Musical Memory: Born with, or learned?

[OldSchoolFlats]

You’ve got a ton of responses and my bet would be that you’ll never read this but…

Pick 20 songs that you really like. Cover songs. Play them over and over and over again. And I mean like within a weeks time, play each song at LEAST 30 times.

In my experience, repetition is the key to “memory”. Over the last decade, this is how I’ve learned and been able to remember and recall a few hundred songs at a moments whim.

I used to do that - and did OK with simple R&R and country - but right now, I am mostly working on technique. Just lamenting that my musical memory was always "average" at best. When younger, I played with a few people that were good enough to go pro/studio. I could tell they were "in another league". I would say though, it seems like a lot of the pro bands don't sound live much like the studio version.

It seems like some of the folks that do covers sound more like the studio versions than the original band!

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

Memory full, delete unwanted files to gain space. Your brain only can hold so much information. Useless data like the name of your third grade teacher takes up the same amount of space as the opening three measures of the next tune in the set list. I try to use memorization tricks (like remembering intervals from common examples)* but that only works if you have the time to think them through. When you're rushed or tired you might not remember them. Interval training can be a more useful tool than learning scales because it has multiple applications. It helps you can remember songs, allows you figure out songs without sheet music, gives you insight into where to go when soloing, and can even be used to analyze chords (valuable information when writing or arranging). Any form of mental stimulation can increase memory or brain function. Use it lose it. I believe we all have some level of inherent ability and are able to cultivate whatever amount we do have in order to reach our potential. However you decide to approach this, one thing is certain: you won't progress if you don't try. Hope this helps. Don't give up.

Yes, I do notice at times in my life when I really "hunkered down" with bass, it would push other stuff out of my head. Never quite got to the point of groovin' with the turn signal when driving, though.

 

[AGCurry]

My musical memory is strongly tied to melody. If I can sing the first few notes of a melody, the harmonies and rhythms seem to come along too. It's much easier for me to remember a song than a poem.

 

[ryco]

Rock tunes have always been way easier to remember. Thru decades have learned and played a ton of songs and they pretty much stay ingrained. Can forget parts initially but after a few bars the memory kicks in. Go back and dig out old lists and refresh every once in a while.

Pretty much the same with original rock toons. Maybe 1% of the original players ever put anything down on paper.

For some reason it's harder for me with jazz tunes and standards - stuff out of the American songbook. Am way more comfortable having a chord chart/cheat sheet in front of me. The chords can be a little more complex so determining what is the root can be more of a challenge = lot of times I hear the fifth as root. In rock one is playing pretty basic 3 or 4 note chords and I can tell it's major, minor, dom, sus, etc. In jazz I'm dealing with a lot more color tones - I can hear it but not fast enuff sometimes to play on the fly. Seems if one is going to commit to playing jazz you just have to sit down and really learn and memorize the chord progression and the whole dang Songbook. It's challenging for me, anyway. And a lot of the elder jazzers aren't to hip to see ya readin' off charts either.

Reading charts for rock and pop is pretty much never done. I've played with people that do it, especailly for lyrics -- very rarely. More likely to see reading going on in corporate function bands, it seems.

 

[Pilgrim]

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.

Never had a great memory, I'm sure I never will (age 71). I use a tablet on stage (in a mic stand holder) to track the tunes and any specific riffs I need to play.

Of course, there are tunes like Pipeline and Walk Don't Run that I have played hundreds of times and for which I don't need any references.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

Rock tunes have always been way easier to remember. Thru decades have learned and played a ton of songs and they pretty much stay ingrained. Can forget parts initially but after a few bars the memory kicks in. Go back and dig out old lists and refresh every once in a while.

Pretty much the same with original rock toons. Maybe 1% of the original players ever put anything down on paper.

For some reason it's harder for me with jazz tunes and standards - stuff out of the American songbook. Am way more comfortable having a chord chart/cheat sheet in front of me. The chords can be a little more complex so determining what is the root can be more of a challenge = lot of times I hear the fifth as root. In rock one is playing pretty basic 3 or 4 note chords and I can tell it's major, minor, dom, sus, etc. In jazz I'm dealing with a lot more color tones - I can hear it but not fast enuff sometimes to play on the fly. Seems if one is going to commit to playing jazz you just have to sit down and really learn and memorize the chord progression and the whole dang Songbook. It's challenging for me, anyway. And a lot of the elder jazzers aren't to hip to see ya readin' off charts either.

Reading charts for rock and pop is pretty much never done. I've played with people that do it, especailly for lyrics -- very rarely. More likely to see reading going on in corporate function bands, it seems.

Yeah, I am an old R&R guy, and the bass-parts were always pretty simple.

