Cover band question. (learning songs)

[Ides of March]

Ok so I have a month and a half to learn maybe 20 songs maybe more for a band I am going to try out for that play covers. For the record for the majority of my playing carreer I have only been in original bands playing guitar and singing. This is the first time that I have been not singing in a band and just playing guitar (which I am happy about) But I am curious to know from you guys who are in or were in cover bands how do you go about learning a large amount of songs in a short time. I know a month and a half isn't a short time, but with working a day job and having a family I have been trying to find ways to put in at least a couple of hours a day in to learn at least two a day. I have heard alot of the songs but never played any of them so it's all new for me. I have gotten through about 9 of them and am familiar but not perfect. And some are a bit of a challenge (Master of Puppets, Mr Brownstone, Cult of Personality) I am playing just rhythm not lead. Just wanted to hear how you guys manage this type of time management.

 

[Laggspike]

just keep going at it, then in the end, you will be there practise as much as possible

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

20 songs sounds like a lot to learn for an audition. You said you're just trying out?

 

[Caleb]

20 songs sounds like a lot to learn for an audition.

I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I ain't no expert. I'm glad one chimed in.

 

[SteveC]

YouTube is your friend here!

Check out Privettricker, Marty Schwartz, Justin Sandercoe… for starters. And, there are others.

Twenty songs in 45 days is about 2 songs/day, doing it every day. That's pretty aggressive, if you ask me. You have your work cut out for you. I can do a song/day, to get it down well enough to memorize it. Then, another 2-3 days, before I take it to rehearsal. Adding any lead/solo's to that is probably a week +. But, I'm not a good lead player. And, it takes me longer with those, than the actual rhythm parts.

I think their expectation is that the person auditioning would (should) know many/most/all of them. They are probably already gigging and they need someone to hit the ground running, from day-1. Asking for a repertoire like that might be their way of weeding out people without a lot of experience, too.

How many total songs do you know right now (not including the 20 they want you to know)? How long does it take you to learn a song? Do the math & see if you can meet their expectations.

If not, discuss he possibility of narrowing down the list and maybe adding in a few that you already know.

Good luck!!! I hope you get the gig! Who's the band… Bensalem is very close to me?

 

[Ides of March]

20 songs sounds like a lot to learn for an audition. You said you're just trying out?

I thought so too. I am assuming I would only play some of those to try out. I mean I know these guys two of them pretty well. I guess I never thought of it like that lol.

 

[bocage44]

As Mal pointed out, 20 songs is a lot an audition. I hope it's a situation where you're pretty much already in the band, but they just want to make sure you're a good fit.

Anyway, I suggest that you set goals. For example, give yourself a week to learn 5 songs, then the next week another five, and so on (with each subsequent week keep playing the songs you've learned so they stay fresh). After a month, you'll have the twenty songs learned.

For the remaining two weeks, play through all the songs repetitiously until they're really solid. For this exercise, use a metronome (don't play along with the recording) - this will ensure that you're in tempo and have each song memorized.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

make a playlist of all the songs and start jamming with them.
Learn one song a day and keep repeating the playlist daily adding one song at a time until you can play the list from beginning to end.

So day one, learn and play one song.
Day two, learn and play the first song (day one) and day two's song
Day three, learn the third song, play with songs 1, 2, 3,..

..repeat ... until you hit 20 on the list and can play from 1-20.

This way you're reinforcing daily what you learned the day before and constantly grinding it in.

By day 20 you may not know the 20th song all that perfectly,..but you'll have song 1 down cold as a mofo. (you'll most likely have the first 15-16 down cold and a couple that are 'iffy'.)

Best of luck.

edit: Or what Bocage said,...whatever works you know....

 

[Caleb]

By day 20 you may not know the 20th song all that perfectly,..but you'll have song 1 down cold as a mofo.

That's a pretty badass strategy. I like it.

 

[Ides of March]

YouTube is your friend here!

