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Song retention - any tips on how to remember songs?


Naetharu
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Hi folks,

I'm hoping that some of you might be able to help me out with some tips/tricks here. I've been playing bass for around nine months now and my technical skills are moving forward nicely. However, my brain seems to be like a sieve when it comes to remembering the stuff I learn.

Is this something that some of you find too and if so how did/do you manage it? Is there a better way of learning/practicing songs that might help with retaining them?

Any help/advice you could offer would be really appreciated.

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Repeat listening. Actually listening, paying attention, not just having the music on while your mind travels other dimensions. Find details in the songs, fills or words or melodies and amticipate them each listen. You'll get better at recognising scales and pitch changes by ear with time and, once you genuinely know the song in general, it'll all start falling into place.

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extremley subjective issue this unfortunately and full of paradoxes and contradictions - if you try and start comparing what the concious ear/brain does with what the sub-concious does you can sometimes end up with completely contradicting issues- hopefully trial and error will lead you to the best method which works for you

not very helpful i know :)

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I find that internally singing the vocal line (scraps will do, not a perfect rendition or anything) while playing along helps to tie the bass part into the rest of the song. Then later, when playing alone, try to remember the words/melody that fit to each bit of the bassline.
It might seem like increasing the workload initially, but I find it pays off in the long run.

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I'm the same as grumpyguts, i just keep playing the songs as often as I can. I'm in 2 gigging bands with over 5 hours of songs to remember. I find it hard to remember all of them so I concentrate on the set list that is coming up for the next gig. Repetition is key for me.

Jas

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I also use repeat listening. Especially after I have learnt how to play it. Most mornings i go for a walk for around 2hrs so I stick earbuds in and just listen - visualising and miming the fingering as it is playing - that really helps to get it stuck into my muscle memory. Luckily the footpaths I walk along aren't that well patronised so I don't get too many curious looks.

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It may help if you draw out a 'route map' of the song. It doesn't have to be fully written in music notation or tab. Maybe rough out the chords for the first verse and chorus, and note down any variations that come later, plus stops and repeats. This can work particularly well if you have the kind of memory that operates visually.

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It really is just a case of practice, eventually it will stick, listening to the song over and over will help and after a while you should be able to visualise yourself playing the bassline which is a great way to practice without even having to pick up the bass.

To quote the age old saying "amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice it until they can't get it wrong" it really is all in the practice

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Just practice. Things eventually fall into place. The more you play and practice, the easier it becomes to remember, or pick up, the tune you're working on.

If you're getting frustrated , just remind yourself that you're not as bad as this guy:

http://youtu.be/Vms_6_TSQuc

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[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1451728026' post='2942738']
However.. Trying to get For Once In My Life sorted; currently more than my brain can take.
[/quote]

our band suggested this as a cover for us - i told them i needed 100% commitment to them [b]all[/b] learning it before i would learn the bass line (all 64+ unique bars of it)

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[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1451734233' post='2942856']
our band suggested this as a cover for us - i told them i needed 100% commitment to them [b]all[/b] learning it before i would learn the bass line (all 64+ unique bars of it)
[/quote]

A lot of effort for (lMO) a pretty terrible song.

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[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1451722297' post='2942694']
extremley subjective issue this unfortunately and full of paradoxes and contradictions - if you try and start comparing what the concious ear/brain does with what the sub-concious does you can sometimes end up with completely contradicting issues- hopefully trial and error will lead you to the best method which works for you

not very helpful i know :)
[/quote]

This.

Other people can't really tell you how to learn something, what works for them might well not work for you. It's just a process of trial & error until you find what best works for you.
Unfortunately I've yet to find a method that works well for me, even after 36 years of playing.

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If they are a bit tricky I will listen to the tracks for a few days on constant repeat while I'm at work. That is usually enough to hammer in the structure, lyrics, bass line and other audible cues. Then when it's time to actually pick up a bass, break it down into sections before eventually putting it all together. Then when the bass is solid start on any vocals

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Guest bassman7755

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1451711209' post='2942669']
Hi folks,

I'm hoping that some of you might be able to help me out with some tips/tricks here. I've been playing bass for around nine months now and my technical skills are moving forward nicely. However, my brain seems to be like a sieve when it comes to remembering the stuff I learn.

