Learning songs at Short Notice

[El Bajo]

Afternoon all,

I've been approached by a friend who I used to play with a few years ago. His band are playing at a Beer festival doing a few stripped down acoustic numbers and he wants a bit of bass.

The gig is next week and I was flattered he'd asked, and I said I'd do it. Now I'm doubting myself, It's only 7 songs and I'm thinking I can pretty much strip them down to their bare bones and play them as I please. One is a Rush song though! I need to learn them for next week

Has anybody been in a similar situation and how would you go about learning the songs? Would you bother trying to get them note perfect or just 'busk them'. I'm meeting them tonight and I have a feeling they play the songs in their own style so perhaps I shouldn't be getting to worked up about it and just go with the flow.

It doesen't help sitting at work bored out of my mind wishing I was at home practicing

Hopefully they'll ask me back for a few more gigs, it'll be a nice little side band to the originals band I'm in.

[Adrenochrome]

Yes, I've had 20+ setlists to learn in a week or less a few times. Don't necessarily learn them note for note - get the main verse/chorus/bridge patterns down and don't worry if the last verse has a few variations. Listen to all the songs as much as you can and get hold of any chords/tab/notation to help and make your own cheat sheets. I've even used a music stand, at knee height and barely visible to the audience before when I've had to. You'll get there!

[Bilbo]

I regularly perform songs I don't know without any rehearsal and no charts; just 'one, two, three, four... it's in G'. Its amazing how much you can pick up in real time if you keep your ears open; including stops, arrangement etc. I guess it depends on whether you need the performances to be accurate to the nth degree or whether 'good enough' is good enough. Watching the guitar players hands (unless he is playing a cavaquino which is not tuned like a guitar and confuses the ass off me) often prevents any major trainwrecks. I find most songs are 'of a type' and you kind of get a feel for things over the years.

Which Rush tune? Some are easy, other really difficult.

[jezzaboy]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1346937020' post='1795024']
Yes, I've had 20+ setlists to learn in a week or less a few times. Don't necessarily learn them note for note - get the main verse/chorus/bridge patterns down and don't worry if the last verse has a few variations. Listen to all the songs as much as you can and get hold of any chords/tab/notation to help and make your own cheat sheets. I've even used a music stand, at knee height and barely visible to the audience before when I've had to. You'll get there!
[/quote]

This 100%!

Near enough is good enough for me. Don`t be afraid to use chord sheets on a stand for referance. I have done this when asked to do something at short notice. Look confident and smile!

[pobrien_ie]

Twice in the last six months I found myself in similar sitautions. I depped for 2 very different bands and had to learn circa 30 songs for each band with 1 to 2 week's notice.

My advice would be listen to the songs as much as can, either at home on mp3 player etc. Get familiar with the song structures and the basic chord progressions. Although I treid to learn all songs precisely, I got some advice here actually to stick to root notes if any doubt!

7 songs isn't an insurmountable challenge if you have some spare time. I'm a mediocre bass player at best, and while I doubted I'd be able to learn everything, I did manage to learn them all fairly well.

My only warning is make sure you know what keys they play the songs in. Seems like an obvious thing to do, but it almost caught me out a couple of times! One of the bands played "Long Train Running" 3 notes down

[chris_b]

I'll play anything at short notice but if they want a [i]good[/i] job I'd prepare charts.

[tonyf]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1346937028' post='1795025']
I regularly perform songs I don't know without any rehearsal and no charts; just 'one, two, three, four... it's in G'. Its amazing how much you can pick up in real time if you keep your ears open; including stops, arrangement etc. I guess it depends on whether you need the performances to be accurate to the nth degree or whether 'good enough' is good enough. Watching the guitar players hands (unless he is playing a cavaquino which is not tuned like a guitar and confuses the ass off me) often prevents any major trainwrecks. I find most songs are 'of a type' and you kind of get a feel for things over the years.
[/quote]

+1

[lowdowner]

When you guy are talking about 'learning a song' though - what exactly do you usually mean?

if you have the chord chart for a song then you can (usually) play a pretty simple pattern around that - maybe with a pentatonic minor/major variation of notes here and there and some chromatic runs, and it tends to work.

Or do you mean the *actual* accurate riffs/patterns in the song from the original?

If someone asked me to quickly 'learn' a new song for a gig in a few days, I'd work from the chord chart and make my own (simple) one to add the harmony and rhythm... so now I'm worried that I'm not 'doing it right'!

[Lozz196]

I once had to learn a song in a soundcheck, to be played the same evening. Afterwards we were told we were one of the few bands who sounded live, like our recordings. I must have done ok I suppose. To clear things up, I joined after the album had been recorded.

