Memorizing Stuff

Down Up Dick

Down Up Dick

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
4,410
Reaction score
578
Location
Southern California
Do any of you old folks have a lot of trouble memorizing stuff? In fact, I haven't been playing my Ukes lately because I've been trying to memorize song lyrics. I read 'em like poems and sometimes sing them. Playing the Uke just adds to the confusion. You got any tricks to ease my labor? Any sure fire way to trap them in your head? Over and over and over stales quickly.

"She'll be comin' around the . . . ahh . . . the . . . Oh, heck! :eek:ld:
 
Interesting topic. I look forward to some good answers. I have none. I can sometimes remember obscure songs from long ago that I didn't even like but can't always remember lyrics to some of my favs. A local Uke group did a jam where we were gonna do songs by ear (simple 3 chord progressions) and no on was to bring sheet music. We were gonna free ourselves from the paper (as Jim D'ville encourages) and use our ears. Well...it all kinda fell apart since none of us old farts could remember the lyrics. I have some songs committed to memory but I do rely on my iPad for remembering most.
 
As I've grown older I've acquired a raging case of "CRS" aka "Can't Remember S***". I'm sure there is a cure, but I forgot it.

In truth, I have always been lyrically challenged, even in my youth. Luckily, I'm better at remembering melodies and chord progressions. Strangely, the wife has a photographic memory for lyrics, but not melodies. If she could sing we'd be set.
 
I break songs into pieces and memorize the pieces. Then I put them together. I might memorize just one verse, then when I have that down, I'll memorize the next. Or even one line. Maybe the chorus. Sometimes I have to go back, but that is OK. It takes me a long time to memorize a song. I do find that it is easier to make the lyrics my primary focus and then the chords just sort of fall into place if I know the lyrics. A lot of times I will print out the song, fold it up and put it in my pocket so that if I get stuck I can pull it out and look at it. I work on lyrics while I'm mowing the lawn. Something about stopping to pull the sheet out of my pocket to see where I'm at helps me remember better. I also go through the lyrics while I'm trying to go to sleep at night. Memorizing lyrics will put me to sleep pretty quickly
 
Last edited:
Memory is the second thing that goes... I Forget the first.
Click to expand...
For starters; analyze the structure of the lyrics.

1. Example Mack the Knife is composed of half lines. "Oh the shark......has pretty teeth." "And he keeps them.....pearly white". Ignore all the dears, babes and other extraneous verbiage that characterize various artist's covers. You can add them back later if you must.

2. Check for internal rhymes and assonance(s)? Is the external rhyme scheme for couplets or alternate lines.

3. Is there a repeated refrain? Example: Verse 1 of "I've been Working on the Railroad":
"I was down.... in Mobile Town",
"Working on the Levee",
"Levee's done..... but I'm still here",
"Working on the Levee". ch: "Now I've been working on the ........"

4.Listen to several videos of the song to determine the meter. In Mack the Knife you'll note the number of syllables in each half line vary.
Iambic Pentameter is a normal speaking cadence in English: "The Rain in Spain.... falls mainly on the Plain". This example also uses internal rhyme in both half lines.

Secret Number 1. If you maintain the meter and keep the rhyme scheme; It doesn't really matter if you forget the some of the words. The song will still hold together.
Secret Number 2. The most common lyric in English Song is "La, La, La." (Remember to use enough "La"s to maintain the meter.
 
Two main reasons to own an ipad:

1) Email yourself stuff to remember to do

2). Store song lyrics and chords.

Life's too short (and getting shorter) to beat yourself up. Enjoy while you can.
 
My problem tends to come when I combine the singing and the playing. I can remember they lyrics... And I can remember the chords & strum pattern, but when I combine the efforts my strum goes to pot and becomes just down strums on the beat...
 
My problem tends to come when I combine the singing and the playing
Click to expand...
You and me both. The solution is to simplify. I normally don't get into trouble when I'm singing but putting it together is tough. Don't try to play the melody when your singing. Use a simple strum and simple chords for accompaniment. You have spent a lot of time learning to play. After every other verse take an instrumental break and strut your stuff.
Be aware of what notes don't belong in the key your singing in. Key of C chords C,F,G7,Am), notes: A,B,C,D,E,F,F# G. Don't play the notes that don't belong in the key: C#,D#,G#,A#. It won't necessarily be right but it won't sound wrong. Print out :
http://261167
and block out the notes that don't belong in your key. Tape it to the top of your uke if you have to.

In crash and burn situations stop playing and sing the rest of the song acapella.

This last advice applies when you forget the words. play the tune til you get to the chorus and take it home with the chorus. If your clever you can get the audience to join in on the final chorus.
 
KnowsPickin said:
As I've grown older I've acquired a raging case of "CRS" aka "Can't Remember S***". I'm sure there is a cure, but I forgot it.

