Poll: Your musical memory...

I put practically forever, because really, once you learn something you never REALLY forget.

I know I can still play songs I haven't played in years, maybe not quite as well, but I still remember most if not all the changes, and usually I remember the groove I played.

granted, there are songs I have forgotten, I generally don't forget what I have played.

 

I'm in a different room! If I haven't played it in a while, I'll remember it, but I'll "brain wrestle" with myself before we start the song.

 

If you guys never forget songs then you don't know enough songs.

 

I know a Jaco tune that I heard some dude playing at GC... or maybe my bass instructor was playing a snippet of it... don't remember.

But I remember the part of it that I heard, but I don't know what the song is called...

 

Practically forever, even after 30 years and thousands of songs since my first gig...

 

Usually pretty good, actually. I don't tend to forget songs, but if I do, it's because I didn't learn them thoroughly in the first place.

 

yup.

 

Don't know the song,don't play it...club owners and audiences have long memories for train wrecks...pick a tune everybody knows or don't play.
(Another example for being able to read/write,give me the chart I'll read it down live,first time)

 

I'm often surprising myself by remembering bass lines from years back, seems like they get burned into memory. I wish I had as good a memory for names, birthdays, PIN codes, phone numbers, shopping lists, bill due dates, ...

 

Hmm depends on teh song really. On average I can remember something almost forever, but often I have to hear a snippet of the song to get my memory going. Some songs just don't stick for some reason though...

 

I don't consider myself a great player, but I get more fill-in gigs that guys who are much better players than I am. A Typical scenario is a gig for a band who's bass player is sick, out of town, whatever..... if there's one thing I do well, this is it. I've played a million songs and if doesn't matter if it's been 6 days or 6 years, I'll remember it.

The secret. I don't think in terms of notes or chords. Instead I try to think in intervals. I don't think "F note to G note", rather "Tonic, then up a tone". I got the idea from a music teacher and dabbled in it as a youngster, but a Garry Willis clinic convinced me that I should use it a bit more. And it works.

The added benefit is that it helps you transpose songs into a different key. I often get asked to play songs that I may have played a million times before that may be in the key of G for example, "oh but we do it in Bb".

 

Yeah, never underestimate the power of intervals.

 

If I haven't played it in over a month, I'm nervous, but only because I'll lack some confidence.

I'll usually remember the structure and the chords and stuff of a song, but it may take me a bit of time (maybe a verse if I had a very particular groove) to remember exactly what I played, especially if it's similar to anything else I've been playing/learning in that time.

I will have to try just remembering the intervals.

 

I usually need to hear a bit of a song if I haven't played it in a while, and if there were parts I didn't bother learning well, forget it...

Hey, how'd your first lesson go?

 

Yeah, exactly.

 

I have a scary musical memory, still not sure how it actually works. I've mentally catalogued most music I've ever heard and have pretty much instant recall, not just basslines or melodies, entire arrangements. I typically learn new recorded music by listening.

I, too, don't worry about the key and work from intervals. I play songs I've never played before but have heard, all the time. Because of this I have no idea how many thousands of songs I know. If you can "hear" the interval, you can play the interval.

Just glad I have the gift. It does freak some people out when they first try to play "stump the bassist" with me