A lot of you folks are making things much more complicated than it should be. QUIT (or cut back on) relying on some sort of Visual "memorization", whether it's Tab, notation, or looking at your fretboard. Those things ARE NOT THE TUNE, but visual representations of it and odds are 100 to 1 that you can't look at a page of sheet music and translate into the sonic inside your head. (That skill is called "sightsinging", and it takes quite a while to acquire.)
Just remember/memorize the tune by being able to vocalize/hum it. Hum along when you practice it on your instrument - this will help tie your ear and your hands together. Hum along with the CD in the car. If it's a song, sing the ^&*$ thing. The lyrics will burn in an extra layer of memorization.
I don't care if your fingers can play "Old Joe Clark"; if you can't hum it (without an a instrument in hand) you DON'T REALLY KNOW IT. All you've got is rote-memorized finger movements. (and if anything throw you, or is different with the version your pals are playing, you get LOST.)
Well, this probably comes across as harsh, but this subject has come up time and time again, and the recommendations to PUT IT IN YOUR EAR are largely ignored. Read some interviews with Johnny Gimble, one of the fiddling greats, and hear him tell how he learned tunes as a kid. Take the advice of real pro players instead of fellow intermediates and beginners. (PLEASE!)
Niles H.
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