Memorising Music

Phil_aka_Pip

I used to be good at it, but these days I like a crib sheet in front of me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32428022

PolarityMan

According to wikipedia a symphony is typically 90 mins to 2 hours with a 15 minute break. Now I appreciate the average rock band probably has more repetition but I reckon there are loads of us who regularly play longer gigs without sheets.

I reckon the real issue is that most classical musicians don't have as static a repertoire so they don't get the pieces really drilled in and instead rely on the music. Completely the opposite of most guitarists I think. 

Or maybe classical music just isn't memorable enough

Phil_aka_Pip

@PolarityMan I think it depends on how "into" the music you are. I think I could play the first violin part from GF Handel's Fireworks Suite from memory on the guitar, but need a chord chart to play some of the early 60s pop that the band requires me to play.

PolarityMan

If I'm not into it I don't play it.........solves the problem for me.

Phil_aka_Pip

I don't have a problem playing that stuff (I can take a pride in doing it well), and I wouldn't mind a band in my local playing it live, I just don't listen to it for personal entertainment, and don't make enough money out of it to be arsed with memorising it.

Danny1969

I'm in 5 different bands all with different sets, so basically gotta remember about 180 odd songs in terms of structure, riffs, chord changes, lyrics for harmonies ect. I don't use crib sheets but do have a refresher look on the day for the 3 newest bands. 

I think in terms of root key then 4th then minor 3rd etc as you can then switch keys on the fly. I've really tried hard at training my ear to hear intervals instantly as it pays off bigtime for doing covers

thomasross20

I'm currently up to 3.5 hours worth of (~42) songs with the band, no sheets. Not quite the amount of songs some of your are doing! 

Phil_aka_Pip

A lot of our songs "sound the same" anyway, being I vi IV V progressions. You could easily do One Song To The Tune Of Another as in ISIHAC. It's the individual manner of picking your way through the chords, and in some cases, the special little accents, that differentiate them. I'm sure you could busk your way through a complete set and half the punters wouldn't notice. Mr Drummer probably wouldn't notice either. Messrs BassPlayer and BandLeader would.

PolarityMan

Our music is all riffs so a crib sheet wouldn't help you at all. Memory is the only way.

In fact our debut EP was described as a reviewer as being "swollen with riffs", the song in question has from what I recall 37 parts in 4 min song. We hardly ever play that song these days but when I do I can still play it all the way through without forgetting anything, I guess it's muscle memory.

meltedbuzzbox

Danny1969 said:

I'm in 5 different bands all with different sets,

thats a lot of sex on fire :-P

Danny1969

meltedbuzzbox said:

Danny1969 said:

I'm in 5 different bands all with different sets,

thats a lot of sex on fire :-P

Lol yes it is

thomasross20

How mnay gigs a week/month do you do, @Danny1969? Same question for rehearsals!

Danny1969

thomasross20 said:

How mnay gigs a week/month do you do, @Danny1969? Same question for rehearsals!

The gigs vary, sometimes only 1 a week but often 3 a week and I've done 5 in a week before although that was rare. In addition to actually playing at gigs I also work as a freelance FOH engineer and my company 2020 supplies PA equipment for anything from a pub gig to a theatre show,  so I could be doing anything from lumping gear to mixing FOH or  monitors in that capacity. 

The 3 bands that gig all the time don't really rehearse, but the newest 2 are only just getting started so once a fortnight for them. One is called Covergirl and is female vox, bass drums and me. I generally learn the songs on the day of the rehearsal. I have a Youtube playlist with the songs on it and I'll just mentally work most of it out and then sit down with a guitar to work out the bits I can't instantly work out in my head. The other band is all eighties pop but done on acoustic guitars so again on the day I'll bring up that playlist and try and be on the ball for that material. 

It's a lot of work to be honest but after 30 years of gigging covers I'm pretty quick at learning and so far (touch wood)  have a good memory. Also every band I'm involved in rehearses at 2020 so I don't have the ball ache of loading kit in and out constantly. 

thomasross20

That sounds great to rehearse at your studio!

And yes sounds like a lot of work!

We've been focusing on the new ones so much that when we tried the old songs last night there were a few "gap" moments..!

