Music stuff - advice needed

Lowender · Post by **Lowender** » Sunday May 13, 2012

Any tips on memorizing songs, chord progressions etc. Have been having some trouble remembering and could use some pointers. I play bass but any tips will help.

Also could use some advice on head size / cab size for small/med gigs ie bars etc. Im looking at two bass heads right now
ampeg 350 watt
peavey tour 700

and looking at either a 2x12 cab or 410

not sure whats sufficient, whats bare minimum etc, any advice greatly appreciated.

Hawk · Post by **Hawk** » Sunday May 13, 2012

I too have an incredibly difficult time memorizing songs. A very frustrating weakness on my part and a frustration to band mates. The one thing that helps to a degree is making notes about the song, then visualising the notes during the song.

kayla · Post by **kayla** » Sunday May 13, 2012

My advice is to learn the song in parts, and build on it. Thats helped me a ton learning long lead work. Memorize and nail down a small piece and then work on the next piece. And my other advice is not to try and learn something that is way beyond your skill level. It leads to frustration.
-kayla

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Sunday May 13, 2012

I say: Don't memorize.

Playing from memory leaves you rather straight-jacketed in your delivery. Most people end up playing the same thing the same way every time. Kinda takes the "live" element out of it.

Instead, work on getting comfortable within the key of a song. Train you ear and pay attention to your bandmates in order to anticipate changes within a song. This leads to a more intuitive understanding of music and song structure, making the whole thing easier.

CMOR · Post by **CMOR** » Monday May 14, 2012

Jasaoke wrote:I say: Don't memorize.

Playing from memory leaves you rather straight-jacketed in your delivery. Most people end up playing the same thing the same way every time. Kinda takes the "live" element out of it.

Instead, work on getting comfortable within the key of a song. Train you ear and pay attention to your bandmates in order to anticipate changes within a song. This leads to a more intuitive understanding of music and song structure, making the whole thing easier.

+1 Well put.

timemoney0 · Post by **timemoney0** » Monday May 14, 2012

A song is a 3-4 minute story. Create a visual of the story ( or a story ) in your head. Kinda like memorizing names

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday May 14, 2012

Before even grabbing the guitar, I usually listen to the song ad nauseum until i have it in my head.

I have yet to learn the lyrics of a song without memorizing them.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Monday May 14, 2012

lonewolf wrote:Before even grabbing the guitar, I usually listen to the song ad nauseum until i have it in my head.

I have yet to learn the lyrics of a song without memorizing them.

+1

I have a bookshelf stereo in my bathroom, much to my wife's dismay. I put rehearsal and live console recordings on, and listen until I'm completely sick of them. Not only do I no longer need my cheat-sheet book (which I had become addicted to), but after hearing my mistakes 20 times on tape, I'm less likely to make those particular mistakes.

lynch1 · Post by **lynch1** » Monday May 14, 2012

I listen to them over and over again. I learn the intro, then the chord progression for the verse, then the chord progression for the bridge or chorus. Most songs just repeat from there. I play by ear, so I listen to them and can usually pick it up quickly. lyrics, your on your own. but, my suggestion is to break the song down by parts. that usually works for me.

RobTheDrummer · Post by **RobTheDrummer** » Monday May 14, 2012

It's like muscle memory for the ear.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Monday May 14, 2012

I don't know if there's really any secret to memorizing songs other than practice, practice, practice. Muscle memory is very important, but so is being able to understand the theory that goes behind what you're playing.

As far as amps...while an amp's output is important, speaker efficiency is really going to determine your volume. All things equal, a 4x10 and a 2x12 are going to be similar in volume, and either should be sufficiently loud for most local venues, even if you don't have PA support. Both Eden and Bergantino make crazy efficient bass cabs. The Ampeg's 350 watts would go a long way with an efficient 4x10.

Lowender · Post by **Lowender** » Monday May 14, 2012

Great info and help everyone, thank you so much. Any more pointers ill gladly take, but just wanted to throw my thanks out there

Thanks again, ill be getting to work using some new ideas . Will let you know how it goes.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Monday May 14, 2012

The Hawks.....It Ain't Cherry

sstuckey · Post by **sstuckey** » Monday May 14, 2012

I don't know if this works for everybody but I can sometimes learn songs just by putting them on repeat while I sleep. I'll wake up and have certain parts or even whole songs stuck in my head and it will be there all day. Granted this probably won't work for a guitar but I also 'air-drum' while listening to the songs I'm learning and that creates the muscle memory Rob mentioned. I've been doing the air-drum technique for decades. And still use it to this day while working on the NaildriveR tunes.

StumbleFingers · Post by **StumbleFingers** » Monday May 14, 2012

Sometimes it really helps me to diagram a song out. Writing things down is a good memory aid for pretty much anything. I like to find memory aids - triggers or cues - from the other band members' parts.... A line of lyrics or a drum fill.

Another great memory aid is to pick out parts that remind you of other songs. A lot of chord progressions are used over and over again. For example, if you know the chorus to "Man in the Box", you already know the chorus to Pearl Jam's "Alive" and a few other songs.