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Brain Fade


IanHenry

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At a band practice on Monday night I suffered Brain fade. We were starting Gary Moore's Parisian Walkways and during the intro lead part I literally forgot how to play it. I've been playing that song forever, and I had to start improvising until I could get back on track, I don't think anyone else in the band realise I've forgotten the song, they just think the lead guitarist is prone to sudden bursts of improvisation. It's not unusual for me to forget what I'm playing mid song.

 

Does anyone else suffer from this? Maybe I should start to worry, but my Wife assures me that I've always had a bad memory!

 

 

Ian

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On this side of the Atlantic we call it a Brain Fart.

 

It's happened to me before a number of times. Luckily now with the internet, if I forgot a chord progression or riff, I can either listen to the song real quick on youtube or spotify or try to find a quick tab online to refresh my memory.

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Man I hate that. Usually happens after I haven't rehearsed a song with the band for a few weeks. They wanted Purple Haze last weekend and I absolutely panic'd, couldn't remember past the intro. I got the bass player to talk a bit while I stood with my back turned and went over the parts. Man I was sweating. I did it like a pro though, once I got through each figure once I was ok.

 

I don't know what else to do about it.

 

rct

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same here, just something that happens occasionally. I usually just try to forget that I'm "forgetting" stuff, and try to just let the muscle memory take over.

 

sometimes it all happens in a fraction of time, and I'm back on track,, others times,, it can be Not Pretty.. LOL!

 

 

really nasty is step up to the mic to sing the first verse and the brain just goes completely blank.. usually the bass player comes close enough and shouts out the first two words (if he remembers..)... if not, then it's a perfect time for an intro solo!! :)

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Yep, unfortunately I sometimes just go blank. some tunes more than others, I seem to draw a blank on for some reason. Words especially. sometimes I don't remember the words till a second before I have to sing them.

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It happens to everybody - that's why pilots have checklists. I don' t play in a band, but I've forgotten warmup routines all the time. A few years ago I saw a video of Slash completely forgetting the intro to "Sweet Child o' Mine." There's a technical term for it, but right now I've forgotten what it is.

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Yup.

 

Last time out at the open-mic night I used to frequent. We had already played a few numbers and were chugging our way through another blues staple. I played the lead break and when we went back to the next verse I completely forgot which key we were in..............msp_blink.gif..............I mean to say; how the Hell does that happen?!?!

I 'played' half-a-bar of rest and rejoined before the others knew what had just happened.

 

.........I hope.........

 

msp_blushing.gif

 

Pip.

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It happens to everybody - that's why pilots have checklists. I don' t play in a band, but I've forgotten warmup routines all the time. A few years ago I saw a video of Slash completely forgetting the intro to "Sweet Child o' Mine." There's a technical term for it, but right now I've forgotten what it is.

 

I thought it was called the 70's. Lol.

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1489590305[/url]' post='1841733']

It happens to everybody - that's why pilots have checklists. I don' t play in a band, but I've forgotten warmup routines all the time. A few years ago I saw a video of Slash completely forgetting the intro to "Sweet Child o' Mine." There's a technical term for it, but right now I've forgotten what it is.

 

CRS syndrome (can't remember sh1t)

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My regular band only plays a a handful of gigs a year now. Maybe 6 to 9? We also stopped rehearsals about 6 years ago (yes weve been going a looong time).

 

This mean that everybody forgets stuff from time to time. The singist forgets lines or comes in when he shouldnt. I sometimes forget what key songs are in. But.... its challenging, - and a laugh too.

 

Bandmates forgetting stuff, impacts on everybody. Recovering can be fun. I love it. We seldom have a train wreck, just a few shakey rides.

 

Other than regulars, I dont think anyone notices. So we've stopped excuses like 'thats the new arrangement' or 'that was the 12 inch version'. [wink]

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I think that at times we all have those moments. I personally am a fan of checklists. I kind of live by the mantra of "if it doesn't get written down, it doesn't happen."

 

Saw recently (on the internet of course) the question "How come I can remember the lyrics to a song from 50 years ago, but can't remember why I walked into the kitchen 5 minutes ago?" [confused] Don't know about you, but that's actually happened to me. [biggrin]

 

And yeah, CRS is a common thing as you get older. Welcome (or not) to the Club. [cursing][biggrin]

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At a band practice on Monday night I suffered Brain fade. We were starting Gary Moore's Parisian Walkways and during the intro lead part I literally forgot how to play it. I've been playing that song forever, and I had to start improvising until I could get back on track, I don't think anyone else in the band realise I've forgotten the song, they just think the lead guitarist is prone to sudden bursts of improvisation. It's not unusual for me to forget what I'm playing mid song.

 

Does anyone else suffer from this? Maybe I should start to worry, but my Wife assures me that I've always had a bad memory!

 

 

Ian

 

 

Well, at least YOU were at a rehearsal. Wait until it happens, at a performance! [scared] I've been playing The Beatle's

"I Call Your Name" FOREVER. My last gig, I couldn't find the intro "lead," to save my soul! I "faked" something, but when

I got home, I got the Ric 12-string, back out of it's case, and played it flawlessly, note for note, in one take. So, yeah...it

happens! Not sure if it's "age" related, or just AADD (temporary or otherwsie)? [tongue][unsure] But, it IS unsettling

when it happens, I DO know that!

