Tips on remembering:

Dane777

Member
Hey guys;
Just starting a new thread here to help me and other n00by drummers out there with their first session gig =)
I got mine just 2days ago and to me it sounds pretty massive.
I have until the 26th of Dec to memorise 75 songs which will cover 3 sets and an overall time of 3hours.
The songs im going to be doing I have never heard before.
I was wondering if there are any tips on what to do as far as remembering how a song is going to start because to me remembering 75 different songs and names to them is a big ask.
Any tips on remembering these and other things during the show??
 
Yes, here are my "tips":

1- Make written notes on EVERY SONG......list the "title, intro. verses, Chorus, bridge, and endings".
2- Practice things in # 1.
3- Learn the songs...........................duh!
4- Watch the other musicians VERY CLOSE!!! Look and watch!!!

Go man!! go!!
 
That is a very big task. I'm assuming this is a bar gig? First, ask the band how you should prioritize- they're not playing all 75 songs in 180 performance minutes. Try to get set lists, or a "likely to perform" list. Second, listen through the tunes and sort them according to whether they're going to need no work, a little work, or a lot of work. Third, starting with the hard tunes, sketch out some charts per KB's post. Write the feel, section lengths, important figures and stops. Fourth, practice and listen to the tunes like crazy. Fifth, on the gig, keep your eyes and ears open.

On things where I've never played the material- like a country gig- I expect there to be a lot of guitar/keyboard intros, and cues from the band on stops and endings. Hopefully they know their stuff well enough to be able to remind you of the feel of a tune if you forget. Ask them about doing a rehearsal; if they seem confident about not needing one, it hopefully means that they're real pro bar guys who know how to nursemaid you through the show, and everything will be fine if you do your homework. Otherwise, you should maybe try to get a rehearsal in for each set of music.
 
Write out something for every tune you're trying to learn. It can be as simple as one measure of the basic pattern and some sort of shorthand for how many bars are in each verse/chorus/bridge and how they string together. At least for me, making the effort to put it down on paper helps me think it though enough to get it into my head. Keeps me from cheating and thinking, "yeah, I can play along with this, I got it". Add to the notes how the song starts and stops.

When the gig gets near and you get a set list, you can rewrite it yourself and add in the critical notes (break in middle after bridge, starts with guitar part, starts with 1 bar drum fill, etc) so you have it for reference.
 
You'll have to write out charts for them dude, unless you're a freaky genius.

Remembering tunes gets easier with time and practice.
 
I would suggest putting the songs on a CD or MP3 player so you can listen to them where ever you go. Hearing the songs and learning how they go just by listening will help you a ton when it comes to playing them. Other than that, work your butt off, jot notes as needed, and don't stress out.
 
Sounds like an insane proposition. This is the sort of thing that would be good for a guy that hosts open mics and has been playing all these tunes for years. And even then, each band has a different way of ending songs (especially songs that fade out as the recorded ending), so how do you execute the endings live without charts or lots of discussion?
I've learned 26 songs in a couple of days for a 2 set gig, but 75 for a 3 set gig has all kinds of problems.
 
I just got done learning seven originals in essentially 5 days of work, it can be done, but it's pretty much all you'll be doing for the next few weeks.

Look down that list. unless they're all originals, chances are you know how several of them go already. Those songs can be polished off with just a little work.

Get all the songs on an iPod or other listening contrivance, preferably one that can shuffle. Figure a way to listen to your iPod while drumming so that you don't have to blast the volume to hear the music. (I use the isolation earpieces from my in-ear monitor... you might have isolation headphones or even just some earmuffs over your iPod headphones would work.)

Listen to all the songs and chart them out. I type the charts in Microsoft Word using different colors for different parts of the song (green is intro riffs, red is verses, dark red is prechoruses, blue is chorus, yellow for solos). I make note of special fills, figures, and endings. Each song should take no more than 3-4 lines.

I start practicing the songs along with the iPod while referring to the chart as I go. Slowly I phase to playing totally with the chart, no iPod. Then I phase off the chart. (When I say slowly, I mean in a couple of days.)

Depending on the type of music, likely this process will be a little faster for you; I was learning completely unknown originals with a lot of technical parts. Good luck, and eat it like an elephant - one bite at a time.
 
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