The Magic of Song Sketches

It seems impossible that I could learn 40 songs in 2 days.  If you were to listen to the songs straight through, it would amount to over 2 and a half hours of music.  Think about what it would take to not just listen to the songs but to know them well enough to rehearse them with a band.  It seems impossible, almost like magic!

But I’ve done it more than once and you can learn how to do it too by using a technique I call song sketching.  A song sketch allows you to write down just enough information to remember a song’s structure and what you should play in each song section. As you listen to the music and write down the parts, you are subconsciously learning the song so that you can recall it later when you’re practicing with your band.

Here are the steps you can take to make a song sketch:

1. Start with a blank piece of paper.  The goal is to be able to write the song sketch on one piece of 8 ½” x 11” piece of paper so that you don’t have to turn pages in the middle of a song.  You can use music paper but I also use lined notebook paper or blank printer paper.
2. Start listening to the song you want to learn.  Using a metronome, figure out how many beats per minute.  This is done by changing the speed of the metronome until it closely matches the tempo of the song.  Write down the beats per minute.
3. Restart the song and count the number of measures in the Intro. Stop counting when the first verse starts.
4. Write down the number of Intro measures using a code of “I” with the number of measures underneath like this:

I

4

1. Start the music again and count the numbers in the first verse. Stop the music when the pre-chorus or the chorus begins.  Write down a “V” with the number of measures underneath like this:

I          V

4         8

1. Repeat step 5 for each song part until you’ve listened to the whole song.  Use codes for the different song parts, like “C” for Chorus, “B” for Bridge and “O” for Outro.  Your song sketch should look something like this:

       I            V           C            I          V             C           B            C           O

|     4     |    8     |     8     |     4    |     8     |      8    |      8    |      8     |     8

1. Next, listen to the song again to make sure that you’re measure count is correct.  As you are listening add any notes that will help you remember how to play the song, like where to add a drum fill or where to rest (not play).

Here’s my sketch for the song “Take It Easy” by The Eagles.

1. Notice the tempo is 132 bpm.
2. The > symbol is an accent, meaning to play that beat louder.
3. I wrote out the intro fill because it will be familiar to the band and the listener so it’s important to play it like the record.
4. After you’ve played for a while, you’ll have a feel for 8 bar phrases.  In other words, you will naturally feel how long it takes to play 8 measures.  It’s easier for me to think of 2 8 bar phrases instead of one long 16 bar phrase.
5. I wrote the word “Fill” to indicate that there is a drum fill on the record.
6. These accents (or “kicks”) are important to the song so I wrote them out.
7. The “birds eye” over the last note means to hold it indefinitely.

Try making a song sketch of one of your favorite songs.  Be patient and stop the song or start over as many times as you need to get the correct measure count.  The more you listen and count measures the faster you will get at making a song sketch.

I keep all my song sketches in a notebook so they can be easily reviewed during rehearsals.  Your band mates will be impressed that you took the time to learn the songs and that you are showing up to practice totally prepared.  It will seem like magic when you sound great playing each song the first time through!