Check out Privettricker, Marty Schwartz, Justin Sandercoe… for starters. And, there are others.

Twenty songs in 45 days is about 2 songs/day, doing it every day. That's pretty aggressive, if you ask me. You have your work cut out for you. I can do a song/day, to get it down well enough to memorize it. Then, another 2-3 days, before I take it to rehearsal. Adding any lead/solo's to that is probably a week +. But, I'm not a good lead player. And, it takes me longer with those, than the actual rhythm parts.

I think their expectation is that the person auditioning would (should) know many/most/all of them. They are probably already gigging and they need someone to hit the ground running, from day-1. Asking for a repertoire like that might be their way of weeding out people without a lot of experience, too.

How many total songs do you know right now (not including the 20 they want you to know)? How long does it take you to learn a song? Do the math & see if you can meet their expectations.

If not, discuss he possibility of narrowing down the list and maybe adding in a few that you already know.

Good luck!!! I hope you get the gig! Who's the band… Bensalem is very close to me?

I have alot of them down, but there are different tunings to some of them which means switching guitars and such. I guess I am intimidated with the Metallica tunes mostly. Master and King Nothing. Those will take the most time for me. It's not that I just can't play the songs, it's just that my time is limited and that's what bothers me. My wife would love for me to join a band again, and if I could get 2 hours a day I think I could do it. I kinda hate time limits and pressure because with learning music I like to be perfect and not rushed. The band is a Jersey band they aren't from Bensalem.

 

[Ides of March]

make a playlist of all the songs and start jamming with them.
Learn one song a day and keep repeating the playlist daily adding one song at a time until you can play the list from beginning to end.

So day one, learn and play one song.
Day two, learn and play the first song (day one) and day two's song
Day three, learn the third song, play with songs 1, 2, 3,..

..repeat ... until you hit 20 on the list and can play from 1-20.

This way you're reinforcing daily what you learned the day before and constantly grinding it in.

By day 20 you may not know the 20th song all that perfectly,..but you'll have song 1 down cold as a mofo. (you'll most likely have the first 15-16 down cold and a couple that are 'iffy'.)

Best of luck.

edit: Or what Bocage said,...whatever works you know....

Yeah bro I think this is how I am gonna go about doing it. I sent my buddy a message to see since you guys mentioned it, maybe I should learn like 10 songs and jam them out to see if we all fit musically.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

yeah man, just build up on the previous day.

1
12
123
1234
12345
123456
1234567 etc.

You'll just keep hammering those early songs until you can play them in your sleep.

It'd be awesome if you could get a small setlist (in order) and practice them that way. Because if you're nervous during the audition but you've practiced 5 songs in order over and over,...muscle memory can kick in and save your ass!

...if your brain goes, "sh*t what comes next?!" there's a good chance your hands will go, "Dude,...we got this."

 

[Lyrica]

i know how you feel. i was asked to learn 20 songs in 5 weeks for a gig. but it ended up being a good gig that will be done again on the 8th. the first we played to 700 people and the second should be more.

for the first couple of days all i did was listen to the songs over and over and over. (youtube is your friend, is right) the third day i started learning them a few at a time, each day until i knew them all. (didn't have them all down with confidence, but we did ok on stage so it worked out)

 

[rikko]

Don't forget to listen to the songs on the way to work or at work
as much as possible!

I'm in a similar boat as you- (family guy),
But I'm still paying rent on a space and I will take that stage again...

OH YES!!!

Hope it all works out for you!

 

[Ides of March]

yeah man, just build up on the previous day.

1
12
123
1234
12345
123456
1234567 etc.

You'll just keep hammering those early songs until you can play them in your sleep.

It'd be awesome if you could get a small setlist (in order) and practice them that way. Because if you're nervous during the audition but you've practiced 5 songs in order over and over,...muscle memory can kick in and save your ass!

...if your brain goes, "sh*t what comes next?!" there's a good chance your hands will go, "Dude,...we got this."