Other than that, I`ve had to learn 10 songs for auditions in a week, and managed fine - and got the job as well.

[Thurbs]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1346937028' post='1795025']
I regularly perform songs I don't know without any rehearsal and no charts; just 'one, two, three, four... it's in G'. Its amazing how much you can pick up in real time if you keep your ears open; including stops, arrangement etc. I guess it depends on whether you need the performances to be accurate to the nth degree or whether 'good enough' is good enough. Watching the guitar players hands (unless he is playing a cavaquino which is not tuned like a guitar and confuses the ass off me) often prevents any major trainwrecks. I find most songs are 'of a type' and you kind of get a feel for things over the years.
[/quote]agreed. The more theory I know the easier this stuff is. I couldn't, imagine learning a set now,

[Doddy]

Having a week to learn 7 songs isn't really,I don't think,that short notice..but I digress.
Listen to them a few times first-I like to listen while I'm driving so I don't have the temptation
to pick up the bass and busk.It'll help you become more familiar with the songs,if you aren't
already.
When you sit down to learn them,rather than learning them note perfect try and focus on any
important lines or riffs and,importantly,the 'flavour' of the piece. If you are not learning it exactly,
you need to play something that will be fitting and at least in the right area. Of course,you can
learn them exactly if you are happy enough too. Make charts if you can,even if it's only things
like the form and the key...I find that writing it out helps me to remember it better. Don't worry
about using your charts onstage either....no one gives a sh*t.

[JTUK]

Make a chart and get a feel for how the songs go.. Make a note of the changes just in case you need them on the day.
You need a method of getting the songs to stick so either listen to them lots or use a chart. No problem having a stand on stage.
And don't worry about it, it sounds like a busk if he knew about the gig and has only just got you involved

[Pete Academy]

I had this as well. If you don't read, most songs are available online as tabs. If you haven't got enough time, keep to the roots.... Nobody will notice.

[oggiesnr]

Your friend isn't playing them as originally recorded so I don't see why you should. Check the chord charts (and the keys he's playing them in) and go from there. In those circumstances I think a bit of spontanaity will go a long way

Steve

PS the best I ever saw Bob Dylan was when he was using Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backing band and a couple of times that night he just said to them "This is in x" and launched into something they'd never played before and within 12 bars the band were there.

[lojo]

Yep, listen to and get structure first

Then learn basics, so at least you could get through them all

Then work on the frills as best you can


Structures I find are the hardest thing at short notice, not so much the lines

Oh and do any prominent lines first, save any that are more root based until last

Edited September 6, 2012 by lojo

[ken_white]

I was given a set list of 24 last saturday and asked to try and learn as many as i could in one evening for a sunday audition :-\ (luckily it was only a 2 hours)

Like everyone else has said, listen to the song and get the structure down and pick out the root notes, download the tabs as a reference. Personally i pick the root notes and add in my own fills for variation. If its a well know bass line i'd use the tab to get it close to the original.

Another good point of reference is youtube, get some ideas from other people, and ifs its a cr*p video its a good moral boost ;-)

Good luck and happy playing

[El Bajo]

Had a jam with them on Thursday. It was good fun and they've asked me back to join them for future gigs. We have a rehearsal next week as a final preparation for the gig next weekend. They have rearranged the songs and play them really stripped back so its pretty simple to play. They even recommended not learning the 'official' bass lines and just playing the lines however I want (they'll regret that haha). Its pretty much root based bass lines but with some tasty tasteful fills.

The Rush song is Closer to the heart which now that I've begun learning it its not as bad as I thought, quite fun to play actually.

Thanks for all the advice guys

[icastle]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1346937028' post='1795025']
I regularly perform songs I don't know without any rehearsal and no charts; just 'one, two, three, four... it's in G'. Its amazing how much you can pick up in real time if you keep your ears open; including stops, arrangement etc. I guess it depends on whether you need the performances to be accurate to the nth degree or whether 'good enough' is good enough. Watching the guitar players hands (unless he is playing a cavaquino which is not tuned like a guitar and confuses the ass off me) often prevents any major trainwrecks. I find most songs are 'of a type' and you kind of get a feel for things over the years.
[/quote]

+1

He may be a beardy jazzman (instead of a raggle taggle folkie), but Bilbo's spot on here.
Keep one eye on the guitarist, one eye on the drummer and both ears on everything and you won't go too far wrong.

[ezbass]

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1346963203' post='1795509']
If you haven't got enough time, keep to the roots.... Nobody will notice.
[/quote]Sad but true.