Ok so I may be joining a covers band for first time in 12 years. This one is blessed to have a fantastic keys player so I would be only guitarist. I always remember the solo's but rhythms and layout of songs can throw me.

SO i am looking for useful tips and advice on learning the songs. How do you guys approach it and remember the repetoire of your set list. How do you deal with any last minute jitters etc.

Now we will be covering some FLoyd so I know that stuff ok, just a little work needed. They are a prog rock covers band so will be doing some Rush, Kansas etc.

So any tips on learning and practicing the songs and getting them down quick as I may transition into this band quick as there guitarist is quitting.

thx mark

Just practice them everyday m8, only way to learn songs back to front:D

I have a really hard time remembering the chords to alot of songs. But as Bahamut says, play play play. Untill they're burned into your memory along with those Floyd tunes :thumb:

yeah i guess that is best approach..................the old mind is not as good as it was...:o

If you have backing tracks to the songs and perhaps tablature then just figure out the progressions and practice, practice till your fingers hurt. Thats why I always did.

Good luck with your band. :rock:
I haven't gigged with a working band since 1996 and I miss it but its alot of work and dedication.

This may sound silly, put always pratice standing up. that's how you'll be playing live. and learn the songs until you almost hate them. And don't forget EQ- how you sound in your room, will not be your sound live, be ready , be quik to change your sound, the best is to have an EQ pedal wired up and ready.

This may sound silly, put always pratice standing up. that's how you'll be playing live.

That is so true, I used to practice for hours while sitting and then when live rehearsal came and I had to stand, it was alot more difficult to play some stuff that was easy sitting down. Good advice.:thumb:

I would say to find out from the guys what your set list will be and then collect all those backing tracks from this site (or wherever). Then get yourself a copy of GuitarPro, as that is, IMHO, the best overall source of good tabs (not all are perfect, but most are pretty darned good compared to other tab programs) and the MIDI file accompaniment helps me so much to make it through a tab that doesn't have a lot of words to follow along, or that has lots of notes in leadwork, as the MIDI file helps you stay in time with the tablature. Good luck with it, and keep us posted on your progress and what works for you and what doesn't work so well. :rock:

I would say to find out from the guys what your set list will be and then collect all those backing tracks from this site (or wherever). Then get yourself a copy of GuitarPro, as that is, IMHO, the best overall source of good tabs (not all are perfect, but most are pretty darned good compared to other tab programs) and the MIDI file accompaniment helps me so much to make it through a tab that doesn't have a lot of words to follow along, or that has lots of notes in leadwork, as the MIDI file helps you stay in time with the tablature. Good luck with it, and keep us posted on your progress and what works for you and what doesn't work so well. :rock:

Gotta second the GuitarPro recommendation. PowerTab is also very good.
If you have to do any transcribing yourself, check out Amazing Slow Downer. Hell, even if you know how it's played, ASD is a great learning tool cause you can change EQ and listen to different channels in stereo to help isolate the guitars and slow down the track without losing pitch. You can also pick a part of the song (the solo for example) and replay it over and over at the speed you want. If you need any of this stuff, shoot me a pm:thumb:

Gotta second the GuitarPro recommendation. PowerTab is also very good.
If you have to do any transcribing yourself, check out Amazing Slow Downer. Hell, even if you know how it's played, ASD is a great learning tool cause you can change EQ and listen to different channels in stereo to help isolate the guitars and slow down the track without losing pitch. You can also pick a part of the song (the solo for example) and replay it over and over at the speed you want. If you need any of this stuff, shoot me a pm:thumb:

Yep i have been using GuitarPro and taking that route & practicing over the backers....the band I am auditioning for does a lot of Rush, Kansas, Styx etc etc. I have got "Freewill" all figured...some of the material is a challenge...The prog rock stuff is not 3 chord material:o

thx guys

I used to have a guitarist friend who would actually bring the tabs up with him on stage and place them on a stand in front of him in case he needed them. I know thats pretty unconventional in rock music, but at the time, he was starting with a band that needed him to learn a dozen songs in less than a week! It gave him a little bit of a confidence boost knowing that it would all be there if he was ever in a pinch.

He figured it was better to have one or two people laugh at the fact that he had the sheet music up there than to have the entire audience hear him screw up ;)