Learning songs - a Handful or a Few?

When I started out, I just focused mainly on learning the main riffs or cool sounding parts to songs, as I go along I find myself learning songs more completely.

I've found that in a band setting, preparing yourself to memorize the structure and feeling of songs is just as important as the physical part of playing the signature riff, and knowing an entire song is actually useful during a jam session.

So to answer your question more directly: I would say focus with that laser-like intensity. I definitely make an effort to focus on only one or two songs daily in order to more completely learn them. If it's a more complex song, or it uses techniques that I don't do as well, I will spend multiple days focusing on the one song trying to put everything in place.

Good luck!

I'd say learn a couple of songs really well. Chances are you aren't going to be in a situation regularly where you need to play 50 Covers at a time, but playing 5 covers gets you a support slot at a gig or whatever...

Hiya,

I would work on no more than 3 or 4 at a time. Any more, and you have to spread the love too thin. Any less, and you can get a bit bored playing the same stuff time after time.

Best,

A :-)

Start a notebook. Learn a song from beginning to end just like you were going to perform it for others. Then go back and review it often. After awhile you will have hundreds of songs that you can play at a performance level.

I was fortunate enough to meet David Hodge at the jam in Massachusetts this year. He had a notebook with hundreds of songs. I was truly impressed how he could briefly look at all the songs and play them very well. He can play music all day long and not run out of songs! That is what I am talking about. Build a repertoire.

It is ok to work on 3 or 4 songs at once, but I wouldn't work on any more than that.

I've got that book.

You know what the scary part is? He can just show you how to play them at a moments notice too.

Makes you seem like a much better player than you are.

And I must say, I had an instructor that showed me a new song every 2 weeks, so further seducing me to learn all these songs at once.

Btw. if practicing 2 songs say everyday, how long would you recommend? Half hour, an hour, more?

As much as you can manage... Obviously, the more you work on a song, the faster you'll get better at it, and the more likely you are to recall it. There aren't any rules saying you have to work on a song for more than five minutes a day. :)

The more songs you learn, the more you'll be able to learn... your ear will get better. I'm pretty comfortable learning 3-5 new songs every week. I focus on just one to learn at a time - I might play that one 20 times in a day - and I'll run through the other two new ones once or twice - the next day's focus will be on a different new tune. One or two times a week I'll play through about 20-30 'old' tunes to keep them in shape. You can rip through that many in an hour and a half if you don't waste time at it.

When I first started playing I just learned one song at a time so I could
progess faster on a song. If anyone can learn more than two songs at a time go for it, but your practice time may go up. One time I started learning a few songs at a time, but I would progess on one song and forget parts of others, even if I spent the same amount of time on them.
If someone learns a song in one month, and the other learns two in two months, it comes out the same. Learning a song in a week, is different skill I have not find yet.

Keeping a notebook with songs in it is a great idea. I go to my college computer lab and print at least 30 pages a day, ( now that ticks people off :lol: )

As far practing songs I already learned, I take the number of songs I know and divide by 7 (days) and the answer I get is how many I work on during the week. I know 14 songs, when I learn about 30 or 40 songs well the way I practice for a hour maybe a problem.