Memorizing Songs

Dino

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Hey UU gang,
I was just wondering how many songs all of you have memorized. For me, I have less than a handful that I have memorized. Most of the time I have to play by sheet music.....and not tabulature, just words and chords. Maybe you can tell me what your technique is to memorize a whole book of songs is other than keeping playing them over and over again.
 
I only play on tabs, mostly dominator's tabs. I memorized some few songs, less than 10, but I usually memorize certain parts of songs after playing them a little. Still need to use the tab for the whole songs.
 
well... hard to explain

the most songs have a structure:

beginning
verse
chorus
verse
chorus
bridge / solo
extended chorus
ending

or something like that. some have other structures or variiate with the parts.
maybe this is a little help?
so just remember the parts. most songs on the uke are not too different.
for me there's a little bit of beginning, chorus, verse... played over and over and then i try to combine it and get it all in one piece and practice this.
its moslty a remebering for me so some songs i played some month ago i don't remember at once; then its a tryout.
always remember the heart of the song: the melodyline
the rest (the harmony) will be easy
 
I posted a thread awhile back about this same thing...don't remember what I called it?? Anyways, I was looking for advice on how to memorize songs too........instead of just playing in hundreds of times...:confused:
 
I mostly play songs I obsess over so it's pretty easy after listening to the song for a while.It's like you know it so well after hearing it so many time. And to refresh my memory I just play the song.
 
Learn the story of the song. They all have stories.
 
Learn the story of the song. They all have stories.
not today's hiphop haha.
no really, i dont know if its about memorizing the song, but its about knowing what the instrument is going to sound like when you play a chord or note.

i still cant do it. so to this day, i still have to practice "more than words" on my guitar to make sure i can still play it (15 years later) knowing that its the last song i would ever want to play in public.

i have to keep a book of lyrics and chords too. thats the easiest way to have some sort of repertoir. off the top of my head, i just cant pull songs out like aldrine does on request.
 
not today's hiphop haha.
no really, i dont know if its about memorizing the song, but its about knowing what the instrument is going to sound like when you play a chord or note.

i still cant do it. so to this day, i still have to practice "more than words" on my guitar to make sure i can still play it (15 years later) knowing that its the last song i would ever want to play in public.

i have to keep a book of lyrics and chords too. thats the easiest way to have some sort of repertoir. off the top of my head, i just cant pull songs out like aldrine does on request.

OK...so I am not the only one having issues with remembering the songs. I am not even singing though..ahha. Yeh, if I don't play a certain song for a week or so, it is pretty predictable that when I try it again a week later, there will be small sections that I have to refer to the tabs or whatever..

I have recently been recording my songs onto a voice recorder to at least be able to remind myself how they are supposed to sound etc...
 
I've got to know at least 100 songs that I can play on command, lyrics and all. I've just had a head for memorization. If I commit myself to memorizing a tune, after playing a song a couple of times it's in my head.

That's the main thing I can tell you about memorizing tunes. When you're playing them, commit to memorizing them. Try not to use tabs or chord sheets the 2nd or 3rd time you play the tune.
 
i get hard time too. i like wat seeso said, you jus gotta commit to memorizing um. My odda experience came wen I had fo lead some worship one time. I neva thought I could learn songs so fast! ha ha ha. only if i gotta, i guess.

i kind of obsess about um wen i not playing. i tink dat helps too.
 
It's not about memorizing the song as it is about "knowing" the song. Just like a phone number or how to get somewhere, after you do it, you just know it.

Guess you kind of have to memorize the phone number first.:D Once you've got it committed to memory and "know" it....then there is no thought involved in recall. Is that what you are saying??
 
If your talking about tabs - i can memoriZe anything to be honest.

AS for music... name any artist that i listen to and i can sing every song word for word :D I love my music.
 
after playing for a wile it all just kinda flows a good thing to learn is cord progressions or what comes next or what can follow.... like

Ex:
F-F7-Bb-D7-G7-C7-F

Its also good becaus with this you can play songs in diffrent keys.
One you begin to figure this out its just a matter of remembering lyrics and if you forget some u can use the ever so popular humm and or wisel lol
 
I've got to know at least 100 songs that I can play on command, lyrics and all. I've just had a head for memorization. If I commit myself to memorizing a tune, after playing a song a couple of times it's in my head.

That's the main thing I can tell you about memorizing tunes. When you're playing them, commit to memorizing them. Try not to use tabs or chord sheets the 2nd or 3rd time you play the tune.


Oh my gawd. What is wrong with you!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! hahahahaha. Nah, awesome man. You are a one man party machine. Can play all night long!
 
I think the bottom line is to immerse yourself in the song, whatever that means for you. You have to become one with it, know the story, the emotion, put a bit of yourself into the song and make it yours. So if that means listening to a recording a dozen times over and over again, then do that. If it means reading over the tabs 3 dozen times till you remember the pattern, do that. If it means you just play the song on the uke over and over till it becomes second nature, then do that. OR DO IT ALL!! We all have our own learning style and you need to learn how you learn best. Some of us have photographic memories, some have 'audiographic' memories, some need to be hands on to learn, some by combining these styles. To maximize your ability to learn, hence memorize, a song, you need to identify your learning style and then perfect it. I hope this isn't too mundane of an answer and can help.
 
A technique I used to use in High School Marching Band was to try and visually picture the whole page of music in front of me, like a photograph. Then read it.
 
i get hard time too. i like wat seeso said, you jus gotta commit to memorizing um. My odda experience came wen I had fo lead some worship one time. I neva thought I could learn songs so fast! ha ha ha. only if i gotta, i guess.

i kind of obsess about um wen i not playing. i tink dat helps too.

This hurt my brain. It took me 3 minutes to comprehend the post.

Anyway, what I did when it came to memorizing long pieces of music is to use an addition method. Memorize, one phrase of music. Then once you know you have it down, memorize the next phrase. Then after you memorize that, put them together. Then memorize the next phrase, and play all sections you learned together, etc...

This next step may be a stretch, but can be a great help for really knowing the song.
Cut up your chord/lyric sheets into the same phrases of music you chose. Shuffle them up, and pick a random phrase. Play that one, including the phrase previous and ending on the phrase following the one you chose.
 
A technique

Okay try something like this. It has worked for me for a few songs.

Learn to play and sing it so you are comfortable with the chord changes or fingering or whatever is your level/style of play. Then put down your cheat sheet on the table across the room. Play it until you get stuck then go over and look to see where you got stuck. Don't play while looking it up! Now go back over across the room from the cheat sheet and play until you get stuck again. Keep going through this process until you can play it without looking at the cheat sheet. Then play it a few more times. Let it rest and sleep on it. (Honestly this can really help.) Then try it again the next day. The key is don't use the cheat sheet to to play, just use it to check when you are stuck


It helps a lot if you already know the lyrics and how it "goes." I have had the most success with songs that I have listened to lots.
 
I don't think there's a specific way for everyone, some people have good memorization, some don't. Best memorization, to me, is by studying the chord positions the same way you would study(memorize) exams. What I like to do (not with just uke) is sing the song lyrics or hum the melody and just go with the flow by using my ears to find the chords subconciously from listening.. only if I forget tho.
 
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