Memorization - your strategy...

[buldog5151bass]

What I've always been confused\amazed by is individual songs with long passages of non-repeating notes, or solos. I've never understood how someone could remember Donna Lee. I also don't know how bass players or guitarists remember solos when it seems like so much random stuff. Those are situations where I wouldn't think you can chart it. It is happening too fast.

. With standard musical notation, you can chart anything. Charting it is part of the memorization process. The same way actively taking notes helps you remember/understand a lecture.

 

[Joe Nerve]

That's brutal. If I was in that situation, I'd be mightily po'd if the other guys didn't nail their parts.

They do. Which makes me happy about the situation. I am NOT a fan of rehearsals. Though I have to admit it's starting to sometimes get to me a little. They've been together many years so they throw songs out to me, many of which they already know. There have been a few too many occasions now where I'll learn a song (or 2 or 3) and we don't even wind up playing them. I've learned to keep my mouth shut and roll with things... but yeah, that's getting tough . Only reason I keep smiling is because I get paid more per gig with this band than I used to get per month in other bands I've played in. And we have roadies, I don't have to lift a finger - show up, play, go home. Kinda balances it all out for me. Glad I just reminded myself of that, too.

 

[Spidey2112]

I find a common phrase throughout the song, be it the verse, chorus, bridge and commit it to memory... playing it over and over again, getting me through the song...

... anymore, the 'note for note' thingy gets worked in, a little at a time.

Probably could do only the basics of the song, just getting by, but that's neither challenging, nor fun.

Seems the older I get, the longer it takes to commit the nuances of the song to memory... but it can be done.

 

[saabfender]

I learn the chords from a functional harmony standpoint. Modulation and tonicization is something I pay close attention to. I V/V V7 I. vi IV I V. That kind of thing.

As far as the form, that much is memorized. Listening for formal cues that maybe on the record is not a winning strategy. I need to know how the song is put together. It's no one's responsibility but mine. That way when one of the guitarists or (god forbid) the drummer goes off the reservation, I have a good grasp of the song and can figure a way to get it back on track.

As far as note for note, I seldom learn songs that way. If there's a riff I'll try to get it but I may change it to something I like better. The bass player on the record isn't playing with my band, I am. His part may not be the best solution for my particular musical situation.

Added benefit is it greatly sharpens my improvisational skills since I'm doing it constantly.

 

[rtav]

Most of what I play are very long songs (some more than 20 minutes) with extended passages and complex instrumental sections, and bc I can't really read, I have to memorize them all note by note.

I compile cheat sheets for different sections that I find challenging, comprised of note for note scribbling, and keep them handy if I forget what a particular note is. I have notebooks with cheat sheets in them, plus I make videos of me playing - sometimes very slowly playing - sections in case I need to go back and clean something up.

Oh and I practice playing them - a lot.

The biggest problem is that overtime errors can creep in and suddenly a part isn't quite right, at which point I'll revisit my cheat sheets or vids and fix it.

Having said that, when we were working up some long piece in my last band, we had a big dry erase board in our practice room and we would break down a piece (say Dream Theaters "Change of Seasons") into sections and label each section like "section B" or "B 1," "B 2" etc. it really made such songs doable.

So that's how I do it. Mostly muscle memory from lots of practice with cheat sheets and vids to help keep it on track.

YMMV.

 

[Droopy_TX]

+ 1 for charting.

I usually chart the chords for every song, then tab any particularly intricate bass lines. Then practice, practice, practice to get the muscle memory. Then try NOT to use the chart at rehearsal. If you need the chart to play the song, it becomes a crutch or security blanket. Kinda like looking at your fingers when typing.

I find that taking the time to chart a song, and then verifying that the chart is correct, is kinda like like when a teacher has students write spelling/vocabulary words 20 times. Not only does it teach them to spell the word, they can write them better, too.
(Hmm... Kids do still write in school, don't they?)

At rehearsal, I often find that I open my charting app to the first song to be practiced, and I never look at it again for the rest of the night. That's where I want to be for the performance.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Repetition.

