Musical Memory: Born with, or learned?

[OldSchoolFlats]

Oldish guy here, early 60s. I am frustrated with my "musical memory". Wondering what sort of things can improve it. I am pretty good with theory and improvisation, but remembering musical phrases/riffs without written music is my weakest link.

Mind-you, I only practice 30-60 minutes a day, and only recently started playing again. Still, with covers, I used to wait until the guitar started playing, and then I would have an "oh that's right" moment, and the bass line would come back to me.

Similarly, I can't tell a joke or story to save me, so I know my memory for sequences is weak. I am pretty good explaining complex things (similar to improvisation), but my verbatim verbal memory stinks.

BTW, I know singing along with playing is best practice, but I had surgery, and my vocal range is only about a 4th.

 

[bholder]

I've got it pretty good, though not quite perfect (replication errors creep in over the years). No idea what to attribute it to though - had it early, whether that was from birth or from my piano teacher mom, I don't know, but it's always been there in my memory.

 

[rufus.K]

Ive learned a thousand songs, and i forget them quickly... then they come back fast.
I can usually learn a song fast, improvise when ive learned the song. Keep it in memory when its in rotation.
When i dont play it for awhile... it disappears somewhere

 

[hbarcat]

When I was regularly gigging in my 20s, it took some real effort to memorize songs simply because I didn't have the musical experience with any instrument. As I've gotten older and now have many thousands of hours playing, it's easier for me to learn songs.

It's the opposite with lyrics. In most bands I've played in, I was the lead singer, and when i was younger I had no problem keeping the lyrics to 50 or more songs perfectly memorized at any given time, and had no problem picking up new songs as we added them to our setlist.

I eventually lost the ability to memorize that many song lyrics. In the past 10 years, I've had to resort to lyric sheets for at least some of our songs so that I don't screw up the words.

 

[arbiterusa]

I think it might be “born with”. Even as a child I could always remember arrangements.

 

[LBS-bass]

I have a recording device in my head. It gets less reliable as I get older but it's always been there. I don't know if that means I was born with something; I always reckoned everyone had it but as I have worked with others in music throughout the years I think I perhaps reckoned wrong.

Nonetheless, there are multiple ways to be good at this. My way isn't the only way or even the best way.

 

[DWBass]

Once I learn a song....it's in the memory bank forever. I do need a refresher every now and then if I haven't played the song in years.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Oldish guy here, early 60s. I am frustrated with my "musical memory". Wondering what sort of things can improve it. I am pretty good with theory and improvisation, but remembering musical phrases/riffs without written music is my weakest link.

Mind-you, I only practice 30-60 minutes a day, and only recently started playing again. Still, with covers, I used to wait until the guitar started playing, and then I would have an "oh that's right" moment, and the bass line would come back to me.

Similarly, I can't tell a joke or story to save me, so I know my memory for sequences is weak. I am pretty good explaining complex things (similar to improvisation), but my verbatim verbal memory stinks.

BTW, I know singing along with playing is best practice, but I had surgery, and my vocal range is only about a 4th.

i don’t know. Music for me has be very easy for me to remember. There is a flow of logic with it that I can follow. That said, remembering lyrics, recalling numbers with more than 5 digits (and that was scary being a financial advisor for 40 years), and worse yet, remembering a person’s name 3 seconds after we were introduced, are major problems. On the other hand, I could probably play Icarus (Born on Wings of Steel) by Kansas, or Bargain by The Who today 40 years after the last time I played them.

One thing I do to memorize music, I break it down sections as opposed to learning it from top to bottom. For example, 90% of the time each verse has the same note pattern. There may be 3 of 4 verses in the song. You only need to learn that part once. I work out the intro and ending, and any “B” section or other oddities that may occur. Then it’s a matter of remembering the order of each section as opposed to remembering 500 consecutive notes.

 

[SLPimp]

Nature.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Oldish guy here, early 60s. I am frustrated with my "musical memory". Wondering what sort of things can improve it. I am pretty good with theory and improvisation, but remembering musical phrases/riffs without written music is my weakest link.

Mind-you, I only practice 30-60 minutes a day, and only recently started playing again. Still, with covers, I used to wait until the guitar started playing, and then I would have an "oh that's right" moment, and the bass line would come back to me.

Similarly, I can't tell a joke or story to save me, so I know my memory for sequences is weak. I am pretty good explaining complex things (similar to improvisation), but my verbatim verbal memory stinks.

BTW, I know singing along with playing is best practice, but I had surgery, and my vocal range is only about a 4th.

Nope. Your memory just sucks. Only suggestion is, practice more often. Instead of once a day doing numerous things, try a couple times a day doing one thing each time.

Or, give up and form your own personal note system. Whatever works for you, and bring it everytime, everywhere.

The beauty of being human is that we are able to solve problems and extend our own capabilities through conscious thought, creativity, and innovation. Embrace your limitations, and work around them.

If you were trying to move a truck, would you get behind it and try to lift it? You could do that 100 times a day, and never get it an inch off the ground. But, you could rent or borrow a forklift, and up she goes. If you thought a little more, you'd realize that you could simply rock it back and forth slightly til the clutch disengages, and gravity will move it for you.

Whatever works for you, do it.

 

[JW56789]

I shudder to think how many songs are up there. I may not remember all the little stops or punches, but the overall shape and the progression of the verses, bridge, etc., is all there. I'm rustier these days as I haven't had the constant exercise of gigging for a long time, but they're all still there.

And yet I STILL fret over how many songs I haven't learned.

 

[IamGroot]

Mostly learned.