Yeah gonna have to be. I know they have two gigs coming up which they are doing. But I'm not sure if this is like a one and if it doens't work it's done, or if it's something they would like to keep working on?

 

[Ides of March]

Don't forget to listen to the songs on the way to work or at work
as much as possible!

I'm in a similar boat as you- (family guy),
But I'm still paying rent on a space and I will take that stage again...

OH YES!!!

Hope it all works out for you!

Thanks, I have heard most of these songs over and over again over the course of my life so I am familiar. Just never played them. I use the Songsterr app on my Iphone and You Tube as well. So I should be good. But playing with people with these songs will be an adjustment too since I have never done that before. But it is what it is, if it works I'll be happy, if not then I wasn't good enough.

 

[RedSkwirrell]

I and the rest of my band all used to be daunted by learning a new set (+80% our own and the rest covers).
We all found it used to take a long time and a lot of effort at the beginning but the closer we got to the deadline we'd set, we'd pretty much got it down.
20 songs in 6 weeks is a bit steep though.
Depends on the song complexity I suppose.

I recommend not only practising alone.
Rehearse with your band.
You'll always learn more and faster with a band.
It's like you spur each other on and help improve any errors.

 

[Ides of March]

I and the rest of my band all used to be daunted by learning a new set (+80% our own and the rest covers).
We all found it used to take a long time and a lot of effort at the beginning but the closer we got to the deadline we'd set, we'd pretty much got it down.
20 songs in 6 weeks is a bit steep though.
Depends on the song complexity I suppose.

I recommend not only practising alone.
Rehearse with your band.
You'll always learn more and faster with a band.
It's like you spur each other on and help improve any errors.

I know. I think after their two shows is when I will jam with them. For the record they didn't say you have to learn 20 songs. I asked which songs they do and my buddy sent me a random list to learn. I don't know if that makes a difference but. Some songs are complicated for me, Metallica, Ozzy (Perry Mason and Mr. Crowley) but I like a challenge especially for guitar and if it makes me a better player than I'm all for it.

 

[splatter]

I just joined a cover band and I'm in pretty much the same boat . Except I'm playing lead on about 80% of the material . Also I've already passed the audition but I'm still feeling some pressure to learn the songs as soon as possible . Most of the pressure is coming from me though .
Do what Mal said, thats pretty much how I work it . also "ultimate gutiar tab" and "songster" can help tremendousely . just remember those tabs aren't nescessilarly correct . If it doesn't sound right it probably isn't .
Also maybe its just me but I never heard of a month and a half to prepare for an audition . Seems to me like it should be learn about 5 songs in a week and we will give it a try . Thats alot of time and effort for an audition . Suppose you kick ass and they suck . Then you just wasted alot of time learning alot of songs you may never play .

 

[Ides of March]

I just joined a cover band and I'm in pretty much the same boat . Except I'm playing lead on about 80% of the material . Also I've already passed the audition but I'm still feeling some pressure to learn the songs as soon as possible . Most of the pressure is coming from me though .
Do what Mal said, thats pretty much how I work it . also "ultimate gutiar tab" and "songster" can help tremendousely . just remember those tabs aren't nescessilarly correct . If it doesn't sound right it probably isn't .
Also maybe its just me but I never heard of a month and a half to prepare for an audition . Seems to me like it should be learn about 5 songs in a week and we will give it a try . Thats alot of time and effort for an audition . Suppose you kick ass and they suck . Then you just wasted alot of time learning alot of songs you may never play .

Yeah I would like to talk to my buddy again to get an idea of what they are looking for, and I agree maybe 5 songs and see if we gel is a good idea too. I know the drummer is really good and I know my buddy is stellar, I am assuming the lead guitarist is good as well if he is playing these by himself. But it's also supposed to be fun, and that's how I want to keep it.
So in passing your audition, how many songs did you play, and how many do you have to learn?