GUITAR
HOW TO LEARN SONGS QUICKLY | Chris Rocha & Jonathan Diaz
Learning songs has started to become a way of life for me since I produce them and record guitar tracks to them on a weekly basis . Additionally , I tour with different artists so being able to learn songs quickly has become a necessity for me . I linked up with my friend Jonathan to write this article so that we can guide you guys to be able to acquire that same skill as well .
The ability to learn songs quickly and play it perfectly within the first few minutes of listening to a song is not only a good trait to have as a modern guitarist or musician , but also a necessity . Generally , during a worship service we tend to play between 3-5 songs which isn ’ t too bad . However , as church musicians we must be prepared for other things such as worship nights where we play 10 songs or a moment in a service where another song is called , and we have to learn how to adapt as quickly as possible . The truth is , if we don ’ t have this skill already developed , we won ’ t be able to learn a song as quickly as we would want to , but that doesn ’ t mean that we can ’ t start learning the basic skills necessary to help us learn songs quicker and quicker . Like all good things , it takes time , patience , and consistency .
For arguments sake let ’ s say you ’ re the new guitarist at your local church , and this upcoming Sunday is your first time playing ; you ’ ll most likely want to do your best . Now let ’ s say , they send you songs you ’ ve never played or learned before . The first step is the easiest , arguably the most important , and unfortunately , it ’ s also the step everyone likes to skip . It ’ s simply to LISTEN TO THE SONGS . For some reason ( guitarist especially ) will show up to rehearsals , or service having only learned the main riff , but end up fumbling around the rest of the song . And when asked if they learned or listened to the song they ’ ll usually respond saying , “ Um , yeah I heard it once or twice ”. Essentially , they know the outline , but didn ’ t memorize the song . If that moment was a test in school they would have been graded a D , they wouldn ’ t have failed , but they don ’ t know enough information to answer accurately .
Listening to the songs on repeat is a sure and true way to help you memorize song structure , dynamics , any accents that are important to the song , melody , or any other kind of cue that ’ s important to the song .
The second important thing to do is make your own song guide . Even though there are technically “ correct ” ways to make a chart guide , it all boils down to what are you going to understand to help you learn the song ?
For example , I love to make my charts using rhythmic notation . Basically , just some measures with the chords over them , and if there are any important rhythmic elements to play , I ’ ll write it under the chord on the measure . When I have to learn songs on the fly , I ’ ll take out my notebook and quickly write a simplified version of the rhythm chart but it ’ s something that I ’ ve developed over the years , kind of like my own secret code . That being said , you can start by writing out chords over a sheet of paper with the lyrics . With the added previous set of listening to the songs and writing your own song guide , you ’ ll then be committing the song to memory , which will help you not only learn the song , but solidify it .
Lastly and probably the step that will take the most time is Ear Training . Ear training is the ability to recognize chords , their respective degrees related to the key , and be able to recognize whether the chord is major or minor on the fly . Like I stated before , this will take time , but the more you work on it , the faster you ’ ll be able to learn songs over time . Start off by playing all the chords in chronological order in the C major scale , and assigning the proper scale degree and chord function , ( Ex : 1 major , 2 minor , 3 minor , 4 major , 5 major , 6 minor , 7 diminished ). Then apply that to the rest of the scales . This technique along with the previously mentioned techniques will help you learn songs quicker . For example , if I ’ m listening to a new song now , when I write my song guide I ’ ll most likely write the title of the song , the different sections , and what chords are being played by their numeric value , and any other important notes .
For Example :
Intro : Clean , ambient 1 , 5 , 4 , 6
Verse : Clean , overdrive , ambient 1 , 5 , 4 , 6
Chorus : Higher Dynamic , use distortion 1 , 5 , 6 , 3
This is just a simplified version of something I would write on the fly to help me learn a song quicker . With the more intense version being a lot more complicated and a lot more detailed .
Using all these techniques might take time at first , but the more you work on them , the faster you ’ ll be able to apply them , and the faster you ’ ll be able to learn songs in the long run .
Chris Rocha Lives in Houston , TX , and is the guitarist and producer for Miel San Marcos
Jonathan Diaz Jonathan is a guitarist who is not only involved with his local church , but is the director of School of Rock Cocowalk , and an instructor for CR online .