Why Learn Songs?

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Why Learn Songs?

Chokehold View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 04:07 PM
Apr 5 2009, 04:07 PM	GMC:er Posts: 445 Joined: 24-July 08 From: Sweden	Is learning a song just for fun, or do you become a better songwriter/more creative when you know alot of songs? Or don't you get anything from it? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Guitars: Schecter Hellraiser C-7, Epiphone SG, Some old fake Strat, and an acoustic of unknown brand. Amp: Marshall MG 30DFX.

lcsdds View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 04:13 PM
Apr 5 2009, 04:13 PM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.054 Joined: 2-September 08	QUOTE (Chokehold @ Apr 5 2009, 04:07 PM) Is learning a song just for fun, or do you become a better songwriter/more creative when you know alot of songs? Or don't you get anything from it? You get ideas that you might not have come up with yourself. I think early on in your development that learning songs is very important. The more you progress and start to want to write your own songs then I think you will just learn FROM songs and not the actual song itself so much. You might steal a lick or a song form idea or maybe a chord progression. It is all a natural progression I think. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

superize View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 04:13 PM
Apr 5 2009, 04:13 PM	Ultimate Tone Guru Posts: 4.348 Joined: 26-July 07 From: Glommersträsk. Sweden	I really like to learn songs of my favorite bands...... I feel i can get to learn technuiqes in another way then just and it is really fun so i think you can really benefit from learning songs You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My Gear Ibanez RG Jackson js30 warrior jackson rr24 Line 6 Spider III amp Line 6 pod xt live Washburn acoustic Youtube Account My bands Myspace

Matt23 View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 04:38 PM
Apr 5 2009, 04:38 PM	Accomplished Tone Master Posts: 1.745 Joined: 17-January 08 From: Scotland	Learning songs is the only way to uderstand how to compose your own song in the same style. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

jer View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 04:56 PM
Apr 5 2009, 04:56 PM	GMC:er Posts: 1.889 Joined: 3-September 08 From: Des Moines IA USA	Its more fun than exercises. Isnt a song a series of exercises IN CONTEXT? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My Gear Jackson SL-1 USA Soloist Jackson DK2M ESP LTD MH-400 ESP LTD EC-1000 Ibanez Custom S-Series Martin 001 Acoustic Handmade Marshall JCM800 50watt head (with mods) Carvin 50x2 Stereo Tube Amp Boss GT-10 Preamp/Effects Processor Digitech GSP-1101 Preamp/Effects Processor Behringer FCB1010 Midi Controlled Floorboard Behringer Dualfex EX2200 Behinger Stereo EQ Line 6 POD with 2.3 upgrade Line 6 Floor Board Line 6 Spider III Practice Amp Nady UHF Wireless *"Who will eat the decay, when the worms have lost their sight?"*

Artemus View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 05:07 PM
Apr 5 2009, 05:07 PM	Learning Tone Seeker - CHALLENGE STAR! Posts: 866 Joined: 6-February 09 From: Manchester, UK	I'd say it's very important to learn songs/pieces, especially if you mix it up by learning things that are different styles or search for pieces that will broaden your technique. With respect to guitar instrumentalists, they all have their own style and by learning their songs you can gain insight into how they achieve their signiture sound and, what's more, how they approach or use different chord progressions. It's all extremely useful when you come to right your own music and it's also a great way to achieving your own sound in the long run.. I'm still in the process of learning lots of songs and there are a lot more out there that I want to master but I gain a tiny bit more insight into my playing when I do learn a song. Exercises on the other are equally important but my approach to exercises is to find one that is most relevant to the song I'm learning at the time and focus on that until I gain "mastery" of both the technique and the piece in question. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My Myspace site here My YouTube channel here

vampire18 View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 05:34 PM
Apr 5 2009, 05:34 PM	Learning Rock Star Posts: 502 Joined: 6-February 09 From: israel	we all started playing guitar because of two things out guitar idol or idols and chicks. both require songs. anyways songs are not important maybe if all you want to be is a guitar plaing machine that can play random stuff. but learning songs gives you the abbility to write songs in that style and motivates you to put things in context. after all learning and writing songs is usally the target of being a guitar player You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! --------------------

