After watching the amazing video from Kristin Benson on soloing over the chords, it got me thinking. She mentions that it is impossible to memorize playing rolls and melody for every song and that playing over the chords provides the ability to play over any song, even if you don’t know the tune. Although I agree with this 100%, it seems that there are some songs that you just have to memorize. For example, Ground Speed, Flint Hill Special, Black Jack, Clinch Mt. Backstep, just to name a few. If you don’t at least memorize the tag licks in these tunes, the audience won’t know what song you are playing. Obviously these examples are instrumentals, and the soloing over chord concept is ingenious for vocal songs like Foggy Mountain Top, Blueridge Cabin Home, etc……so I guess my question is, what songs do you think you just have to memorize vs using the chord soloing process?
Memorization vs improvisation
The goal if every banjo player who wants to learn to play bluegrass in the Style of Earl Scruggs is to study Earl and in the case of Clinch Mtn Backstep Ralph Stanley, Blackjack JD Crowe. You are NOT going to be able emulate those tunes playing rolls over chords and I am sure KSB is not suggesting this in her lesson. You can however play the chord progression to these tunes using rolls and chords and sound as though you are playing bluegrass. If you want to play those tunes, you need to go study those signature licks and YES memorize those tunes. If you have spent any time listening to those tunes you’ll already have those licks or parts of those licks in your head. See if you can’t pick out a few of those licks without tab. A looper would be a helpful tool.
Thanks Archie for taking time to reply. I know that KSB wasn’t suggesting that songs like the ones I mentioned could all be played solely with the method she teaches in the lesson (although I think you could certainly pull off some of the high breaks with it). I guess where my brain was going was, if you have limited time to practice, you could focus on memorizing a song like Ground Speed for example, and practice playing through vocal tunes using the method KSB teaches, rather than trying to memorize a break to those tunes. I’m always looking for ways to stream line my practice sessions as best as possible to get the most bang for my buck.
A looper is a great tool. I actually have an Aeros looper peddle that is amazing. Thanks again for your thoughts on my ramble.
After a while, you’ll get to where you remember what the song sounds like and play that (or at it), rather than play an exact tab you memorized. There are bits and pieces of arrangements that stick in my memory and I play them note for note, but that’s often where I’ll mess up if I haven’t played it in a while.
I hope someday I get to that level. In the meantime I just keep chugging along. 
I heard Uwe Kruger say “Creativity starts after the boredom sets in.”
Many of us can play “Cripple Creek” note-for-note the way Earl played it. That’s the curse of recorded music. Once recorded, it can never be played any other way, lest you be accused of not doing it the way Earl did.
When I get paid to play a certain song a certain way, I will do that. If I’m not being paid, I will play until bored, Then improvising, rolling over chords or strumming are all permissible. Encouraged even!
I usually get paid not to play. 