In truth, I have always been lyrically challenged, even in my youth. Luckily, I'm better at remembering melodies and chord progressions. Strangely, the wife has a photographic memory for lyrics, but not melodies. If she could sing we'd be set.
Click to expand...
I can identify with that. Even as a singer/guitarist I would sometimes forget the lyrics. My wife, like yours, has that same skill with lyrics (and still does), so sometimes I would just play a few extra bars of backing while she mouthed the lyrics at me from the audience. Usually, as soon as I got the first few words to the verse I was OK. In later years I would write just the first couple of words to each verse on a card that I could quickly glance at if I needed to. Just maintaining an off book song list of around 120-150 songs meant constant practice though. Nowadays I use my KaraUkey. Words and chords right there on the screen in front of me. No need now for a drum machine even. So suddenly I have literally hundreds of songs I can play and no need to fill in while I'm trying desperately to remember the lyrics.

The nicest bit is that instead of spending so much time practicing songs in order to *try* to remember them I can spend my time adding new songs. Much more fun.
 
Last edited:
I used to remember it all, words, melody, chords. Now, I'm lucky to even remember the name of the tune. Seriously, it's true. I've been back to playing my Ukuleles now for .... however long its been since my join date here. I play and sing every day. So far, the only tune I can remember completely is Foster's "Old Folks At Home" and that's only true for the first verse and chorus. My inability to memorize, or re-memorize a few songs has been bugging me for a number of weeks now. If anyone finds a cure, let me know right away.
 
For me, I never forget the musical stuff (chords, melody, whatnot) - but I ALWAYS forget the lyrics. I can still play tunes that I learned decades ago, but if I don't have the lyrics written down, I am sunk. Must be a wiring issue.
 
Wicked said:
For me, I never forget the musical stuff (chords, melody, whatnot) - but I ALWAYS forget the lyrics. I can still play tunes that I learned decades ago, but if I don't have the lyrics written down, I am sunk. Must be a wiring issue.
Click to expand...

Have you ever noticed, though, that some melodies, chords AND words just jump into your head easy as pie? I've had a few like that.

And, yeah, I can sing songs that I sang in my high school Choir and Boys Glee group, yet now i'm breaking my brain trying to memorize easy folk songs. It ain't fair!

Aww, just forget it! :eek:ld:
 
This is what really amazes me about cover bands: having to know ALL the lyrics to all of those songs. I can probably remember the chorus and maybe a verse or two, but every. Single. Word. Impressivo!
 
I've considered giving up trying to memorize all this stuff. I can read music well, and I know most of the chords that I need, and, of course, I can read the lyrics. But doing it all at once is also difficult for me -- too much to keep track of for my withered brain. Those lyric sheets with chords on 'em work better I think, if I already know the tune.

Ahh, well, when I play my other instruments, I just play the melody -- no chords, no strumming and no lyrics. Maybe I shoulda just stayed with that. But we never seem to be satisfied.

Change! Change and grow (Ha!)!! :eek:ld:
 
itsme said:
I can't memorize for squat. I think I was born without that gene. :p
Click to expand...

I've said that exact thing about myself - born without the memorization gene! True story: as a kid I never memorized multiplication tables in the rote way they were taught in elementary school (reciting them in order aloud), yet somehow I'm able to do basic math that requires multiplication.

Music is similar for me - half the time I couldn't tell you what notes or chords I'm playing unless I actually look, but somehow my hand knows where to go.

I don't strum and sing, I only play fingerstyle instrumentals, and in the 5 years I've been playing seriously I'd estimate that I have fewer than 10 pieces "memorized."
 
IamNoMan said:
For starters; analyze the structure of the lyrics.

1. Example Mack the Knife is composed of half lines. "Oh the shark......has pretty teeth." "And he keeps them.....pearly white". Ignore all the dears, babes and other extraneous verbiage that characterize various artist's covers. You can add them back later if you must.

2. Check for internal rhymes and assonance(s)? Is the external rhyme scheme for couplets or alternate lines.

3. Is there a repeated refrain? Example: Verse 1 of "I've been Working on the Railroad":
"I was down.... in Mobile Town",
"Working on the Levee",
"Levee's done..... but I'm still here",
"Working on the Levee". ch: "Now I've been working on the ........"

4.Listen to several videos of the song to determine the meter. In Mack the Knife you'll note the number of syllables in each half line vary.
Iambic Pentameter is a normal speaking cadence in English: "The Rain in Spain.... falls mainly on the Plain". This example also uses internal rhyme in both half lines.

Secret Number 1. If you maintain the meter and keep the rhyme scheme; It doesn't really matter if you forget the some of the words. The song will still hold together.
Secret Number 2. The most common lyric in English Song is "La, La, La." (Remember to use enough "La"s to maintain the meter.
Click to expand...

This is great, thanks for sharing.
 
I marvel at people who memorize poetry and stuff. Some did it in English classes, but I never did. I was talking to my barber about Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, while having a haircut, and he started reciting the General Prologue--amazing!

I like to read poetry and sometimes even lyrics, but then I put the book away, and they're usually gone. :eek:ld:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Kahai
  • Article
UU Podcast Memorizing without SHEET Music | The Ukulele Underground Podcast #112
Replies
0
Views
95
Kahai
Kahai
Patty
Memorizing the fretboard
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
Patty
Patty
Nickie
Memorizing songs - melody
Replies
14
Views
8K
Barrytone
B
Rllink
The benefits of memorizing.
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
k0k0peli
k0k0peli
Peterjens
Memorizing the Fretboard - Now What?
Replies
12
Views
2K
frukmana
frukmana
Top Bottom