I thik I learn tunes in a different part of my brain from words, or something. If someone sings a chorus song that I've never heard before, I try to hum along with the chorus the first time, while my conscious brain is listening to the words. Then (with any luck) I'm ready to start putting them together next time round. I seem to learn the tune more intuitively and the words more analytically.

If I want to learn a new song, I may get it from a recording in the first place, but I like to get away from the recording as soon as I know the melody, and learn to make the song my own, rather than absorb or copy the style and mannerisms of a particular singer. In many cases, I have no recording and have simply heard the song somewhere. This is where Mudcat is such a help, as I often find the words here and can print them off to learn them.

I learned two songs off the page on a recent car journey (but I wasn't driving, I was a passenger!) As usual, I got the melody in my head first and then sang the words, looking at the page only if I got stuck. I also learned a new session tune that way, reading the dots and humming it through until I could remember it. I find I have to do that before I can play it. Anyway, it certainly helps pass the time on car journeys.

Marje