David's Tip of the Day: I'm lost... what do I do now? Part 5 (Memorization)

You've most likely played your song hundreds of times by this point, so you probably don't need the sheet music anymore (if sheet music exists). What you're most likely having issues with is remembering what the first lick is for each chorus. If you can remember the first lick, usually you're good to go for the entire chorus. Maybe you've accidentally mixed up the first lick a couple of times and subsequently missed a chorus or two in the confusion.

Here's how to deal with this...

Write down the first lick of each chorus... and only the first lick. Sometimes not even the full lick is necessary... whatever amount of that lick that's needed to trigger how that chorus goes will do the job. Here's an example with "Temperature," from Tongue Block Study 2. I'll use "[ ]" to designate the chorus.

[1] 3 4+ 3 (Head)
[2] 1 2+ 3+
[3] 3+ 3+
[4] 3 3 4+ 3
[5] 4
[6] 5 6+ 6+
[7] Head Returns