Memorize ANY pop song with these 3 THINGS

Without writing down these “3 song memorization components,” you might struggle to learn music by ear quickly…and preparing for even a small gig will be slow and stressful.

I’ll show you exactly how to execute this simple, 3-step process so that you’ll be learning songs quickly by ear and without fear. YOU CAN DO THIS!

I believe that ANYONE can learn the drums, and I believe you’re far more capable of becoming a great drummer than you think you are. Don’t sell yourself short! SUBSCRIBE for more Non Glamorous videos that get straight to the point of solving drumming frustration. Stay Non Glamorous, Everyone!

[ZeeroDubs]

I do very similar to this but I also print out the lyrics and will underline or hilight where certain transitions are. So that if I lose count I can use the singer as a cue.

[judibennett]

This is great! My method has been to listen to the song multiple times, slowing down, and breaking it into sections. Not a very productive way but then I’m a YouTube self taught drummer and 71! Lots of time on my hands. Lol I can’t wait to get started on this technique. My husband and I play and video just for friends and family, never in public. Thanks, Stephen.

[cafe.cedarbeard]

I can dig it my drumming brother! I just got drafted into a band at the core of a circus act, small scale. It's my first gig as drummer at age 49 where I've been a sort of novice on the kit for over 30 years. My skills as bassist were front and center for most of my musical years, singer songwriter began to rise again in 2013. I also developed great skill in hand drumming where getting my own kit for the first time in 2018 allowed me to start training stick and pedal skills that were stuck on the novice level and occasionally tested in jam situations and my high school choir where I did drums for our rendition of Bohemian Rapsody, 1992 my graduation and Wayne's World had revived that song in a big way.

So in my present gig the song leader benefits from my basic musical disciplines that are getting advanced training from taking on daily practices in simple stick, pad, metronome patterns and foot tapping when not on the kit to get my feet better trained. I do the basic things in this video already from being a songwriter myself, and with our theme song, Pandemonium for the group, Cirkus Pandemonium, it doesn't follow the AABA pattern and the choruses are 3 measures not 4 so constructing this kind of chart helps me learn her not so standard form where once I've drawn the chart it's in my mind enough to navigate once back on the kit.

Part of my training on bass was playing in a Jazz quartet so there I learned how to read arrangement charts with just this kind of information and the chords since bass and not drums where the chord progression doesn't matter. I've always had a great memory and have done just about all my stage craft off book, but as you say if it's a popular song or if the song leader hands you a lyric sheet for originals these methods are a great way to sketch out a skeletal chart where my vast library of musical memories can easily fill in the rest of the data just by the habitat of the song being up and running.

[markstevenson]

Great tips! The transitions and "stops and starts" are the most difficult for me to remember! I'll try your system, thanks.

[minime]

Such a good starter lesson to note taking 🙏
Just reading your pdf too
thanks Stephen

[markravitz]

In a roundabout way, this is what I do. You have shown me a more organized and concise way. Thanks!

[wii]

This idea should be so helpful in learning new songs fast. I'm doing a very similar notation method. Thank you for sharing.

[jamessbca]

I thought I had some decent shorthand methods. This is next level stuff. And by next level, I mean breaking down to greater levels of simplicity. Nice job!!! I am borrowing some ideas for sure!!!

[hanspeters]

For riff based songs (like „Smoke On The Water“) I usually write down the number of riffs instead the number of bars.
It helps me also to communicate with the guitarist.
In this case I write down the number of bars for one riff on Top of the lead sheet.

[gumobe]

Hi Stephen - I get all you are saying here but my big problem is hearing/knowing what/music sections are ie what is a chorus, what is a verse, does it have a pre chorus, does it have a bridge.
Some songs start with a chorus and some start with a verse. You (I) cannot tell if the first lyrics are a chorus or a verse until I have listened to the whole song 1+ times.
Any help here?
Owen

[flashfan]

Great help! Also playing at church and ive been asked to count off multiple times and im like uhhhh. Ill start using a metronome atleast for a visual cue

[redddddrum]

Great method for sure, thanks for sharing it, i follow more or less the same way, i like to add some of the lyrics as a marker on some sections too, could be helpfull when loosing count 😅

[Qbeats_LJ]

Great lesson! Thank you! You're a very good teacher. I like your style. I do something similar but written on paper. Would love to use my iPad to store the charts. Question: What is the software you are using in this video for drawing the chart? I believe you are using an iPad. Thanks!

[McIntosh]

After writing down song map, why not play song and follow on paper to show as an example?

[stephanbrunker]

I do it probably totally wrong, but I am also not in a band and have to learn a bunch of songs fast. First I trained my ear by creating transcriptions as accurate as possible, and then I learn to replicate it exactly, playing over the recording. If you get everything right, you should hear only yourself. The downside is - you play it like sheet music, which is natural for me, having played classical music for decades. Most songs will fit on two or three pages.
I really don't know what is right. With my ear trained like that I notice that all these variations from the basic groove are giving life to the song, making it unique and it feels wrong to simplify it. The most brutal part I know is the guitar solo from Jump - there is really nothing regular in it and that makes it special but also nearly impossible to memorize.
I imagine it the same like it is for playing jazz as a pianist. Yes, you can play the song in a pinch with just using basic chords. But to really master the song, you have to play the complex jazz chords like major7-9-13 or so.