Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 05:21:50 AM

Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 05:21:50 AM
Just a little hypothetical situation. As the title says, and you've got a gig the next night. Let's say Poison, AC/DC level of difficulty, and you're learning them from scratch for this scenario. But only one day.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: noodleplugerine on August 02, 2007, 06:33:01 AM
Depends on how well you know the songs.

For me the most difficult part of learning a song is knowing the layout - The riffs etc are all a case of muscle memory.

If it's a more tricky song - Thinking more Technical Difficulties level, the problems lie in getting the licks to speed - Which often takes careful repetition if you want to be able to play it controlled.

Edit: I still don't know why I'm awake at 6:30..
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 06:35:35 AM
In this hypothetical scenario you're not familiar with them.  8)
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: CUBE on August 02, 2007, 06:48:37 AM
i had to learn 50 tunes in 3 days before, in a style i was not familiar with.
   i  failed  :(.. but still did the gig..LMAO

 where ya playing?
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 06:51:40 AM
No gig, I'm just having a debate, with a drummer :roll: , about how many songs can be learned in a day.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Twinfan on August 02, 2007, 08:56:49 AM
Depends how long a day is?

I've learned around 4 new to me AC/DC tracks in a 5 or so hours session before now.  That's a song I've rarely heard, if ever, and includes the solos.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: hunter on August 02, 2007, 09:43:22 AM
Depends hugely. Usually I can play them rather quick, but then I discover details and variations along the way later, which is more of an ongoing process. I am still enhancing songs I learned >10 years ago but through newly acquired knowledge I am better able to refine them and get closer to the original.

Also AC/DC songs, they seem so easy inthe first place, and you can quickly play them using power chords or simple open chords, but to play them spot on with all the variations and subtleties is a real bitch to get right, same goes for most other decent rock bands.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: indysmith on August 02, 2007, 10:22:12 AM
i can never play anyone else's songs, lol. I have a tendency to forget the layout, and then if i do, when it gets to the solo i'm screwed - I can't play other folks solos AT ALL - unless they're pretty simple.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: nfe on August 02, 2007, 05:50:13 PM
I've learnt plenty wedding band sets in a day when I've been asked to dep last minute, nowadays it's rare that I don't know 95% of them, but when I was first getting into the dep scene i'd quite often have to learn 30-40 songs well enough to gig in two or three days, so say 10-15 a day. But this is by no means knowing them inside out and I'd be going to gig with another 4-5 musicians who DID know them inside out.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: sambo on August 02, 2007, 06:12:17 PM
are we talking learn WITH a band/other musicians or learning just the guitar piece independently, excluding all other musicians?

'cause that's quite a significant difference.

for the latter, i would say 5-10? not perfectly of course and depending on how long the "day" was.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Philly Q on August 02, 2007, 06:19:49 PM
I'm impressed, guys.  I have no aptitude at all for picking up songs.  Maybe I should finally accept once and for all I'm not cut out for this guitar lark.

I'm going to give up music...









...and become a drummer.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: sambo on August 02, 2007, 06:22:45 PM
NOOO NOT THE DARK SIDE!

:drums:  :plasma:  :gib:  :rock:  :trans:  :impact:  :rip:  :enforcer:  :flak:  :bio:  :shock:


on a serious note- it all really depends on the difficulty... i mean... if "learning a song" is playing a few chords in a couple of different sequences.... then y'know... i'm sure even you could do that philly....  :wink:  :lol:  :lol:
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 06:24:11 PM
Quote from: sambo
are we talking learn WITH a band/other musicians or learning just the guitar piece independently, excluding all other musicians?

'cause that's quite a significant difference.

for the latter, i would say 5-10? not perfectly of course and depending on how long the "day" was.

Learning the pieces on your own.  :)
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Philly Q on August 02, 2007, 07:27:18 PM
Quote from: sambo
if "learning a song" is playing a few chords in a couple of different sequences.... then y'know... i'm sure even you could do that philly....  :wink:  :lol:  :lol:

Don't bet on it, young man...  

Seriously, I could have a stab at figuring out a riff or two using root/fifth powerchords, but in the sense of actually learning the "proper" parts, getting it in the right key (and register) or working out (by ear) a chord with more than two notes... not a chance.    

I do have the feeling that if I tried hard and learned a few songs, then it would become much easier (if we're still talking about the Poison, AC/DC type stuff).  But I have decades of not-trying-very-hard to contend with, it's a bit of a mental barrier.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: noodleplugerine on August 02, 2007, 07:33:14 PM
But Phil - When we're working with a deadline I think EVERYONE here would be using notation of some sort.
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Philly Q on August 02, 2007, 08:18:38 PM
Oh god, I'm even worse with notation - can't read music and although (of course) I can follow tab it takes me ages to work out a comfortable/logical way to finger it.  At least when you pick up something by ear you automatically use a fingering which feels natural to you.

But I was assuming we were talking about learning stuff by ear - when you read about these revolving-door guys joining LA Guns or Adler's Appetite (or whoever) and learning all the songs in a couple of days, I assume it's all done by listening to the CDs and jamming with the other musicians.

(If Steven Adler does call trying to replace this week's lineup, tell him I'm out  :roll: )
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: dave_mc on August 02, 2007, 10:32:01 PM
is it allowed to be "close enough"?

you know, you don't fit all the wee intricate links into the verse riffs etc., but you're playing the right chords etc., so it'd be good enough to wing it (if it weren't being recorded, for example)....

assuming "close enough", i guess somewhere between 5-10, at poison/ac/dc level of difficulty (no jazz chords, minor pentatonic solos, etc.)
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: Bird on August 02, 2007, 10:34:09 PM
Quote from: dave_mc
is it allowed to be "close enough"?

you know, you don't fit all the wee intricate links into the verse riffs etc., but you're playing the right chords etc., so it'd be good enough to wing it (if it weren't being recorded, for example)....

assuming "close enough", i guess somewhere between 5-10, at poison/ac/dc level of difficulty (no jazz chords, minor pentatonic solos, etc.)

The number of songs you think you can learn can be "close enough"  :)
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: blue on August 03, 2007, 12:23:53 AM
well, the way i work, i'd completely fail to learn any of the songs, and somehow forget how to play something i already knew.  but i might come up with one or two cool new riffs in the middle of it all, so that's alright  :wink:

a covers band guitarist i am not  :roll:
Title: How many songs can you learn in one day?
Post by: noodleplugerine on August 03, 2007, 12:58:28 AM
The thing about mass learning songs, is if you don't play them everyday - You forget them very quickly.

I'm still amazed I can play the Stairway solo after 3 years of not playing it.