How do I remember...

[DaveP]

Hi gang.

The problem is that I can't remember songs 'in the moment'.  In the same way, if I have to recite a speech of some sort, I get a big blank too.

So I learn a song, and I can play along just fine.  Then I learn another and by the time I've got that down, I've pretty much forgotten the first one!

I can sing along really easily.  Badly, but easily.  Don't stop believin', for example is simple.  Tune starts, Steve starts singing and I join in.  Not a problem.  But ask me to start it off and sing on my own and I am lost.  What's going on?

I can't believe that I'm the only one like this and it sounds like I shouldn't be out on my own. Oddly, I can type at over 100 words per minute!  Sometimes it is as bad as I can't even name the previous track but there must be a way of doing this.

What do you do?  How do you remember how a song goes, and how to play it?

[uk_lefty]

Repetition used to really help for me. But then if you asked me how many bars until this change happens etc. I wouldn't know without the lyrics and drums as prompts. 

 

The band I'm in now does something people either hate or are indifferent to: we have iPads on our mic stands with notes on the songs. Some of my notes are just "riff B-E" for the whole song, others are section by section spelling out the chords. It's not perfect, it becomes a crutch and stops you properly internalising some songs, but when you've got a hundred songs in the repertoire and you change up the sets for each gig then it's just simply not possible to remember them all. 

[TimR]

Tablets are a game changer. Especially if you have a very low stand and put it to the side so no one notices it.

 

Put it at chest height in front of you, and we may as well resurrect the Music Stand Thread...

[BigRedX]

For me there is no substitute for playing the songs over and over until each becomes becomes almost automatic. I'm slightly dyslexic so notes other than the most basic ones are of little use as I simply can't read and play at the same time. Also because I move about quite a bit on stage I can't guarantee that I'll be in a position to be able see them if my memory did go blank mid-song. Having said that I do seem to be getting better at remembering how all the songs I need to play go as I have got older. I certainly wouldn't have been able to remember how to play 30-40 songs in two different styles when I first started gigging 45 years ago. 

[MacDaddy]

9 minutes ago, DaveP said:

Hi gang.

The problem is that I can't remember songs 'in the moment'.  In the same way, if I have to recite a speech of some sort, I get a big blank too.

So I learn a song, and I can play along just fine.  Then I learn another and by the time I've got that down, I've pretty much forgotten the first one!

I can sing along really easily.  Badly, but easily.  Don't stop believin', for example is simple.  Tune starts, Steve starts singing and I join in.  Not a problem.  But ask me to start it off and sing on my own and I am lost.  What's going on?

I can't believe that I'm the only one like this and it sounds like I shouldn't be out on my own. Oddly, I can type at over 100 words per minute!  Sometimes it is as bad as I can't even name the previous track but there must be a way of doing this.

What do you do?  How do you remember how a song goes, and how to play it?

 

 

Find out what works for you to aid memory, and use your preferred learning style.

 

 

 

Visual Learners: Use sheet music, diagrams, or colour-coded notes. Visual aids like charts can help you see patterns and structures in the music.

 

Auditory Learners: Listen to recordings of the song repeatedly. Try singing or humming your part to reinforce your memory through sound.

 

Kinesthetic Learners: Engage in physical practice. Play along with the song or use hand movements to associate actions with notes.

 

Break the song down, divide it into smaller sections. Focus on mastering one section at a time before moving on to the next. And regularly practice each section. Repetition strengthens neural pathways, making it easier to recall the music later.

[TimR]

I think you probably need to say the name of the song out loud and then play the first 4 bars. Do this a few times for each song working through your set list.

 

Practice the bit you can't do: marrying up the title with the intro. Practicing the bits you can do is wasting your time. 

Edited August 15 by TimR

[chris_b]

I chart most of the songs I have to learn. Then I play them until I remember them. I take the charts to gigs as a backup.

[Jackroadkill]

I find that for me it's a case of just playing the song with the band until it sort of takes care of itself, but a good tip that I used at gigs as I was getting back into the swing of it after years of lay-off was to annotate my set list just a little.  For example, the first note on the bass,  who starts it etc etc written next to each song made a huge difference, and I quickly found that I'd learn how things went pretty quickly.

 

For example: I Fought The Law would have this written next to it - "Adam drum fill, C#\D".  We Will Rock You (fast version) would have "Tom riff, E (@A7)", etc etc.  I found that just the smallest aide memoire could make all the difference.  It didn't take long until it was second nature and my confidence grew to the point where I didn't need them.

 

Cheers,

 

JRK

Edited August 15 by Jackroadkill

[Rodders]

Repetition and muscle memory, some songs I've not played for years I might be a bit rusty on, I might not remember everthing perfect but muscle memory definately helps.

