Ok, this is probably going to sound totally ridiculous to you guys but does anybody else have this problem or have any ideas on how to learn songs??? My mate and I have been playing together twice a week on and off for ages. We usually play the same selection of stuff but despite having played each song loads, I still have to use a chord sheet because I cannot remember the chords and it makes me feel so stupid and amateurish. I am wanting to play a few open mic nights but I am going to look a right arse getting up with my sheets. I know the songs well but I just cannot commit them to memory for some weird reason. Does anybody have any suggestions - other than give up playing - that might help before I go crazy!!
Its really holding me back as I would love to just be able to learn a few songs that I could just play through without a poxy sheet in front of me! Like a proper guitarist would do. I am only talking chords here too, not soloing. I am such a looser!! HELP!!!
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My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youEbay mark7777_1
No science behind that just always done it. Most songs stick some I can never remember the right bits in the right places.
Sometimes it's most helpful with familiar songs because they aren't structured how I hear them in my head.
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I will definately give them all a try thanks as I need to overcome this. Have signed up to Set list helper too!
Singing the phrases or saying the chords out loud help too, I do this with my students. But one thing they tend to struggle with is playing from memory, or keeping up with the tune. They just can't remember what the next chord/section is, fall behind and just stop in the middle of the song.
2. Don't practice until you get something right; practice until you're unlikely to get it wrong.
3. Try and practice without the paperwork. Daunting at first but it will become easier.
3. For open mikes etc choose songs that are well within your capabilities - better to play an easy song well than to play a more difficult one badly.
4. Check out...
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/285/one-chord-progression-songs-suitable-for-jams-or-encores/p1
...for some songs that shouldn't be too taxing.
I've played in church bands for over 30 years, and have probably played some very popular songs hundreds of times, but I can only remember a tiny, tiny handful off by heart. Because at rehearsal and in the service, I have the music in front of me. So I can be lazy.
Contrast to when I thought I was going to have to take part in a client's charity 'talent' show, and was going to do the equivalent of an open mic with 'normal' songs. Learnt some that are easy to do busking versions (Bad Moon Rising, Stuck In The Middle With You, I'm A Believer, Hurt ... stuff you can do simply on an acoustic) with. All have really simple basic chord patterns, so it's play along with the song, then take the chords away and play along with the lyric sheet, then take the lyric sheet away and play it from memory, only looking back when stuffing up.
Then after you're comfortable doing it all from memory, do it all along to the record, and discover just where you've changed the words, chords, or lyrics
Have done the chord progressions of a song in a similar way.