How much time do you usually spend to learn a 'new song', including the time required to prepare it for performing on your arranger at the gig? This includes:

- melody & chord memorization, + arrangement licks (by ear or chart);
- lyrics memorization
- selecting, customizing, tweaking an arr keyboard style, reg settings, etc.
- any other things to have the song nailed for gig performance

Any tricks of the trade to share?

Depends on the complexity. Some I can work out, stick the words, memorize all music, and it's ready to go within a few days. Others, I'll do the same and struggle with for a month live...the latter usually turns out the best though.

Tweaking the 800 is a breeze - most intuitive board ever owned.

It's always a treat to hear it live for the 1st time. A few, not many, I've totally scrapped. Most, I have to keep tweaking here and there and very few are perfect from word go. Some have totally shocked me and became favorites.

Always a work in process, but what a journey to have a profession where practice is pure joy.

I use to hate writing business plans, etc......



[This message has been edited by zuki (edited 11-20-2010).]

Learning new songs:

I boot up You Tube and choose a song. Usually listen to a few different versions and try to imagine what the audience would like.

I try to find the sheets (favorites are jazz arrangements), but usually I can figure it out.

I start with tempo, engage my tempo and page locks and go through different styles quickly. I'm not afraid to think outside the box on an arrangement and no one has ever criticized my choice

All the instrument changes and tweaking are a snap and that's the fun part to choose different instruments, pads, intros, endings, flow, etc.

Next I put the song in a SET. I always try to link it with another song and have strung many medleys from this concept.

One patron told me next time to stop more between songs so they can applaud. I told him I'd do that to see if I get any

I try to learn at least one new song every week, 52 songs a year. Most years I learn about 40 (must be gettin'g old!).

The easiest method for me is to fire up You Tube, listen carefully to the song(s), try to find the lyrics on a Web site, cut and paste them into the PC, then go about picking out a style to match the song. Once I find the style, I usually put the song into the keyboard's Music Finder, or a registration, then go about modifying the style a bit so it's as close to the original as I can make it, then rename the style so it's the same as the song title. With most of them, a couple run throughs and I'll have them down pat, but there are always a few that will take days on end to master them to where I'm comfortable performing the song.

On rare occasions I'll download a midi file of the song, one with embedded lyrics. It makes learning a song very easy. And, of course, you can transpose it to the key you sing in and play along with the song as well.

Cheers,

Gary

The advent of YouTube has truly revolutionized not only the way we can learn a new song, but gives us the opportunity to hear many versions of a song too, often in in many differing styles and tempos, opening up ideas to possibly expand & take it further as well. You can then find the lyrics (and possibly the chords) by doing a simple Google search. I wouldn't completely rely on this for accuracy though because the the hit cover version chords & lyrics often differ. That said, if your goal is to emulate the recorded version, it's critical to rely on your (trained?) ear to actively listen to the YouTube recording and be able to identify the actual chord progression & bassline played, as well as memorize the actual lyrics sung on the recording.

I agree with Zuki that while some tunes can be easily picked up on first or second listen, others are far more challenging and may require going back several times, and in subsequent practice sessions to eventually master. There's something about 'giving it a rest' and calling them up latter (the next day/week) and discovering how much easier & quicker it takes to get under your belt then.

As far as choosing an appropriate style, the most fun for me is exploring alternative rhythm styles and different new chords for a given tune, when wanting to make the song uniquely your own.

When I save a song in my keyboard (aka Registration Set), like zuki, I too like to group it together with songs of a similar style genre, artist, or with other compatible themed songs to form a medley set.

Though I'm not as diligent & disiplined as Gary in making myself learn a new song every week, I do regularly rotate my core repertoire in attempt to keep them all (300+) polished, and also scout out new song possibilities (YouTube, Spotify, Billboard website, etc) and try to learn the ones that I think both myself and my audiences would enjoy.

Realizing how we all do it differently, I'm anxious to hear from others here on this topic as well. - Scott

I usually load up a thumbdrive with MP3s of songs I want to learn. In the "old" days I would make a mix-tape or mix-cd. Then I'll sing along to that when driving to my gig. If it's been a long drive, I can usually play one or two of the songs at that gig.

But I also love Youtube and Spotify. I put my laptop on my piano, and just play and sing along to the music. Great fun! And I love to have almost every thinkable version of a song ready for listening.

DocZ

Docz. Enjoyed reading your music remeniscences on how you used to learn & prepare your music. .
I used to carry 3x5 cards around to memorize changes. Would love to hear stories how others used to pick up & learn songs before the Internet too.

It's truly is amazing 'how much' the Internet has so dramatically revolutionized the way we discover, listen to, and learn new music material. To think only10 years ago, YouTube, Spotify, lyrics & chord chart sites, Wikipedia, and a vast many other music related web sources weren't available to us. It boogles the mind, at least mine. - Scott