I've never practiced enough to have my accompaniment to my favorite cover songs come out fluently.
And I think having to look at chord charts during a performance takes a bit away from the performance.
For those of you that feel the same, and have mastered the accompaniment to a large number of cover songs....how do you go about it ? How do you - practice and memorize them, - review them, - how many times do you think you have to play/practice them before they are forever sealed in your memory for the future ? - if you have to memorize the words too - how do you go about that ? - how often do you have to review ? e.g. until they are forever in your brain ?
Do you think some techniques work far better than others, and you could contrast them and share why ?
With well over 550 songs in our book, it's difficult to memorize them all. Especially since some of the songs are not pulled out often.
But most of them are memorized anyway, and to tell you the truth, I don't know how I do it.
The chords come quite easy to me, it's the words that I find hardest to memorize.
I keep cheat sheets up (on computer) and glance at it, mostly for the first word in a line or section. I've already practiced enough to not need to read it. Then little by little the need to glance gets less and less.
Now if we pull out a song we haven't played in a few months, there will be more glances, but still much more eye contact with the audience than the screen.
10 hours for 1 hours on stage - not bad...but for how many days or months before !!!
Eddie - for having played so long, I imagine you can take a new tune you've heard but never practiced, and get it into your long term memory far quicker than a beginner could (assuming no techical barriers for a beginner).
I have some songs I've practice so frequently, my fingers go where they need to without thinking - even of the names of the chords.
But everything I'm doing recently, I'm still having to look at the key name and review the progression numbers before I play it....I suppose what I really need to do is practice a group of songs - 2 or 3 not to get board, until my fingers go to the right places without thinking, before I move onto the next 2 or 3 songs....I think that's next for me.
Joe, after you play those songs long enough, depending on how well you retain things (and that is VERY different for everybody) you will know them soon enough. Unlike Notes huge catalog, which they need because of the varied places they played, I was always in bands that had maybe 60 active songs at a time. And when we learned a new one, an old one went out. 3 sets, 13 songs each. Those sets would have a solid 10 that were there every night, and 3 variables we plugged in. We ran things different than a lot of bands. If we had a gig Thursday night, we had our sets on Wednesday so if there was a guitar change needed or a sample I had to load from a disc, I could make a note on the set that the change was coming. Very little down time between songs. In fact the 2nd set was 60 minutes that did not stop. But again, different situations.
A song you play once a year is different from a song you play 5 nights a week.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
I would learn the first one to where I was comfortable with the song and could play through with very little distraction of thinking "what's next". Then learn the next one the same way. Then go back to the first and improve it, move on to the second and improve it, then add the third.
Pretty soon you'll find yourself just playing through the first one to get to the next and next .. so you can focus on a new one again (psychological side of it). Plus the discipline of going back reinforces muscle memory.
Not long after you get to knowing 3 or 4 you'll know 10 .. improvement comes with practice on this task just like others; you'll start to get faster at it the more you do it. Don't just try to learn one, then the next, then the next, remember to go back go back and re-remember the ones you did previously. It'll only take a few minutes and keeps them fresh in the mind ..I think of it like a computer uses cache <grin>; it's worth storing special if you are going to need it often. This exercise helps your mind keep it in the 'recently needed' area and fresher in memory for faster recall.
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Now I find the hardest thing is to remember the names of the songs. Once I remember the name, I have a shot at the chords and lyrics. Invariably I get them back to front or forget a verse etc. So many songs are turnarounds, 2, 5, 1, 3 chords or blues.... which helps (sometimes). Why is it just as hard to remember your own songs and lyrics? Using backing tracks on auto play helps....
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487 BIAB 2021 (Build 818) Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi) VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit 16GB RAM\2018 13” MacBook Air casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface casio wk-7500 biab & realband 2023 everything pk both with Current builds
A capo?? No capo's on a piano and there shouldn't be one on a guitar either.
It's already been touched on but I'll refine it a bit.
Take say 5 songs to start and do them all every day, 7 days a week. Put pressure on yourself as if you're at a gig. If you mess up you don't get to stop and get a do over. No, you're performing and you'll just have to fake it. A few days, maybe a week of that and you'll have those 5 tunes down. Do another 5 but perform them with the first 5 so you're "playing a gig" with 10 songs, then another 5 and another 5 etc. Remember, this is like a live final rehearsal, no do overs, mess up and you just fake it and move on.