Developing your ear is also helpful, a band I only rehearse with once a month, often I have trouble remembering the key of a song  but once a chord is played by the guitar or keys I'm in. 

[Franticsmurf]

I'm a bit like the OP and also a couple of the other posts above. I find unless I'm playing the song regularly, specific riffs/fills etc disappear from my head. The OP mentions 'Don't Stop Believing' and this is a good example of my struggle - I know and can play the riff but if it were to come up as a request and I hadn't recently played it, I'd have difficulty getting it started. 

 

In my case I have an annotated paper* set list for every gig, with not only song and key but notes (a bit like @uk_lefty above), e.g. 'riff starts on A', 'descending middle 8', 'vox only at end' and sometimes the first few words of lyrics if I'm singing. The notes are very personalised so I wouldn't expect anyone else to be able to use them. The set list is normally no more than 1 side of A4 and usually I'll split that into 1xA5 per half so it's not intrusive. More often than not the notes are a prompt rather than something to sight read and I always try not to use them if I can help it.

 

*Paper because I have seen tablets and laptops crash to a halt, crash to the ground and run out of power. I have also seen people contorting themselves to try and see despite the reflections from lights/sun on the screen. That said, I depped with a mate's band at a festival and had three sheets of notes (Eagles covers, only a few days to prepare) when, during the first song, a gust of wind distributed the notes to the audience. I I fell back on the 'watch the guitarist's fingering' technique and made it through. Paper notes and now gaffa'd into place.

[JapanAxe]

As @MacDaddy says, a lot of it is down to how you learn best. Another big factor is motivation. I find it a real challenge to learn things that I don’t have to learn e.g. just for fun, but if I know I’m going to be playing it on a gig, I’ll damn well learn it, come what may! @DaveP are you a home player or are you struggling to remember songs for gigs?

[DaveP]

I'm a home player, but hopefully and not that far from now, I'll be looking for a dad's band - this is the right area for it!

My set up is when m'Sahib is watching 'Emmerdale', it's headphones in and YouTube on.  Playing along is easy to pick up but ask me?

So glad to see I'm not alone in this.  And big thanx for all your answers.

[diskwave]

Its amazing the way the brain slowly packs up. As a teen I could remember multiple sets with several different bands but now Ive got a job to find my keys in the morning.

I used to read charts cause I had to but now if I do anything I'll sit down and notate as much as I can...(no easy task even with Musecore etc) Failing that then a chord sheet with miles of scribble all over it is also helpful. Good luck.

[Boodang]

I'm in four bands at the moment all doing different music, so there's a lot of material to get down. For me I find the best thing is that when I'm away from the bass, not rehearsing or practicing, I have the set list playing in the background so all I'm doing is listening to the tracks over and over. A bit repetitious as often I'd rather be listening to something else, but it does mean that the songs are indelibly imprinted in my brain.... to the point where I can't get them out of head.  I'll keep that going until the songs are stuck in my head for good.

Other aid memoirs... I have a note book with a page for each song, I'll write down the key (and scale) so I know what notes not to play! Plus maybe the main hook or intro.... in tab if needs be, doesn't have to be dots, although I do find that dots give you a straight up sense of the rhythm and timing which tab can't do.

[tauzero]

The dad rock band I'm in is mainly songs where I'm following the chords - some with very definite passing notes, eg Run to you, others which are pretty much root notes only, eg Summer of 69 (those are our only two Bryan Adams songs). For me, it's a case of getting the chords off Ultimate Guitar [1] and copying them into a cribsheet, then playing along a few times. In the case of songs with defined grace/passing notes (the aforementioned Run to you, and Don't stop believin' for example), I may check the bass tab if I can't work all the notes out. That's generally enough. Then the cribsheet comes with me to rehearsals and hopefully I can play the song without consulting it.

 

I also play at an open mic night where one or two of the other players give me advance warning of the songs they're doing. For those, I also put the chords in a cribsheet but I don't make any effort to memorise them as it's unlikely I'll ever play them again.

 

[1] Other tab sites are available

[Downunderwonder]

I remember the hook or the chorus, which is usually the same thing but not always, then fast forward back to the verse.

[spacecowboy]

My band play so much material that we all have our ipads on stands at most gigs, some members with sheet music and some like me use chord sheets or just note pages that I've made at practice,

 

A decent chord sheet will get you through most songs, we're playing for 2 hours tonight and I think I'd only need the chord sheets for 20% of the gig but it's still there if I need it.  

