Re: Memorizing a song
I have to give the OP credit for trying as hard as he is to learn how to memorize, to admit so openly to his problems with the process, and to offer himself up for the sort of critical analysis of these and many varieties of advice provided by Café members. Brave soul!
I'll repeat what others have said here: repetition is key to memorizing. And furthermore, since the goal is to be able to play the tunes you want to play again and again anyway, do so as part of your practice routine. You should get a good head start that way.
If you put in the time this way, you should be able to reach a point where the use of some sort of mnemonic device or cheat sheet will jog your memory enough for the rest to follow. Eventually, you won't even need those anymore.
What you don't want to do, or shouldn't (IMO) is rely heavily on any kind of visual aid - sheet music, charts, tab, whatever - as you need to internalize the learning process. Perhaps using such will help get you started, but you should wean yourself off them ASAP, so using them doesn't become a habit. It's best to be independent and self-reliant.
I recall reading an anecdote about how orchestra musicians in the classical era were often considered with much condescension, even reviled as being utterly useless until a piece of sheet music were placed in front of them. Then suddenly a transformation would occur, in which they could produce wonderful music. But once the music were removed, they would revert to uselessness. This may be an exaggeration, but I believe it illustrates how not to be, and how much better truly learning music is the superior approach.
The modern equivalent of this is the popularity of iPads as performing aids. I've seen this an awful lot over the past dozen or more years, though I believe they are mostly used to provide song lyrics. Indeed, I'm currently playing in a trio, and both main singers use iPads for every song. We have to wait for whoever is singing the next song to dial it up. Even if it is a song they have sung for years, even decades, they won't even try without their prompter. And even once the song is found, the rendition of it tends to be less convincing than if it were sung from memory. This is more true of the drummer, who isn't much of a singer to begin with, than the guitarist, who is. The drummer's lack of expressiveness is disappointing. He may get the words and notes right, but he doesn't put much feeling into them.
I don't know if there is a musical/melodic equivalent to these devices, but I would look askance at them if there is. But who knows? That might be just the thing for some people. Just not for me.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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