Don’t think “I gotta memorize this!” when you practice. There is no quick route other than just playing the patterns over and over. Ari’s material is very deep and I struggle with it too but I can see that once I’ve got it, my playing will improve enormously. Some tips- write the patterns on a sheet of paper by hand. Sing the intervals. Before you go to sleep, play the patterns you are working on. Also, Ari is giving classes on line. She’s an excellent teacher!
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My favorite songs growing up were Motown songs. I owned so many Motown records I could have bought the studio with what I paid for in records. So now being older the songs I want to learn to play are those songs. Some have been easy to learn and others just darn incredible to get under my fingers. I wondered why so I did some serious looking at what I was trying to learn. The songs I found easy to master were songs James Jamerson created the bass lines on early in his career. Basic bass lines that followed the same rhythms thru most of the song. The ones I struggled with are the ones he created later as he himself mastered the art of playing between the beats with lots of mixed 8th & 16th notes and tons of syncopation that gives his bass lines incredible power. So here I am trying to learn a song that was created by “The Master Of Electric Bass” after he had played for 30 years. Jamerson first learned how to play trumbone, piano, double bass so he had all that background before he began playing electric bass. So though we may find some things really hard to memorize it could be the things we select to learn are things mastered by those who had years of practice and playing under their fingers before they created the piece. To play a song already created one just needs to remember that song and don’t need to know every scale on 3 positions like Mark suggests. When I learn a song I will usually look at each section and play it in several positions finding the one that best works for me…also thinking thru how my move to the next section is defined. I think eventually all the things about bass will become sound in my memory but the best thing we all have in common is the will to learn a great instrument.
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Good point, @A1955Harley . . . 
. . and makes me feel better, too !
Trying to catch up with John Entwistle is pretty tough 
Cheers
Joe
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LOL I totally agree!!
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Pshaw!
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I can’t basically memorize any song, at all.
To me, bass playing is like Rally driving: I always need the pace notes in front of me.
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You can do it @Malyngo !
It takes focused practice but you have to want to do it
You probably already do it and don’t realize.
You mean you play no riffs on bass when noodling without music?
Take two bars. Learn them.
Look away from the music and play through. Even if you miss notes. If two hard take one bar. Once nailed learn only the next bar, once nailed add to original bar(s). Repeat repeat.
You can do this
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I really struggle too. I get parts but never a full song. Having said that I do have a brain injury 
And this excuse is SO good
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Well… at least bass is somewhat repetitive in most music. Imagine having to memorize a prescribed guitar solo. Or intense piano passages for both hands. I think for my bad memory that bass probably suits me well. 
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Possibly the best comment I have ever read.
We beat ourselves up because we can’t master a bassline a master bass player, with 30+ years under his belt, has played. Give yourselves a chance, if you really want to learn a particular song. Bite size it (as @JoshFossgreen says) and learn it at your own pace. And if you miss a 16th or two, don’t sweat it. Just enjoy yourself.
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As for memory, that’s for young people lol.
I struggle terribly and sometimes find myself wondering if I’m wasting my time…then I remember I’m doing it for fun, not for a living. So what if I can’t remember a whole song? No one died. You can wing it with a fill and then check your notes/tab after.
It’s all about enjoying a slow journey, not a race to the death.
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I’m in the same boat @John_E . I’m 58, am working 6 days a week right now and struggling to even get time to do @JoshFossgreen 's lessons. I usually have to wait until 9pm to even start them, and after going through them for about an hour, I go to bed and wake up the next morning trying to remember everything. Mostly I’m successful but if I want to really try to remember I have to repeat the lessons.
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Is memorizing hard for me?
I don’t recall
Rim shot
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People tell me I’m argumentative, but I wholeheartedly disagree.
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If you really want to memorise al this , Joshs’ shapes lesson is great for the triads, i just say the notes out loud as i go through each triad, in each scale ( this is awesome for fretboard knowledge too) then eventually cycle of 4/5ths. Mnemonics are great. The :stave: all cows eat grass/grizzly bears dont fly aeroplanes. or modes I Do Play Loud Music After Lunch for order of modes. Lastly Father Christmas Gave Dada An Elelctric Blanket/Blanket Explodes And Dad Gets Cold Feet. Hope these helps. i find this way easier in my job also.
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starting at 50 years old, being tone deaf, with a previous severe hand injury and having been playing for 6 weeks ill say i cant remeber anything until im looking at it directly. i certainly hope that improves.
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I’ve stopped stressing about it to be honest. Although I’d love the opportunity to play in a band situation I think that’s unlikely so while I’m sat at home playing what’s the stress about remembering songs? Shapes etc I would like to remember however
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Its a bit funny, since I first posted here, the more I play, the more I remember. Sure I still lost stuff, but it comes back quicker. I stopped stressing as well.
What I think has really helped is the 50s100w challange and additional covers I am doing. The process of learning a song, and learning it good enough to record has been really great for many skills. It can be a PITA trying to get a good take, but I think it is paying off in spades. And the songs I work, the easier they get.
It is really just simple ROTE learning. Repeat repeat repeat…we just need more repeats as we age I guess.
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