I work to remember melodies and intervals.
I force myself to be able to recite back the song format (i.e. AABA), Tempo and chord changes in number format
If I am going to get serious with a song like a jazz standard, I will play around with it for weeks and listen to other jazz artists.

Generally rock n roll, blues and country are easy. Jazz tunes are tougher. Lots of exceptions to the rule.

 

[tothemax]

I'm in my 60's as well and do have the occasional "brain fart" with a song or lyric. My memory is not bad but I feel as part of the boomer generation, we shipped with 100GB "hard drives" vs the younger models with 1TB hard drives and faster RAM (I think we just had less mental gymnastics as kids, less tech, video games, etc...).

While some folks are naturally better at this, I think that for most it requires more practice so that songs get locked into your muscle memory. That said, The less mental effort you put into your playing tends to opens up channels for lyrics and improvisation. Songs that I learned well in the 70's don't take long to refresh, because they are actually in the memory bank - even if it's been years since I played them. Just my 2cc's

One trick I use are post it's or cliff notes added to my set list. Maybe a key word for a verse, or a few notes (or chords) for a part

Good luck...

 

[rogerb]

I seem to learn by ear and patterns rather than say notes. Learned hundreds of 80/90 pop tunes and managed to remember them. I do know the notes and harmony but it is more about the patterns and ear.

A bit of a problem for jazz and improvisation, but some success has been gained as walking bass can be pretty pattern related. Success in improvisation should be the same. You can’t be thinking notes all the time… it’s a mix.

I don’t remember knowing a lot of tunes on the piano that I played for 20 years, but a few years on the bass I could play 100.

 

[glocke1]

Oldish guy here, early 60s. I am frustrated with my "musical memory". Wondering what sort of things can improve it. I am pretty good with theory and improvisation, but remembering musical phrases/riffs without written music is my weakest link.

Mind-you, I only practice 30-60 minutes a day, and only recently started playing again. Still, with covers, I used to wait until the guitar started playing, and then I would have an "oh that's right" moment, and the bass line would come back to me.

Similarly, I can't tell a joke or story to save me, so I know my memory for sequences is weak. I am pretty good explaining complex things (similar to improvisation), but my verbatim verbal memory stinks.

BTW, I know singing along with playing is best practice, but I had surgery, and my vocal range is only about a 4th.

My feeling, as with anything music related is that " get both " applies here. Some people are just simply born with a natural musical talent. Others, like myself have to struggle and work to make progress.

I always had trouble remembering tunes, and for lots of things had to rely on paper charts, cheat sheets, and later on iPads.

Things changed for me in the past few years though and at the ripe age of 53 have gotten to a point where remembering tunes is easier and more natural. 2.5 years ago I started studying double bass with a guy, and part of his lesson plan involves singing the Melodies to jazz tunes. Long story short, I took this and applied it to tunes I was playing in my rock bands. On my drive to work I'd listen to some of the tunes we were playing and either sing the bass line or sing the melody and eventually I found that I was less and less relying on reference material on stage.

The key is to just internalize the stuff as much as possible so that the music becomes part of you and comes from within, not from the iPad, or not from clues from another player.

 

[SteveCS]

Oldish guy here, early 60s. I am frustrated with my "musical memory". Wondering what sort of things can improve it. I am pretty good with theory and improvisation, but remembering musical phrases/riffs without written music is my weakest link.

Mind-you, I only practice 30-60 minutes a day, and only recently started playing again. Still, with covers, I used to wait until the guitar started playing, and then I would have an "oh that's right" moment, and the bass line would come back to me.

Similarly, I can't tell a joke or story to save me, so I know my memory for sequences is weak. I am pretty good explaining complex things (similar to improvisation), but my verbatim verbal memory stinks.

BTW, I know singing along with playing is best practice, but I had surgery, and my vocal range is only about a 4th.

I think it depends on the age at which you started to learn music. Most things learned early in life tend to come more easily and feel more like 'natural' or 'innate' things, compared to things learned later in life, and IME music is no different. Of course my early experiences make it impossible for me to know what it is like for someone without them, and vice versa, so it's all just speculation...

 

[lark_z]

I feel your pain. I too put in time EVERY day. I'm up to maybe 15 playlists with 15 songs each (just over 200 songs) and am starting to wonder if that's all my 60-ish brain can handle. I really have to get back through the newer ones weekly. Funny, that remembering the key seems to be weaker than remembering the chord progression. Crib sheets with nothing more than the key and the 'main' chord progression in Nashville Numbering really helps.

 

[ArtechnikA]

Prevagen.
Totally not kidding.

Seems I am always needing to learn new music.
Covers, standards, originals, everything.
My memory is pretty good in that once I've really learned something, I can usually remember it.
Recall less so, but it's always been that way for me...
I've been taking Prevagen on the 'it couldn't hurt' theory. Can't say that I've noticed a big improvement for myself but I know some who swear by it. As I don't see the need for continually learning new stuff slowing down any time soon, I'm more hoping to preserve what I've got.
Give it at least 2 weeks. 2 months probably better.

 

[Michael Milner]

One of the goals I set for myself during the Covid lock-down was to increase my repertoire (on double bass). I put together a list of 50 jazz standards that I have memorized, and I work my way through the list from "A to Z". So I play through the songs (7 or 8 per practice) until I feel comfortable with them. Repetition is important. For rock and roll stuff, I usually play along with the songs through my practice amp with my bass guitar until I know the song (by ear).

 

[DWBass]

IME, I have found that a lot of 'readers' don't memorize music. Ear learners retain a whole lot more in the their memory. I was in a band of mostly music professionals (teachers, armed services musicians, etc) and after 3 years of playing the same material still had the music in front of them.