remembering music effectively

[andyhix]

I was in the car for about an hour the other day and got roped into a radio infomercial of this guy - Mathew Goerke, from the American Memory Institute or something selling his "product" that will make your memory incredible, allegedly.

Anyway, it got me thinking about all the songs I've learned over the years on guitar, and lyrics too, I suppose, and how I can probably recall maybe 10 or 20% of them - MAYBE. That really is a bummer.

Short of one of these "programs" which I kinda think might be a bit of a scam, what can I do to keep those chord changes, or fingerings or lyrics better available for recall? I've always been amazed and jealous by the likes of "The Human Jukebox," Sleepy Labeef, and his supposed ability to play any of 10,000 songs at any time.

 

[AlChuck]

There's a book out by David Baker called How to Learn Tunes. The blurb at the Jamey Aebersold site reads:

Intemediate/Advanced. Until now, the task of memorizing tunes has required a great amount of time and has been left to chance by the musician. With no rules, guidelines, or systematic methods of study, the task has left musicians with a great deal of confusion and frustration. This incredible work is a quick and easy method for learning and memorizing melodies and chord changes to any tune in any key! Listening/learning/play along tracks take you through the most commonly used harmonic formulae and teach you how to recognize and remember forms both visually and aurally. The book and supplement give composition that will have you memorizing and UNDERSTANDING how changes work. Leave the fakebooks at home!

It's geared towards jazz tunes but even if you don't play jazz I suspect the basic concepts work for any kind of music...