How do you learn the lyrics?

mcfingers
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:17 am

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of your suggestions. Many of which I have used in the past. I think the crux of my particular problem is that I have always been focused more on learning the guitar part of a song thinking that the words would just follow along.

Tony, like you I can recite line after line from the many movies I have watched. It was sort of a contest between my daughter and I when she was growing up and even still today. She has always had an amazing memory that continues still. She 28 and still blows me away with how quickly she picks things up. I think writing the lyrics down is an excellent idea.

Bud, You are totally correct in saying that understanding the story helps remember the words. As I think about all the songs I do know the words to, story is key in remembering the words.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in and I am sure there are still plenty of you out there with great thoughts so, feel free to share them please.


Steve


AndyT
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 2:00 am

I can remember the lyrics or the chords, usually not both. So I have a format I put all my music into that solves both problems. I've attached one of my song sheets as an example.

This file is a .odt file. it should open in almost any word processor but the formatting might be a bit off. You will have to unzip it first.

This is a song I'm currently working on. I'm hoping to post a video of it, but I rarely get time to shoot them so... http://www.totallyguitars.com/images/fb ... _I_Own.zip


michelew
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 5:10 am

My process is very similar to Buddy's. I generally remember some parts easily and the melody, but I often have to read the lyrics (a few times) while I'm listening to the artist sing it to really get it all into my head. I'm a very visual person so that combo works for me.

Cool thread.

Thanks Steve.

Michele


Catman
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 8:10 am

Lyrics? I'm supposed to sing???


wiley
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 1:17 pm



mcfingers
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Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:32 pm

Thanks Wiley, I have to check those out. Sounds interesting.


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neverfoundthetime
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Tue Aug 03, 2010 10:30 am

I'm one of those who can remember words easily. I have over 200 songs in my head which I know I can sing at the drop of a hat although, these days, I find I'll forget the start of a line here or there but I just need a trigger and I'm back in again. I don't really have a particularly good memory. My daughter, Ale, also remembers words easily and very fast. As a 5 year old she could remember Italian and Spanish songs that here friends listened to and she could sing them perfectly without understanding what she was singing. These days she'll sing any Christina Aguilera or Rhianna song word perfect within 2 times of hearing it. I was the same with the Moody Blues and Beatles and Al Stewart etc. I would suggest this is more of a focus and interest issue than memory feat. The words interested me and I searched for meaning in them. Your mind switches from words to melody to background to riffs and embellishments and back to words. We can't multi task, that's an illusion, we are just switching and focus is narrow. But if we listen often enough we hear more and retain more.

We can only remember about 7 - (max)9 items in our short term memory before we are overloaded. Try it and see if you remember any of these:

7895413

84371904

0044794007471

Of course, by grouping information in clumps you can make 7-9 clumps of information which hold much more information in the same way you remember a telephone number (well, before smart phones!):

0044 79 400 74 71
that was only 5 clumps of information but 13 numbers ...easy to remember when you know the first clump is the country code, the second the mobile code and the rest is a 7 digit number and most of your numbers are in that format.

Ever noticed that when you get lost playing a song, whether text or chord sequence, you have to go back to an anchoring point to start again, you can't just start at exactly where you left off? You have to find your way from the last (memory) junction.
That's how our brains work. (Actually, Neil does this some times in his lessons and does start off exactly where he left off, that takes some doing!!)

So we remember things in clumps of information and we need ways of joining the strings of clumps together. The melody will help with that. You link the melody to the words sung and already you remember more than if you just had the words. Of course, the words are written so they link and fit together in certain patterns so remembering a song is already a lot easier than remember in a string of random words.

So probably the best way to go is verse for verse. The verse will usually have the same melody as the previous one so the anchoring points are already there and you basically only have to remember one verse melody. There will be a middle 8 to remember too so it makes sense to handle that separately and then try piecing together like your phone number. Writing the words down in clumps you can handle will help. Then it's repetition.

Hope I'm not being a boring teacher with this! Forgive me if so! I find it helps to understand how we tick, then we can find a better way to remember.

This is how I notate songs. Lyrics on one side, chords on the other as I'm usually anchored in one or the other and just switch from one to the other if I lose my way: Image


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