Is this something that some of you find too and if so how did/do you manage it? Is there a better way of learning/practicing songs that might help with retaining them?

Any help/advice you could offer would be really appreciated.
[/quote]

Depends what exactly your having problems with.

If its remembering individual phrases then being able to sing/hum the bassline will probably help a lot, and a knowledge of scales and arpeggios will help you catagorise and see common patterns. A good exercise would be the next time you learn song, try to vocally/mentally learn the bassline tune [i]before[/i] you learn to play it.

For remembering chord progressions the so called "nashville numbering system" will help you remember and see common patterns in chord progressions.

For arrangements, break the song into its obvious sections and memorise the order (again patterns will emerge since many many songs have a similar structure).

As you can see the common theme is patterns, its early days for you but as you learn more stuff you will see more commonality and new stuff will get easier to remember as you accumulate more points of reference from what you have already learned.

Edited by bassman7755
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Don't be clueless about what you play...think in sections and also shapes if you don't know the notes.
You need to lock into a return point, so log that reference/position or note as the one that starts the sequence you are going thru.

Learn the notes on the fret board and write a simple chart down. 4 beats to the bar, and section the song you are playing like that...assuming common time, of course.
So..learn to count and then learn the shapes.

Don't learn by singing the song...

At the moment the fretboard might seem like a complete mass of notes ...you need to sort them out.
There are only actually 12 of them.

Edited by JTUK
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I find that if I just keep repeating the song while reading the music and/or lyrics it doesn't stick because I can always "cheat" and look at the music.Instead of trying to remember the bass line(in my case jazz standards from charts) I work on remembering the chords and that makes the bass line stick better.We have well over 150 songs in our gig book and it is a big and interesting challenge to memorize as many as I can.
I'll be 70 next May and have been playing bass(BG and EUB) for over 25 years and guitar and banjo for 55 years(I can't believe it!) and have done everything from acoustic single to big band.Our band rehearses almost every week and we play a gig or two per month.I try to practice every day but I am still working as a farrier and am not retired so time can be tight.I started EUB(Yamaha SLB200)just over a year ago and it has been fantastic fun and a big challenge but I now use it for most of our gigs and play BG on only a few songs.The new EUB has revitalized my reading and playing and it is FUN!
Play as much as you can NOW.Music can be the best part of your life for a long time.Play whatever and wherever you can and the music and words will start to stick.Last night I was playing guitar at a neighbour's house party and trying to remember old folk,rock and country tunes while playing along with people of all ages and abilities and I had fun!Music is music-play as much variety as you can and you will be surprised how much you learn.

Ooops..didn't mean to get into "old geezer giving advice" mode but every once in a while I realize how lucky we are if we have music in our lives.Keep on playing.I was a high school teacher(including music)for many years but I always had some sort of playing gig as well to keep me going-music is life.
...'nuff said...

Bob in Canada

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[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1451733125' post='2942832']
Practice practice and practice. Then when you`ve got it nailed, repeat it all again and again.
[/quote]

As others have said, but this is it, there are no short cuts. Some people pick stuff up quickly, I'm not one of them. Don't stop when you're close-ish or think 'that'll do' because it won't. You have to be able to play the material without even thinking about it or looking at the bass. Nothing's worse than a stock-still bass player staring at his fretboard. Don't use music or a music stand, don't use charts or bits of paper - you will lose them in the chaos of a gig.

Not sure who said this, but it's a good thought: 'Amateurs rehearse until they get it right; professionals rehearse until they can't get it wrong'.

Edited by discreet
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My method for learning is to break a song down into it's parts (intro, verse, chorus, etc) & learn each part.
I take note of anything that indicates when a change may be (a good example being Use Me by Bill Withers, the vocal goes "Ayeyaiyaa" & that's my cue to stop playing).
At church I used an A4 sheet of paper for each song with just the chords written on it. This would be written in a format like it is in a home use music book, so I didn't write multiple choruses & verses, just "coda" etc.
It would have a couple of lyrics written on sections just for my reference.

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1451740539' post='2942967']
Not sure who said this, but it's a good thought: 'Amateurs rehearse until they get it right; professionals rehearse until they can't get it wrong'.
[/quote]

Whoever said it was talking bollocks - I've seen loads of professionals get stuff wrong. :)

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