1 | Start early - let it marinate

There's nothing worse than trying to learn a part at the last minute. Not only is it stressful but it doesn't really work. Your brain needs time to adequately learn a part.

So start early. At least a week before. Give yourself ample time to not just memorize a part but actually learn it. It only gets better the longer you let it marinate. In fact, that's how you personally get better. In that time of learning, you aren't just memorizing a part but you get to analyze how it fits with the other pieces of the song.

2 | Learn the original part

There is a lot to learn from musicians who actually do it for a living. That's their full time job! So have the humility to learn the original part they came up with first. Don't automatically assume that you can come up with something better.

The part they originally recorded was specially crafted to fit into the song. They didn't just show up on recording day and lay down some guitar tracks for a few minutes then go home. They worked on the parts by themselves, tested them with other parts, and most importantly worked with a producer who carefully pieced the song together.

So if you want to improve your musicianship, learn the original part.

3 | Adapt to your own environment

Although learning the original part is important, you don't have to stop there. We aren't just musical robots after all. Take it one step further (with the extra time you have since you started early) and adapt the part to your own environment.

Maybe you don't have a pedal that that guitar player had. Maybe playing slap bass wouldn't work well in your church. Maybe you don't have the range that that vocalist has. Perhaps you just don't like the original part after you have had the humility to learn it. Adapt it so it works in your environment. That's what makes you YOU as a musician.