Starting a memorized song

[mjnyc]

Just curious...

When I have, say, 8 or 10 songs to memorize, I can do so with a reasonable amount of practice.
My memorization is basically by fretboard pattern / muscle memory and ear.

When I'm playing through a set, especially with others, I find being able to start the song, based on its name, incredibly difficult.
Once I get the first few notes, everything flows automatically.
It's the association between the song name and the beginning of what I'm supposed to play that is so hard.
I usually have some sort of crutch like either a chord chart, or just a tab of the very first bar or two.

Wondering if others have a similar issue and have any tricks that help.

Michael

 

[Killing Floor]

Assume you're talking covers. Drop all the songs onto a playlist and listen to it, sing/hum along. Knowing the song, pushing yourself to become a fan of the song can help. If you're just playing through it always takes practice and repetition. Don't curse yourself if you miss a note.
Record yourself playing back to the song so you can see where you're making and where your missing.

 

[NKBassman]

I'm kinda the same way. Except for me my problem is always remembering the key of the song, even songs I've been playing for years.
"Is that in G??" "NO! It's in C!" lol

Once I get going it's all good, but that first note is always dicey. lol

 

[silky smoove]

I play with a drummer that has this issues. He cannot internalize song names. It's frustrating. For the sake of your bandmates I would advise that you work on it to alleviate any potential frustration with the issue.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Post a set list nearby.

 

[NKBassman]

Post a set list nearby.

Yes, my set lists have everything written on them that I need to remind myself where I need to be.
However this can also be a crutch, where if it's written down I'll never learn it 100%. Also it can be a moment of panic on stage when the singer calls an audible in the middle of the set and my crutch *cough* set list notes for that song aren't readily available.

 

[mjnyc]

I play with a drummer that has this issues. He cannot internalize song names. It's frustrating. For the sake of your bandmates I would advise that you work on it to alleviate any potential frustration with the issue.

Interesting. I think "internalizing song names" is one way to put it. In general I often have trouble associating song names with the music. I think that's how my memory works (or doesn't). Don't think working on it will do much, but even the most minimal cheat sheet fixes it. It's like cueing actors, once the cue person whispers a word or two, the rest just flows.

 

[silky smoove]

Don't think working on it will do much

There's no skill, innate or otherwise, that will not improve with time and applied repetition.

 

[SteveCS]

My memorization is basically by fretboard pattern / muscle memory and ear.
...
Wondering if others have a similar issue and have any tricks that help.

Memorisation for me begins with transcribing a full score of the bass part. The process of writing out happens, by necessity, out of time - I don't know anyone that can write anything but the most basic of standard notation in real time! This process, done out of time with bass in one hand and pencil in the other ensures that the part is written out correctly. I then have an accurate and correct reference from which to learn the music. There is no question of forgetting and having to work it out a second or third time - it is written down so I can just take a look . From then , learning the music is a matter of reading and playing. As it happens, by the time I've written the score the music is pretty well already committed correctly to memory. I put this down to having been through the process a few hundred times - the first few times were painful, now it is second nature.

TLDR: Write out your own charts or score. learning is faster, memorisation is more secure and long-term retention/recall is exponentially improved

 

[Lobster11]

Do you pay any attention to the vocals/lyrics when learning a song, or are you just focused entirely on memorizing the bass part? I ask because in the vast majority of songs in rock and other popular music, the song title is a word or phrase that gets repeated frequently during the song. There are exceptions, of course, but usually if you can remember the title it will help you remember how the song goes as well as vice-versa.

 

[mjnyc]

Do you pay any attention to the vocals/lyrics when learning a song, or are you just focused entirely on memorizing the bass part? I ask because in the vast majority of songs in rock and other popular music, the song title is a word or phrase that gets repeated frequently during the song. There are exceptions, of course, but usually if you can remember the title it will help you remember how the song goes as well as vice-versa.

Yes, that's a good point and it does often help.

 

[NKBassman]

Do you pay any attention to the vocals/lyrics when learning a song, or are you just focused entirely on memorizing the bass part? I ask because in the vast majority of songs in rock and other popular music, the song title is a word or phrase that gets repeated frequently during the song. There are exceptions, of course, but usually if you can remember the title it will help you remember how the song goes as well as vice-versa.

I've been known to quickly hum a chorus or two to try to flash a memory of the riff or changes that I'm supposed to know.
It's usually in there somewhere, just need a bit of a running start to get it going sometimes.

