Memorization...

[blurdot]

Okay, so I've been reading a lot from people saying you need to "know" jazz standards...does this mean I need to be familiar with the tune so I could pick it up with the music there to read, or actually memorized?

And furthermore, would I memorize the chord progression as well as the tune?

And further still, would I need to be able to play these in different keys as well?

It just seems so daunting as there are hundreds of tunes to know...thanks!

-Nick

[tenor71363]

You ought to be able to play the tunes in a few similar keys.
You ought to be able to play the chord progression on your horn and on the piano.

[hgiles]

Memorize:

Form
Melody
Harmony (Roman numeral notation)

If you want to really know it...do it in at least three keys: Tenor, Alto, Piano.

[blurdot]

So, how many tunes and in how many keys do you guys know? Just to get some sort of idea...

I can learn them on guitar in the concert keys too, that would probably help my chord progression memory.

I just need some advice/encouragement about how to go about learning these songs... =)

[hgiles]

^^ If you count blues heads and Rhythm Changes tunes, I probably know 100 tunes. Not that many.

[harmonizerNJ]

.......
And furthermore, would I memorize the chord progression as well as the tune?

And further still, would I need to be able to play these in different keys as well?

It just seems so daunting as there are hundreds of tunes to know...thanks!
.........

You can look at memorization as the task of filling in the gaps of what you can already remember - there might be a few dozen songs that you "mostly" know. Sometimes writing down a few words to yourself on a cheat sheet might fill in the gap (i.e. "A minor key, bridge jumps to D, 3x tag at end"). I have a 1-page cheat sheet like this for all the songs we play in our covers band. For improv, playing the chords on the piano helps get the chord progression "into my head", so that I just "feel it" when I improvise, without having to read the chords. This helps even if the chords are in front of me on a piece of paper - then I can just look up specific chords while improvising, like when I am looking for a landing note. Because the chords are (mostly) in my head, it becomes easier to think about melody, to feel what I'm doing, and fit in with what the other musicians are doing.

Re "play in different keys?" - I think it definitely helps to try this. Playing a solo on a differently keyed instrument helps me get out of ruts. If the chord progression is actually in my head, I find it relatively easy to improvise on it even if the key is changed. I don't know if this is typical for others or not. I tend to do my arpeggio and scale exercises in all twelve keys (that is, when I do them, which is not frequently enough).

Re "seems so daunting" - don't worry about what you don't know. For us mortals, there will always be hundreds of songs out there that we don't know. After you do get to know a fair number of songs, you will have some familiarity with many of the chord progressions that will exist in the other (hundreds?) of songs that you don't know, which will help.

[hakukani]

It's kind of like bartending or cooking. You don't really memorize lots and lots of tunes.

You end up saying 'oh, x tune is like y, except it does this thing here.'

[blurdot]

This helps, thanks, my adventure begins with "All of me", "All the things you are", "Body and Soul", "I can't Get Started"...=)

[RyanS]

yeah, the tunes you 'KNOW' you should be able to play on a chordal instrument (ie piano/guitar), know the changes, know them in at least a few keys if not all 12, and understand all of the movements (ie,ii - V - I - I7 - IV - V - I or whatever the tune is).

If you pick the right couple of songs to memorize this well - you begin to learn many other songs a lot easier. Pick a standard blues tune, a good 2-5-1 tune, and maybe a tune with a decending bass line - and from there you will learn pretty much every other tune easily.

For example:

Autumn Leaves (2-5-1 tune)
Watermelon Man (blues style tune)
How Insensitive (decending bass tune)

Once you really, really work on one kind of tune - the rest become easier - and you start to notice how songs can be grouped.

Also - be sure you start doing SOME kind of transposition a little bit every day. Start with something stupid like 'row row row your boat' - or get a patterns book and start transposing patters for 10-15 minutes every day. If you do it every day, within a week or two something will start clicking, and you'll just notice it's a LOT easier. It just works out that if you do it, you get better at it!

