how many songs at once?

[Lobrim]

Just curious as to how many songs most try to learn at once. I am working on Little Martha (for fingerstyle and alternating thumb), dust my broom (for open tuning slide work) but also am trying to work out the intros and solos to Layla, and Aime - I also want to start working on never going back again -Too much at once? better to do 30 mins a day on one song until you have it down pat or 10 mins on three songs to keep it more interesting? Appreciate any thoughts.

[HHP]

Generally, I add 1 at a time. When it gets to a point that I can play on demand without thinking about it, I start to add another.

[ToneIsAll]

I can't help it. I'm always looking for new songs to learn. Whether I continue to work on them depends on how easy they are to learn at my skill level. I want them to challenge me some but not be too difficult. So I'm currently working on Under the Double Eagle (flat picked), The Big Country ( fingerstyle), a George M Cohen medley that includes Grand Ole Flag, Over There and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Also there are several songs that I never completed that I hope to finish doing some time.

[grathan]

I'm not a performer, so I don't need to play a whole song.

I only try to skim play a song. The best parts and if it gets dull I just skip it and if the challenge is too great, I just come back when my abilities are better. It would be rare for me to spend more than 20 minutes straight on a single song.

So to answer your question. Probably thousands of songs going back almost 30 years. Probably 10-20 in the past week. and probably 100 in the past month. And probably about 500 in the past year.

[sirwhale]

I normally have one or two on the go at any one time. I like to have two to keep the interest up, but I also spend a lot of time on mastery. Once I have learnt a song using the tab, I learn it by memory. Once I have it by memory, I can move to another song, whilst continually practising the memorised songs.

[EoE]

Depends ... if I have to memorize three country sets I memorize a set at a time... jazz I am working on solo ideas so I spend time on one tune .. depend on difficulty am I memorizing or just going to familiarize my self with it and I am going to read on stage.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Lobrim

Just curious as to how many songs most try to learn at once. I am working on Little Martha (for fingerstyle and alternating thumb), dust my broom (for open tuning slide work) but also am trying to work out the intros and solos to Layla, and Aime - I also want to start working on never going back again -Too much at once? better to do 30 mins a day on one song until you have it down pat or 10 mins on three songs to keep it more interesting? Appreciate any thoughts.

Hi Lobrim…
I have no limit.

Some weeks our worship leader tosses out 2 or 3 new pieces (to me) and they have to be under my fingers by rehearsal on Thursday.

Other weeks, I'm just working on personal pieces for my own pleasure.

I certainly have the capacity to work on several at the same time.

I tend to break pieces which are completely new into modules; Intro - verse - refrain - bridge - solo - and variants of each. I assemble them into a working piece after I get them worked out in sections.

It's not the only way to learn, just the system I've worked out for me.


Hope this adds to the discussion…

[JonPR]

I always try to play only one song at a time.
Playing two or more songs at the same time is not only difficult, it generally sounds terrible...


Seriously, when learning, I tend to focus on one until I have it down. But it's a personal thing. I don't get bored working on the same thing all the time, as much as some people might. If I did, I'd certainly switch to something else for refreshment before I'd finished. That might well be the case with a very long or complicated piece.
Eg, with those, I might well leave it on one side for days at a time - and obviously I'm doing other things in between, which might well involve starting on another tune. But I don't think I'd ever work on more than two. Even with two, the second one would need to be very simple (easy to complete quickly); I don't want to have two complicated tunes, both unfinished, on my mind at the same time. That's because, when I'm not working on them, they tend to run through my head anyway when I'm away from the guitar; and I don't want two getting tangled together.
I even think that's part of learning the tune: not just the practical working out on guitar, but playing it in your mind between times too - trying to memorise how it sounds, plotting the structure in your head, even picturing the finger movements and patterns as far as you've learned them.

[Bob Womack]

I work in "tracks." I'll have a "brand new song track," a "development" track, a "polishing" track, and a "back" track for my own interests. I can have multiple songs on each track, dependent on the demands on me and can hand them off as they develop. I'll be working on all the tracks all the time, basically. If I'm working on songs for a recording project for someone I'll back off on the track work and put the emphasis on the songs for the project.

Bob

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I work in "tracks." I'll have a "brand new song track," a "development" track, a "polishing" track, and a "back" track for my own interests. I can have multiple songs on each track, dependent on the demands on me and can hand them off as they develop. I'll be working on all the tracks all the time, basically. If I'm working on songs for a recording project for someone I'll back off on the track work and put the emphasis on the songs for the project.

Bob

Hi Bob…

Is that a side-effect of studio work?

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Bob…
Is that a side-effect of studio work?

Yeah. It came out of the studio work and out of the dream to eventually get around to recording my own album.* By the system I can be working my own repertoire on a track, keeping it fresh, and can flow other people's work in and out without just dumping my stuff.

But with the track system I keep from butting my head against a brick wall when I'm learning material under pressure. It's my own stress manager. I can go into a rehearsal session with the new stuff and try to develop a song. If I come up against some sort of problem I can mentally throw it onto another "track" and move on to another song without frustration. Often with sleep and a tiny bit of distance the problem numbers will come more easily.

Bob

* As you know, I'm a recording engineer by trade. You know what they say about the shoemaker's kids, don't you? They have no shoes. Yeah, it is true about recording engineers as well.

[Rickytuk]

Originally Posted by HHP

Generally, I add 1 at a time. When it gets to a point that I can play on demand without thinking about it, I start to add another.

Very similar to Mr HHP but I like to get a good way into one, not quite perfect and then start on another. I find it helps me to change focus for a little while, things seem to flow better when I go back to the other and visa versa.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Rickytuk

Very similar to Mr HHP but I like to get a good way into one, not quite perfect and then start on another. I find it helps me to change focus for a little while, things seem to flow better when I go back to the other and visa versa.

Same here.

[bbrown]

how many songs at once?

About 15. Playing is mainly for pleasure after a long day. I'll have a core of about 15 tunes I'm playing. I like to record, so as one of the tunes seems to be coming together well, I'll focus a bit and get it down, then record and post it.

I just play stuff I like and am always looking for a beautiful melody. Currently I have some Masaaki Kishibe pieces, some Fahey stuff, and a number of Celtic medleys.
Also, for me, playing lots of different stuff seems to make playing them all easier - I guess it's like doing exercises since it covers so much of the fingerboard. Lastly, I get bored really fast with any one tune.

[Erik Singletary]

I am a rookie, no more than 2 at a time. I say 2 to ensure I don't get burned out on one. I have to play them a lot just to get them to sound close to correct.