[Franticsmurf]

In addition to my contribution above, I also find (and have done since school exams) that unless I'm trying to remember a specific thing (fact or note sequence) I can't - in other words often before a gig I couldn't actually tell you the notes of the bass line to, for example 'Take Me To The River' but as soon as I start playing it I'm there and it's fine. My notes will include the start note for songs like that and any other prompts that I need. When I was doing my exams, I'd enter the hall completely blank and I'd have to manage the panic of thinking I couldn't remember a thing, but as soon as I read the first question I was off. I've done gigs with that feeling at the start, too, but now I know to expect it and I have the crib notes to fall back on.

[mcnach]

23 hours ago, DaveP said:

Hi gang.

The problem is that I can't remember songs 'in the moment'.  In the same way, if I have to recite a speech of some sort, I get a big blank too.

So I learn a song, and I can play along just fine.  Then I learn another and by the time I've got that down, I've pretty much forgotten the first one!

I can sing along really easily.  Badly, but easily.  Don't stop believin', for example is simple.  Tune starts, Steve starts singing and I join in.  Not a problem.  But ask me to start it off and sing on my own and I am lost.  What's going on?

I can't believe that I'm the only one like this and it sounds like I shouldn't be out on my own. Oddly, I can type at over 100 words per minute!  Sometimes it is as bad as I can't even name the previous track but there must be a way of doing this.

What do you do?  How do you remember how a song goes, and how to play it?

 

 

Repeat repeat repeat. 

Repeat until you don't have to think. Learning a song is only the beginning, if you want to remember it you need to repeat it. Lots. At least I do.

 

When I've had a lot of songs to learn in short time I make a playlist with them and listen to them constantly: at work, in the car... It's a good way to remember things 'passively', for me.

[Jo.gwillim]

I go blank often in gigs however much i practise. It can be half a verse in before i remember whats what. My best defense is to practise playing along with random songs on Spotify so if i do have to wing it it won't sound too awful playing by ear for a bit.  I hope my band pals aren't reading this....

[AndyTravis]

I generally listen to lyrics and drum cues - our new drummer is much better at indicating changes.

 

I write about half the bands songs so I have a fair idea.

 

One tune though, our current set opener - I wrote with 8 bars of the main riff for the verse.

 

It was deemed that lyrically - it worked better with 6 bars - we’ve been playing it for months and my internal “counting in 4’s” brain means I almost always fluff it.

 

Then I realised our guitarist changes pedals between verse and chorus - so if I’m doubting myself - I look out for the chequered vans about to stamp on a pedal 🤣

 

but I practice at home through all 12 tunes we have (originals) and then make sure I keep an eye on stuff at rehearsals.

 

Singer has a habit of working on lyrics until we record the tune - so it’s best not to rely on him.

 

Guitarist is a proper stickler though - so I trust him 🤣

[micguy]

There is no substitute for repetition. Most weeks, I have a song or two to learn, and a few others to polish (church gigs) it’s about 10hours to commit a song to memory - a few hours a day for a few days. Shortchange that and, yes, you won’t really have it locked in. Practicing a song until you “get it right” is the start of the process, not the whole process.

[Count Bassy]

On 15/08/2024 at 13:31, TimR said:

Tablets are a game changer. Especially if you have a very low stand and put it to the side so no one notices it.

 

Put it at chest height in front of you, and we may as well resurrect the Music Stand Thread...

The number of people who turn up at open mikes and set up their tablet for the lyrics and chords is really depressing. If you can't be bothered to learn the words and tune then stay at home until you have! Your performance will be better for it as well.

 

PS: These are not only people who are just starting out (in which case it is sort of understandable).

Edited August 16 by Count Bassy

[TimR]

My pad has over 200 tunes in it. Three hours of material for my cover band. 2 separate one hour sets for 2 originals bands I play with. Two hours of tunes I play with a band I occasionally dep for. Plus three hours of jazz tunes for the occasional jazz gig with my dad. Some of the gigs are so far apart and such short notice that I'm not going to be even rehearsing with the bands let alone have time to be learning the material.

 

I can literally press a button and find the tune I want. Or spend 10 minutes assembling a set. No folder to juggle and reassemble every time a set list changes. 

 

 

Edited August 16 by TimR

[tauzero]

57 minutes ago, Count Bassy said:

The number of people who turn up at open mikes and set up their tablet for the lyrics and chords is really depressing. If you can't be bothered to learn the words and tune then stay at home until you have! Your performance will be better for it as well.

 

PS: These are not only people who are just starting out (in which case it is sort of understandable).

 

I turn up at open mics with words and chords on paper for my solo spot (me and my guitar). I'm not going to learn the chords and words of "Africa" or "Two out of three ain't bad" for the sake of what will most likely be a single performance of it. I can do my own songs and a few others without reading them.