I was working on some worship music for the upcoming Easter services last night when I realized... I make a LOT of memos and notes on my chord sheets. Since I'm playing guitar for these services, it's primarily written as a mix of tab w/ rhythm notation.
I've found that making handwritten notes like this during my rehearsal sessions allows me to free up space in my mind as I'm learning the pieces -CCM music isn't a genre I spend a lot of time listening to, so usually I'm hearing the songs for the first time when I'm scheduled for a rehearsal. Chances are good that I'll play the song again -but I might not hear it or listen to it until then.
Once I've finished my memos/notes to myself, I'll move onto the next song and do something similar. After I've completed writing memos/notes, I'll end that practice session and pick it up again later. When I return, my rehearsal strategy changes to train my brain to use my memos as a one-glance crutch rather than an icy stare at my music. Fortunately, the genre tends to be quite repetitive -so if I've got the lines down for the verses and the choruses, we're usually golden (and often memorized)!
Having the memos available also allows me a little wiggle room if practice time becomes limited. At least when I come back to it, I'll be ready to pick up where I left off rather than starting from somewhere random. Here's a picture of what my memos/notes to myself often look like -The highlighted bit means that I'm supposed to be playing. ;-)
PRO TIP: If you make memos and notes on your chord sheets, MAKE A DIGITAL COPY! It'll save you a work of work if and when that song shows up again!
What are some of your strategies for learning songs quickly?
Until next time,
-T.