1) Hack through a little bit of it by ear, and maybe make a chart. That way, when I'm listening to it later I at least roughly know the key and chord changes so my brain can "stew" on them.

2) Listening to the song(s) over and over. I aleeady have a "rough draft" of the part in my head. Listening over and over gets the order and nuances of the bass line (and in my case usually a vocal part) embedded in my brain.

3) Nail down the details. If it's a complicated song, a detailed chart. If not, just banging out the bassline note for note.

4) More listening and more playing along with the song. If I song it, I'll usually find a karaoke version to play through my practice PA. I'll dial out most of the bass in the playback. Then I'll play bass and sing over the rest of the song.

For repetitive listening, I run earbuds down my back and into my pocket where my phone plays the setlist over and over while I work. I usually keep one bud in and one out. That way, if someone speaks to me I can hear them and respond.

This is the correct answer.

 

[rtav]

Most of what I play are very long songs (some more than 20 minutes) with extended passages and complex instrumental sections, and bc I can't really read, I have to memorize them all note by note.

I compile cheat sheets for different sections that I find challenging, comprised of note for note scribbling, and keep them handy if I forget what a particular note is. I have notebooks with cheat sheets in them, plus I make videos of me playing - sometimes very slowly playing - sections in case I need to go back and clean something up.

Oh and I practice playing them - a lot.

The biggest problem is that overtime errors can creep in and suddenly a part isn't quite right, at which point I'll revisit my cheat sheets or vids and fix it.

Having said that, when we were working up some long piece in my last band, we had a big dry erase board in our practice room and we would break down a piece (say Dream Theaters "Change of Seasons") into sections and label each section like "section B" or "B 1," "B 2" etc. it really made such songs doable.

So that's how I do it. Mostly muscle memory from lots of practice with cheat sheets and vids to help keep it on track.

YMMV.

An interesting aside... in my last band the other 3 members all fluently read music, and would have the scores printed out to read from as they played and learned the song (which is of course perfectly natural). But bc I didn't acquire that skill to any meaningful degree and had to rely almost completely on memory, I would have the entire piece memorized long before anyone else, and (depending on how far along we were in learning a piece) they may or, in many cases, may not be able to play it without the score in front of them.

 

[socialleper]

. With standard musical notation, you can chart anything. Charting it is part of the memorization process. The same way actively taking notes helps you remember/understand a lecture.

Maybe it is how my memory works, but I can understand and grasp the arc of a book or lecture, but can never quote things verbatim.
When I was learning programing I was able to read code and understand it, but can't write it off the top of my head. Luckily network switch\router\firewall programing allows for using the "?" a lot to find the command you want. I can only remember a long command if I have typed it dozens of times.
When I'm playing bass, I find that muscle memory is my best friend. The more I think about what I'm playing, the more likely I am to mess up. However, I don't think muscle memory won't get you through 3 minutes of running through scales like Donna Lee.

 

[Medicine Man]

I figure out all the chords first, then the bass line just naturally fills in once my "mental chart" is in place.

 

[buldog5151bass]

They do. Which makes me happy about the situation. I am NOT a fan of rehearsals. Though I have to admit it's starting to sometimes get to me a little. They've been together many years so they throw songs out to me, many of which they already know. There have been a few too many occasions now where I'll learn a song (or 2 or 3) and we don't even wind up playing them. I've learned to keep my mouth shut and roll with things... but yeah, that's getting tough . Only reason I keep smiling is because I get paid more per gig with this band than I used to get per month in other bands I've played in. And we have roadies, I don't have to lift a finger - show up, play, go home. Kinda balances it all out for me. Glad I just reminded myself of that, too.

For you, it's a part time job. It certainly isn't your kind of music. Between the gigging and the practicing, how much are you making an hour, and do you prefer this to flipping burgers at night?

I recently joined a band that gigs regularly (although not on your scale) - they've been together a decade. Although there are a number of songs we mutually know, and could build up easier, they want me to learn their entire current set list first. Such is life.

