1/19/2024 0 Comments Ireal pro repeats of songSomething I neglected to mention at the outset, and should have. We might rehearse twice before our first gig, and zero times after that. Nonetheless the point above is well made as the opportunity to rehearse as a band will be limited due to all band members (myself included) being very busy with other projects. There's no way I'm at Mark and Josh's level of ability, therefore homework is a necessity for me. My first thought when I read the subject was, "Usually in the car, on the way to the gig." I keep getting called in as a sub, on short notice, with no band rehearsal, having to learn songs I've never even heard, and hoping the comm at the gig will be good enough that there are no train wrecks regarding arrangement tweaks - many times a band will have even lost an awareness that they're doing anything different from a commonly available recording. It was a fun challenge, and although I wasn't perfect for the gig, I did not suck.Īnd, for me, that's what it's all about. One weekend I learned 30 songs for a new gig. ![]() This mostly works for me, sometimes it's "oh well, I tried". I think the key points here are (a) accurate listening, and (b) repetition. I can easily improvise in multiple dimensions depending on mood. And make a few mistakes along the way.īottom line, once I "know" a song, I'm formidable. Play live, and be prepared to improvise and invent. Create de-facto patches, adjust in realtime.Ĩ. Run through it with the band a half-dozen times. Download a semi-accurate lead sheet, notate it a bit. Not all songs have a KB part, so maybe one has to be created. On my own, run through the block and tackle for the song: intro, verse/chorus, solo, finale etc. Find whatever online charts are available if needed.Ģ. If Youtube adds a key change function, I will be in heaven. Key changes must be identified ahead of time. Get agreement what the "reference version" we will be learning. Each step has its value, at least to me.ġ. Several hundred songs learned (and forgotten) using this approach. It takes time and effort, but it brings its rewards.īeing a keys person who will try out a new band on a whim. Added bonus - it's easier to flow through the songs that are familiar, and that makes it easier to enjoy myself playing. So I try to make as many of the new tunes as possible a little more of the "I know it so well it's like I grew up with it" category. If not, you're trying to remember where to count what. It's like when tunes have measure of 2 thrown in (like, the end of Living on a Prayer or the break between chorus and verse in Sweet Thing) - when it's a song you've grown up on, it's second nature. Which typically means setting up a YouTube playlist and playing it at every opportunity ad nauseum to get the songs themselves 'second nature'. I try to spend time if available to soak my head in the tune and get a sense for what it's about. That's worked for me for a long time, but I have no idea if that's more efficient or just my personal workflow.Īll that being said, I'm a strong believer in the old Sonny Rollins quote, "I can't solo on a tune until I know the lyrics.". I think I typically reverse your order here - I'll learn to play the entire song on the piano first, then break out parts and learn them, then program the sounds. That will impact my decisions on which and how many parts to work on, as well as my approach - programming from scratch, sampling, approximating, etc. I develop a lead sheet for every song I play in iRealPro, as it will inevitably get called again by some other band down the road.Ĭhoosing what parts to cover and work on is I think the hidden 'art' of doing cover work - and a lot of that selection is impacted by the "type" of band you're working in. I think the 'technical' aspects of learning tunes is pretty straightforward and your process is reasonable. What I'm doing is working for me, but I'm not above learning (stealing?) better ideas and methods. Any ideas I get that will help me embed all this stuff will be welcome. My question is: For those of you who've been in a similar situation, I'd be keen to learn your process to mentally absorb all the songs. None of the stuff is technically challenging from a playing perspective (otherwise I'd not be capable of playing it). ![]() Load/find/program the weird samples I need and work them into my performance Each day return to the songs I've already learned to increase my proficiency.Ħ. Repeat x 20 - a new song every two days or so.ĥ. Go back to the first song and program the required sounds/splits/layers into my KB, then learn how to actually play the song.Ĥ. Work out what the KB player is doing and write it downģ. ![]() I'm in the midst of this process at the moment. Context: I've recently agreed to join a new tribute project, which requires me to learn about 20 songs in a couple of months, none of which I've played before, most of which I'm not overly familiar with.
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