Hey Guitar Players!

[felix'apprentice]

Just curious - i've tried a few different things memorizing songs. But i havent had one certain way stick. I've tried listening to the song a million times, playing it a million times and then i still forget ha. i've also tried remembering patterns for the chorus, pre chorus, verse etc. that works learning the rhythm parts - but how about leads?

i've been trying to train my ear to hear all the changes - but like all things that takes practice.

so what "techniques" do you use? for both lead and rhythm. thanks in advance!

- kayla.

[mjb]

quit smokin dope.

[felix'apprentice]

nevermind. i forgot, if its not a political thread i won't get any replies.

[MeYatch]

Just like everything else in the whole world: practice.

Seriously, I don't know of any "secrets" to memorizing songs. Other than the burning desire to not look like a complete moron on stage.

[mjb]

c'mon kayla, i was just kiddin! if you're having a hard time remembering, chart it out/ write it out in whatever way works for you. maybe you know most of the somg but a couple parts are giving you a hard time, writ it out. sometimes i'll grab the lyrics of the computer, and write zbove the word what the changes are. thats what practicing and rehersals are all about. remember, alot of songs you only have to remember one verse, chorus, and a bridge sometimes. once you know one verse you usually will now know all three( if thats the case) cuz it just repeats. most blues songs don't have bridges.

Write it out... just doing that seems to help me remember. and if you're learning a song don't keep playing along with it, listen to it write it out and prctice it, sometimes when you're playing along with stuff, you think you got it, but you don't. it gives you some gratification and maybe some motivation but you have to shut it off and work it out.

[Dark Soul]

Maybe try a less cerebral approach. Don't try to memorize notes like you're studying for a test. Music should be felt, not memorized. When you're playing a song, for that song and that moment, you should be totally in love with the music. You have to clear your mind and feel where the song is going in your gut. Don't try to hold the entire composition in your head. Let go of your fear of making a mistake. A mistake is nothing and easily forgiven by the listener as long as the rest of what you play is truly heart-felt and full of passion. Let your mind flow along with the song and you'll instinctively know what to play and when without having to think about it.

When you're playing along with a recording, don't think of it as, "They're playing and I'm just jamming along with them." Have a mindset of, "They are my backup and I'm the one center stage playing this." You should always have your volume slightly louder than the recording so you can hear yourself over the recording easily. This builds confidence and makes it easier for you to be objective about your own playing. Try recording yourself and playing it back so you can hear/feel which parts sound good and which need more attention.

Playing a lead is no different than playing anything else. A good lead, like a good song, will flow nicely and have a flavor all its own and you shouldn't be able to forget it any more than you could forget the taste of a good cheeseburger.

An interesting example of what I'm talking about is what happens to people who suffer short term memory loss. They can't remember anything for more than a few minutes, but with time they learn to instinctively "feel" how things work, where things go, and how to do things they've done before even if they can't remember it. Never underestimate the power of instinct.

[bassist_25]

Just like everything else in the whole world: practice.

Seriously, I don't know of any "secrets" to memorizing songs. Other than the burning desire to not look like a complete moron on stage.

+1

I wish I knew of some secret cognitive technique to remembering songs, but for me, it's always came down to just practicing the songs until they were committed to memory. Sometimes, if you don't use it, you lose it. I may forget songs that I've learned and played twice, never to play them again. There are others that I'll never forget, unless I get Alzheimer's. As Mike pointed out, some songs are really just a repeat of the A, B, and C sections. However, songs with a lot of variations are harder to remember.

I had to learn about 25 songs in the past week and a half for a sub gig this weekend. Today will be the test to see if I remember them.

[VENTGtr]

I tend to learn new stuff in batches, and generally have to quick. PLUS, don't really have time to actually PLAY, SO, here's a way that helps with both.

First, get a notebook. Writing things down helps you visualize and remember. I always sort of did this, but as far as a "method", this helped a lot. I read an interview with Stu Hamm and he said this is how he prepares(d) for sessions.

Sit with the song and notebook, no instrument in hand. Listen and write down the structure. Ex:

Intro
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
GTR (Lead break)
Turnaround
Chorus out

THEN, write how many times each occurs. Ex:

Intro 2x
Verse 4x
etc.

There can be variations that you can work out for yourself. For example, say during the verses, the first 2x the guitar plays a riff, the next 2x chords. I'll have:

Verse 2x/2x

Then, when done, write what each is. Ex:

Verse: G-Em-A-D-Dsus4

Chorus: C7-Fmaj7-Em7/G

etc.

For single note stuff/riffs, etc., either chart it in notation, some form of tab, etc.

Also, even as you're doing the other, try to hear what you think the changes might be. With time, you'll get better and better. It's actually a quick way because you get the thing down and it's right there. You can play and read through, then visualize when you're hearing the tune but not near the guitar.

I'm like Paul in that I may pick a tune up, never to see myself playing it again, then for some odd reason, I need it and it's in the book(s).

Just my method.

