Dave: I believe Johnny Winter had a pretty cool tune back in his heyday that was titled something like this...........but I put myself to a test, I studied your nice SRV lesson very thoroughly and then purposely didn't attempt the Texas shuffle for a few weeks.......but then just did this weekend. At best, 50% came back to me!!? Perhaps I'm too harsh on myself or guitar dementia has kicked in but.......I was able to refigure some parts like that cool double stop solo run after some trial and error but.......I did go from at least being comfortable with this nice lesson a few weeks back to at least semi lost? Any professional advice into retention besides playing various parts to death and beyond?? The problem with over practicing is two fold: 1. Maintaining an interest factor without getting almost bored (no offense.......almost anything even a good thing can do this) and 2. Then not wanting to jam to these nice lessons because I've overdone it. Thanks!! Jim C.
Memory Drain Pain!
Hah! And I thought it was only me and my advancing age!!
I have found that only certain parts of songs I have learnt and felt comfortable with are sticking with me. I have a few that I am going to have to go back and re-watch the lessons so I can play the whole song again.
I agree, I risk being bored if I hammer just the one song over and over. But I think if I re-visit the lessons after a break from the song quite a bit of it will come back quite quickly and more will be retained in my memory. That has certainly happened with one song in particular that I have "re-learned".
There is some learning theory out there that you retain about 50% of something on the first exposure, but after a second exposure you might retain up to 80% and so on.
Well, can't help you much other than to let you know you are not alone. Sadly, I think repetition is the key.
Alf
Alf:
firstly.............loved your show (or at least the alien sarcastic character)!! There's some comfort in sharing frustration or some misery with others..........I'd add this though: Tweak things up a wee bit!! This extends interest..........also I'd imagine that if we both got ourselves into obligatory situations.......in other words........we were invited to do a 6-8 song set at some gig........the obligation of learning these tunes extensively would help the retention and necessitate the repetition!! Also, actually playing in front of folks and.......as long as we sounded good if not great.....this wouldn't make the mundane repetitive nature of our purpose........to nail these songs and/or guitar styles down......so much like boring factory assemblyline work!!??
One issue for me personally......I'm a CPA by profession and I've taken up guitar to get away from the discipline of super organized facts and practices.............yet to get there..to be able to just pick up the guitar and jam out like SRV or even the Beatles.......I first need to call upon super memorization and defeat the purpose!!
At any rate......great input and much appreciated my fellow sufferer!!
Jim C.
I think all guitarists deal with memorization of music in varying degrees. Taking a break from a song and revisiting it a few days/weeks later usually reveals some memory retention, then I make a go at it again, thus advancing my memory of the song further. Each time I consistantly revisit the piece I get further along. This take time, patience, and stickability.
How many times do you think the Don Felder and Joe Walsh practiced and worked at memorizing the solo in Hotlel California before it was solid and ready for live performance? Now think about how many more times they've played it live! Do artists get board playing their 'hits' that they've played hundreds (even thousands of times)? I think yes. I've heard it confirmed from a few celebrity musicians I've personally talked with. Heck, I too get board practicing and getting songs ready for performance. I empathize wih you.
Advice: stick with it and keep revisiting the songs you want to memorize. If one doesn't kepp at it they'll never memorize a piece of music.
-Dave
Hey Jim, yeah believe it or not we even had that show broadcast down here in little old New Zealand. I remember it well. Must admit I never liked the father character, annoyed me for some reason. I do sometimes sign off things as A.L.F!!
I guess I will go back over the missing pieces soon and it will be interesting to see how much of it sticks on the second time of learning.
I understand your point of view regarding your proffession being tightly controlled and your wish to have some freedom in your guitar playing. I am an aircraft maintenance engineer and also have to stick firmly to the rules. It would be nice to have the ability to free-style on the guitar. Maybe one day I'll be good enough.
Good luck with your guitar endeavours!!
A.L.F
Jim,
Another thing you might consider to increase your memory retention is taking on easier songs that don't have as many notes, chords, and parts as some of the SRV music has. Once you get better at retaining the shorter and more simple songs, the more dense and complicated songs will come easier.
-Dave Celentano
