Learning and Remembering Songs

The same disability that keeps me from being able to listen to poets reading aloud also keeps me from listening to music.  

I would rather learn a song from YouTube than listen to a CD; consequently, over the past few years and especially since the pandemic began in late winter 2020, I've learned many scores of songs. 

I learn songs collaboratively by texting song ideas back and forth with the people in my erstwhile band, and because we have no dates to prepare for there is no limit to the number of songs we can try to learn. 

Songs like "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," Besame Mucho," "God Loves a Drunk," "Dancing Barefoot."

The problem is remembering I ever learned them. 

I make lists of songs that I should be able to remember the words to and so on, but it's always more fun to learn new songs than to review the songs on the lists.

I sometimes lead jams with a harmonica player and a percussionist, and I am usually the one who remembers and leads the songs. 

I once led songs for an hour or so on stage with my two friends in a restaurant, but just pulled the songs out of my butt--I have no idea what it sounded like.

Many years ago I played with a performing band that would rehearse once per week, or twice when we had a gig.

I have not been able to replicate that discipline with the people I'm playing with now, largely because they have demanding jobs and families and don't have time to rehearse regularly.

Then the pandemic made it hard to get together at all for two years, and even now, due to my introverted loner nature, I often feel reluctant to go out.

My wife and I have sung regularly in Zoom events for these three years, and so the two of us have a lot of ready material that we can draw from for brief appearances.

Much easier to practice regularly when you're living with someone.

My musical life with my old band mates, though fun, may not lead to performance--although we've recently created a new jam group in which other members than me introduce and lead songs.

I hope we continue to trade songs, whatever happens!