Artemus View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 05:37 PM
Apr 5 2009, 05:37 PM	Learning Tone Seeker - CHALLENGE STAR! Posts: 866 Joined: 6-February 09 From: Manchester, UK	QUOTE (vampire18 @ Apr 5 2009, 05:34 PM) we all started playing guitar because of two things out guitar idol or idols and chicks. both require songs. anyways songs are not important maybe if all you want to be is a guitar plaing machine that can play random stuff. but learning songs gives you the abbility to write songs in that style and motivates you to put things in context. after all learning and writing songs is usally the target of being a guitar player ..which leads to achieving the other target I suppose You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My Myspace site here My YouTube channel here

mattacuk View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 08:00 PM
Apr 5 2009, 08:00 PM	Lets go fishing! Posts: 5.526 Joined: 21-December 06 From: illinois	QUOTE (lcsdds @ Apr 5 2009, 03:13 PM) You get ideas that you might not have come up with yourself. I think early on in your development that learning songs is very important. The more you progress and start to want to write your own songs then I think you will just learn FROM songs and not the actual song itself so much. You might steal a lick or a song form idea or maybe a chord progression. It is all a natural progression I think. This is my thoughts also I spent near two years just practicing exercises and techniques, this of course did me no harm and built up my skills but I was not learning music I prefer to call them "pieces of music" rather than songs, because songs implies vocals is always involved but this is not the case as learning instrumental pieces is good also. By learning your favourite songs (and even non favourites) you are learning: Chord progressions Chord Theory, specifically how the notes of those chords fit into the key and the relationships between the notes that make up the various types of chords (see Andrew theory lesson for more details) How other guitarists build riffs out of these chords which fit into the key. How other guitarists solo over the given key for the song/piece of music. Again chords may be involved with some solos. New licks, phrases and techniques. I know this is how many of our awesome instructors started out. Just for examples sake I know Gabriel learnt allot of Yngwie stuff when he started out and look how knows his theory and super skills combined Is it a good idea just to practice songs? I believe the answer to that is NO. Just like its not a good idea just to practice technique and not learning any full pieces of music. After a few years of practice my routine has ended up consisting of practicing technique/exercises, pieces of music, and Improvisation. This way I am covering all bases The good thing about alot of GMC lessons is they are just like "songs", and all the exercises you could ever need are here also. But its fun too to learn music from your favorite artists Just be sure whatever you practice make sure you do it in a structured way Hope this helps a little! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- mysql> SELECT FROM master_name WHERE ((firstname = 'Paul') AND (lastname = 'Gilbert')); "The Fundimental Difference between Paul Gilbert and Buckethead is that Paul Explores the Good side of the force, while Buckethead Explores the Dark Side of the Force" :)**

