promising regardless; I'm probably going to dive into it later tonight or tomorrow.

I think 5 songs?
I’ve subscribed for several years, and use it to ramp up on songs all the time. At one point I had 40 to learn in less than 2 weeks and it was my go to tool.

 

[factory presets]

Reminds me of back in the day. A well known band had a bass player die in his 40s of a heart attack. Not a good thing. A keyboard player friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a couple of years showed up at my house. I hadn't been home only a few hours and I was beat.

He told me what happened and wondered if I'd be interested ln jamming with them. Why not, I just finished 3 years on the road! It would be fun, no pressure, low key! So, I jammed with them a couple of times. When I showed for a third fun evening everyone was just sitting around. Keyboard player said hey (my name) please set down, we have something to ask of you.

OK, what's up? Well, you've been jamming with us and we had something on the back burner. We never mentioned anything about it out of fear you'd walk out. We have a 5 hour corporate gig in 2.5 weeks. We really need you to step in? You can do it, you are a professional. Me - Thanks, so, I would need to learn your 5 song setlist in 2.5 weeks? Them - If you would, this is a big deal! I stood up and said, "I will see you guys later". Them - So, not a go right? Me - I can't learn 5 sets of music setting here with you wing nuts. I need your full list and to get home so I can get to it.

Them - So, you are in? Me - yes, see you next week, and I got the list. The place went nuts and I left. Out of 60 songs I knew 20. The other 40 I learned by making charts / little notes. Putting a bunch of time in so I wouldn't let them down. It takes work. An hour a day wasn't enough time for me to get 40 done. Be diligent and do the job. Notes, charts, whatever works for you and it will be fine.

Did they give you a chop out from their end? If I was in a band asking someone to learn a whole night overnight, I'd be pushing hard to add a few songs you already know in case you came up a couple short of a set. Pragmatic and polite. Everything in everyone's power to make sure no one looks bad.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

I did 4 gigs in 2 days with 4 different bands last weekend. I work on material virtually every day. A set list is a huge help. If the band is not going for "like the record" (most don't) I try to capture the essence of the tune - feel, signature licks, etc. That gets me most of the way. As a singer, I try to learn the lyrics, actually memorize the words, even if I don't sing it, because it gives me a good roadmap. Moving forward I review current material to polish up the fine points. And RELAX! If they asked you to play they have a certain level of confidence in your abilities.

BBB

 

[fhm555]

I imerse myself in the set lists. I make a playlist with them on it and listen to nothing else every waking moment possible when I’m not practicing. When I am practicing, I start with the songs I’m weakest on and grind on them until I can play them without thinking, then I go to tier two which is songs I don’t know but are just straight ahead stuff you can pick up on a pass or two. Next I run through everything else to be sure I know them rather than just thinking I know them. After that I start every practice with tier one, then two, then three. I’m looking at my list but I’m not playing them in order, unless they are to be played in a specific order then I run them that way with an occasional wild card choice thrown in to ensure I’m thinking on the fly and not bogged down or married to a specific song order. Things can change so being able to pull a quickie out of your head on the fly is always a good thing.

 

[Five or Six]

Did they give you a chop out from their end? If I was in a band asking someone to learn a whole night overnight, I'd be pushing hard to add a few songs you already know in case you came up a couple short of a set. Pragmatic and polite. Everything in everyone's power to make sure no one looks bad.

After 3 years on the road this was actually fun. Learning songs between gigs, maybe on the bus was work. I was home in my studio drinking a beer or two. Makes things a "no stress" situation to say the least. The thing of it is, with all the announcements and other corporate doin's that go on we never played all the music. You guy's know how corporate gigs go. May be a bunch of interruptions??

 

[ZuZubass]

One thing that I discovered a long time ago is to try not to hear the basslines you are studying on a high end home stereo. Especially in a room with lots of cushy furnishings, plush carpet etc. I've always felt that I could hear more definition in a bassline in my bone stock car stereo or even through a cheap set of sony headphones. I was always lucky to have a job where I could listen to a setlist I was trying to learn through my ipod and headphones all day long at work with no interuption. However you choose to do it the key is investing the time listening and absorbing the material until you are sick of it!

 

[Topkat13]

Practice enough quickly.

