how many songs can you learn ?

[smdc66]

a couple years back i only knew 2 or three proper songs and had this crazy idea that it would be nice to double the amount of songs year on year to build a big repertoire

from people's experience....

... at what point would things start to get counter productive, 10 songs, 20 , 30 and better to stick ?

i tend to play by ear / memory and the idea was based on theory of 'it should get quicker to learn songs'

i would also be interested in the same question directed at playing from dots and the theory that that should increase the repertoire quicker as its less reliant on memory / ear

sorry for the 'how long is a piece of string' type question but am sure some opinions will help me / others

well i said it was a crazy idea, didnt i

:ugeek:

 

[george garside]

if by 'songs' you are referring to 'tunes' ( to me songs are the have words ) there is probably no limit to the number that can be stored in the head - certainly it can run into a hundred +. Some may require a prompt to bring them back into the conscious eg the first 3 or 4 notes or just hearing somebody else start the tune. Session playing is both the best way of increasing repertoire and of course playing large numbers of tunes from memory is also useful for session playing!

It is easier to learn tunes by not trying to learn them from the beginning as would a dot reader. Instead play the bit(s) of the tune that are going round in your head in much the same way as autopilot humming or whistling. At a session tunes are generally played through 3 or more times so that each time through players have a chance of getting a bit more of a tune they didn't know. When you next hear the tune you play more bits of it rather like a jigsaw until its all there ( and no harm in looking at the dots if you just can't get a particular few bars.

As far as learning tunes from the dots a good sitereader doesn't need need to as he an play directly from the dots - the downside can of course be that none are committed to memory as effectively the brain says to itself 'I don't need to remember that as he will get the piece of paper out again next time he wants to play it'!

george

 

[noeleena]

Hi,

Well now lets see .... oh dear i dont remember, 500 = 1000. i started at age 10 through sang in choirs played the side drum for the Navy drum core,and in our orchestra , play the melodica , a few very few on the accordion though not very good ...yet...and im 66 now, only a few years of learning 56 so far,

...noeleena...

 

[Glenn]

If you mean to "performance level" (whatever that means) then it is normally only a handful at a time.
Of course over the years you have a huge number of getting there songs.
Also, re-visiting an almost there after a year or so reveals much more.
So, my answer is you know hundreds but only play a few very well and the majority are OK but need polishing.
Just like real polishing, it takes time and as you do one some of the others get tarnished.

 

[Jim the box]

It varies from person to person and not necessarily on ability.

My wife is a grade 8 violinist who plays folk music at sessions and for dancing, without music she can probably play about 50 tunes from memory. I can however recall and play well over 1000 from memory and play them up to speed without mistakes, this is because my mind works differently from hers in that she imagines the dots in front of her whereas I play along to a tune in my head.

However her sight reading is far superior to mine, so it's horses for courses.

 

[jarvo]

It varies from person to person and not necessarily on ability.

My wife is a grade 8 violinist who plays folk music at sessions and for dancing, without music she can probably play about 50 tunes from memory. I can however recall and play well over 1000 from memory and play them up to speed without mistakes, this is because my mind works differently from hers in that she imagines the dots in front of her whereas<HIGHLIGHT highlight=#ffbf40>[highlight=#ffbf40]I play along to a tune in my head.[/highlight]</HIGHLIGHT>

However her sight reading is far superior to mine, so its horses for courses.

But , and this is not a rude question because it has happened to me .....on here in fact....is the tune in your head :

a) Spot On and Faithful to the original

b) A Faithful , but personal interpretation and so has some differences

c) An improvisation on the original but with just the hook riffs and licks and the majority busked ....so that it is a pleasant tune ,with the key bits of the proper tune thrown in......

or ,at different times all of the above and should it matter ? You just want to dance /whatever, dont you ? {} :b

Jarvo

 

[Anyanka]

I can play something like 30 or 40 accordion tunes by heart, but they're mostly Morris tunes, with only three or four chords to remember. I don't expect to hit a ceiling; my aim is to move away from sheet music for everything I play regularly, especially the French dance tunes (that's another 20-30).

I play slight variations of the original tunes, which is part of the joy of getting away from the notes - but they're still recognisable. I hope....

 

[Jim the box]

:?

....is the tune in your head
a) Spot On and Faithful to the original
b) A Faithful , but personal interpretation and so has some differences
c) An improvisation on the original but with just the hook riffs and licks and the majority busked ....so that it is a pleasant tune ,with the key bits of the proper tune thrown in......
Jarvo

Jarvo, I play a mixture of a) and b) in that I try to keep to the original but what I think is the original and what the original is could be slightly different. :?