lcsdds View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 08:26 PM
Apr 5 2009, 08:26 PM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.054 Joined: 2-September 08	QUOTE (mattacuk @ Apr 5 2009, 08:00 PM) This is my thoughts also I spent near two years just practicing exercises and techniques, this of course did me no harm and built up my skills but I was not learning music I prefer to call them "pieces of music" rather than songs, because songs implies vocals is always involved but this is not the case as learning instrumental pieces is good also. By learning your favourite songs (and even non favourites) you are learning: Chord progressions Chord Theory, specifically how the notes of those chords fit into the key and the relationships between the notes that make up the various types of chords (see Andrew theory lesson for more details) How other guitarists build riffs out of these chords which fit into the key. How other guitarists solo over the given key for the song/piece of music. Again chords may be involved with some solos. *New licks, phrases and techniques. I know this is how many of our awesome instructors started out. Just for examples sake I know Gabriel learnt allot of Yngwie stuff when he started out and look how knows his theory and super skills combined Is it a good idea just to practice songs? I believe the answer to that is NO. Just like its not a good idea just to practice technique and not learning any full pieces of music. After a few years of practice my routine has ended up consisting of practicing technique/exercises, pieces of music, and Improvisation. This way I am covering all bases The good thing about alot of GMC lessons is they are just like "songs", and all the exercises you could ever need are here also. But its fun too to learn music from your favorite artists Just be sure whatever you practice make sure you do it in a structured way Hope this helps a little! These are great points Matt! One thing that I think everybody should do when learning a GMC lesson is analyze it. If you just learn the notes then once you have learned the lesson that is all you have....the ability to play that particular lesson. This is cool. To get even more out of the lesson though you should really try and analyze it. If you like a certain lick try and analyze what scale the instructor is using....specifically what diatonic/pentatonic box that cool lick/run is in. Figure out why certain notes sound good over the chords being played. The instructors have provided you with all the info you need to really learn from their lessons. There is WAY MORE to learn from these lessons than just the notes. The young guitar players on this board have NO IDEA how good they have it by having GMC. How cool would it have been when I was just starting to be able to get a guitar magazine and learn a lesson from Ritchie Kotzen or some other guitar hero....then post a take of it on the net and have them get on and tell me how to improve!! This is EXACTLY what happens here at GMC. The instructors here are PHENOMENAL talents. The potential for young players to progress VERY QUICKLY today in UNBELIEVABLE!!! Learn as many lessons here as you can....but even more important....Learn from them. Ask questions to the instructors....TAKE ADVANTAGE of what we have here at GMC. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

mattacuk View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 08:34 PM
Apr 5 2009, 08:34 PM	Lets go fishing! Posts: 5.526 Joined: 21-December 06 From: illinois	Excellent added points LCSDDS (I think I got that right) Disecting lessons apart is the way to go, no doubt. I think alot of people may unknowingly just practice the lesson and then move onto something else without having fully taken away everything to be learnt. This is not a beginners fault, as it may never have occured to them. I didnt know what I was playing for some time! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- *mysql> SELECT FROM master_name WHERE ((firstname = 'Paul') AND (lastname = 'Gilbert')); "The Fundimental Difference between Paul Gilbert and Buckethead is that Paul Explores the Good side of the force, while Buckethead Explores the Dark Side of the Force" :)**

lcsdds View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 08:53 PM
Apr 5 2009, 08:53 PM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.054 Joined: 2-September 08	QUOTE (mattacuk @ Apr 5 2009, 08:34 PM) Excellent added points LCSDDS (I think I got that right) Disecting lessons apart is the way to go, no doubt. I think alot of people may unknowingly just practice the lesson and then move onto something else without having fully taken away everything to be learnt. This is not a beginners fault, as it may never have occured to them. I didnt know what I was playing for some time! I've been playing 20 yrs and I only just started to dissect music....hopefully the beginners on this site will be smarter than I was....especially since they have somebody telling them to do it. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

mattacuk View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 08:57 PM
Apr 5 2009, 08:57 PM	Lets go fishing! Posts: 5.526 Joined: 21-December 06 From: illinois	QUOTE (lcsdds @ Apr 5 2009, 07:53 PM) I've been playing 20 yrs and I only just started to dissect music....hopefully the beginners on this site will be smarter than I was....especially since they have somebody telling them to do it. I cant be doing to bad then as ive only been playing coming up 3 years If I had never joined GMC I would have quit 6 months after I started no doubt. My live teacher could play trombone awsome, even keyboards, but guitar? No! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- *mysql> SELECT FROM master_name WHERE ((firstname = 'Paul') AND (lastname = 'Gilbert')); "The Fundimental Difference between Paul Gilbert and Buckethead is that Paul Explores the Good side of the force, while Buckethead Explores the Dark Side of the Force" :)**

