How Do You Memorize Songs?

[Anonymous]

When it comes to memorising songs, it seems the only way to do it is learn it like a parrot – like learning times tables, keep repeating them till they sink in.

it amazes me no one has come up with anything different!
When you look at study techniques for learning to remember things,
we have mind maps, flash cards, memory by association etc..
The guitar world moved into tablature to get away from staff’s

i’d love to devise a sound memory map, or use colours to associate with sounds, or some sort of picture to pitch association…

[Tim56]

Folks: I have not looked at this part of the site for some time now. So, I have always had a hard time with memorizing. All the way back as a kid in grade school. Times tables etc!! I still don’t have the scales memorized! I play them every time I practice. The practice routine is done for an hour when I practice. I do break it up. With doing other exorcizes and tunes. I gotta tell you, that is why I have not posted any playing. The only ones who have heard me, are0 Johnny and Mike Bishop. I am in the process of getting my laptop to work right. Should be OK by this weekend. I play bits and pieces of many tunes. When I play, I mess up when I get to a part that I am not sure of?? So, there you go! Stop, look at the music and keep on. I do go over so many all the time. The trick is to lesson the load? I think? Hey, flying jets for 37 years was a real pain in ground school. Took me more time than any of the other pilots to memorize the stuff that we never used anyway. Flying is judgement, hand eye coordination and awareness of where you are and what is around you. We can’t go out on the wing a fix something at 37 thou feet!!! Our schooling did change to a more common sense approach as the years went on! All 37 of em! Hey, looking out the window at 37 thou feet at 600 miles an hour worked out real well! I’ll get this if it kills me!! I love playing and have pro friends that always encourage me to stay with it! Never give up!!!!

[Michael Bishop]

Hi Tim–we’ll get together on Skype again as soon as I can…last time things, as you know, we’re pretty crazy for me as I was covered in grease from the family van as you saw LOL I’ll have a better idea here pretty soon of when I can do it. You’re doing a great Tim, just keeping working at it. For myself, I’ve always memorized just a few notes at a time and then once I felt comfortable with those notes, then I moved onto the next musical phrases.

[Tim56]

Thanks Mike; I do the same. However, I lose it. Repetition is what we do. I get very frustrated when I do it over and over and don’t progress! I am off to play for an half hour of revile. I’ll do if it kills me! It’s not hard but it’s fast, 152. I don’t find that a problem. Fingering is not hard either. But, the sequence is what I have to deal with. I have most of it memorized. The flow is the problem at this time. Try this one, mid Bb to low C#. Johnny even said whoa when last we met. Some transitions are a physical problem sometimes. Give it a try.

[William Schmitt]

Re: Memorizing music.
When I was playing professionally 50 years ago in the 60’s and 70’s, the whole group practiced together twice a week, and we did a new piece for most of the practice time. That was sufficient to memorize it.
Also, I don’t remember having any music written for the sax. I transposed everything from piano and guitar music. Most times I just winged it, keeping the main tune somewhat, but improvising all over the place. We never played any song the same every time! LOL!
Once your horn is “warmed up” and you are in the groove, the horn just seems to take over and play by itself, anyway.
I wouldn’t worry about “memorizing” a piece to perfection. Just play it a few times until it’s you. The beauty of sax playing is in the author not the music.

[Author]

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