How many times do you play a song to learn it well?
- Thread starter jnorris235
- Start date
Yes, I am 3.
Ok, to tackle the OP's question a bit more seriously. It really depends on your experience and familiarity with the song and its structure, I think. My brother is a talented musician and has been playing guitar for about 40 years. I started playing guitar 15-20 years ago. We both took up the ukulele about 2 years ago. He has played in bands and understands music theory. I am a couch monkey, a string whacker who knows very little about music theory, although I am trying to learn more.
We played ukulele together for the first time at our family Thanksgiving gathering last year. It took me a couple months of practicing before I felt comfortable performing the music I wanted to play. When we played through the songs that I had practiced, my brother was able to play it well (and much better than I could) after the first time through. When he brought his music out, I gave it a go, but after a short while I just sat back and listened. It's like the difference between Mozart and Raffi. And I couldn't even compare to Raffi.
I guess I'm old school. I practice scales regularly. This works for me as now, after a long time, my ears can pick out melody notes in chords. This means I usually know which chord progression is going to give the sound I want. If it's a tune I'm unfamiliar with, I listen to it many times until I can hum a reasonable version. Then I find the key that fits. I enjoy jazzy type tunes as they allow for variations on the theme.
If I'm strumming in a group then I go with whatever the rest are playing and drop fills and turnarounds as appropriate. I have been playing for a long time, including 5 string banjo so I have become used to ad-hoc jams and playing on the fly.
However, I still practice every day as my memory needs regular updating.
As a last thought, I find practice before sleep definitely helps.
If I'm strumming in a group then I go with whatever the rest are playing and drop fills and turnarounds as appropriate. I have been playing for a long time, including 5 string banjo so I have become used to ad-hoc jams and playing on the fly.
However, I still practice every day as my memory needs regular updating.
As a last thought, I find practice before sleep definitely helps.
actadh
Well-known member
When I started playing in 2014, I had many song sheets printed out, and I also used my 17" laptop to play songs stored there as well. I did ok, but tried not to get dependent on the sheets.
Fast forward a year, and copying became harder to do, and I was now using a 14" Chromebook - could only pull up the songs on wifi and even then they were too small to read easily. Many of these are chord melody or Campanella style.
So, I started internalizing them. Now, I have a repertoire of about 2 dozen songs. I don't get sick of them.
Fast forward again to this February. I am now in a ukulele choir and we are using the videos and song sheets of Cynthia Lin. The majority of people have never played ukulele. and we are doing the first songs on her playlist. These are similar chords, but different strumming patterns. I dearly love her voice and she seems like a genuinely good ambassador for the newbies. I like that I am meeting new people, learning to strum in sync with other people, and sing an play at the same time (which is something that I rarely do). I even find myself singing the songs on my own while doing chores. But, I find strumming them for practice so tedious that I usually just read the tab from the song sheet, which since I already know the chords helps me do well in the choir.
Fast forward a year, and copying became harder to do, and I was now using a 14" Chromebook - could only pull up the songs on wifi and even then they were too small to read easily. Many of these are chord melody or Campanella style.
So, I started internalizing them. Now, I have a repertoire of about 2 dozen songs. I don't get sick of them.
Fast forward again to this February. I am now in a ukulele choir and we are using the videos and song sheets of Cynthia Lin. The majority of people have never played ukulele. and we are doing the first songs on her playlist. These are similar chords, but different strumming patterns. I dearly love her voice and she seems like a genuinely good ambassador for the newbies. I like that I am meeting new people, learning to strum in sync with other people, and sing an play at the same time (which is something that I rarely do). I even find myself singing the songs on my own while doing chores. But, I find strumming them for practice so tedious that I usually just read the tab from the song sheet, which since I already know the chords helps me do well in the choir.
bunnyf
Well-known member
Wagon wheel (rock me mama like a...)
stevepetergal
Well-known member
How many times do you play a song to learn it well?
Exactly 173,384.