Gigs in Edinburgh at pubs pay crap - maybe £160 for a gig. 

lloyd

I've always been good at remembering stuff if I'm playing it regularly. Now I'm not in a covers band I don't think I can play any songs start to finish...I'm terrible! Typical bedroom guitarist with other people's songs-just play the intro/mess about move onto something new and they never stick  in my head.

I've never used sheets for a gig. I've made extensive use of them at rehearsals.

Phil_aka_Pip

Gigs I've used crib sheets for:

• Pit band for pantos & musicals
• Church bands
• The current pop covers band

Gigs I've not used crib sheets for:

• Rock & blues covers bands
• Original material prog rock bands

A crib sheet can be:

• A proper chord chart with barlines
• A chord chart interspersed with cut&pasted stave notation where necessary
• Full notation on stave

A "lyrics sheet" with chord symbols written above the words and no timing information is useless. I can't work with them.

lloyd

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Gigs I've used crib sheets for:

• Pit band for pantos & musicals
• Church bands
• The current pop covers band

Gigs I've not used crib sheets for:

• Rock & blues covers bands
• Original material prog rock bands

A crib sheet can be:

• A proper chord chart with barlines
• A chord chart interspersed with cut&pasted stave notation where necessary
• Full notation on stave

A "lyrics sheet" with chord symbols written above the words and no timing information is useless. I can't work with them.

I think certain gigs just look lame with sheets/lyrics stands. That's my personal opinion. 

I don't mind acoustic acts using them for some reason.

Yours above would look ok to me, except the pop covers band sorry!

Phil_aka_Pip

lloyd said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Gigs I've used crib sheets for:

• Pit band for pantos & musicals
• Church bands
• The current pop covers band

Gigs I've not used crib sheets for:

• Rock & blues covers bands
• Original material prog rock bands

A crib sheet can be:

• A proper chord chart with barlines
• A chord chart interspersed with cut&pasted stave notation where necessary
• Full notation on stave

A "lyrics sheet" with chord symbols written above the words and no timing information is useless. I can't work with them.

I think certain gigs just look lame with sheets/lyrics stands. That's my personal opinion. 

I don't mind acoustic acts using them for some reason.

Yours above would look ok to me, except the pop covers band sorry!

In an ideal world, I probably wouldn't use them in the pop covers band. The other 3 do, so I take the easy way out & follow suit. I hope that I'll get used to playing that stuff, and so won't be needing them later on. FWIW the rhythm section are ageing (big band) jazzers and are used to playing with lead sheets in front of them, to them is accepted behaviour.

lloyd

Phil_aka_Pip said:

lloyd said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Gigs I've used crib sheets for:

• Pit band for pantos & musicals
• Church bands
• The current pop covers band

Gigs I've not used crib sheets for:

• Rock & blues covers bands
• Original material prog rock bands

A crib sheet can be:

• A proper chord chart with barlines
• A chord chart interspersed with cut&pasted stave notation where necessary
• Full notation on stave

A "lyrics sheet" with chord symbols written above the words and no timing information is useless. I can't work with them.

I think certain gigs just look lame with sheets/lyrics stands. That's my personal opinion. 

I don't mind acoustic acts using them for some reason.

Yours above would look ok to me, except the pop covers band sorry!

In an ideal world, I probably wouldn't use them in the pop covers band. The other 3 do, so I take the easy way out & follow suit. I hope that I'll get used to playing that stuff, and so won't be needing them later on. FWIW the rhythm section are ageing (big band) jazzers and are used to playing with lead sheets in front of them, to them is accepted behaviour.

Horses for courses I guess. If you've done it before you'll soon get into it-most pop tunes are fairly easy to remember with a bit of repetition.....

Phil_aka_Pip

@lloyd, most of the chord progressions are the same, or similar. It's knowing where the accents are, what order the verse/chorus/solo comes in, which FX to use, the tempo & time signature, which key etc. I sometimes think the similarities mean that it's even more important to distinguish between songs to avoid the one-song-to-the-tune-of-another syndrome. 

lloyd

Yeah I get that-I need to do songs over and over again before they get stuck in my head, but once they're there, they're there. I do need a bit of prompting to get them back to speed but I don't think they ever go away. 

Totally depends on the band too. If you've got an in your face, performing frontman then the rhythm section can get away with hiding in the shadows and guitars to a certain extent.