Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Forgetting What You Know

#6

Hi Joe, you may have forgotten how to play the tune but I’ll bet you haven’t forgotten everything that was taught in those lessons. There is always a lick or a phrase or roll pattern that you’ll retain.

Some of the tunes I learned when I started out 12 years ago and haven’t played in 8 or 10 years I can play note for note, Where as tunes I learned 2 months ago I struggle to recall. It’s all still in there in my long term memory I just struggle to recall it in the moment. I have heard @BanjoBen say the same thing, things he taught years ago he would struggle to play now.

The way to retain it is to keep practicing it this can be hard as you learn more and more. At this time I have learned about 80% of the lessons Ben has taught on this site plus a ton of other lessons from other resources, I can’t instantly recall most of what I have learned but I can recall some of what I’ve learned.

Some tunes are easier to recall than others. I try to record most of the tunes I have learned and post them on my YouTube Channel as a reminder of what I have achieved on my journey.

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#7

Hey Joe

I find that knowing the core basics of the song first helps a lot, meaning try to incorporate the chord sequence and number of measures for each chord of the songs you play. I usually vamp or basic roll through it in a loop, just like you would when a fiddle player is taking a solo

As you get more comfortable with your licks and rolls, you will be able to go through the measures applying what you know, even if it is not the exact melody, That is a very good exercise to break off the tab sheet, start to improvise and work on your musical freedom. THat takes time but you can do it slowly, Start with G, maybe just one or two measures.

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#8

“Getting off the tab sheet” is sorta what I have to do. The tabs with the TEF file are fine, but when I print the pdf, it’s too small for my antique eyes!
So I work on memorizing the song before I play with the rhythm track.
I figure it’s probably bad in the short run but good in the long run.

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#9

I have gone back & looked at some of my earlier attempts. It’s kinda embarrassing, like looking at your old school class picture.
Back then I thought I was cool, :sunglasses:
but what was I thinking with that hair!?! :flushed:

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#10

Great discussion @BanJoe. I’m glad you put yourself out there and asked these questions. I was wondering the exact same thing about forgetting songs I’ve been learning. It sounds like going back to a song is like driving back to an old town you haven’t been to in a long while. You think you might not be able to get around but once you start seeing all the familiar landmarks, it all comes back to ya.

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#11

@BanJoe Not a unique problem but like all our sharing on here one that confuses my mind as well as my body . Took a lot of years out from playing guitar but when I came back some songs where still there almost intact others miserably gone. Consistency none, of these I could remember there were classics with extended passages and 3 chord wonders. Of those I had forgotten the very same. Even analysed for a while to see if were key related but it wasn’t, What was evident though was of those I could remember I was doing it with such confidence I threw in some additional 1/4 bends and the like-So i think its just welcome to the World of Music-Happy Picking

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#12

Well, dang, I feel encouraged! I mean, I think I should because I have not “forgotten” any songs. Or, maybe it’s because I don’t know enough to forget. Either way, thanks!

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#13

Well, it just happened. I was sitting here going through my stash of backing tracks and thought “Now I know I learned another song after I got Shenandoah Breakdown figured out.” I use my backing tracks to keep tabs on what I’ve learned and need to practice now and then, but Shenandoah Breakdown was the newest one I had.

Yeah, turns out I had learned Cumberland Gap a few weeks later. So, here we go… relearning it.

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#14

after reading all this post and the replies I realize now its just common to forget things you’ve learned woo who it isn’t because I am getting old LOL

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#15

I was certain I had something to add to this post oh well!

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#16

Where did I put my car keys ?

I have heard stories where folk have gone out to Sunday lunch and left the kids in the restaurant. !!! fear

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#17

Yes we Brits had a Prime Minister who did that!

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#18

Was that Cameron ?

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#19

Yes

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#20

“Oh… yes… I :v: forgot :v: the kids.”
:smirk:

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#21

@Mark_Rocka @Archie @David-Gear Never forgot kids but car keys are another story it got so bad with car keys that I attached a string to them and tied them to my belt loops so they would tug at my pants when I got out then I forgot that I tied them to my belt loop and dang near lost my britches when I got out to go in a store was standing there in the middle of the parking lot with my pants dang near to my ankles.

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#22

:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

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#23

When one spends as much time as I do standing around in a room wondering why I came in there, you realize that forgetting part of something you haven’t played in a while is a small thing…aaf_dur

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#24

Problem one: It’s great to be able to self-diagnose your problem areas. Care in naming them because the mind is powerful. I always slow down on curves so, personally, my key thought to get through with success would be to approach the transition from A part to B part as a start/finish line during a multi-lap race. I would think of maintaining the average best manageable lap speed though that transition on a straightaway and con serving fuel to finish not blistering the tires as well.
Golfers do something similar called a ‘swing thought’. It’s usually one word like straightaway, in this case, so you can think it as you approach your speed bump without much effort.
I used to think of a smoothly flowing creek when my melodies got too choppy, but it lead to many bathroom breaks. Choose carefully.

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#25

The more doorframes you pass through on the journey the higher the chance of forgetting the purpose!

Inversely Proportional

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