lcsdds View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 09:07 PM
Apr 5 2009, 09:07 PM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.054 Joined: 2-September 08	QUOTE (mattacuk @ Apr 5 2009, 08:57 PM) I cant be doing to bad then as ive only been playing coming up 3 years If I had never joined GMC I would have quit 6 months after I started no doubt. My live teacher could play trombone awsome, even keyboards, but guitar? No! See....GMC makes a HUGE difference. When I got stuck on something I would either have to just forget about it or struggle FOREVER with it. You guys just get on here an say...".Hey Muris or Emir how do I become a bad!@# guitar player like you"....They post back and tell you. Then if it doesn't happen it is because you didn't apply what they told you or you weren't consistent enough in your practicing. But it isn't because you weren't told or shown what to do!! For instance... I wasn't really even aware of string skipping until recently. I had heard of it a little but until I tried Muris's canon lesson I never really tried it. Now I use it a TON. Players on this board are exposed to these concepts from day one and they have all kinds of support to learn how to do these techniques properly. That is HUGE.....as those of us who learned to play 20 years ago can testify. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

mattacuk View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 09:10 PM
Apr 5 2009, 09:10 PM	Lets go fishing! Posts: 5.526 Joined: 21-December 06 From: illinois	String skipping is gooood And for newbies who join GMC, I think they have a great advantage because they have no bad habits, only good habits learn here You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- *mysql> SELECT FROM master_name WHERE ((firstname = 'Paul') AND (lastname = 'Gilbert')); "The Fundimental Difference between Paul Gilbert and Buckethead is that Paul Explores the Good side of the force, while Buckethead Explores the Dark Side of the Force" :)**

Ivan Milenkovic View Member Profile	Apr 5 2009, 10:20 PM
Apr 5 2009, 10:20 PM	Instructor Posts: 25.396 Joined: 20-November 07 From: Belgrade, Serbia	QUOTE (Chokehold @ Apr 5 2009, 05:07 PM) Is learning a song just for fun, or do you become a better songwriter/more creative when you know alot of songs? Or don't you get anything from it? I think both reasons are important. When you learn some cool song it is fun cause you learn something that you like to play, enjoy with music, and make a connection with the music. You also get new ideas, new directions, and in general start thinking about harmony and chord progressions more, which is a great thing cause that allows you to become better at soloing as well, cause you make a stronger connection between scales & harmony. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE - Check out my GMC Profile and Lessons - (Please subscribe to my) YouTube Official Channel - Let's be connected through ! Facebook! :)

Pedja Simovic View Member Profile	Apr 6 2009, 01:57 AM
Apr 6 2009, 01:57 AM	Instructor Posts: 8.109 Joined: 13-September 08 From: Nis, Serbia	There is many reasons why you should learn songs. For some people solution might be to play in cover bands so learning a lot of songs is essential. For people who want to make their own music it is essential to learn from the songs rather then just learn the actual song. That means that you have to analyze every section of the song, arrangement, harmony and melody and see if you can apply anything from that song in your own style. If you just play scales up and down and thats all you practice chances are you will never make an original piece of music. So think about those things and decide for yourself what you want to do You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My Video Lessons

Emir Hot View Member Profile	Apr 6 2009, 02:04 AM
Apr 6 2009, 02:04 AM	Instructor Posts: 7.201 Joined: 14-July 08 From: London UK	It's very cool to learn songs. The first thing is that it makes you happy when you're able to play something of your favorite bands. Then you can jam with friends and play those covers. The second is great because you can make your friends happy if you want to entertain them with your guitar. This works for girls as well Now the other side has been said by many before me. It will help you develop as a musician. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Check out my <a href="https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/instructor/Emir-Hot" target="_blank">Instructor profile</a> www.emirhot.com www.myspace.com/emirhotguitar www.myspace.com/sevdahmetal

lcsdds View Member Profile	Apr 6 2009, 02:28 AM
Apr 6 2009, 02:28 AM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.054 Joined: 2-September 08	QUOTE (Emir Hot @ Apr 6 2009, 02:04 AM) It's very cool to learn songs. The first thing is that it makes you happy when you're able to play something of your favorite bands. Then you can jam with friends and play those covers. The second is great because you can make your friends happy if you want to entertain them with your guitar. This works for girls as well Now the other side has been said by many before me. It will help you develop as a musician. 'SIGH' We do so many things in life to get girls......... You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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