[nighthawk]

when im learning a song i play it twice. no more no less. the next day i play the song twice. no more no less. so forth and so on. if you put a song up on repeat and if you are anything like me it gets confusing on which part you are on because you cant remember where you are in the song. if you start a song dont let it play in repeat. let it stop on its own making you physically restart the song. this will give your mind a break that is just enough to keep it from getting jumbled. the twice thing is because if you screw it up you will remember that you screwed it up. the next day you will be thinking about the part you screwed up making you get the individual parts faster. once you start nailing it stop playing along with a recording. play the song all by yourself and when you start realizing that you cant play any farther you will have to stop and go back to the recording to listen. this will show you how important it is to listen to everyone else in the band. eventually you will be able to play the song front to back all by yourself with no backing track. this is the point you really know the song. now when you go play with a band you will not only know your parts but you will also know the other band mates parts well enough to be able to predict what they are going to do and communicate with them much easier. this is when jamming really starts getting fun. just a quick look and they will know you want to extend a solo and just have fun with it.

just remember when you are learning something new that you want to remember what you messed up. if you cant remember what parts you messed up then how do you know what you need to work on.

[felix'apprentice]

thanks for all advice guys! im goin to try the notebook theory!

and i agree with the repetition thing, i never really thought about that. but its so true, after a few times i get frustrated and then put the guitar down ticked off.

thanks again!!!

- kayla.

[VENTGtr]

Maybe the most useful part of the writing things out then listening is the visualizing. I'll BET Paul has come across some kind of method of making the most of this in the psychology schpiel.

There was an experiment with teaching kids to throw free throws years ago.

[lonewolf]

For the rhythm part, I do the same thing as Ventgtr with the list of parts...

For the solo part, unless the whole solo is etched in society's mind, or the unlikely event that I am impressed by the solo, I just learn the parts that stand out the most and ad lib the rest. This is how you develop your own solo style instead of becoming a clone.

When I decide to learn the whole solo, I usually pull up a tab and an mp3 and play each passage piece by piece, going back to the beginning and adding the next passage as i go along.

[VENTGtr]

I just learn the parts that stand out the most and ad lib the rest. This is how you develop your own solo style instead of becoming a clone.

Yep.

[timemoney0]

Think of the song as a story.( a very short story ) a lead is an even shorter story within that story. Associating the parts or measures of a lead with what your brain wants to say often provokes your memory automatically (with lots of practice of course) As Jeff stated above, Once you know the most memorable parts of a lead, the rest can be just want you want to say to tell your short story. Anyone want a hit of this?

[Killjingle]

when I was playing covers I found myself putting songs into categories.

the good, the bad, and the ugly....


good: tunes that were easy and had almost no issue playing at any given time

bad: tunes that were slightly more difficult but had were easily handled by sitting and practicing a certain part or passage a few times

ugly: tunes that had odd key changes, difficult solos, complicated rhythms

I always practiced on my own starting with the ugly first. That way if I got sidetracked and had something else come up I put the effort into the material I was struggling with first. I like the notebook theory as well and everyone one else had great suggestions.

I think after awhile depending on the music you will start drawing parallels and seeing that a lot of songs are more similar than u think. After all; there is only so many notes on a guitar neck.

[RFBuck]

Memorizing things can be tricky, but it also depends if you're learning the song with a CD or with a band.

I learn the song from the CD first. Then when I get together with people, I use it as a blueprint only. Because sometimes things get changed, and especially when you play songs that fade out. You can't fade live, so an ending has to be established...there goes the CD learning part LOL. Now you have to work as a unit and decide "Okay, this is how we'll do it." Now you HAVE to remember that because it's not on the CD. That part I pay most attention to. The rest, if followed like the CD is a matter of memorizing on my own time.

Songs can get changed, too. Someone may bring a song idea, but instead of doing it one way, they decide it would sound cooler if it was re-vamped. Now you're working with something totally different, and you have nothing to work with during your time at home. So I pay extra attention to those.

[hannible]

All the tips above are accurate..Im starting today to practice(learn by myself) up to 4 songs (BY REQUEST) for our band rehearsal(Rehearsal is with the intire band) Wed nite... Great Balls of Fire, Money For Nothin, La Bomba, and another song I cant remember the name hehe...To play lead you must memorise 3 scales....these 3 scales resemble a F (bar chord 1st position, (first fret)) a full "D"chord and a "A"chord, use all 6 strings.....Once you memorise these 3 scales, just move them up the neck....you can play in any key and you don`t have to memorise all the names of the notes in the scale, like A# or B flat etc...Eventualy you will begin to realise (Hear) if you are playing a wrong note when your practicing your scales or actually useing them in leads....Example: If you are playing a song in the key of "A", standard 12 bar blues...3 chord tune=1 4 5 (1=A 4=D 5=E)...getting complicated...mmmm Kayla ...come to our rehearsal wed nite at 6:00 my house...bring your guitar, no amp...I will show you some trics that I guarentee results...my number is 9340654 Duncansville near new Lions Club...