 

[lfmn16]

I think physically writing it helps tap into a part of my brain developed prior to laptops and iPads everywhere. If I try to remember 1 5 6 4 - 4x in key of G, I'll probably not remember it. If I write it down, then it is more likely to stick with me.

Absolutely. Unless it's insanely easy, I always write it down. Playing it correctly every time rather than fumbling around makes it easier and quicker for me to learn a song. Plus if I need a refresher, I have a chart to look at.

In my Rockabilly band, I'm playing guitar. This is a new genre to me and I wrote out a lot of the leads to help learn and remember them.

 

[basslifter]

I am not strict with note-for-note unless it is a very well known part that needs to be relatively exact. For me, it is repetition and relying as little as possible on anything written. It seems that if I start a tune and continue to hang on to charts of some kind, the harder it is to break away down the road. Most rock songs are not that complex and we all help each other in the current band.

 

[mambo4]

I always try to write my own chart, even if handed a chart.
Sometimes it's just chords,sometimes partially or fully transcribed sometimes rhythm without pitch
But I always do the work of writing it down on staff paper.
That alone does more to solidify my memory than anything else.
Plus, if I ever forget...I have a chart.

 

[okcrum]

Popular tunes of all genres are mostly hierarchical from a rhythm section standpoint.

phrases
sections
arrangements

Each item in the list is used to build the next one. Knowing this helps learning the tune long term.

 

[Sparkl]

Memorization is definitely my weak point when it comes to playing. Not quite "technique", but I think this forum is most appropriate. What is your strategy when memorizing a new song? How long does it stick with you?

Memorize note for note?
Memorize chords for each section and then the section layouts?
Memorize certain patterns on the fingerboard?
Muscle memory?
Photographic memory?

I used to go with note for note memorization but that was mostly because of my initial musical background playing trumpet with parts well written and you need to play exactly what's written. For the longest time I guess I went with muscle memory or patterns even though I can read well. But that had limitations and took a long time. Now, much like memorizing a sentence is easier than memorizing numbers because it tells a story, I memorize chord progressions and then the patterns within those chords. Complicated passages fall back to a note for note memorization or if it falls within a pentatonic pattern, then maybe I'll memorize the pattern.

Anyways, memorization is something I need to work on.

Practice 8 hours a day. You will remember it all.

Edit: Seriously though, some of my go to tunes have like 20-30k+ repeats in my itunes library.

 

[JimmyM]

If I play through a tune 3 or 4 times, I usually have it memorized unless it's tricky. Definitely won't be note for note, but it'll be close enough. Guess that doesn't help you. Rich

 

[jasonrp]

I memorize best when I go note for note. Once I have a song down, I'll have a little fun with it but, for me, concentrating on getting each note right really drills the song into my head.

I'm gonna try Joe Nerve's way. I could use sharper ears

 

[micguy]

I start with a chord chart, play it once or twice, then I start looking away at points where I feel confident. when I don't need to peek anymore, it's memorized - at least the chord structure. Then I start polishing things.

 

[Joe Nerve]

For you, it's a part time job. It certainly isn't your kind of music. Between the gigging and the practicing, how much are you making an hour, and do you prefer this to flipping burgers at night?

I actually made more last year with this band than I make in my day job. Fortunate that my day job is a no brainer... and I like it. So I have no reason to quit.

As I think I said in my last post, it's starting to get to me a little, and I sometimes think in those terms, but the perks are way too many for me to let it go just yet. I'm becoming a much better bass player, I'm getting to finally play some Motown, I never have to promote a gig, I play to only packed venues, I like all my band-mates, they're all pros... I feel almost like I'm bragging saying this, but I've paid more than my dues. Been working hard at this game since 1978, and to only be reaping these rewards in the past year and a half is a humble brag at best . I've had a handful of upscale gigs and enjoyed a 'little' success before this, but I've got it better than many musicians right now. I'm grateful, and not about to trade it in for flipping burgers. At least not yet.