Tiandrézio
34 posts
Apr 12, 2012
1:07 PM
|
I don't know if I'm the only one or not but I noticed that learned a lot of songs that I don't remember how to play these days.That may happen because I don't play these too many times?It happens to you also??
|
FMWoodeye
290 posts
Apr 12, 2012
1:49 PM
|
I'm sure it happens to everyone but Walter....because he makes his up on a daily basis.
|
easyreeder
292 posts
Apr 12, 2012
2:06 PM
|
I've forgotten more songs than I ever knew.
|
Frank
606 posts
Apr 12, 2012
3:05 PM
|
Yes, but when I find the time to get back to them - it seems sorta like riding a bike kinda deal ( where you really never forget how) Same thing with songs I knew well at one time but haven't played for years, It seems I can bring them back to life a lot quicker then it took to actually learn it from ground zero.
A few I'd like to get back to and resurrect from the dead are...
William clarkes..."chasin the gator"
Charlie Musslewhites..."harpin on a riff"
Little Walters...."Roller Coaster"
Last Edited by on Apr 12, 2012 3:10 PM
|
Leatherlips
59 posts
Apr 12, 2012
3:09 PM
|
I know it's not cool to have a music stand set on stage, but if Im unsure about some new numbers, I think this is better than screwing up a song by not remembering the lyrics.
|
STME58
130 posts
Apr 12, 2012
3:25 PM
|
@Leathrerlips,
Perhaps you could get one of those music clips like marching band musicians use. Usually the clip is shaped like a lyre. They do have those for harmonica, don't they? :-)
|
opendoor_harps
25 posts
Apr 12, 2012
4:31 PM
|
I've had this experience with songs and tunes that I must have played hundreds of times before:
Occasionally when I take it for granted on a well played song and go to perform it, the first words or sentence, or first phrase or lick, or chords, are just nowhere to be found in my brain. Gone. Nada. Until I can find that spiggot to turn the musical water on, nothing else will flow.
Trying to jump ahead and cover with an alternate verse or chorus won't work because I can't find the start button. But, when I do and the first words come popping in (or the signature first notes of a tune), "Wake up mama, turn your lamp down low".... ah there it is... then the rest comes flowing out with little effort.
Some songs I had thought forgotten years ago can some back intact once I get the kick start. I have talked to solo instrument players who play a lot of tunes who mention the same effect in their playing.
|
Tiandrézio
35 posts
Apr 13, 2012
5:03 AM
|
@Frank "Yes, but when I find the time to get back to them - it seems sorta like riding a bike kinda deal ( where you really never forget how) Same thing with songs I knew well at one time but haven't played for years, It seems I can bring them back to life a lot quicker then it took to actually learn it from ground zero."
I feel the same way.
|
waltertore
2185 posts
Apr 13, 2012
10:07 AM
|
Sinatra forgot his songs alot in concert. I remeber some of the old blues guys forgeting their songs too. I guess if you do something a million times you can overlearn it too much :-). I have a learning disability that I found out about when I tired of the constanst struggles to survive doing spontobeat and went to college. Memorizing printed things that interested me was always a failed experience and my public school experience was a wreck of F's. I got way into history but seemed to never be able to remember the dates and other facts that the tests asked. I still struggle with editing. My posts here seem just as I wanted them to be and then I push SAVE and when it appears on the new screen I see a ton of errors from spelling to grammar to word omissions. I sometimes think that part of my brain that doesn't work right is a great assest. It has allowed me to move blindly around the world with no money or promise of work, and feel completely assured it will allw work out much better than the place I just left. It also lets me do my music with no feeling of mistakes happening as I play. From my conversations with other musicians a common concern seems to be mistakes.
When I first started singing the bands taped the lyrics to my mic stand. I also spent hours trying to mesmorize the songs on my own. Once the beat got going I found an endless supply of stories wanting to come out. I got fired from bands for this. Even today, with my heros records that I have listened to thousands of times, I still could not repeat the words. The music grabbed me the most and the words took me into the story of the songs. Once in the songs I enjoyed being there. That is the same thing that happens with my music only I don't know what words and music will come out. I get a kick out of when the media shows a performer making a mistake and doing a spontaneous thing with it. They seem to really value that as "pure feelings"/ showcasing their genius. Yet when I contact these media people and tell them everything I do is spontaneous, they never return my call or messages........... I guess spontaneous can only be popular if it happens for a few seconds in ones life :-). Walter
----------
walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
3,900+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2012 2:39 PM
|
SlimHarpMick
6 posts
Apr 14, 2012
5:38 AM
|
To answer the original poster's question, in a word, yes. Forgetting the words to a song, or a passage of notes is something that happens to absolutely everyone.
In private it doesn't really matter; it's on stage that people get filled with the fear of Hades. The trouble with that, though, is that it is the fear itself that can be the cause of forgetfulness. If you get up on stage thinking to yourself, What happens if I forget the lyrics? Everyone will think I'm a complete [fill in the appropriate epithet] then the chances are you will forget them at some point.
I suppose that is what Adam was talking about in his second YouTube lesson. By the way, the other day I noticed that video had been removed for copyright violation. What copyright violation? I presume that one of Google's YouTube robots had a bit of a paddy that day.
But, I digress. In truth, most audiences - at least in my experience - are hugely sympathetic to performers with leaky heads. They appear to have an innate ability to differentiate between someone who's up there just to massage their own ego, and someone who is doing their best to provide some kind of entertainment. They will forgive a multitude of cock-ups in the latter. I say that because there are at least three occasions when I've completely lost the plot on stage, and the punters couldn't have been nicer about it. As for minor balls-ups, 99% of the time 99% of the people don't even know you're making them.
As for what Walter was saying about memorising dates, etc, I know there is quite a lot of stuff out there about how to get over that. No, 'get over that' is the wrong choice of words. What I meant to say is that there are books that give techniques on how to memorise different kinds of facts. Tony Buzan has written on the subject, and his methods are truly astonishing, and not at all difficult to implement. I confess, I've not read his books on that particular subject, but, a few years ago, he was on UK TV demonstrating them. Having said all that, I'm not sure how well suited they are to memorising music.
----------
YouTube ditties
Last Edited by on Apr 14, 2012 5:44 AM
|
ElkRiverHarmonicas
853 posts
Apr 14, 2012
7:57 AM
|
Yes, I forget them. But not so much how to play the songs, I forget which songs I know until somebody mentions it. When I was a kid, I carried around a little book with the title of every song I knew in it. I used to play harmonica on the church bus, at school, everywhere. That little book came in handy.
----------
David
Elk River Harmonicas
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
|