 

[ZuZubass]

Another benefit of repeat listenings and as was said earlier "drilling the songs into your brain" is that you will also learn much about how the other instruments contribute to the song structure. I discovered the "subtle nuances" present in many of the songs I was learning. Especially in tunes that I might have taken for granted by hearing a million times before or never even cared much for. An example of this is certain Fleetwood Mac songs. They were not a band that I ever paid a lot of attention to and yet i found that everybody in that band was a subtle master of the note that may have been suggested but not actually played! That is an artform and it is not easy! Things you think you hear but really are not there. I found that carefully listening to and absorbing the contributions of every instrument and player aids in learning how the bass fits in and around the composition.

 

[ZuZubass]

But don't stay up too late every night obsessing about it. When you are overtired the gains you made the night before may be lost to you the next day!

 

[factory presets]

After 3 years on the road this was actually fun. Learning songs between gigs, maybe on the bus was work. I was home in my studio drinking a beer or two. Makes things a "no stress" situation to say the least. The thing of it is, with all the announcements and other corporate doin's that go on we never played all the music. You guy's know how corporate gigs go. May be a bunch of interruptions??

Ha. Corporate people start talking you can't stop them. They got all those key performance words to action.

Learning songs is always fun. Still it's a nice gesture to help out the newbie once you thrown him in the deep end. Take a bit more presh off. Else that or maybe it's just an excuse to learn more songs.

Cover band I used to see got in the habit of taking requests for like half their set. They'd try all manner off poopie if they thought they had an outside chance of pulling it off. Even the abject failures were entertaining. Worked up a storm in the pub.

Hardly corporate fare, but.

 

[pcake]

good suggestions here.

i also listen to them when i'm not playing them - in the car, while doing chores, etc. it helps you get to know where the changes are, how many versus vs how many choruses and when they end.

 

[pfschim]

I sub a lot and have done so for a long time (decades). 3 weeks is a huge amount of time for this, particularly if you are not expected to do note exact parts for covers. Keep in mind that most popular covers are not all that musically complicated (at least in my experience). They are all going to fit into a handful of chord forms (i.e. 1 4 5, 1 6 2 5 1, ... etc etc)

I start by getting the set list and making sure I have the actual keys for all songs (many guitar player lead bands give capo setting, so watch out).
I break down the set list into songs I already know (even if its just more-or-less) and those I don't know, and therefore need to learn.
I start a set list of my own. Simple: song title and key and groove
I use YT, Spotify, Apple Music etc, or even the bands own website music samples (if they have that) to hear the songs I don't know
Focus on song form (Intro, Verse, Chorus etc.) and do a basic Nashville Number chart (if you know that system).
On my set list, for those songs that are at all tricky or have some unique section, I make a note or show the part as a Nashville number section
I spend whatever time I have listening to the songs I don't already know. Unless the band music is very complicated and/or original, its not hard to do.
In the end my set list is either paper taped to the floor or somewhere visible to me, or on a stand mounted tablet (my preferred method).

I have learned 3 full sets of material well enough to play and make it work in a day (yes, this happens if you sub a lot). Of course, covers are easier than originals when subbing, because you probably know at least parts of many of the songs.

It's great exercise for your ears and confidence!

Good luck OP

 

[JonathanPDX]

I was a sub and "on call" bassist for many years, playing everything from "You have a month to get ready for the gig" to "Show up in an hour and be ready to play whatever we call out." My record was learning 40 songs in a single day, which was exhausting and ended up being (predictably) a big headache nightmare gig. In another instance I showed up at a big venue to open for a national act, only to find out that we weren't playing standards, but all originals that I had to learn ON STAGE at sound check before the gig!

So, in my mind there's a difference process in learning songs with plenty of notice opposed to learning songs as fast as possible to bang them out passably that night. I'll assume your concern is the former.

First, make this song list the soundtrack to your life. Listen to it in your car every time you turn it on, have the songs playing in the background while you cook dinner. If you can hum along, sing the chorus, and anticipate the dynamics through repeated exposure you'll have a much easier time than trying to decipher a totally foreign tune that your ears are not accustomed to.

Second, remember that nobody needs to interpret your notes but you. I would often start by noting down songs that this one reminded me of, or any kind of phrases that trigger a musical memory. For example:" "Mojo" tells me it's the same pocket as the classic "Got my mojo workin'" and instantly takes me into that feel. 4 letters and I instantly know what to play, and I can follow that up with notes on structure or specific differences from the song I am triggering my memory from. "Mojo, Maj7, bridge 4-1-4-5, drum break after git solo." That's my entire note sheet for a song I had to learn for a gig a while back. Way faster than actually reading/writing a transcription.

