How do you go about Memorizing Songs??

I suffer from anxiety when I sing or perform songs, I continually practice a song and know it fairly well and even have smooth transitions between chords and I know how to correct when I miss a chord.
but when I step in front of the microphone to record the song my mind empties, my fingers get all twisted and I forget all my words and I have rely on my music sheet again.
How do you guys remember the songs and chords as you play?
is this a valid question?

Anxiety is normal for almost everyone. Try to relax, close your eyes to mentally SEE the song sheet, works for me. Just don't get discouraged, keep practicing, it'll come to you.
Love to sing and play uke or guitar, been doing it for over 50 years but I still get nervous when it's showtime........
Keep your chin up and go for it...............................BO...........................

Thanks 808boy
Visualize the song sheet
That'll help

Your welcome ukuloonie,
When I was gainfully employed (retired now), our industry was changing so fast that we got training quite often. As the need for memory retention grew, I found that if I write something down, I can recall it better through visualization of my notes.
You GOT the idea, hope it helps you like it helps me..........................BO........................

I don't sing so I don't know how to go about memorizing lyrics. However, I have a number of instrumental pieces memorized. What has worked for me is to work on a section at a time and get it down and then eventually put those sections together. Just break up the learning process into smaller blocks.

A few things that helped me. if they work for you, great!!
1. I sing to my dog. so that when I am on stage I just look down and imagine that I am singing to my lovely Boxer Stella.
2. I imagine that I am on stage, in front of people playing.
3. You just have to do it. the more you play in front of actual people, the more "normal" it feels.
4. Get to know your songs. Don't just practice with a uke. I mentally am going over songs in my head all the time. especially songs I want to memorize. You will find me air uking all the time while I humm the song.

this is just me. hope it helps.

It sounds like the problem isn't how to memorize songs, but how to recall them when your nerves kick in. You know the song well and can play it without thinking, but as soon as someone is watching or you hit the record button your brain starts to override what you already know. This is a really common thing and it just takes practice in those situations to overcome it. You have to get your brain used to the microphone so it can relax in front of it. One thing that helps is to record your practice. You'll get a lot of mic time that way and your brain will quickly get used to it.

Thanks for your advice,I appreciate it.

Sometimes I think it's just a matter of practicing it repeatedly. When I'm first learning a song, I often can't remember the words quickly enough when the progression gets to that point. But just like muscle memory, after I've done it about a hundred times, I usually don't have a problem.

I've also found it helps to listen to the song a bunch while I'm working on something else. I'll try to find my favorite version on YouTube, and let it play on repeat. I think it kind of burns it into your memory.

I totally agree on repeating the song - you want to make it your own personal earworm. My bf - the "Musician", wants to play different CDs all the time. Me, the "singer" wants to play the same song over and over (and over and over). Singing along to a cd, I start singing soft with the cd loud, and after a few run throughs I turn the cd down and me up so I can actually hear what I'm singing. Sing in the shower. In the car. Practice few songs at a time so that you nail one and move on. I find reading the lyrics helps lock it into my memory, but I don't really want to have to rely on lyrics on stage - even if I have them with me, they're only for emergencies. Like with playing, you need to know the words well enough to fake it when things go wrong (like, when the band stops playing (happened), or you skip into the wrong part of the song and need to fake your way back (happened), or the tech cuts out (happened - welcome to the unplugged show!).

I'm a bit new with the singing and playing, but so far, I find I need to get one part down (the uke) before really concentrating on the words, but I'll scat along with the song from practice one so that all parts are being learned together, which makes them easier to integrate.

I'm also big on what I call "DJing" your set. Even if you're only playing one or two songs, it's important to capture your audience, grab their attention, and bring them with you for the ride. I'm usually going to play my funnest piece first - I want them bopping (or even dancing!). Leave the ballad-y, technical stuff for later. If you can win them early, your nerves will come down just because you can FEEL that they're with you. Smile. Tell them a story. Tell them a story like they're your best friend. A song isn't just words, it's a message that is being entrusted to you for a short period of time. Make eye contact if you can. If you hear a positive comment while you're going, sing the next line directly to that person (and watch while they smile and flush). Dance in place with your uke - sway - if you openly 'feel' the music, they will too. Sing LOUD. Don't scream (unless you want too), but make your voice a presence to be reckonned with. Too many of our local open stagers fade into the background. My first word on stage is delivered in a way that will hopefully make the rather drunken bar patrons shut up for a second and listen. And practice your voice separate from your instrument - anyone can sing, just like anyone can play the ukulele, but it's in the practice that transforms a few chords and some words into a song that grabs people. My favourite tunes to practice my singing? O Holy Night (in June - and I'm not christian) and the Star Spangled Banner (and I'm Canadian). Why? Because they're HARD! Because I need to use all my breath and my openness and my power to hit all the notes. And I sing blues and folk for the most part, but it's not as much of a workout. Sing from your belly. And most of all, don't just sing like you mean it - actually mean it. The audience can tell if you're just phoning it in.

But the best thing for nerves - know your song. Know the next word, the next line, the best places to breathe, etc. That way if your brain cuts out, your mouth will keep going until it decides to come back

Oh, and if you're finding you have to go back to your music sheet when recording - throw it away. Force your brain to remember. Yes, it'll take more takes that way, but once you have it you'll really have it.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

I put the song into a visual story. I structure the words and cords around that.

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?5763-Do-you-memorize-songs
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?50349-memorizing-songs
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?63059-Songs-memorize-them-or-just-play-them
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?1567-Memorizing-Songs

thanks for the links Kanaka

I first embrace the sheet music. I went to a lot of performances in small local, establishments and watched plenty of other musicians relying on their music. Worked for them. So, I became less worried about doing the same. So, I kept my music in front of me, but the music didn't distract me from playing. Past that point, the sheet music loses its power over the mind.

I have tried several different strategies for learning words. In the end they all came to the same thing.

Lot's of repetition.

If you're going to sing in front of an audience, whether it's a gig or just a sing around, then it's best to learn the words. Nothing wrong with having them to hand in case you forget them, in my opinion.

Thanks Tootler

If I want to memorize a song, I break the habit of reading the lyrics/chords as quickly as possible, trying to play the song from memory from the beginning each time I play it. When my memory fails, I stop, look up the yet-to-be-remembered lyric/chord, and I take it from the top again.

It's usually the first lines of the verses that give me the most trouble, so I often focus on getting those down, then I worry about filling in the gaps.

Luckily for us, songs often work well with the lyrics out of order or with lots of lyrical repetition. When a singer sings some lyrics "incorrectly", I usually think, "What an interesting interpretation of this song" rather than "He doesn't know the words."

Yes its A valid question and A good way to remember it is figure out the first few words on every line, and if you practice you will have the song faster then you think.

Are you learning to sing songs that you love?

The one I'm learning ATM is a song that I have listened to for years and always wanted to play. I know the lyrics, just have to remind myself of the variations in the verses every now and then. And as I knew how the lyrics sounded and the timing of those, accompanying myself on my uke was easy as I already knew the timings from listening and singing along to the track over the years since I first heard it.