[hgiles]

This helps, thanks, my adventure begins with "All of me", "All the things you are", "Body and Soul", "I can't Get Started"...=)


^^ these aren't the best tunes to start memorizing.

Learn 12 bar blues tunes (Tenor Madness, Billie Bounce), then 16 measure forms (Blue Bossa, Sugar, Watermelon). Rhythm Changes tunes (Straighten up and Fly Right, I Got Rhythm). Simple AABAs (A Train, Satin Doll).

"All The Things" is a difficult tune if you don't have a formula for remembering it. And you won't devise a good formula until you've learned some easier stuff first.

[blurdot]

Okay, cool, thanks, I will do a little change up then...

[hgiles]

Reminds me, I had the toughest time trying to memorize all 44 bars of Jobim's "WAVE" until I realized the A sections were just gussied up 12 bar blues choruses....

My point being: Start simple, develop a system, build from there.

[RyanS]

Also - they make a great book called the 'Real Easy Book' - it's a great education tool to start learning tunes. It provides analasis, scales to use, etc along with the tunes - and you get a whole bunch of good starter tunes.

It's worth $20 - and a lot less frustrating than opening a real book and trying to find the simple tunes.

[falis]

Check out Conrad Cork's "New book of harmony with lego blocks". It's based around listening, then introduces the constructs of what you heard, emphasizing how most songs are different combinations of the constructs.

- Ed

[hakukani]

Desifinado is still kicking my a**. I just can't get it memorized.

[Nefertiti]

yeah, the tunes you 'KNOW' you should be able to play on a chordal instrument (ie piano/guitar), know the changes, know them in at least a few keys if not all 12, and understand all of the movements (ie,ii - V - I - I7 - IV - V - I or whatever the tune is).

If you pick the right couple of songs to memorize this well - you begin to learn many other songs a lot easier. Pick a standard blues tune, a good 2-5-1 tune, and maybe a tune with a decending bass line - and from there you will learn pretty much every other tune easily.

For example:

Autumn Leaves (2-5-1 tune)
Watermelon Man (blues style tune)
How Insensitive (decending bass tune)

Once you really, really work on one kind of tune - the rest become easier - and you start to notice how songs can be grouped.

Also - be sure you start doing SOME kind of transposition a little bit every day. Start with something stupid like 'row row row your boat' - or get a patterns book and start transposing patters for 10-15 minutes every day. If you do it every day, within a week or two something will start clicking, and you'll just notice it's a LOT easier. It just works out that if you do it, you get better at it!


This is really great advice!

[gary]

Also, as mentioned above, there is commonality among many tunes so if you learn one, there are more you can much easier. Take a look at Dave Baker's "How to Learn Tunes" for a process that uses this commonality as it's basis.

http://aebersold.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=V76DS&Category_Code=DAVBAKBOO

Jerry Coker also wrote "Hearing the Changes" which covers similar ground.

[kavala]

Desifinado is still kicking my a**. I just can't get it memorized.

Chega de Suade is another one with many ever so slight variations.
A note here, a note there. Ahhggg. :evil:



This helps, thanks, my adventure begins with "All of me", "All the things you are", "Body and Soul", "I can't Get Started"...=)

Hey you missed out C, D, E, F, G & H in the index. ;) :twisted:

[blurdot]

Well, these songs were ones I was learning anyway, but it makes a lot of sense to learn ones with similiar structures.

Reminds me of when I played ska/reggae music and old school soul, 60% of the songs are 1-4-5 progressions, like Sloopy, Simmer Down, Stir it Up, etc... =)

Thanks guys!

[madgrocer]

blurdot...
The fastest way to memorize is without music. Learn the tunes by ear, off the records... don't look at charts to learn the heads. You will learn the tunes in 1000/th of the time, and they will be locked in forever. You will also be much better prepared to adapt them to multiple keys.
If I read a chart, I almost can't ever memorize it, even if I play it 100 times.. if I work it out by ear.. no problem.