Then to complicate matters I throw in c) if the tune is played more than once, these can be general learnt rifts or just improvisations to the tune that is playing in my head.

This is similar to what went on before music was written down and is why folk music especially has evolved to become a living tradition (another discussion there?).

There has already been some discussion about improvisation and I think in moderation (like most things) that it is acceptable in some cases (musical colour).

 

[jarvo]

Sounds good to me ....

Jarvo

 

[Terry]

If you are me you can learn five songs...no more...no less.

 

[smdc66]

Session playing is both the best way of increasing repertoire

does this mean playing in a band?

:ugeek:

 

[Soulsaver]

I don't think I can play any from memory all the way through. Then again I don't have an agenda to be able to play from memory. I don't try often either, so like George says, my brain isn't trying to store the tune, I think it's just trying to store the fingering for the dots... and as yet it's not very good at that either!

My objective is to be able to sight read music well, as opposed to be able to remember the tunes.

If I do a rep, I do it from music I 'bone up' on before show time.

I think if I set out to learn a tune to play from memory I'm sure I could .. but I cant say how many would be possible, but I would say it would be nearer Terry's 5 than the 1000 others cite!

 

[TomBR]

In the world of by-ear/memory tune playing, rather than memorised pieces with relatively complex right and left hand parts, I think most reasonably regular session players would probably have something well over 100 tunes that they can join in with and play decently. Most people have a far smaller number that they could call to mind and play if someone asked for the tune by name. Some people are excellent players, but almost never remember tunes by name.

I guess I'm a "namer" I mostly remember tune names which can also mean that if someone starts a tune that I don't know well, or haven't played for ages, I'll often play along feeling a bit uncertain, then I remember the name, and the whole thing comes into focus.

 

[Daveg4otu]

Is there supposed to be a limit?...I've been playing music for 60 years ...the filing system is not full yet.

 

[george garside]

Is there supposed to be a limit?...

No!
g

 

[donn]

I guess Im a namer I mostly remember tune names which can also mean that if someone starts a tune that I dont know well, or havent played for ages, Ill often play along feeling a bit uncertain, then I remember the name, and the whole thing comes into focus.

That sure doesnt seem to work for me. It has been a point of difficulty for me, not only learning to play the tunes but learning various ways to bring the tune to mind when its called for. I can remember tunes when I know words for them, and one tune reminds me of a tune that I know that way. Another we play in a sequence of tunes, after one I know words for, so I mentally rehearse the tune I can remember and when its done the next tune comes to mind. Others have distinctive beginnings that I can remember them by. As they become more familiar, its less of a struggle, but early on I often was reduced to asking the dancers to remind me how the tune goes.

 

[jarvo]

I would also to ask if this thread is actually asking what is the total number of tunes you can learn in total or how many can you learn at one time...?

 

[knobby]

Posts split from the original thread as requested.

 

[dunlustin]

I've been feeling I should have something to say as I find this a very interesting question.
However I try to think about it I can't come up with a single answer because there's more than one way to "learn" a tune (song).
The simple answer must be - lots.
That said, I don't think I've really learnt a tune if I still need the dots.
Have I learned it if I still make mistakes?
I've probably learnt it if I can think to myself while playing: 'Maybe I'll try replacing a G with an Emin there' or 'how about trying a bass run next time' or 'that could do with a bit of a twiddle'
Then again define "song" Is it 2 * 8 bars and repeat or a Ragtime thing in 3 keys spread over two pages.
I wish I understood more about learning = committing to memory, I'm sure it'd make life easier.

 

[Jim the box]

Ive been feeling I should have something to say as I find this a very interesting question.
However I try to think about it I cant come up with a single answer because theres more than one way to learn a tune (song).
The simple answer must be - lots.
That said, I dont think Ive really learnt a tune if I still need the dots.
Have I learned it if I still make mistakes?
Ive probably learnt it if I can think to myself while playing: Maybe Ill try replacing a G with an Emin there or how about trying a bass run next time or that could do with a bit of a twiddle
Then again define song Is it 2 * 8 bars and repeat or a Ragtime thing in 3 keys spread over two pages.
I wish I understood more about learning = committing to memory, Im sure itd make life easier.

I would say that you have learnt something when you dont have to think about what you are doing when you are doing it. :ch