 

[Drifter8230]

It's been a while (a loooong time, actually) since I would have to memorize a few dozen songs for long Friday/Saturday night bar gigs, but; what helped me remember the songs was that I KNEW the songs and had heard them many times through the years (mostly classic rock).

But I did fill in for a band once or twice playing originals and I didn't know their original songs. At all . We had maybe 2 rehearsals before the gig. I had the same issue the OP described...I needed a few bars of music "to get me going."

But having access to the material and becoming immersed in the material was, and still is, the best way I'VE found to not only memorize a song but have the quick reaction to "adapt to an audible" I wasn't planning for.

 

[JonathanPDX]

It helps a lot to get to know the songs outside of your bass focus time. When I have to cram for a gig I listen to that set list every day in the car, while I'm cooking dinner, etc. It's the background to my life. I learn to sing or hum along, which helps me internalize the changes and form. I don't even worry about the bass because it's so much easier to learn the bass line to a song you already have in your head.

I also like to associate songs with other songs I know well. I can put a note on my set list that says "Pride and Joy" and as soon as I see that name it triggers a memory that tells me exactly what kind of song it is, even if the new song isn't one I know well.

 

[NKBassman]

It helps a lot to get to know the songs outside of your bass focus time. When I have to cram for a gig I listen to that set list every day in the car, while I'm cooking dinner, etc. It's the background to my life. I learn to sing or hum along, which helps me internalize the changes and form. I don't even worry about the bass because it's so much easier to learn the bass line to a song you already have in your head.

I also like to associate songs with other songs I know well. I can put a note on my set list that says "Pride and Joy" and as soon as I see that name it triggers a memory that tells me exactly what kind of song it is, even if the new song isn't one I know well.

+1. Your subconscious is your friend here. Play the songs in the background on repeat until you start waking up with them randomly stuck in your head every morning, and/or as long as you can until partner starts to get annoyed .

 

[silky smoove]

It helps a lot to get to know the songs outside of your bass focus time.

This is great advice. There's a big difference to knowing a song in general and knowing it as a piece you're performing. It taps into different parts of your brain (seemingly). I always find that if I generally know a song very well, I can perform it much better than if I had only known it as a reference to performing.

 

[TFunkadelic]

Practice playing through the set list without recordings, unaccompanied.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Cheat sheets.. I write down the key, tempo, who starts the song, and the first few notes. Also the ending.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Just curious...

When I have, say, 8 or 10 songs to memorize, I can do so with a reasonable amount of practice.
My memorization is basically by fretboard pattern / muscle memory and ear.

When I'm playing through a set, especially with others, I find being able to start the song, based on its name, incredibly difficult.
Once I get the first few notes, everything flows automatically.
It's the association between the song name and the beginning of what I'm supposed to play that is so hard.
I usually have some sort of crutch like either a chord chart, or just a tab of the very first bar or two.

Wondering if others have a similar issue and have any tricks that help.

Michael

As someone else might say, or has already said: Know the songs as LISTENER like you're hitting play on whatever music device/platform. You'll make your learning of an instrumental part, or whatever part MUCH easier. Right now you're trying to remember both the song and also the bass part. It's hard. It may be necessary with the timeline, but it is hard to build those two knowledge bases at once. If you can, always make your learning easier by knowing the song as a listener, FIRST.

Also, in craming the songs in your head in prep for rehearsals, gigs, etc... know this- After a certain number of "background" listens on repeat, your brain is going to start to turn off. You will have to sit down and focus exclusively on that song. Do it in short bursts. 30 minutes here. 30 minutes there. That's about 5 run-throughs of a song with a couple of minutes to spot-hit notable parts. And you'll have to see what "sticks"- some parts and bit will stick easier than others.

But still, ultimately you must be able to hear this song in your head in an exacting way, as if you've been (actively) listening to it for years. Good luck.

 

[Wasnex]

Just curious...

When I have, say, 8 or 10 songs to memorize, I can do so with a reasonable amount of practice.
My memorization is basically by fretboard pattern / muscle memory and ear.

When I'm playing through a set, especially with others, I find being able to start the song, based on its name, incredibly difficult.
Once I get the first few notes, everything flows automatically.
It's the association between the song name and the beginning of what I'm supposed to play that is so hard.
I usually have some sort of crutch like either a chord chart, or just a tab of the very first bar or two.

Wondering if others have a similar issue and have any tricks that help.

Michael

Yes I have the same problem. The trick is to associate the song title with the way the song sounds. Success requires study/practice. Most directly the song title usually involves part of the lyrics. So you could memorize the word and melody for the part of the song that the title relates to.

Consider making flash cards.