Memorizing Songs

What is the best method for memorizing a really long song? (ex. lots of practice, piece by piece)

Best way that I have found is just to work at it one measure and one phrase at a time. Good Luck.

Charlie (Bluestoad)

Might I ask what the song in question? This will help..... :confused:

I wasn't talking about any song in particular, but I just wanted to hear other peoples methods for memorization. What is working for me is repetition and time.

Honestly, there really isn't a short cut to this kind of thing. You just have to do it a lot. I have to learn music all the time for different things, and I find I can memorize a song fairly quickly. This has come with nearly 13 years of experience though.

What is my method? What really helps me is charting out a song; writing out the form and seeing it on paper. I know not everyone can do this, but perhaps you can develop some sort of shorthand way of writing the song form down. Try also memorizing in pieces, and not moving on until you can play the previous part flawlessly. This can be a bit cumbersome in the beginning, but through time you will be able to work through each song much, much faster.

What is a song you are currently working on? Let's start there and see if we can piece together a flow sheet of sorts to help you work out a method that works best for you.

Well, I've been working on Fade To Black by Metallica, solo and all. Solos are particularly difficult for me to memorize.

Let's break down that track into sections, and focus on the main points:

Metallica - Fade To Black
from RIDE THE LIGHTNING

[U]This song is basically set up into 3 section, which are as follows: [/U]

A) Acoustic Arpeggio w/ Guitar Solo
(includes outro transition into next section)

B) Acoustic Arpeggio Rhythm (w/vocals)
Distorted Guitar Riff and Chords
Harmonized Guitar Solo

C) Outro Rhythm Guitar (follows vocal line)
Harmonized Guitar Lines
Guitar Solo (over harmonized guitar lines)

You have three different types of guitar parts: the acoustic guitar parts, the electric guitar parts, and the solos. How I would approach this is by simply taking each part at a time. Make sure you know the acoustic parts from the A and B section. Once you have these down and memorized, and can play these along with the song; move on. Next, I would tackle the electric guitar parts. Same deal, make sure you have these down. Once you have this memorized, than tackle each guitar solo; one at a time. Again, have patience and don't let your excitement get the best of you. This isn't the easiest tune so take your time with it.

Again, itemize the sections and organize them on paper (or computer.) Than, take it piece by piece and have at it. It helps to make it visual to take some of the intimidation away.

Best of luck and hopefully this helps! :D

Thanks, I've got most of the acoustic part memorized already!

Perfect! And again, take it piece by piece. If you find the solo to be a little daunting at this point, than I would maybe move on to another song. You don't want to spend an overwhelming amount of time on one song. Spread your time working on a few songs, and don't get too bogged down.

If you really want to learn the solo, approach it the same way you would the song. Take it piece by piece and don't move on until you have each section down. I know this frustration well.

Best of luck and Happy New Year!