After looking up some information about "Dueling Banjoes" I see it was written in the key of G. This was the key I was playing in and why the song came to mind.

I chromatically played a triplet up from the third of the G chord which is B,C,D for no particular reason which is the first three notes of the song.

For me, if I had played the same thing in another key I would likely not have thought about " Dueling Banjoes".

I generally remember songs in the original key unless they are very generic like "Happy Birthday". Sometimes this presents a bit of confusion because some recordings are published in different keys after the original. Working with vocalists who have limited range makes needing to switch keys more common which in general is pretty easy to do on guitar.

I also have played songs I have never listened to before by watching the bass player. It is possible to play something logical but it is unlikely that anyone would automatically play the signature licks.

Anyway, the question was more about remembering songs note for note.

Billy

“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”