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How many songs do you keep in your head?

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 12:55 pm
by Haydn
I'm sure I remember seeing someone on this board refer to the number of songs that the average person can keep 'in their head' at one time.

Although I spend a lot of time collecting old music, and carry my iPod almost everywhere, I quite often hear a tune I really like, but can't remember the name. It's particularly frustrating when I've heard a song a lot, learned the name of it, put it on my iPod etc, and then someone plays it a dance and the person I'm dancing with asks "what's this song called" and I can't remember :oops: - even though I know the song.

For the purpose of DJing, I think it would be quite useful to know how many songs I can keep in my head. By 'keep in my head', I mean be able to quickly recall the tune, feel, name and artist.

How many do you keep in your head?

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:14 pm
by dogpossum
I can keep maybe three in my head. CJam Blues, Lavender Coffin and Apollo Jump.


I wish that was a joke. I have a terrible, terrible memory for names, so I can never identify a song (other than the truly iconic and overplayed) just from listening. I can often guess at the artist and era, but I'm crap with names.
I think it's because my brian is stuffed full with other things...

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:49 pm
by Haydn
dogpossum wrote:my brian is stuffed full with other things...
Is brian happy about that? :shock:

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:02 pm
by trev
dogpossum wrote: I think it's because my brian is stuffed full with other things...
I think you'll find that Brian in Melbourne is stuffed FULL of jazz knowledge! ;)

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:41 pm
by Surreal
Ugh, I can't do names either. I can be singing along to the tune and still blank on the title. I couldn't even name Stompin' at the Savoy the other day :oops:

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:22 pm
by dogpossum
trev wrote:
dogpossum wrote: I think it's because my brian is stuffed full with other things...
I think you'll find that Brian in Melbourne is stuffed FULL of jazz knowledge! ;)
:D And it's not just historical stuff, either - I asked him for a list of Sydney jazz bands worth hiring for a dance and he sent me an email with an exhaustive, fabulous list of dozens. It was amazing.


...if only I could remember their names...

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:19 pm
by tornredcarpet
I think it grows on you, like people's faces or names.
I don't know how many songs I can keep in my head, I will always recognize them when played, oftentimes even which artist played it, but sometimes I won't be able to conjure them up off hand.