Working out songs will improve your technique???

Squonk

Got together with some GFSA members a couple of weeks ago and one thing that Donovan (Banks) said to me really struck home.
We were talking about the eye gouging guitars and the players who play them, and he mentioned that he was learning Steve Vai's "For the love of God" and besides learning the song it really improved his technique.
Stratisfear also mentioned that working out songs improved his soloing, e.g playing a Em scale over a song that's in G, etc etc.

I can play lots of riff',s a couple of intro's etc but never really sat down with a song and tried to work it out from intro to the end.

UNTIL this week! I took a much easier step than Donovan. I tried out Peter Frampton's "Lines on my Face" from the "Frampton Comes Alive" album.
Using mostly my ear and a little help from Frampton himself (Courtesy YouTube, thank God for people who record these concerts and keep the camera on the fretboard ?) I have got a song from beginning to end.

And it has changed my approach to playing, even noticing some of the postioning that Frampton uses has taken me out of my comfort zone into another level ?

I know this is sounds like guitar newbie stuff, but here I am many years later still learning the basics and I suppose the moral of the story is get out there and mix with other musicians. We have such a wealth of talent on this forum, and rubbing shoulders with each other can only improve our playing.

The context of this whole thing is that I have been a bedroom guitarist for so long, and I have learned things, but there is so much more to learn from other musos whose approach could be totally different to yours.

GFSA has scored yet another goal :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

guitarboy2828

+1 ?

Andy McKee said he never practiced anything but songs. He reckoned when he needed to learn a new technique it was because the song called for it and he needed to figure out how to do it. I believe that is why he is where he is today, because he took songs he liked and learnt them. So, good on ya Squonk! I'm trying to get some of Tommy Emmanuel's songs down, taking a lot longer than I would've hoped ?

singemonkey

Agreed. A lot of our guitar heroes - especially the ones from the '60s - didn't take any lessons, didn't every practise scales per se, didn't do any kind of orthodox musical self-training. What they did do is wear out records played slowed down while they worked out every little bit piece by piece. Enough individual songs and you'll be working out the logic behind it all too - even if you can't name a single chord.

I was very slow to realise how important it is. I'd get easily frustrated and turn to tab. But tab is only useful as notes - like your youtube video. There's no substitute to sitting with the song - slowing it down digitally now days - and working it out bit by bit.

LooneyAtTheGate

singemonkey wrote: There's no substitute to sitting with the song - slowing it down digitally now days - and working it out bit by bit.

I totally agree! I love the times we live in, it makes learning songs so easy (youtube, Guitar Pro, everyone tabbing and sharing) but i find that i actually remember the songs when i figure them out myself, i just use tab with the tricky bits.

I'm putting scale practice on hold for now... I find my leads end up just sounding like scales and exercises, so I'd rather spend my time practicing actual songs.

Skywalker

Cool stuff Squonk 8)

I played in a cover band a few years ago and it helped my playing big time!!! We did stuff by Led Zepp, Deep Purple, The Eagles and a whole lot more. The one thing that I REALLY got out of it was trying to get the feel of the guitarist as opposed to just playing the notes parrot fashion. Man it was cool digging into Hotel Califonia's solos and letting loose on Ritchie Blacmore's crazy leads.

I don't do enough of it these days :? but....

It's Friday and I'm lus for a jam so I think I'll be um... jamming later then ? Just gotta pick some tunes now.

Rock n Roll!!!!

[deleted]

Squonk wrote:
Stratisfear also mentioned that working out songs improved his soloing, e.g playing a Em scale over a song that's in G, etc etc.

Just wanna point out that Em over G would be, like, the same thing. I spoke of playing the notes from Em over La Grange, for example, or those from Dm over Smoke on the Water. Hahahahaha

/anal

Attila

Tip: you'll be amazed how quickly it all comes together when you sing or hum the songs/notes,