 

So, you're not alone, my friend! [tongue][biggrin]

 

CB

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Occasionally.

 

I think it happens when something has become a reflex and you interrupt the flow - often by thinking about it.

 

When I was a kid, I learned the sax standard, "Harlem Nocturne". There is a 20 or so note descending run that is played while the rest of the band is silent (Viscounts and most other versions).

 

It was very popular and often requested in the late 1960s and 70s and revived in the 80s for a TV show, "Mike Hammer" (Which I've never seen).

 

Due to this, I've played the song probably thousands of times. One day I started playing the run, thought about what the notes actually were instead of relying on "auto-pilot" and blew the lick. Played something improvisational. And it comes around twice in the song with a different ending.

 

Then I had the mental block. I tried it at home. Just were those notes? Tried, failed, tried, failed got frustrated and put the horn down. In a couple of hours, I decided to play the song from the top without thinking of anything, and viola! the run came back under my fingers.

 

It still gets requested, though not as often, and I make sure to think about expression (non verbally) and let the "auto-pilot" work the fingers.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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Yeah, as Keith Richards (and many other's) has stated: "I don't think...I "feel!" That's probably a

good way to get around, or to minimize those incidents. But, sometimes the old brain has it's own

agenda, apparently. [flapper][biggrin]

 

Heck, even John Lennon blew the lyric's, to his own songs, at their performances. Seemed (among the other Beatles)

to be "notorious" for that. LOL

 

CB

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Very good post by Notes. Have had same experience with different tune.

A lot of muscle memory involved in playing an instrument but if your brain doesn't order that sequence to trigger - however it does it, obviously the 'reflexive flow' doesn't start.

 

Last Saturday at the gig we needed one final encore and the singer turned round and said "Kansas City". We used to begin the 1st set with this but dropped it recently, and only because yours truly was fed up with it.

I went completely blank at that moment. Couldn't remember the intro, key, anything. Duh. ](*,)

 

Yeah I've had and will always have those moments. It's the way we learn and remember music IMO.

For me, I learn it until I've understood it first, then have to remember it - i.e. learn it again in my fingers. Then I can 'file' it and summon it at will. But if I don't use it I will lose it partially or totally, in time.

 

A good one for discussion!

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Oh God, I thought it was just me. msp_scared.gif I just had one the other day where my mind just went blank! My wife was talking to me about my youngest sister and I just looked at her puzzled. She repeated 3 times, "you Know Your Sister Amy?" She thought I just couldn't hear her but told her later what happened. Mind just went blank. Then it popped back in. She thought I was just under stress about my mom's heart attack last Wednesday but that was scary.

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For me, I learn it until I've understood it first, then have to remember it - i.e. learn it again in my fingers. Then I can 'file' it and summon it at will. But if I don't use it I will lose it partially or totally, in time...

I have exactly that same problem with 'Jigsaw Puzzle Blues'. It took me a wee while to get it down pat and afterwards it really was all about 'muscle memory' or whatever; the fingers knew what to do.

 

After not playing it for a few months, however, when I did try to play it I was totally lost. Couldn't work it out at all. The 'muscle memory' didn't kick-in and if I tried hard it was even worse.

I had to re-learn it (almost) from scratch.

 

I haven't played it for about three months...........msp_scared.gif..........Oh Dear................

 

Pip.

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Yep. this happens to me almost every time we play. Always has, as long as I've been playing.

 

Most recently about 2 weeks ago, we're playing Linda Ronstadt "You're No Good". When it comes to that break and the guitar does this little descending arpeggio thing, I totally couldn't figure out which fret or string I was on! [cursing] My band is looking at me like WTF? At one point as I was mangling my part, I heard the keyboard player say "ouch". Luckily he covered for me. I was so frazzled by it, that I almost blew the solo that follows it, but did manage to fumble my way through that.

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I've read that the expression and emotion of music come from a different part of the brain than the part where verbal language comes from.

 

So the best music is played when you aren't "thinking". What mode should I play, just what are the notes, which fingering should I use, what scales work for improvisation over these chords, and so on need to be thought about during practice. And the need to be thought about until you get to the point where you don't have to think about them at all any more, but just feel them. Then you are playing music.

 

But the verbal language part of your brain is greedy, it wants to occupy your mind all of your waking hours, which is why you have that running monologue going on in your brain much of the time. So when it pops up during music, it's possible that it gets in the way at the wrong time.

 

At least that's the way I figure it.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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"Nerves" and/or "Stage Fright" has some effect, on that, as well. Maybe not so much, for seasoned players,

who play several times a week, or everyday, in front of crowds. One does get "used to" and more comfortable

that way. But, for us folks that play only a few times a year, it can be a problem. At least it is, to Me! When you're

not so comfortable, or experienced in "Live" gigs, you tend to overthink every thing, and that can lead to "brain

freeze," seemingly.

 

 

CB

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I can remember just about everything that has to do with music, but whenever I venture out to buy TP, I always buy everything but TP, and have to go back. It's the rectal equivalent of "the glasses are on your head".

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