learning songs faster:

1. modality and keys - this way you can figure out what key the song is in / what mode it is in, and pretty much know what is coming up next if you know your...
2. intervals - if you can hear the intervals between notes (i.e. a 1st to a 5th) then solos and chord progressions will make more sense when you hear them in your head
3. sight reading - if you practice enough, you can just play right along with the tab while listening to the song (because you know the above 2)

this will take LOTS of practice / learning to master these 3 things, and while it will always take you SOME time to learn songs, this will definately speed up the time it takes you to learn individual songs (although a good memory always helps as well)

combine these with playing with tabs / sheet music and your good to go

This post was edited by ExS on Jun 21 2008 08:35pm

sry, i don't understand this terminology...( played for about almost a year )

modes...intervals

briefly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_(music) intervals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_signature key signatures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_mode modes

You have to practise, but you can change your method on how you practise.

Theres thousands of sites with good info

listen to em 24/7 and i mean it mate. its how i do it.

he is absolutly right
most of the players you're listening to, utilize this stuff a lot

what i would suggest, is learn a particular modal or scale shape accoicated with a song

for example, learning the solo to Pink Floyds Comfortably Numb

the solo follows a minor pentatonic scale, which is really easy to follow
once you learn the basic shape of the pentatonic, you will realize how simple the solo actually is.

Could not agree more with you.

lol is it that hard?

not really

as long as you take it very slowly

learn one thing at a time

Practice..