How well do you really know your set ?

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

I like to know each song well enough to play it solo. One of the things I've got into the habit of doing is writing out the structure of each new song we learn (all covers, and we agree on a version as a base) and circulating it to the rest of the band, but I'm beginning to realise it would be better to make everyone do it as it often seems like it's just me that really knows the songs properly.

[josie]

The standard repertoire for "my band" (joke - we just *rse about together and would never let anyone hear us - and we call it our "abbatoir", because we murder them all) I know the root notes by heart and decorate differently every time - sometimes horribly, but nobody minds.

So far I've only played for an audience OM and always from well-practiced memory. Trying to keep track of where I am in any kind of written notation at the same time as listening to where anyone else is would be a disaster. My usual duo partner has a habit of throwing things at me on short notice (Friday for Tuesday) - he'll send me over a recording of how he's doing it and I work with that over the weekend until it's rock solid. But completely in short-term memory - if I tried to play the same songs a week later they'd be gone. Looking back at my gig-log, there are songs there that I can't even remember learning or playing.

If / when I'm ever in a gig-able band I'll get the whole set solid. There's too much else going on, playing live - locking in and responding to how the rest of the band is developing the song - I can't afford to be needing a prop for which note to hit next.

[JapanAxe]

Depends. If it's a reading job, it isn't a good use of my valuable time to learn the material, but it helps to be familiar with it. In my country band, we often take the song round again if people are up dancing, but I know how each section goes, and how to link them. And for depping in other bands, I may know how the original recording go, but I frequently have to adapt to a different song structure, or even the wrong chords!

[FinnDave]

Wirebirds stuff I know inside out, but I recently joined a second band and had 10 days to learn 2 sets of 15 songs each, most of which I'd never heard of, never find played. Got them to the point where I can get through them with the band now, but need my crib sheets to be sure of the verse/chorus/bridge order.

[mcnach]

I guess I'm mostly in the instinct camp.
Last night we were about to play a song (all originals) we haven't played in ages because our singer called it... and the rhythm guitarist and I looked at each other and raised our eyebrows "how did that one go?"... 1, 2, 3, 4... and our fingers just remembered it even if our brains could not

Mostly we've played each song enough times, and we've played so many gigs with abysmal onstage sound, that you learn to play the song with very few external cues. I haven't made any conscious effort to count how many bars of this and that go where... We do a fair amount of jamming during practices and sometimes at gigs, so we are also used to looking at each other, and sometimes we end up playing slightly different versions of a song if the singer comes in late, or forgets a chorus or whatever, and nobody in the audience would really notice.

[rOB]

Currently working on a new originals set so not as long as some sets discussed above.

I could play and sing through it solo on bass or guitar.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='sharkboy' timestamp='1477683118' post='3163904']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]you know, when you kinda just go on autopilot.[/font][/color]
[/quote]

Actually I don't know, I never knowingly rely purely on muscle memory - for me it would be the absolute last resort, I'm usually (in no particular order) relying or trying to reply on: the note name, the melody in my head, a know scale /arpeggio pattern, the harmonic function (e.g "the 6th degree of the key"). I try not to rely on string fret position too much and only as a last resort. If I ever find myself exhausting all of those and relying on pure muscle memory then I consider it a failure and a sign that I havn't learnt that bit well enough or had lost concentration.

Not saying your approach is wrong, its just completely alien to me, I couldn't live the possibility of the "OMG whats comes next ?" moments.

Edited October 29, 2016 by bassman7755

[TimR]

Haven't got a clue.

The set list has all the first notes written on it so I get that one right, after that I just wing them.

[gapiro]

The ska band - ive played our repertoire of 60 ish songs probably 200+ times and can do it in my sleep. Some weekends of triple gigs are the worst as get so sick of it.
I'm in another function band where there are no rehearsals and I'm expected to turn up and play them tight. For that structure and rhythm approximations win.