Exactly 173,384.
willisoften
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2011
- Messages
- 123
- Reaction score
- 0
That shows a lack of application because I can easily do it in 173,383
PTOEguy
Well-known member
An interesting observation I once heard:
"An amateur musician practices until they can play it right, a professional practices until they can't play it wrong"
"An amateur musician practices until they can play it right, a professional practices until they can't play it wrong"
stevepetergal
Well-known member
I know when I'm beat.
Camsuke
Well-known member
I never count how many times it takes, it's just too upsetting.
Southern Marylander
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2017
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 2
I'll let you know when I get good at a song...
I'm currently in fingernail rehab, so no practicing for a few days. I had the horrible habit of biting my fingernails (from my wrasslin' days, where fingernails are required to be very short) and while I've mostly kicked it, I relapsed this week and now they're too short and raw to play. D'oh.
I'm currently in fingernail rehab, so no practicing for a few days. I had the horrible habit of biting my fingernails (from my wrasslin' days, where fingernails are required to be very short) and while I've mostly kicked it, I relapsed this week and now they're too short and raw to play. D'oh.
bunnyf
Well-known member
I am now remembering again, why I don't have that many tunes completely memorized. By the time I have them down cold, I am nearly sick of them. I have to figure out for myself, how often do I have to continue playing them to strike the balance keeping them in my long term memory and having them feel a little fresh. I haven't done that yet. I have many that I could play by heart previously, that have now faded. I'm gonna have to be more particular with what I choose to memorize and whittle down the list of potentials to ones that will truly hold up for me.
stevepetergal
Well-known member
How well? The question, as written, has no answer. Even if you qualify it, there may be no way to answer it.
I can learn something well enough to...(fill in the blank) in...(fill in the blank) amount of practice time.
I have performed things I had up to performance level, worked on them for a few months and played them better. The process never stops.
Like evolution:
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Unquestionably the egg, but at what point do you first call the creature that hatches a chicken? When is a piece played well? When is the piece played as well as is possible? When is the chicken finished evolving? Surely there is a next/better step.
I can learn something well enough to...(fill in the blank) in...(fill in the blank) amount of practice time.
I have performed things I had up to performance level, worked on them for a few months and played them better. The process never stops.
Like evolution:
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Unquestionably the egg, but at what point do you first call the creature that hatches a chicken? When is a piece played well? When is the piece played as well as is possible? When is the chicken finished evolving? Surely there is a next/better step.
Camsuke
Well-known member
Great post Steve, I think you've nailed it here, there is always room for improvement & development. Whether it's the way we interpret songs or the way we arrange the various passages within the song, it's constantly evolving as we develop as players.
SoloRule
Well-known member
I never count how many times it take but I can pretty much estimate how many more hours or days I need to get it to the point I can do an audio recording.
Once I do the audio, I can hear mistakes , areas that need further improvement. When that step is done, I can do a video if I am in the mood for it. After the video, I almost never played that song again!
Once I do the audio, I can hear mistakes , areas that need further improvement. When that step is done, I can do a video if I am in the mood for it. After the video, I almost never played that song again!
Nickie
Well-known member
when I was a newbie, it may have taken over 100 times for me to feel confident....of course I'm older than the average beginner....
I bet I've played Greensleeves over 100 times, and don't feel confident with it, but I won't give up.
I bet I've played Greensleeves over 100 times, and don't feel confident with it, but I won't give up.
LucilleJustRocks
Well-known member
I usually decide which song I will record short time before I grab my instrument....do a short playthrough checking recording settings..and then go!
Of course there are some songs I have to work on and practise over and over again...especially those in foreign languages like Japanese or Spanish.
And I also have in mind that I'll never play songs because I consider them to be too difficult to play. Something like 'Naima' from John Coltrane for example.
Of course there are some songs I have to work on and practise over and over again...especially those in foreign languages like Japanese or Spanish.
And I also have in mind that I'll never play songs because I consider them to be too difficult to play. Something like 'Naima' from John Coltrane for example.
