AndyBob09 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I'm having a major problem with memorising music just now and I MUST overcome it. I can read lines no problem at all and no matter for how many hours I practice these 'lines' and try and get them in, when I take the dots in front of me away, I just cannot remember anything that was on the page. Some things I'm alright with but things like this recently posted cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpuI6p8YxPg I just cannot "learn" the exact line. I think one problem is that it's all VERY similar but only one or two bars are the very same. Does anyone else have the problem of memorising music? Are there ways around this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) Hi AndyBob, I'm probably in the same boat as you - I tend to learn a fairly good approximation of what I'm hearing, and go with that when I have to learn something for the bands I play in. It usually does the trick as no-one ever says "the bass part you played on such & such wasn't right / c**p" etc.. IMO sometimes it's just a case of playing[b] your [/b]interpretation of it, which there's nothing wrong in whatsoever. I think you'll find that 99% of the time, the rest of the band aren't playing exactly the same thing note for note anyway. It's a different ball gane if you're doing a dot reading gig as it is a case of having to play the music, and the arrangement "as is". If it is a case that you really want to play the line exactly as it is on the written page, then it's definitely a case of running through it as many times as you think you need to until it sinks in. Last thing: props to you for that video - one of my all time favourite Jaco bass parts and you've done a much better job with it than I'll ever do. Cheers, louisthebass Edited January 6, 2012 by louisthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Cheers for your kind words Louis. I can send you the tranny for that Jaco line. Took me about 2 weeks to get it to that level. It's still not perfect there but it's much tighter now. And aye, I mean, for playing with cover bands or just general bands, I never learn note for note lines. There's no point BUT I'm in my 4th year at uni studying music and have an important 40 minute performance recital in May. I'd like some things to be note for note for that, for example, that Jaco line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 [quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1325858933' post='1488885'] Cheers for your kind words Louis. I can send you the tranny for that Jaco line. Took me about 2 weeks to get it to that level. It's still not perfect there but it's much tighter now. And aye, I mean, for playing with cover bands or just general bands, I never learn note for note lines. There's no point BUT I'm in my 4th year at uni studying music and have an important 40 minute performance recital in May. I'd like some things to be note for note for that, for example, that Jaco line. [/quote] No worries mate, I'd love to have copy if you can pass it on. If it's going to be your recital piece, just keeping plugging away at it - you'll eventually get to a point where you can play it without thinking about it. It's only when you think (or worry) about it when it all goes a bit "pear shaped" (I had that at a gig a month ago when I managed to forget the bass part to "I Wish"....). D'oh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Now you know why I am a jazz musician. I can't remember s*** so I make it up as I go along Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blademan_98 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1325874858' post='1489292'] Now you know why I am a jazz musician. I can't remember s*** so I make it up as I go along [/quote] I'm going to junk rock for jazz now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonCello Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Classical soloists like Julian Lloyd Webber for example often carry 20 to 30 concerto's in their heads which I find utterly amazing. A new concerto will take anything from 3 to 6 months to learn without the dots depending on difficulty. I'm an old git now so I've got an excuse. I generally listen to the CD in the car on the way to/from work just to get it into my brain. Good luck with the Jaco piece! LC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 It is important to recognise that Jaco never learned that piece and played it 'off the top of his head'. I have no doubt that there was a 'game plan' before the tape started rolling and there would have been rehearsals etc but the level of detail you are expecting of yourself is kind of missing the point. In fact, I may be wrong but the hardest parts and phrases to read/learn/memorise are by far the ones more likely to have come from Jaco's own personal, sub-consious 'lick library' rather than from any intense pre-gig woodshedding. Personally, I find it appalling that a university would consider the reproduiction of an improvised line a legitimate recital piece. Feels a bit like catching a butterfly in amber. But that's me and I am an a***hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) I was working on a cruise ship and the classical pianist did 5 X 45 minute recitals from memory over 3 weeks. it was jaw dropping to watch knowing how much other material he had ready to play. Not background either. Proper recital. Rock hard classical sonatas. No sheet music. 5 x 45 mins! Gulp. Edited January 12, 2012 by geoffbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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