Very often I have been faced with the challenge of having to learn songs in a hurry. Sometimes many songs in a short period of time. This can be very frustrating if not impossible if you do not understand some basic principles and have a good system for learning. In order to learn a new song a few things must happen.
1. You need to “know” the song well, the basic structure and how the song flows. This is learned by listening to it over and over. Before you even try to play it, know how it goes in your head.
2. Now that you know the structure of the song you need to know the “Parts” of the song that you will need to be able to play. The intro, verses, chorus, bridge, outro, and any special licks or rolls. I have found if you cant exactly figure out what is being played youtube can be a huge help. Often something that sounds very complex is not at all once you see what is being played. ( sometimes it is more complex too, but at least you know what to work on). Work on each “part” of the song and understand WHAT is being played Before you try to play it. Trying to play a song before you understand exactly what is being played could likely make it much harder to play correctly and you will develop a habit of playing it wrong that will be harder to break then to learn it right from the start.
3. This is often the hardest part, can you actually and physically play the parts. This can take some time if you don’t know how to play that lick, beat, roll, and so on. When you know exactly What is being played it is a matter of breaking it down into small pieces and going over it and over it. I have spent hours on a short one measure fill. Repetition does in deed work. You must train your brain to do it without thinking about it. If you have to think about it… it’s too late. It must be ingrained in your brain and we do this by repetition. I will say this is the point that can be the most frustrating and we will try to “cheat” and play something close. This can work in an emergency, but I highly encourage you to learn it correctly or you will suffer later. It helps me to break the song down into parts and go over just that part until I have it down well. I do this with each part and then put the parts together. If I find I am having trouble in a certain place, I go back and just play that part over and over until I get it down and then go back to the song.
4. Take notes, I have developed a “code” so I can have a short summary of the song. I have learned even thought I have the song down well at home, when I get with the band things change and I draw a blank sometimes. This code reminds me of the start, basic beat and any important fills in the song. An example of this code would be –
Guitar start, in 2nd rif, 2/4 walk kick, vvccLBvc walk down end.
In this code I know it is a standard 2/4 beat, kick hits on all 4, verse, verse, chorus, chorus, Lead, Bridge, Verse, Chorus, and the ending steps down.
This may seem odd but it has saved me more times that I count, even songs we have played very often we sometime draw a blank, and this will remind us of how it goes.
I hope this helps and I will go further into this “code” and how you can make your own in future blogs.
Happy Playing,
Lane