I am pretty-much just working on “groves” now in training materials such as TalkingBass (both free and paid). Much more variety. I wanted to “push myself”. They say you should be careful what you ask for...

...as I write this, and having made a little progress recently on slap - which is very strong on rhythm - it occurs to me that much of my weakness seem to be rhythmical. I can hear the simpler bass-parts in my head: eighth note rhythms. Add the 16s though, and sprinkle-in some syncopation, and I have trouble hearing it internally. Working on a pretty cool slap-groove now, and getting ready for slap volume 2 from Talking Bass. Hopefully that will help some.

 

[Huw Phillips]

I have to have notation in front of me, I got lyme disease and it’s fried my memory, the good is I can read very well and write fast so not all bad, I can read tab and find it ok but less helpful than notation

 

[JimmyM]

Why is there so much either/or in our lives? It’s a combination of both.

 

[jcopas]

"I know what I want to do" is NOT a good way to structure your life - it depends only on what you know or have experienced. There may be many things that you have never tried or considered that would be a much better fit to your set of aptitudes. www.jocrf.org

There is a lot of truth in this statement. I've wanted to learn music pretty much my whole life, but I really don't have any aptitude. So I've never hung my mortgage payment on my musical acumen, but I can still enjoy it.

My aptitudes lay elsewhere, so that is where I get the funding for my mortgage, bills and hobbies. Honestly I don't even like my job, not one bit. For me, work is just the necessary evil that allows me the resources to enjoy the rest of my time.

As for the OP's question, I started trying to learn the bass guitar almost 30 years ago. And I still can't play a single song from memory. Now I'll caveat that with I've never tried to either, nor have I ever taken lessons. But honestly, sitting around the house puttering around with it on my own, I can't imagine why I would need to. The point is to have fun with it, and if that means you don't progress because you aren't practicing, your still paying the bills. So worry less about your progress and just enjoy the time your spending on it.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

I've been playing music for 22 years. I have some abilities and good enough memory.
MY memory is only working on repeating the part. Maybe half an hour et do it again the next day. More than that is too much and instead of commiting to memory, the memory get kinda twisted.

I played a lot of music for almost 10 years moving from private teacher to college degree in music. It was insane the amount of music I had to play ... so I never commited to memory that much since I can read music pretty well. I remember the name of what I played but this is pretty much it.

I also played a lot of difficult music that you have to break into smaller part to learn it and commit it to memory.

PLaying different kind of music you have to listen to it or to read music.

I also take some time when I practice to improvise. When I improvise I use a BOSS loopstation. So I can hear what I'm turning around the most. I can also forcing myself doing something and the beauty is that I can listen to it again. Sometimes I'm really impress by what I did, sometimes it is a bunch of whatever.

 

[Groove Doctor]

It’s a learned skill that everyone can develop. Some learn faster or start off strong. Find your ‘system’ - repetition is essential.

Write chord charts to every song.

Write strong clear cues to help you remember.
- note names, or rhythmic pattern
- add other instruments cues
eg. Key of B, start on E (8th note boogie pattern). after 4 bar slide guitar intro.
(these are called Memory Pegs).

Create a playlist of your Setlist in correct order & listen to it in your car, at work, when exercising, etc. until you can remember which song comes next just as the previous song finishes.

Practice looking at this set list with written cues multiple times throughout the day. (away from bass, without your bass in hand)

Be able to sing the parts and get the tempo correctly from memory just by looking at each song title on your Setlist.

 

[vindibona1]

A lot of it might have to do with age. For many years I was primarily a trumpet player. I played for a few years after college then put it down until I got to 45 when I picked it up again and started studying seriously. I took lessons from some big name players and learned a lot and got to be a much better player than I was in college. And I could play every tune from memory that I learned as a youth even though I hadn't played them for 25+ years...

... But of course I wanted to add to my repertoire and went after some pretty serious trumpet pieces. I played a few for juries and other performances. But for the life of me I could not memorize them. I could memorize small sections, but I think that was just pretty much getting them under my fingers.

Today I play a regular bass gig where over time the same pieces are played again and again. In spite of being pretty good at music theory you would think that I'd have most of them down by memory.... but no. I know them well enough to play them musically, but still need that sheet music to make sure my head is going in the right place. I did have one of two Tommy Emmanuel guitar piece that I almost had memorized. But I put it down for some time and will have to go back to the sheet music and re-learn it as my fingers just don't automatically go where they're supposed to. And I think that's the thing with guitar music. My fingers learn where to go but I don't think that's memorization, but muscle habituation... a different thing altogether.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

My iPad, and forScore, are sounding better and better...

 

[mambo4]

I think its a muscle you gotta exercise to keep fit.
I also think I gotta get back to the gym...