Remembering Songs

Iamnobody

I don't suppose anyone has any tips for learning the format of songs? Obviously simple structures are not a problem; I'm thinking about songs don't seem too have much repetition or deviate from more standard progressions.

My current attack is write them down in a note pad, and just keep practicing until I've got them down.

The other thing I do is listen to the song I'm learning in the car or on my headphones when out walking etc.

Time is tight these days for quality practice periods so just wondered what others do?

Cheers

thumpingrug

Always been a problem for me too.  I have played hundreds of songs over the years but ask me to do that right now and I would struggle to remember any.  I have used a notepad or ring binder with stuff printed off.

Never takes long to pick up a song again but no instant recall.

Iamnobody

Glad I'm not the only one then. I guess my problem is learning new songs initially.

Like you I don't have instant recall but usually pick up a previously learnt song fairly quickly even if it's been a few years.

digitalscream

I struggle with this as well - I've found that playing them lots is important, but even more important is doing it in context (ie with the rest of the band). All the tiny visual cues that you give each other really matter.

Another handy thing is working out specific cues directly before changes - do the drums do something different? Different inflection in the vocals?

not_the_dj

I play a lot of covers, and I'm split between two bands. There are songs that have been put into the set lists at short notice so I used crib notes, what I find then is that certain songs just don't ever sink in, so I end up being tied to the crib notes, even though I've now played them loads of times!

 

Kebabkid

I always seem to have a lot of cover songs to learn, and some aren't familiar to me. I tend to use my "travelling into work time" to listen to the songs and write down the song structure on a pad - after so many years, I have my own wording to help me identify things - or I print off the lyrics and fill in the breaks, verses etc. Then, when I have the structure and song going around my head, I actually sit down at home with the guitar and fill in the musical blanks (chords/notes).

People have even be known to use iPads live as their crib sheets!

Grunfeld

I learn songs in Transcribe! so once I've opened a song I map the parts out (it only takes a few moments) and then I've got a visual map of the song and all it's parts -- very helpful when learning cos you can see how many bars each section has, if a section is longer the second time around, and so on.  Works well for me anyway.

E.g. Here's a screen shot of "It's my Life" which I learned recently:

EricTheWeary

its funny what sticks sometimes and what doesn't. Simple songs ( not that I've learned anything particularly complicated in my life) with lots of repetition  can be hard as its easy to lose where you are. Learning songs to then play in a band context certainly ups the adrenaline but you can end up relying on cues ( sometimes subconsciously ) that dissapear live. For example, if you rehearse facing each other but play live forward facing or if there are on stage sound problems ( try doing fills around the vocals when you can't hear the vocals! having to play songs whilst focused on watching the singer's jaw movements).

Generally the more you understand the inner workings of the song the more it helps, I think. So, working out the structure, maybe the lyrics, working out parts,etc, rather than a 2 minute learn from tab (not that I never do that...). Just having a song playing in the car or on my ipod on the train doesn't seem to do much for me, doing something so that I am hearing it in a more focused way is much more helpful.

But, if you asked me to play a 3 chord song I did in a band 10 years ago I probably couldn't, although I could pick it up again quite quickly ( and when I have done this often realised I never played the bloody thing right in the first place). 

  

Kebabkid

Grunfeld said:

I learn songs in Transcribe! so once I've opened a song I map the parts out (it only takes a few moments) and then I've got a visual map of the song and all it's parts -- very helpful when learning cos you can see how many bars each section has, if a section is longer the second time around, and so on.  Works well for me anyway.

E.g. Here's a screen shot of "It's my Life" which I learned recently:

That looks handy! I'll take a look at that.

Iamnobody

Kebabkid;172416" said:

Grunfeld said:

I learn songs in Transcribe! so once I've opened a song I map the parts out (it only takes a few moments) and then I've got a visual map of the song and all it's parts -- very helpful when learning cos you can see how many bars each section has, if a section is longer the second time around, and so on.  Works well for me anyway.



E.g. Here's a screen shot of "It's my Life" which I learned recently:














That looks handy! I'll take a look at that.

Yep. Hey @grunfeld I've looked on the website and have some understanding of what transcribe does.

Could you briefly outline its function for the layman without any marketing spin!

TTony

Iamnobody said:

Time is tight these days for quality practice periods so just wondered what others do?

Do the vocals and the guitar, then it's not your problem - the rest of the band have to follow you wherever you go ...

I put stuff that I'm trying to learn on a separate playlist, and play it time and time and time again, so that it's really in my head.  

I'll also write down the full song structure around the lyrics (intro riff x4, verse1 lyrics, riff X2, chorus lyrics, verse2 lyrics, verse3 lyrics, etc) and follow through that as I'm playing my part - until I'm confident that I know it solidly.  Then the others eff it up.