Can't see yourself doing that because you have a life outside of memorizing songs?
Bob, I have to call baloney on saying no capos on guitars. Many reasons, but primarily the one that might resonate best with you is that saying guitarists should not use capos is like saying you have to play a song with odd sounding voicing and inversions on a keyboard because you are only allowed to play in a certain range of notes on the keyboard. Capos allow the right chord voicing to be played to get the arrangement of notes to ring correctly.
The number of songs played with capos and alternate tunings they sound just the way they do is too long to list.
I will name one very well known example: Jumpin Jack Flash as played by Keith Richards. It just doesn’t sound right unless the guitar is tuned to an open tuning AND capoed.
Can't see yourself doing that because you have a life outside of memorizing songs?
What was your question again?
Bob
Very well put Bob (... which is actually typical for you. I have come to appreciate your wry humor and straight talk)
The answer to the OP's question is obvious; practice, practice, practice. How long it takes depends on how much talent you have talent and how much time you got.
There was a time when I would ask myself, why can't I perform at a "near" professional level. I stopped asking that question long ago and I came to peace with reality. First, despite having a love for music creation, I was not blessed with the natural talent to satisfy that love. And second, almost as important, my life decisions took me down a different path long before my music came along.
Can't see yourself doing that because you have a life outside of memorizing songs?
What was your question again?
Bob
Very well put Bob (... which is actually typical for you. I have come to appreciate your wry humor and straight talk)
The answer to the OP's question is obvious; practice, practice, practice. How long it takes depends on how much talent you have talent and how much time you got.
There was a time when I would ask myself, why can't I perform at a "near" professional level. I stopped asking that question long ago and I came to peace with reality. First, despite having a love for music creation, I was not blessed with the natural talent to satisfy that love. And second, almost as important, my life decisions took me down a different path long before my music came along.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2024, Cubase 13, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
Can't see yourself doing that because you have a life outside of memorizing songs?
What was your question again?
Bob
Very well put Bob (... which is actually typical for you. I have come to appreciate your wry humor and straight talk)
The answer to the OP's question is obvious; practice, practice, practice. How long it takes depends on how much talent you have talent and how much time you got.
There was a time when I would ask myself, why can't I perform at a "near" professional level. I stopped asking that question long ago and I came to peace with reality. First, despite having a love for music creation, I was not blessed with the natural talent to satisfy that love. And second, almost as important, my life decisions took me down a different path long before my music came along.
Practice, practice, practice. I can't formally play any instrument or read a lick of sheet music, so I find it to be an amazing skill to watch. Above Eddie said 10 hours of practice for every 1 hour on stage, and that basically hits the nail on the head. My dad was a professional performer, and he'd rehearse hours every day for 2 weeks straight before doing a show that lasted an hour and a half.
<...snip...>I was always in bands that had maybe 60 active songs at a time. And when we learned a new one, an old one went out.<...>
Been there, done that. In a Top40 cover band, the song of the week had to be learned, and last month's song was too old to play anymore.
It was good training, and learning to cover many different bands styles was good education.
I find if I can remember the first note or chord or word of the song, the rest comes around.
Capo?
Not for me.
Why?
Putting the capo on makes the guitar sharp by pushing the string between two frets. Then when you put your finger down between another two frets, that string goes even sharper.
The saxophone is not in tune with itself. Each note is different. For decades I listen to the sax tone, and adjust the vertical position of my lower lip to make the note in tune (or intentionally out of tune). Put the capo on and a finger on and the note is sharp enough to bug me. I want to adjust it.
Of course, for the general public it's probably OK, so if someone else wants to use one, it's their business.
Putting the capo on makes the guitar sharp by pushing the string between two frets. Then when you put your finger down between another two frets, that string goes even sharper.
I use a capo sometimes for recording, and as rockstar_not pointed out it has nothing to do with not being able to play the chords, it has to do with getting the open voicing which for some material is very important.
Pitch is not an issue, I just tune the guitar slightly flat so that when I put the capo on it is in perfect tune.
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Norton Music
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean