[hb]

I've found that it takes a few hours or sometimes, days, to memorize a song, (I'm talking about chords AND melody here), to get it down to where it is fairly smooth. Maybe not perfected, if there is such a thing, but at least worth listening to where someone can actually tell you the song you're playing. But if I don't play that song again perhaps every other day or so, I'm amazed as to how quick I can forget it. Maybe not all of it, but it has sure lost it's fluid sound. If I don't go back to it for say a month or so, I've got to get the music back out. I was wondering if this is par for the course or not. Any feedback from others on their memory. I do have a hand full of songs that I have played so much that I don't think I'll ever forget them, I'm talking about a new song learned and then going back to it.
thanks in advance,
hb

[Stratrat]

There are a few songs that seem to be permanently burned into my memory - it doesn't seem like I ever forget how to play them. For other songs, it varies according to how difficult they are and how much I've played them. Even if I don't forget them, I still get rusty if I don't practice them at least once or twice a week, though. For new songs (recently learned and going back to them), I try to practice them daily until they start becoming familiar - otherwise I'd forget them within a few days and have to break the music back out. I've been working on a setlist with my buddy who's a drummer, and will be practicing those songs often to get them down pat for our jams/rehearsals.

[Mind Bender]

I know what you mean! Some songs I can remember after just a few minutes of playing. Some I can remember parts of, but not everything. And like you mentioned, if I didn't play it in a day or two I'll probably forget most. And others, no matter how simple and easy it is to play, I can never remember them. Always need to keep the sheet music in front of me. I've tried remembering in different ways, but the outcome is always the same. I guess, all in all, if you don't use it, you'll lose it.

[cshude]

Definitely goes along a difficulty scale- if it's just a strumming type of song, I might hit a couple glitches where I can't remember the exact progression without taking a couple minutes to cast around for the right chord. Some songs that have intricate (at least to me) melodies, etc. need to be played fairly consistent or I'll forget parts of it.

[starsailor]

I always record songs to my MP3 to get a feel for them, they tend to stick in my head better that way, I do this for my own as well and it also works for them, I do also tab some of mine out so I have a permanent paper record of the song, I don't read music but learning to write tabs has been good.

[Andy S]

All depends on how I learned it. If it was from a chord chart that was already prepared, I can forget it in a blink.

If I had to learn it by ear, that's different. I write the words down by listening to the song several times. That sort of burns the feel of it into your head. Then I start figuring the chords out. That REALLY burns it in. Then, if I'm doing any leads, listen and pick out parts, over & over....well, you get the drift. It's part of my memory banks for a decent amount of time, even though I've been having senior moments more frequently.

Just my take on it.

[Doug]

Like others have said, I remember some songs and forget others. In fact, I can play most of the songs I learned when I was a kid - Mister Tambourine Man, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and other Dylan songs. But I often forget my own songs. I mean really forget them. If I didn't have them recorded they'd be completely lost but even when I hear them again, I have to start from scratch and play around to find the chords and the melody notes. It's weird.

As for how long it takes to learn a song, that really depends on whether it stretches your abilities or not. The simple I IV V songs are pretty easy to learn in minutes but take a jazz arrangement like The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire...) and that will keep you busy for a while.
Memory is a funny thing.

[hb]

A lot of good responses! Sounds like I'm in the middle here. Glad to know that it's not Alzheimer's just yet!
By far, the most important thing to me in remembering a song is being able to hear the song in my head and knowing where it's going before I get there. I don't know why, but that's 99% of it for me.
For instance, Kirk can post a lesson that he has written on his own, and after a day or so, I can play it from memory, but if I don't play it for two weeks, I don't know where to start. But if he does a lesson on, say, Jingle Bells, or Mr. Bo jangles, I can play it in a matter of minutes and remember that for an extended period. Any one else like this?
hb

[Fulltone]

You guys hit in my alley on this one. I have the same problem. Only for me the songs that are purely chord based (ex. a country song) it doesn't seem to bother me much. Now take a song like an SRV or Robin Trower(Penetonic Riffs). If I don't play what ever I have learned at least once a day I am SOL (Sorry Out Of Luck). I truely believe that I would be a night and day difference (for the better) guitar player. For me it is a huge pain because let say one of my friends comes over I have to almost always play by reading off the paper that I have written it down on or read it out of a song book. When doing so I also have a problem with making big huge mistake (almost to the point of sounding like a guy who has never played) then after a few minutes of playing with it I can get it and play it but if I get up and go do something else it is right back to square one. But this only applys to songs where its an individual note like an SRV (sorry thats the only thing that comes to mind to discribe it). Now throw a country song (ex. George Strait country song in front of me and I'll tune and be good to go). It is weird though how a mind processes because there are songs like Los Lonely Boys Cottonfields and Crossroads, Heaven and Hollywood that I can pick up and if I have the proper pedals in front of me (meaning I borrow my friends pedal board). I call tune and go on some of the riffs to the songs.

I wish I had a better memory system in the old noggin but it doesn't seem like I am the Lone Ranger on this one.

[hb]

Yes, to all of the above. What a pain it is to spend hours or days to memorize a song so well that it really flows, and then go back to it in a week or so and think, "now how did that go?" !!!
hb