Repetition is the only surefire way the songs will stay in your head long term. For example, if you spend 2 weeks learning a song all the way through and just play it a few times when you've mastered it, chances are that 2 months later you won't remember it!
What I do is that once I've mastered all the parts of a song, I'll jam it start to finish several times per session, just to keep drilling it into my brain. I prefer not to use charts or transcriptions, but sometimes if you're playing a gig on short notice, a chart will save your butt!
Another great technique to use is visualization. For example, if I hear a song on the radio that I learned a long time ago, I'll play along on the guitar in my head, visualizing all the chord changes or riffs. If I find I cannot recall some things, I might go back and work on them just to put them back in my head. You'll find once you've put several weeks into learning a song, if you have to go back months later and learn it again, it will be like riding a bike --- you'll catch onto pretty quickly.
Anyways, hope these techniques/ideas help!!
Let me know how it goes!
Mike
Keep rockin!
Mike Olekshy
GT Guitar Coach
