What's the longest time you've spent learning a song and getting it right?

Got kinda ocd with rhythm and timing on many songs, especially signature stuff, and still a work in progress with lots of them. Solos, I always try to get the flavor, but I like to add a little of my own stuff in there while trying to figure out what they were thinking.
 
I suggested we play RHCP's Snow in the cover band I am in. It took a while to get the argeggios up to speed. After I did, it took a lot longer to get the song to get the rhythm and articulation done. Until I did it sounded wrong. And then there was the problem of stamina. :)
 
Bakerman said:
A lot of that is somewhat wrong BTW.

Click to expand...

That’s the funny part. For a lot of these difficult pieces the transcriptions aren’t very accurate.
I usually use a transcription as a starting point and edit/critique it by listening to the recording and fix all the mistakes I can find.
One of the fun things you sometimes find is when the errors in the transcription create better licks than the original!
 
FractalAudio said:
30+ years and counting for Cliffs of Dover.
Click to expand...
It's funny you and Matt both made comments that are essentially exactly where I'm at. I've had a few "signature" songs from favorite artists that are on my to-do list because it's part of the amalgam (to coin an EJ description) of what I want in my own playing. Cliffs of Dover is one, Eruption is another, and probably Endless Road by Tommy Emmanuel as well. There are hundreds of others I want to learn, but those three are sort of the milestone songs that I still plan to eventually get under my fingers. Cheers.
 
Hmmm probably about 10 years off and on learning Yngwies’ I’ll see the light tonight’ including solo
Weirdly I found the main riff harder than the solo
One day at the start of this year I had a go recording it and for some reason I could play the riff great
No idea why though I hadn’t practiced it in years???
 
Smoke on the Water.

Now that you've finished laughing yourself silly, the rest of the story... ;)

I learned the basic parts at 15 when I began playing, but then figured out the solo (to the best of my ability at the time) from the version on Made in Japan. A couple years ago, I resolved to learn the original solo from Machine Head. Still tweaking bits of that to fine-tune the articulation that Ritchie had on the album.
 
I've tried for what seems like years to learn the intro to Mean Streets by the mighty Van Halen. I seem to get frustrated with myself and give in every time I give it a shot. I dont think it makes a massive difference but I can't use my r/h thumb for the slapping. I can use my first finger though.
Years ago, 1984 onwards, I was trying to learn the tapping intro for Hot for Teacher and would get myself into a fluster. I would turn my record player down from 33rpm down to 16rpm and listen over and over to the riff. Then something funny happened. My friend crashed his car (not badly) and asked if I could weld. No, I said, but my Dad has a welder. My friend and myself spent a Sunday afternoon welding. Badly. Sunday night came along and the problems started. It felt as if somebody had poured sand into my eyes. Monday, my friend called me and asked if my eyes were ok to which I said no. Off to hospital the pair of us went. Back home, eye patches on in a darkened room, blind, I picked up my LP and suddenly I could hear the notes of Hot for Teacher. I had eye patches on for a few days, which was horrible but it made my hearing senses much more acute, if that is the right word. I'm not suggesting people go blind to master the guitar but the bad experience I had helped me to learn some Van Halen. Beat that!! (but not beat it). LOL
Please wear a welding mask if your going to weld. Welders flash is hell.
 
This week I have been trying a new to me technique. I was watching the most excellent "That Pedal Show" and I have tried the singing a solo technique. It's worth a try. LOL. You never know, it might help (especially if you can sing).

 
Dixiethedog said:
I've tried for what seems like years to learn the intro to Mean Streets by the mighty Van Halen. I seem to get frustrated with myself and give in every time I give it a shot. I dont think it makes a massive difference but I can't use my r/h thumb for the slapping. I can use my first finger though.
Years ago, 1984 onwards, I was trying to learn the tapping intro for Hot for Teacher and would get myself into a fluster. I would turn my record player down from 33rpm down to 16rpm and listen over and over to the riff. Then something funny happened. My friend crashed his car (not badly) and asked if I could weld. No, I said, but my Dad has a welder. My friend and myself spent a Sunday afternoon welding. Badly. Sunday night came along and the problems started. It felt as if somebody had poured sand into my eyes. Monday, my friend called me and asked if my eyes were ok to which I said no. Off to hospital the pair of us went. Back home, eye patches on in a darkened room, blind, I picked up my LP and suddenly I could hear the notes of Hot for Teacher. I had eye patches on for a few days, which was horrible but it made my hearing senses much more acute, if that is the right word. I'm not suggesting people go blind to master the guitar but the bad experience I had helped me to learn some Van Halen. Beat that!! (but not beat it). LOL
Please wear a welding mask if your going to weld. Welders flash is hell.
Click to expand...
Have you even instinctively closed your eyes when singing, to hit difficult notes? It's kinda like reducing the CPU load on your brain! ;)
 
skolacki said:
It’s been awhile since I was in a gigging band. What I used to do is learn the highlights of a solo and wing it in between. The audience hears enough of it to be recognizable, and saved me the trouble of learning it note for note. I’ve learned many songs over the years but none 100%. Plenty of bands don’t play the recorded solos the same live. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
Click to expand...

Haha! Yup. Even those who originally played and wrote those parts often did that live.
Anyone who thinks they also didn't want to step out, and not by chained to exactness
is probably kidding themselves. :)

I was a bit of an hired gun for a bit and it was not unheard of me for me to have
to learn 30 or 40 songs in a week. One time I had 2 days. Here's our list, can you
fill in on Saturday and it is Thursday night. There was simply no way I was going
to be exact in those settings. I found out it wasn't needed. Yeah, you better nail
the signature licks and riffs, and have the chord progression and changes down.
But if you played a different inversion of a chord, or wanked in the original key
signature of E minor it was all good.
 
I never really practiced a whole song start to finish. I would usually pick out the cool or tricky part of a song and focus on getting it "perfect". The intro to Mean Streets, the intro to Naturally Wired, the tapping part of Eruption...etc. Then, about 20 years ago, I wanted to learn La Villa Strangiato...I learned 90% of it, including the glockenspiel and synth parts on guitar. The second solo was just a bit unorthodox for me but, I had the rest of it pretty tight. Took me about a month to get it down. Now I can't remember how to play most of it.
 
Dixiethedog said:
This week I have been trying a new to me technique. I was watching the most excellent "That Pedal Show" and I have tried the singing a solo technique. It's worth a try. LOL. You never know, it might help (especially if you can sing).
Click to expand...
Paul Gilbert once explained a very cool idea he uses for coming up with riffs: He'd just beat out some type of rhythmic beat with his hands, then use that as the basis for matching music to it. Dude's obviously a freak on guitar, but he's also quite thoughtful in how he gets his ideas.
 
I started learning Santana's Samba Pa Ti the first time I heard it in 1970, played it a thousand times in public and private, and still working on it. Learning to play the notes is one thing; getting the emotion out of it is another. A joy to learn and play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom