Cover Band Players: How Do You Learn "New" Songs?

[CowboyNQ]

Context: I've recently agreed to join a new tribute project, which requires me to learn about 20 songs in a couple of months, none of which I've played before, most of which I'm not overly familiar with.

 

I'm in the midst of this process at the moment. The way I've done/am doing it is:

 

1. Listen to the songs

2. Work out what the KB player is doing and write it down

3. Go back to the first song and program the required sounds/splits/layers into my KB, then learn how to actually play the song.

4. Repeat x 20 - a new song every two days or so.

5. Each day return to the songs I've already learned to increase my proficiency.

6. Load/find/program the weird samples I need and work them into my performance

 

None of the stuff is technically challenging from a playing perspective (otherwise I'd not be capable of playing it).

 

My question is: For those of you who've been in a similar situation, I'd be keen to learn your process to mentally absorb all the songs. Any ideas I get that will help me embed all this stuff will be welcome. What I'm doing is working for me, but I'm not above learning (stealing?) better ideas and methods.

[timwat]

I think the 'technical' aspects of learning tunes is pretty straightforward and your process is reasonable. I develop a lead sheet for every song I play in iRealPro, as it will inevitably get called again by some other band down the road.

 

Choosing what parts to cover and work on is I think the hidden 'art' of doing cover work - and a lot of that selection is impacted by the "type" of band you're working in. That will impact my decisions on which and how many parts to work on, as well as my approach - programming from scratch, sampling, approximating, etc.

 

I think I typically reverse your order here - I'll learn to play the entire song on the piano first, then break out parts and learn them, then program the sounds. That's worked for me for a long time, but I have no idea if that's more efficient or just my personal workflow.

 

All that being said, I'm a strong believer in the old Sonny Rollins quote, "I can't solo on a tune until I know the lyrics...".

 

I try to spend time if available to soak my head in the tune and get a sense for what it's about. Which typically means setting up a YouTube playlist and playing it at every opportunity ad nauseum to get the songs themselves 'second nature'.

 

It's like when tunes have measure of 2 thrown in (like, the end of Living on a Prayer or the break between chorus and verse in Sweet Thing) - when it's a song you've grown up on, it's second nature. If not, you're trying to remember where to count what. So I try to make as many of the new tunes as possible a little more of the "I know it so well it's like I grew up with it" category. Added bonus - it's easier to flow through the songs that are familiar, and that makes it easier to enjoy myself playing.

[Threadslayer]

I used to make a mix tape of all the songs and run it constantly in my car when I was driving to work. I found it to be a crude but effective way to get familiar with the tunes, over and above all the rehearsing and programming.

[Sam CA]

This may not be the answer you wanted to hear but this is the easiest way for me. I just play the whole song on piano and try to incorporate the most important ideas of the song in there. Once that happens, it's super easy to do #2 of your list. I haven't been part of a band in ages so it's been a long time since I've done song-specific splits/layers..etc.

[aellison62]

Yep, all you"ve said, even the order of each, is very much what I do.

 

Only thing that I would add is listening to a playlist of the songs often, while your away from the keyboard, like while you are driving, or some other occasion while you are available to listen (exercise, walking, etc) The repitition, especially when you are not 'concentrating' on it, I find helps.

 

Also, it seems obvious but, make sure the band is performing the song the same way as your recording (intro, verse, chorus, correct key, etc.) A few times I"ve learned a song incorrectly and even created sounds for a song I ended up not using because the band performed a different version of it.

[nursers]

I used to make a mix tape of all the songs and run it constantly in my car when I was driving to work. I found it to be a crude but effective way to get familiar with the tunes, over and above all the rehearsing and programming.

 

Absolutely this in addition to learning specifics via chord sheets and YouTube vids

[El Lobo]

Also, it seems obvious but, make sure the band is performing the song the same way as your recording (intro, verse, chorus, correct key, etc.)

I was about to say rehearsing each song with the band is the most important part for me.

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Such a luxury though. I keep getting called in as a sub, on short notice, with no band rehearsal, having to learn songs I've never even heard, and hoping the comm at the gig will be good enough that there are no train wrecks regarding arrangement tweaks -- many times a band will have even lost an awareness that they're doing anything different from a commonly available recording.

[Dave Bryce]

The way I've done/am doing it is:

 

1. Listen to the songs

2. Work out what the KB player is doing and write it down

3. Go back to the first song and program the required sounds/splits/layers into my KB, then learn how to actually play the song.

4. Repeat x 20 - a new song every two days or so.

5. Each day return to the songs I've already learned to increase my proficiency.

6. Load/find/program the weird samples I need and work them into my performance

 

I vary on the second one. I frequently use a piano to work through the voicings and changes I haven't been able to figure out just listening to the tune before I go looking for a keyboard sound...unless the sound is way obvious.

 

I also only do new songs when I want to learn them - I'm not as structured as two a day.

 

dB

 

[roygBiv]

You might find this cool app for iOS helpful - called Anytune:

 

Anytune Link

 

It really makes it easier to break down different sections, and focus on parts that need more practice/listens (in my case, trying to to learn some Jazz standards for a Jazz Ska band, especially crazy (for me) chord changes in some Mingus or Parker tunes, for example).

 

I imagine it would also be helpful when listening to the tonality of different parts, lets say different synths on a bridge section, as you can change the playback speed without altering the pitch.

 

Recommend it highly!

[GRollins]

I've only ever learned new songs by ear. I listen to it until I can hear it in my head, like a tape loop, then I play that. By the time I'm that familiar with a song, I know where the notes go and where there's space to improvise if I feel like it.

 

Grey

[cphollis]

Knowing a song is like knowing a person. It takes time and effort, but it brings its rewards.

 

Being a keys person who will try out a new band on a whim ... here's what works for me. Several hundred songs learned (and forgotten) using this approach. Each step has its value, at least to me.

 

1. Get agreement what the "reference version" we will be learning. A youtube link is required. Youtube has a slowdown function, BTW. Key changes must be identified ahead of time. If Youtube adds a key change function, I will be in heaven. Find whatever online charts are available if needed.

 

2. On my own, run through the block and tackle for the song: intro, verse/chorus, solo, finale etc. Not all songs have a KB part, so maybe one has to be created. Convince myself that I might know it.

 

3. More headphone therapy. Listen for details and nuance. Repetition.

 

4. Download a semi-accurate lead sheet, notate it a bit. Be prepared to ditch it later.

 

5. Run through it with the band a half-dozen times. Adjust for timing, comping parts, etc.

 

6. Go back and listen some more.

 

7. Create de-facto patches, adjust in realtime.

 

8. Commit the song to memory. Ditch the lead sheet.

 

9. Play live, and be prepared to improvise and invent. And make a few mistakes along the way.

 

Bottom line, once I "know" a song, I'm formidable. I can easily improvise in multiple dimensions depending on mood.

 

I think the key points here are (a) accurate listening, and (b) repetition.

 

This mostly works for me, sometimes it's "oh well, I tried".

 

One weekend I learned 30 songs for a new gig. It was a fun challenge, and although I wasn't perfect for the gig, I did not suck.

 

And, for me, that's what it's all about. Not sucking, that is.

[Josh Paxton]

Such a luxury though. I keep getting called in as a sub, on short notice, with no band rehearsal, having to learn songs I've never even heard, and hoping the comm at the gig will be good enough that there are no train wrecks regarding arrangement tweaks -- many times a band will have even lost an awareness that they're doing anything different from a commonly available recording.

 

Same here. My first thought when I read the subject was, "Usually in the car, on the way to the gig."

 

[CowboyNQ]

Such a luxury though. I keep getting called in as a sub, on short notice, with no band rehearsal, having to learn songs I've never even heard, and hoping the comm at the gig will be good enough that there are no train wrecks regarding arrangement tweaks -- many times a band will have even lost an awareness that they're doing anything different from a commonly available recording.

 

Same here. My first thought when I read the subject was, "Usually in the car, on the way to the gig."

There's no way I'm at Mark and Josh's level of ability, therefore homework is a necessity for me.

 

Nonetheless the point above is well made as the opportunity to rehearse as a band will be limited due to all band members (myself included) being very busy with other projects. We might rehearse twice before our first gig, and zero times after that. Something I neglected to mention at the outset, and should have. I've not played with any of these guys before but we all know each other well reputationally speaking. These are the factors that caused me to agree to the project in the first place. I'm far more accustomed to saying "no" than "yes".

 

All respondents - thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts. As I suspected, I have gotten quite as few good ideas from you which I feel will help. Plus it's interesting to see how others approach this sort of thing.

[Dr88s]

Another thing I find helpful is listening to karaoke renditions of the songs, easy to find and stream if you have a subscription service to eg., Apple Music or Spotify.

 

I tend to get distracted by vocals so it"s refreshing to have them removed. I also find it interesting to hear how other keyboard players might approach a particularly challenging part in terms of technique or sound. A lot of times I find myself obsessing over some detail and then listen to how the 'pro" covered it and realize I"m already doing a much better job...

[Adan]

The most time consuming part is just internalizing the song if I don't already know it. I'm currently learning Human by the Killers for a new cover project. I don't like the Killers, so it pains me that the song is quirky enough I have to listen to it over. and over There's no point to this anectdote, I'm just complaining.

 

Like someone else said, I like to start on the piano, just because that's where I'm most comfortable. I'll arrange a solo piano version of the tune to help me get a wholistic feel for it. Only after that will I worry about my specific parts.

[CEB]

I get the list of tunes. Sometimes they tell me keys and versions. Sometimes the leader giving me this info is a vocalist who gives me the wrong info. ð. I put the songs in a YouTube playlist. I do Operations Analytics now for the company out of my home. So I just run the playlist over and over. If it wasn"t for music I would never leave my house now.

 

I chart the tunes in number notation in case the key is different than the recording. Number notation works in all keys. I write charts on 5x8 index cards. I photograph the cards with my tablet and load them into MobileSheets Pro into a SetList named for the band I am subbing in.

 

I setup a Kronos a SetList with the Combis I need for the gig. Generally nothing complex sound programming wise unless the gig pays well. If something is tricky I might practice it on the Baldwin. Otherwise I show up and do it. I use the charts. It works. Only train wreck I recall was Joe Cocker"s The Letter. I knew it as

An Ab blues. Piano starts it. The band thought they played it in the original key but they played it in A. If the band plays their own structure a piano player should be able to sense the changes that are coming ... usually. Music is pattern recognition.

[Bobadohshe]

I do a whole lot of this for a living these days and here's my process:

 

I simultaneously program the patches on my rig while charting the tune in Finale. I will have the audio open in iTunes or dragged into Logic and build the chart measure by measure // section by section. My Finale chart has notes about the splits and the different sounds.

 

This process might seem like overkill / a pain in the ass, but it works so incredibly well for me that I'm not changing my approach anytime soon. On the gig I'll be using my iPad reading the chart.

 

But what if they don't do it like the record? Well then when they play it differently at the gig or rehearsal, I'll adjust. Will they be mad at me if I played it like the record but they don't? No, they'll be impressed and probably a little apologetic. I'll make the adjustment and we're right back to it. I don't sweat them 'well THATS not like the record!'. Doesn't it suck reading an iPad all night? No. They'll like it because it's correct and sounds great. And it's for the first gig. If I play the same gig a ton of times I will probably get the tune memorized.

 

Here are the serious advantages to this approach:

 

1) Once this is done, I can pretty much entirely clear my mental cache and forget about the song. Once I'm on the gig and the tune is called I'll bring the chart and relevant performance up on my board(s) and I can read it down like the record. I'll remember enough about the tune that the vibe will come back to me. THERE IS NO STRESSFUL CRAMMING TUNES ON THE WAY TO THE GIG OR ON BREAK. It's way less stressful in general. There's absolutely zero 'shoot wait does this tune go back to the intro after the second chorus and then go to that random C section or is that after the solo' ambiguity.

 

2) If I'm on some other gig 5 years from now and this tune somehow gets called, I can play it note for note at the drop of a hat. All the charts are on my iPad. All the settings are in my Montage. It happens frequently. All that upfront work has saved me numerous relearnings of songs I half learned the first time.

[bfields]

By the way, I've been surprised lately by how useful youtube is for transcribing. I've got "Transcribe!" for very involved stuff, but increasingly I tend to work directly from youtube. It seeks back and forth without any noticeable delay, and has a ton of useful keyboard shortcuts that are worth learning.

 

The ability to slow down videos is useful, but I'm also surprised how useful speeding up can be. Maybe I've just got an unusually poor attention span, but when I'm checking the structure (4 bar intro, 8 bar verse, 8 bar chorus...), I sometimes get bored and lose track. At double speed the structure just kinda pops out.

[gino]

I pretty much do similar to you Paul. Maybe the order varies a little and as others have mentioned i also try to obtain any cheat notes/charts that are available on the net and have this info put into set list maker app on my ipad. When i'm not in front of the keyboard prepping I also have the you tube links playing in the background whenever i can. ie: In the car, walking to work, in the background while i'm at work. etc. It really helps those unfamiliar songs become embedded in the memory to the point where its as if the songs were your favourites when you were 17 and were all you ever listened to

If i'm not having any band rehearsals, i know i am ready to gig the songs when i can play along with the you tube links without sucking

[Josh Paxton]

And then sometimes I go deep when it's required the least â like just now, as I sit here trying to pick apart every synth part in the SNL "I'm On a Boat" song for an upcoming one-off performance for a couple thousand people who will be too drunk to notice or remember. (But my bandmates will know I went the extra mile, and this band is kinda like family, so...) And yes, "Dick In a Box" is up next...

[Markay]

Context: I've recently agreed to join a new tribute project, which requires me to learn about 20 songs in a couple of months, none of which I've played before, most of which I'm not overly familiar with.

 

.

Well I'm guessing that as a tribute band you are trying to replicate how the song sounds on a recording rather than a cover band approach which tailors the song to the abilities of the band members and near enough is all the punters expect.

 

So your process, time consuming as it is, seems about right. Depending on the material I find the "key" keyboard parts vary in the mix depending on playback source and different again when rehearsing. For example my car's sonic signature, plenty of thrumping bass, sounds different to my playing along with same track listening on B&W cans. Then carefully crafted sound and much practised playing gets buried in the mix at a rehearsal, and second run through using for example, a more shrill synth sound, or a wurly and not a rhodes, sounds better in the live mix but shite isolated in the cans at home.

 

So, as an real average koala bear, learning my parts and plenty of rehearsal is the only way I can deliver something I think lives up to the song. I can always "make it my own" but not sure that is what the audience at a tribute band show expect.

[nadroj]

I'll usually try to work things out by ear first. I've found that online chord charts are wrong 90% of the time. If it's simple enough I'll rely on my ears and then play it from my head. If it's particularly chordy, I'll usually learn what I can by ear then edit a chart to make sure it's right.

 

Once that's done, I'll start playing around with the sounds until I get it spot on. That often takes way longer than learning the song itself.

 

Once I've learned a song, I'll just play along with the track over and over and over again until I'm confident enough with it. Of course, I rarely have that luxury these days.

 

My wedding band stopped rehearsing after a few years, so we'd just agree a version, learn it, and play it on the night. 99/100 it worked fine, including first dances. If it was an exposed ballad, I'd usually go to the singer's house to go through it a few times. When I started working full time I was a bit more limited with what I could do. Sometimes I'd listen to a song a couple of hours before leaving for the gig, get it in my head, make sure I had an accurate chart and just jam it when I got there. Not great, but we always nailed it.

 

If I get called as a last minute sub, I make a playlist of the songs I don't know, listen through and play along to them on the piano once or twice, make a note of a rough sound that might work, then listen to the playlist in my car on the way to the gig. Those are fun ones.

[Outkaster]

Man you guys do a lot of work. it depends for me on the genre sometimes but one thing I do is constantly play it in the truck. I drive a lot so in a sense I memorize how the song goes.

[Mr. Nightime]

Every band I've been in has been a cover band, not a tribute band, so my approach is not quite as note-for-note sound-for-sound. But so far, the advice given has been very good.

 

I'm in the "Listen to the song ad nauseum" camp. I'll put it on my truck stereo, crank it up, and listen to it on endless loop. Many times on my way to the gig/church. That way the structure will be solidly in my head.

 

Then I'll listen for "Signature Parts", parts that are instantly recognizable, where the listener is actively anticipating that part. It could be just a quick lick or phrase, or it could be a long passage. You go to see Neil Diamond, and he does "Sweet Caroline". The entire crowd will sing the Ba Ba Bah horn lines. That to me is the main signature riff.

 

All this listening will alert me to any timing nuances. For instance, in the intro to "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is" by Chicago, there are the 6 measures of 5/8, followed by 2 measures of 3/8, then into the 4/4.

 

It will also alert me to spots where other instruments will have to play something out of the ordinary. Like in "You're Just What Needed" by The Cars, where in the last verse the drummer changes to snare hit to the 1 & 3 instead of the 2 & 4.

 

As far as the sounds, I'll try to get close. When we played "Bargain" by The Who, I called up a close approximation of the synth tone.

 

Again, tribute bands are different in that they are usually trying to recreate the original. Cover bands, capture the essence and put you're stamp on it, and have fun.

 

[EscapeRocks]

For me, all of the above are good...

 

My usual approach is to create a playlist of just the songs i need to learn, and listen to it in the car all the time. As someone said they do.

 

Then I sit down and work out the song on my piano. I don't worry about programming patches and all that until I have the song learned. Then I worry about dialing in the sounds I will need.

One thing I also see someone else stressed: make sure you know which version of a song the band plays. And if they say a live version, they also need to specify which live version.

 

When we decided to add a song, we decide which version...usually it's a live version. I then go find a YouTube, etc. of the specific live version and send it to everyone.

[Tusker]

You've received a great deal of great advice.

 

I can add a personal experience joining a tribute band to illustrate your process, which I think is terrific. I had two months to learn a 3 hour setlist, playing various parts.

 

1. Listen to the songs

Having established the "youtube of record" (e.g. live 2003 Paris) to nail down tempo and keys, I used youtube's slowdown feature to spot-listen to complex parts. http://www.infinitelooper.com allows you to loop a particular portion. Also for general listening the setlist got loaded into my iphone dropbox app and I listened with earbuds or in the car whenever I had a spare moment.

 

2. Work out what the KB player is doing and write it down

I didn't write down anything except the horn parts. These I scored so that I wouldn't stomp over the horn player(s).

 

3. Go back to the first song and program the required sounds/splits/layers into my KB, then learn how to actually play the song.

I didn't do this sequentially. All songs were equally important, but songs with signature/difficult parts were learned first, so as to give them more time to marinate into muscle memory. Each of the three 50 minute sets were loaded into Mainstage (with song-titles) as an empty shell before I started to work on sounds, splits and layers. This gave me a sense of making progress, as each song was programmed.

 

4. Repeat x 20 - a new song every two days or so.

The material was not fiendishly difficult (phill collins / post-gabriel genesis) but there were some tricky/busy moments, so I allowed songs to develop at whatever speed they wanted to. If a song wasn't ready it got more attention.

 

5. Each day return to the songs I've already learned to increase my proficiency.

As much as time allowed.

 

6. Load/find/program the weird samples I need and work them into my performance.

Important to start this early depending on what you need to find. An awesomely supportive fellow keyboardist was kind enough to send me the hard-to-find Roland RD800 drum samples which Tony Banks plays in "I Can't Dance." In similar fashion other samples were scrounged, scrubbed and loaded. If you have sequencer programming (I had to cover some Roland TR drum machine loops), best to start on it early to uncover any workflow/playflow problems. This can be trial and error.

 

If I had to add one final step, it is level setting. Level setting in a tribute band is critical, you can't be sure when practicing at home and even the "most accurate" tribute bands have their preferences with dynamics. After my first run-through with the band, I went back and reset levels on many patches/parts so that I could flow better with the dynamics of this particular band. It's very rare to get the levels right on first try. Hope this helps in some way, and I wish you all the best,

 

Jerry

[MuzikTeechur]

Context: I've recently agreed to join a new tribute project, which requires me to learn about 20 songs in a couple of months, none of which I've played before, most of which I'm not overly familiar with.

 

I'm in the midst of this process at the moment. The way I've done/am doing it is:

 

1. Listen to the songs

2. Work out what the KB player is doing and write it down

3. Go back to the first song and program the required sounds/splits/layers into my KB, then learn how to actually play the song.

4. Repeat x 20 - a new song every two days or so.

5. Each day return to the songs I've already learned to increase my proficiency.

6. Load/find/program the weird samples I need and work them into my performance

 

None of the stuff is technically challenging from a playing perspective (otherwise I'd not be capable of playing it).

 

My question is: For those of you who've been in a similar situation, I'd be keen to learn your process to mentally absorb all the songs. Any ideas I get that will help me embed all this stuff will be welcome. What I'm doing is working for me, but I'm not above learning (stealing?) better ideas and methods.

 

As others have noted, everything you have listed is on point and necessary. I would add that, in a tribute band (or any cover band that plays songs from a similar genre or era):

1) There are going to be a lot of common keyboard sounds

2) They probably aren't going to hire a full horn section, strings, aux keyboard player, etc., so you're going to have to pick and choose what you're playing which leads to

3) Each tune has some signature sound or hook that MUST be played (think of the alto sax on "Turn the Page" or the Piano intros on "Don't Stop Believin'" and REO's "Keep On Runnin'")

 

Definitely write it all down in whatever format works for you: I'm a musician by trade, so staff paper works just fine for me. Plenty of apps out there for it too: someone mentioned iReal Pro which is great for sketching out progressions and saving them (also, often you can find that someone else has already done your work for you and uploaded it to the forums/libraries).

What I do is print out the lyrics, then write in any chord changes. Then on staff paper I write out any specific lines which must be played, cut them up, use a glue stick to put them in the margins, then photocopy the entire thing. Scanning works too, if you're going to put them into OnSong or something else that will take pdf files (and maybe even send out a MIDI message to set up your patches).

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Mr. Nightime]

 

 

One thing I also see someone else stressed: make sure you know which version of a song the band plays. And if they say a live version, they also need to specify which live version.

 

 

This is something that we encounter a lot with my church's praise band.

 

We use Planning Center to keep track of who is playing each weekend, and list the songs for the service. With each song listed, there can be several videos, some instructional, for each song.

 

However, it is not uncommon for the version that is posted to be different than what the music minister wants.

 

Since we have several players that have no real world experience, it can make it very interesting changing the song version last minute.

[Mr. Nightime]

 

2) They probably aren't going to hire a full horn section, strings, aux keyboard player, etc., so you're going to have to pick and choose what you're playing which leads to

 

 

 

This is a really important point. Sometimes you have to pick and choose what part is more important to the authenticity of the song. So many times there are multiple parts recorded in the studio that even the original artists cannot recreate live.

 

I recently had to learn the horn parts for "Does Anybody Know What Time It is", and I decided to play the trumpet solo during the intro while leaving out the backing horns because it was more important to the song.