How many songs can you play? (Without help/ music/ tabs)

[T-Bay]

Just wondering how many songs people can play at the drop of a hat. I appreciate some people on here are able to play from sheet music so the answer could be infinite. But I am thinking more of how many people could play instantly if asked without reference to music/ tabs or practice.

Edited April 30, 2018 by T-Bay

[Roger2611]

Probably more than I think I can!

 

[fretmeister]

There’s about 6 or 7 albums where I can play every song on it, and regularly do for fun, with the CD.

then there’s  my current set list of another 25 or so, then all the tunes I’ve written, probably another 25.

 

then there’s the old covers band set list that I probably remember about half of. So call that another 20. And then some random stuff

 

100 to 150 maybe?

 

[Lozz196]

I`ve no idea, but it must be 100+, maybe 200. It hurts my brain to try and think logically re this.

[Cato]

18 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I`ve no idea, but it must be 100+, maybe 200. It hurts my brain to try and think logically re this.

I'm also finding it difficult to answer this.

I learnt by playing along to Ramones albums. I used to be able to play every song on every album up to and including Brain Drain and although I haven't tried it for 20 years I suspect I still can.

That's close to 100 songs not counting all the other stuff I've learnt.

None of which makes me a particularly outstanding player.

I haven't cast a vote because I really don't know.

 

Edited April 30, 2018 by Cato

[Woodinblack]

Well, there are all the ones I play, we have 50 in the current set,, all the ones I ever played that I can still remember which is probably another 50 from previous groups, all the ones I just play because I enjoy, which I suppose is 20 or so that I play regularly, but then there are the ones that just come on and you just play straight away without having to think about that are easy or you know the song so well. So I don't think it is a knowable thing

[Guest adi77]

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Edited July 16, 2018 by adi77

[Deedee]

Ooh it’s a tricky one isn’t it?  I’d like to think that after a couple of minutes refreshing the memory, I could play every song I’ve ever played but number wise??? 🤔

[steantval]

Probably played well over 200 different songs in the various cover bands I have been in since the 80’s.

To be totally honest I could play 25 off at the drop of a hat without any errors (our current set).

Most of some great songs I have played in the past have been forgotten (shame), a sign of getting old.

[grandad]

I've probably learnt about 3 or 4 hundred songs over the past 20 or so years but how many could I play now off the top of my head without glaring mistakes? Well, far less than 100 I'm sure. Maybe 50 if I'm lucky.

I prefer to have a music stand with the score on it nowadays.

Edited April 30, 2018 by grandad
Added another comment.

[chris_b]

There's got to be over 1000 12 bars out there. I can play them all.

[DaytonaRik]

I can still play the Think Lizzy setlist, plus the new Retribution list and probably another 20 without thinking too hard - 70-80.  I'm sure that wit ha bit of revision that would easily increase to 100+ though

 

[steantval]

3 minutes ago, chris_b said:

There's got to be over 1000 12 bars out there. I can play them all.

SVR stuff, note for note ?

[Krysbass]

As I only play by ear and have a very wide taste in music; my home practice regime has always centred around playing along to random cds, mp3s or records - wherever my mood takes me. Thats in addition to  also learning songs for whatever band I've been in.

I have over 200 "favourite" songs just on the mp3 player I mostly use for song learning and there are many other songs that I know apart from these.  But then I've been playing on and off since 1982 so have had a few years to build up to this.

[BrunoBass]

There are about 32 songs in our current set which I can play automatically, maybe another 20 that hang around the set and come in and out which I can play with a little bit of thought, and maybe another 20 that got rehearsed and dropped or were in the set long ago that I could just about stumble through without any prompts. 

[Dad3353]

I chose 'around a hundred', assuming I can include my drumming in that..? It's probably more, in fact, but my innate modesty prevents me from revealing the true figure (which I don't really know, of course..!).
Are self-penned numbers to be included..? I've quite a repertoire of guitar stuff, too. I'll leave the keyboard stuff out, it's too little to count, anyway. 

[chris_b]

34 minutes ago, steantval said:

SVR stuff, note for note ?

Why note for note?

SRV played most of the covers he did in his own way. That's the way you do it.

[steantval]

31 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Why note for note?

SRV played most of the covers he did in his own way. That's the way you do it.

Have to disagree a bit here, yes you can play over some of SVR’s stuff with some basic 12 bar bass playing, but some songs will sound very empty with basic bass playing.

We used to do Tightrope, I learnt it note for note to get the feel and make it sound right, any other old bass line over it would totally lose that wonderful groove.

So as part of the answer to the OP’s question, there is no way I could play that particular song straight off , frustrates me, but my brain just cannot retain all these great songs I have done in the past.

[lojo]

Would guess I know up to a few hundred covers , but I bet I only retain the exact structures in my head of less than 50 at any given time without a brush up maybe even less , basslines and parts yes , but exact order of events in songs , that's where I struggle . 

Edited May 1, 2018 by lojo

[Akio Dāku]

I'm amazed that some people have a repertoire of 100+ songs. 😵 I have my set list of originals that I keep under my hands but if it's not on the list it's getting deleted from my RAM. Fair does and hats off to you savants capable of up to 200! That kind of sequential memory is far beyond my faculty. 🙏

Edited May 1, 2018 by Akio Dāku
Typo

[lojo]

41 minutes ago, Akio Dāku said:

I'm amazed that some people have a repertoire of 100+ songs. 

Age & Repetition help 

[Delberthot]

I would think that it has to be over 1000 for me. I learned to play by ear so I've never had to rely on the dots, plus I've been playing in wedding bands for years so most gigs we are asked to play songs that we've never done before.

[Leonard Smalls]

Our own songs? All of them - probably 30 songs over 2 bands.

Anybody else's songs? Probably none.

[BassAgent]

Oh boy. A lot. I've doe a lot of cover gigs and with my own coverband we play 3 sets of an hour with tons of medleys in 'em. I guess about 70 songs for that band alone, I know a couple of albums by heart (RHCP, Bob Marley a.o.) and many reggae songs. So yeah. Many. 

[thepurpleblob]

I can play the ones we currently play in our set. How many I have *ever* known is another matter. If I don't regularly play songs I forget them.

I'm envious of players who seem to remember every song they ever knew.