GM10 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Just joined a band after 30 years in the wilderness. Local covers band playing all the usual covers. I've learnt 29 songs in a relatively short period of time. I must admit I got to the point where i wasn't enjoying all the time it was taking, it was beginning to feel like a job. I'm there now and looking forward to my fist gig since since 1985! My question is how do you guys who deputise for other bands learn all the songs so quickly? Is it years and years of playing covers and you pretty much know them all? Or a really good ear and rhythm and you just pick up new songs almost immediately. I can't imagine 'l'll ever fall into the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 don't ask me it's just took me the best part of a day to figure out the Jam's In the City Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) Its a combination of things for me. I do probably 30 deps a year and do anything from classic rock to pop / soul / funk as mostly i cover for pub bands up to function bands. There are a lot of songs that are a regular feature for each type of band but there's also plenty of new stuff that I come across. Many songs get played in different keys too. The key things for me are: 1) Ear training and doing lots of transcriptions - this helps me work parts out quickly. 2) Writing charts - This is really useful and vital if I have lots of new stuff in one set. 3) Practicing playing songs / melodies / fills etc in different keys - its really useful to know your way arond the fretboard well when you get told on the night that they do it in a different key. 4) Theory, theory, theory. - If you have a good understanding of chords / scales and are practiced at improvising around them then you can chart out the chords and wing a lot of stuff without slipping up too much. 5) Play lots of "standards". If you regularly play really popular stuff here's a fair chance you'll know lots of what you're asked to play in advance. 6) Finally I don't obsess over every tiny detail in a song. I don't try to nail every fill but I do make sure I know the feel and structure well. I'm no pro. I just enjoy the challenge of depping and would recommend it to anyone. Wish you ll the best with your new band. It sounds like you've worked hard so now you can enjoy the fun bit. Edited September 4, 2015 by mrtcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odysseus Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Whatever it is, and however you've learned them, get the set onto your MP3 player and play it in work, in the car, walking, in bed, wherever and whenever you can to get the music locked into your bonce. I was told this a few years back and it works surprisingly well as a supplement to learning the nuts and bolts of each song. Get the overall feel and arrangement and don't sweat the little details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Must be a pretty intimidating crowd, to do a fist set list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthaside Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 As a self confessed lazy times have popped up when the band has decided they want to learn a song for next week and its suddenly become the night before the rehearsal and instead of learning something rubbish I've learnt master blaster I've found resources like ... songster really very good for on boarding a song quickly ... yes i know tab is the enemy n all and some of the midi's can be atrocious but the tools such as slowing down the song looping part im focusing on can really speak up the process. http://www.songsterr.com/a/wa?ref=499253 * cheeky referal link ahoy* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Firstly , congrats on the new band .. I play a lot of covers , and can learn how to play all the parts of most pop/rock songs very quickly, the problem is though the structure can take a while or many listens to sink in, its ok knowing all the parts and rhythms, but if you are struggling to remember the structure and where odd bars and breaks are it can ruin the confidence of the song live. So I sit down and bar count and write out even the simple songs, as I find that really helps me digest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 ...and do you guys who dep regularly (whispers........)use a music stand for your charts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrismanbass Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 [quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1441394230' post='2858659'] ...and do you guys who dep regularly (whispers........)use a music stand for your charts? [/quote] Ipad (drops mic walks out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) [quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1441379828' post='2858494'] Its a combination of things for me. I do probably 30 deps a year and do anything from classic rock to pop / soul / funk as mostly i cover for pub bands up to function bands. There are a lot of songs that are a regular feature for each type of band but there's also plenty of new stuff that I come across. Many songs get played in different keys too. The key things for me are: 1) Ear training and doing lots of transcriptions - this helps me work parts out quickly. 2) Writing charts - This is really useful and vital if I have lots of new stuff in one set. 3) Practicing playing songs / melodies / fills etc in different keys - its really useful to know your way arond the fretboard well when you get told on the night that they do it in a different key. 4) Theory, theory, theory. - If you have a good understanding of chords / scales and are practiced at improvising around them then you can chart out the chords and wing a lot of stuff without slipping up too much. 5) Play lots of "standards". If you regularly play really popular stuff here's a fair chance you'll know lots of what you're asked to play in advance. 6) Finally I don't obsess over every tiny detail in a song. I don't try to nail every fill but I do make sure I know the feel and structure well. I'm no pro. I just enjoy the challenge of depping and would recommend it to anyone. Wish you ll the best with your new band. It sounds like you've worked hard so now you can enjoy the fun bit. [/quote] Pretty much summed it up. I dont write much music (i can read) so my transcription time and knowledge is a bit low, but the above is not far off. Add in the fact that nearly everything in most cover bands is something I've played before, even if it is 5 years ago for some.... The big thing to learn is to how to communicate with the band in music. Sounds stupid, but you can get a "feel" for when a chorus is coming through subtle music hints. re: point 4; there are also standard "patterns" that tend to appear over and over.... eg Circles of fifths are everywhere, the "Don't Stop Believin'" I/V/vi/IV , or various combinations of I/IV/V re:point 5; And learn different Styles. a good way to start this is to hit different jam sessions locally - if you have a blues jam, a rock jam and a Jazz Jam on different nights, try to attend them a few times each. You'll play with different musos in different styles (good networking) and learn quite a few "Standard" songs. re point 6 : Certain fills/melodies [i]have[/i] to be learnt though , eg if you're doing Don't Stop Me now, you have to know the bass intro, same for Sweet Child of Mine. Or if you're playing something like "Somebody Told me" , you have to have the chorus right. Oddly, I tend to find when depping, the "seemingly simple" songs tend to be the deceptively hard ones. EG I did Maggie May for the first time a month ago, I probably spent around 1/4 of the avialable time on that, I just could not get the sound and feel for that right at all. Edited September 5, 2015 by gapiro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 [quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1441433292' post='2858806'] I did Maggie May for the first time a month ago, I probably spent around 1/4 of the avialable time on that, I just could not get the sound and feel for that right at all. [/quote] Maggie May is notoriously tricky to get the feel for. That's what happens when you let a guitarist lay down the bass part lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) [quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1441438651' post='2858841'] Maggie May is notoriously tricky to get the feel for. That's what happens when you let a guitarist lay down the bass part lol [/quote] Candidate for the "it's not note for note but in the same ball park" approach if there ever was one... Edited September 5, 2015 by TrevorR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 [quote name='Chrismanbass' timestamp='1441413064' post='2858793'] Ipad (drops mic walks out) [/quote] Any particular apps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) [quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1441394230' post='2858659'] ...and do you guys who dep regularly (whispers........)use a music stand for your charts? [/quote] A wedding/function band I used to play in used stands for charts but one of the things we offered was the ability to throw in requests on the fly if they were ones we knew. We had a core set of 30 or so tunes plus a folder of about 200 or so charts we could play (to a more or less standard if we wanted to). The punters appreciated it. The thing with stands is where you put them though. I've seen many with them chest high right in front of them which looks naff, but it's more than possible to have them down low and inconspicuous. Know plenty of other bands where stands are strictly forbidden... If I was doing it now I'd use OnSong on the iPad! Spot the stand in this photo, tucked in behind the speaker stand... Edited September 5, 2015 by TrevorR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 I`ll listen and play along to the tracks on youtube, but I only really learn a song when I`m rehearsing with a band, as no matter what I`ve learned up til then, the way the drummer plays the songs influences me more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 [quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1441378798' post='2858485'] don't ask me it's just took me the best part of a day to figure out the Jam's In the City [/quote] That's the first song I had to learn in our Mod band. Great song for bass. I also sing the harmonies which are great to sing too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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