Grunfeld

Iamnobody said:

Yep. Hey @grunfeld I've looked on the website and have some understanding of what transcribe does.

Could you briefly outline its function for the layman without any marketing spin!

@Iamnobody ; Sure.  No need for marketing spin, the program pretty much speaks for itself.  Here's a simple example to show the rapid lick in GnRs Sweet Child OM where the wah kicks in.



The screen shot shows a couple of things,
(1) I've got Transcribe to adjust the pitch of the original +1 semitone so I can play along in standard tuning for convenience (fractions of semitones are do-able too for, you know, Jimi *cough*
(2) The labels I've added to map the song.  This is really simple to do.  You play the song, tap along (Transcribe adds numbers so if you're tapping in time they're obviously bar numbers, then I go back to the sections and click the bar number and call it "3rd solo" and all the bar numbers in that section automatically re-number themselves telling me the 3rd solo is 17 bars long.
(3) I've highlighted the rapid lick.  This will loop indefinitely if I want it too.  Also, really neat, I might want to start playing the loop at 50% speed and each loop the speed will increase by 1% until it's playing at 100%.  It will do this automatically and all figures (the start speed, the number of repetitions of each loop, the finish speed) are adjustable.

Back to SCOM, here's what it sounds like.  I've just stitched this mp3 together now.  You hear whereabouts in SCOM I'm talking about, then
3 reps at full speed -- catch the lick?  It's a bit quick so...
1 rep at 70%
1 rep at 50%
1 rep at 35%
1 rep at 25%

all speeds are adjustable etc.

Hope that helps.

Iamnobody

@grunfeld - thanks for that.

I'm going to download it and give it a try. Thanks again for taking the time to explain it.

bobblehat

i usually print off the lyrics/tab and handwrite the structure on the sheet .eg. guitar intro, bridge ,guitar fill,solo etc.

Seems to stick in my head much better that way.

Also when trying to remember lyrics I find listening to the song writing the lyrics down by hand helps a lot.

I think it must be something to with the process that helps.Just printing off the lyrics from the net and trying to remember them just doesn't work as well. 

Some songs are just a bitch to learn! I have been playing "Because the Night" by Springsteen for 4 years with my band and still can't remember the lyrics,structure or the chords! 

mudslide73

not_the_dj;172010" said:

I play a lot of covers, and I'm split between two bands. There are songs that have been put into the set lists at short notice so I used crib notes, what I find then is that certain songs just don't ever sink in, so I end up being tied to the crib notes, even though I've now played them loads of times!

 

I have the exact same problem.. With one band we don't use notes at all, the other I cant do the gig without the sheets! The tunes which are common to both bands are memorised.

John_P

I put them on a cd for the car and listen on repeat while commuting and on the ipod for gym/running...  it soon gets boring and I might not be actively listening but the structure is getting into my head.

I try to keep crib notes to a minimum and if it's not a song I'm learning one off for dep gig then I'll try to ditch the notes asap or I find I rely on them.  As wrong as it sounds it's the moments when I make a mistake that help me learn something so a dodgy run through with no notes in rehearsal can help get a song locked in.

Adam_MD

I usually find the songs I forget the most are ones I've actually written! Normally the second verse.

jaytmon

When trying to learn new songs, after losing my temper at all the inaccurate tabs on the internet, the way I find it easiest to get the song to stick is to find and follow the lyrics on screen whilst playing along. I find this helps the structure sink in quicker. The songs I've written out I end up relying on the notes for and unless I get rid of the cheat sheet it doesn't sink in. 

Of course, this only works if the band are playing the version you're listening to to learn!

I know a song is sinking in because I go to bed with it stuck in my head and wake up with it stuck in my head. Usually for about 3 days. After this brief flirt with impending insanity, the song eventually fades into the unconscious and a little bit more of my soul dies...

If I'm not going to get a chance to rehearse beforehand though, I will make myself chart out the song. As much as I can convince myself I'm going to remember the first dance in 5 days' time, experience has taught me otherwise!

GuyBoden

You'll remember the song if you transcribe the song by ear and avoid tabs.

You learn music by using your ears not your eyes.

koneguitarist

Always written whole song out lyrics wise, then wrote chords in where they should be. 

If you write it down, it tends to go in and stay there.

Roland

Years ago I played with a keyboard player who "mis-remembered" arrangements, mainly because he mis-read his repeats. I got used to writing out the chord arrangement, with words where necessary, so that i didn't "mis remember". 

I still follow that process today because I'm the one who transcribes and arranges for the current band. It means we don't have any difficulty playing the same arrangement, but it does make remembering the song more difficult, and you'll find me referring to notes more than I should do. It's something I need to sort out because we need to improve out stage act.