You can watch YouTube videos of many players learning a song for the first time, my favorites are Larnell Lewis on Drumeo. They often talk about "active listening" and it's a tried and true method. Listen without playing along, map out the structure, write out as much as you can hear without playing (rough chart by ear, breaks, etc.) Then go back and fill in the gaps with detail, checking to confirm on your instrument but don't bother playing any note you already know, it just distracts your focus from the ones you haven't found yet. By your third pass of a 3-minute song you hopefully have the structure, the chords, the feel, and you're just filling in details.

Groove trumps notes every single time. If you nail the feel nobody will care if you're not playing the exact note-for-note line from the record.

Lastly, remember that you aren't doing this gig solo. It can save you a ton of time and stress to utilize the other musicians on the gig. First, it's fine to ask if anyone has charts or notes they can share. Second, if there's any unison line that isn't super straightforward, ask the guitarist how he plays it! Either he shows you the right way quickly or you realize he's doing it wrong and learning it yourself would have been a waste of time. Ask for cues, especially if these guys are really familiar with the material and you are catching up. Why stress yourself out counting whether it's 42 bars or 44 bars until the drum break if the drummer can just nod to you when it's time to drop out?

Oh, and remember that no matter how much work you put in, 99% of people in the audience won't notice even if you really suck. If it feels good and provides an appropriate backdrop to dancing and drinking then you've done your job, even if you drop out on some unison lines or miss a cue or simplify a part to get through the gig. Groove trumps notes.

Good luck!

 

[Shenron]

Huge beginner here, so take my thoughts with a massive grain of salt...

dude, if you can get a memorable bassline down in 30 minutes (for a 3 minute tune) you're a god! don't stop what you're doing.

That was my first thought as well!

One idea that I disagree a bit with the others, is about starting with the most difficult songs first... in very general situations (think for instant, work assignments or school assignments in my past), whenever I had a LIST of stuff to do and strike off the list, I'd rather do the easy ones first so that I accumulate results fast. If for some reason some of the most difficult ones turn out to be SO difficult that it sucks away all my time, or maybe prove impossible, then I'd be screwed to find myself with nothing done until very late in the process. If I start with the easiest tasks, and manage to get quickly up to 80-90% of the list, then maybe if I fail 1-2 of the most difficult songs I could negotiate with the band about skipping those songs in the first gig, as I still have all the rest nailed down. Not saying other people are doing wrong otherwise, but I've learned about myself that I want to see items on the checklist get strikes quickly because it will affect my mood positively and encourage me to keep going.

Then about learning songs fast... the biggest difference is of course in how a song relates to my current technical skills. Let's simplify and say there's three kinds of songs:

A) songs within my comfort level
B) songs at the edge of my comfort zone: e.g. most of the song is OK but there are a couple of technically challenging parts that require focused practice
C) and songs which are just not advisable for me to learn yet, because it would take at least months of practice to rise certain techniques at the required level

My current method for sorting songs among these categories is to try them out in Rocksmith. I know many people will laugh at this, but I just pop up a song in Rocksmith even if I've never heard the song before, and try to play along (full speed, full chart): this will pretty much immediately give me a quick gauge on how far I am from learning it technique-wise, so I would first of all have a run down of each and every song from the list in Rocksmith, if the song is available there.

If the song ends up in group A, I just play it along as many times I can (I don't currently have a problem of "learning X songs in Y days", but obviously this needs to be taken in consideration) and at the same time I would write down notes in whatever-works-for-me notation to help me memorize it, which is probably the most time-consuming part of it for me. Once I have my page of notes finalized, I'd move on to the next song.

For a song in group B, I certainly need to take those challenging parts and practiced them very carefully in a focused way, using all the methods that work for you. For me it usually means, transcribing note-by-note by hand, singing the rhythm, trying different fingerings on both hands to find the best, then as many repetitions (from as slow as I need to up to speed) until it feels comfortable.

In addition, there are a few important questions I would ask from the band about those songs:

- are you playing them in the original key or transposing them to another key?
- what version of the song are you playing (album, single, live...) and are you applying any variation to the original structure?
- if the song ends in fade-out, how do you manage the ending?
- do you medley any songs together and how?

I'd better know all these before I start learning the songs

 

[Marc DLarosa]

Buy a pair of Nike's, and...

JUST DO IT !!!

 

[andare]

I once had a morning and an afternoon to learn over 20 songs for a duo gig with a singer/guitarist. I was familiar with many of them but to actually know the chords and sections is another matter.

I charted everything, Nashville-style but with chords instead of numbers, intending to read everything on stage. It was physically impossible for me to memorize all of that music in such little time, I'm not Pino.

Turns out the singer was hammered so we got pulled off stage during the first song.