Scott Henderson Discussion

[dizzy]

Hey Scott
When you have a 12 or so song set do you ever have a hard time keeping everything in your head? Like heads and breaks and changes? Then you add new tunes but you have to keep the old ones in your head too. Do you practice old tunes when you are not on the road just to keep them fresh in your mind?
In my band I sometimes feel like my head is going to explode from having to memorize so much.

[Scott Henderson]

I have a hard time with that, especially if the tunes are new. I practice them some when I'm home, but a lot the week before a tour, and I play each song until I'm able to get through it without a mistake. If it's a changes tune, I use it in my regular practice schedule when I'm home, because trying to remember changes while playing is a drag - I play my best when the changes are burned into my brain. That's good training for you if you feel like your head is about to explode. At least you have work ethics and aren't reading chord charts like a pussy.

[sieuminh]

That's hilarious!

I used to be quite proud of the fact that I could survive a gig on reading alone, but now realize barely making it through the changes is no way to play ...