[megallica]

Had a few practices where our old singer didn't show up and that's when we all realised how many cues we took from the vocals.
Not a train wreck but not as tight as normal

[mikel]

[quote name='megallica' timestamp='1477789381' post='3164496']
Had a few practices where our old singer didn't show up and that's when we all realised how many cues we took from the vocals.
Not a train wreck but not as tight as normal
[/quote]

In a way I think thats fine. I think it means you are playing off/with each other rather than going through the motions.

[scalpy]

Based on Friday nights gig, better than the guitarist.

[PaulWarning]

I think I probably rely on external reminders more than I think, one occasion springs to mind, the whole band started cocking up a Sex Pistols version of My Way, couldn't understand it till it was realised that the singer had swapped the 2nd and 3rd verses round without anybody twigging it.
I do open micing and when someone asked me to sing copperhead rd without my guitar I forgot half the words, doing it while playing along with my guitar I have no trouble at all

[fretmeister]

I learn every note by memory even if it is a reading gig.

If I can't play it all from memory, solo, then I'm not ready. I'll still perform it of course but I won't be happy that I'm under prepared.

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1477823154' post='3164590']
I learn every note by memory even if it is a reading gig.

If I can't play it all from memory, solo, then I'm not ready. I'll still perform it of course but I won't be happy that I'm under prepared.
[/quote]I can play a lot of our set solo, doesn't mean I don't make mistakes though, lack of concentration sees to that

[blue]

We rotate around 70 songs, so in 4 hour bar gig we never get to play everything.

I know most of the songs inside out, but when sone songs are not called for weeks on end I can get shakey on some songs.

We don't use set lists. BL calls the songs and she calls them fast so you have to be focused and ready.

Blue

Edited October 31, 2016 by blue

[Phil Starr]

It's an interesting question. If you mean can I play any song from our set without making a mistake so long as no-one else cocks up then yes I can. Myself and drums are the only ones who play without notes which vary from music stands to crib notes on the floor. the ones with notes or sheet music are the ones who cock up most. And yes, music stands are bloody unprofessional.

Could i play them solo, well it depends upon the song, at initial rehearsals I could tell you how many bars/song structures, anything we've taken to the recording studio I could probably play to a click track because I learned that at the time. Most of our songs I would guess I need the cues from the rest of the band. For the rest I think I rely upon muscle memory more than anything conscious, so that I must remember the song as a whole rather than broken down.

Whichever way you remember your music there has to be one constant, it's better when you practice.

[ivansc]

My lot are a well-oiled machine.
Piano player normally only has to play a couple of notes and we are "in" Been doing it so long now we fairly regularly stick unrehearsed stops in the middle of a song with no looking at each other and no blunders. We do HAVE setlists but adhere to them pretty loosely.

Not sure whether to be smug or scared that we are becoming like an old married couple instead of a band!

[51m0n]

Yes I can play the set solo from memory. However live a lot of parts are cued either by a particular instrument or by the trumpet player since she has a free hand and is up front. That way we can stretch out and sit on a section when the audience are digging it a lot. We also segue between tracks with well known jam sections to let us work a groove.

So I can play it all but it won't be the same live ever ☺

[DaytonaRik]

Back to front, upside down and inside out - mostly because the drummer doesn't practice enough so takes a lot of his cues from me visually rather than applying himself to learning the set back to front upside down and inside out!

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1477659581' post='3163659']

Could you for example play your bands entire set solo ?


[/quote]

Yes. We rehearse and gig regularly. It's my duty to the audience and my responsibility to my band mates to make sure I'm able to do so.

Edited November 2, 2016 by PaulGibsonBass

[lowhand_mike]

i could possibly play the 2 sets solo but ive never tried, also find we do take cues from the singer so practices without him can be a bit weird. i dont know any musical theory so i just learn from tabs or by ear until i know the songs inside out and im ready to play them through at practice.

[udo]

I thought about that the other day as well. The band I am with does do its own material apart from one cover and I can play the set solo from A to Z. Sort of muscle memory but also knowing what comes next.
But jumping halfway into a song like you do sometimes if time is short or for soundcheck, I find that really taxing.