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Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 13 2012, 02:49 PM

I am on a rush for getting a few songs into my system until tomorrow, they CAN be tackled in a short while as they are not difficult to master, but nonetheless, there are structures to be remembered and all in all, getting the whole song to flow through you so that on stage, nothing can go wrong. A performance has to exceed the level of reproducing a musical piece, by creating that certain bond with the listeners in which you actually transmit a feeling through what you are playing.

The idea is not to just learn the song but be able to interpret it.

So the question is, what do you do in order to get the song through your system and feel it?

I for one have listened to the 4 songs in this thread http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=42975&view=findpost&p=569019 all day yesterday until I could sing every word and every passage came natural. I don't know how to play them YET, but I know what's next if that makes any sense. Today, I'll get to level two, meaning: actually playing them.

How do you approach these situations?

Posted by: thefireball Feb 13 2012, 03:49 PM

To learn to feel the music I just have to play and play until I just know the song. I have to get past the point of having to concentrate on the notes.

Posted by: FrontlineGuitar Feb 13 2012, 04:13 PM

I'm not sure what I do about directly trying to learn them, but I once had this kinda weird experience where I was tackling this pretty hard passage for me about a year ago, and I didn't really get it down, but then that night I went to bed, and I was constantly thinking about it as I went to bed, and i woke up, grabbed a guitar and played it near perfect first time! Strange


Though I don't think that I should rely on that particular technique of learning songs...

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 13 2012, 04:21 PM

QUOTE (FrontlineGuitar @ Feb 13 2012, 03:13 PM)

I'm not sure what I do about directly trying to learn them, but I once had this kinda weird experience where I was tackling this pretty hard passage for me about a year ago, and I didn't really get it down, but then that night I went to bed, and I was constantly thinking about it as I went to bed, and i woke up, grabbed a guitar and played it near perfect first time! Strange


Though I don't think that I should rely on that particular technique of learning songs...

Posted by: Ben Higgins Feb 13 2012, 07:07 PM

I'm pretty much the same as you C-Man.. I can usually go through the entire arrangement in my head without even picking up a guitar. When it comes to playing them, that's the easy part.

For example, someone once suggested that we cover 2 Maiden songs - Phantom of the Opera & Remember Tomorrow.. although I'd never 'learnt' them, I was able to play through the entire songs with the band even though I had not sat down with the guitar and listened to them/ learnt them. Because I knew the arrangement/sounds in my head it came easily.

Not saying I'd be able to do it with more technical songs but for more simple tracks, it works.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 13 2012, 07:30 PM

haha Fell on Black Days, by Soundgarden gave me an interesting surprise - the metric is pretty peculiar 6/4 for the main riff and I thought I was getting it right the first time but somehow I couldn't keep up with Chris and the guys in the first 2-3 bars, then I figured out the metric is pretty interesting It feels like 4/4 but it's actually 6/4 divided like 12 3 4 1 2 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 as you count

Got through Jeremy and Hunger strike as well, I got only Alive by Pearl Jam so, a little break should help a little yoghurt maybe?

Posted by: Gitarrero Feb 13 2012, 07:56 PM

The good old "listen and repeat" approach And then listen some more...

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 14 2012, 09:18 AM

I also noticed there's a HUGE difference when listening to music with the aid of headphones or on normal speakers The headphones reveal a TON of things which you can't hear that easily on speakers.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Feb 14 2012, 03:51 PM

I do the same than you, listen to it the whole day is the key. After many listens you incorporate the structure and this lets you concentrate on your interpretation when you start playing it. I put the songs in my cellphone and heard them a lot of times.

Posted by: PosterBoy Feb 14 2012, 04:55 PM

I always make sure I can sing the parts out loud (not just in my head) before I touch the guitar.

Posted by: Alex Feather Feb 14 2012, 04:59 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 13 2012, 01:49 PM)

I am on a rush for getting a few songs into my system until tomorrow, they CAN be tackled in a short while as they are not difficult to master, but nonetheless, there are structures to be remembered and all in all, getting the whole song to flow through you so that on stage, nothing can go wrong. A performance has to exceed the level of reproducing a musical piece, by creating that certain bond with the listeners in which you actually transmit a feeling through what you are playing.

The idea is not to just learn the song but be able to interpret it.

So the question is, what do you do in order to get the song through your system and feel it?

I for one have listened to the 4 songs in this thread http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=42975&view=findpost&p=569019 all day yesterday until I could sing every word and every passage came natural. I don't know how to play them YET, but I know what's next if that makes any sense. Today, I'll get to level two, meaning: actually playing them.

How do you approach these situations?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 15 2012, 12:04 PM

Hey Alex! I'd be really interested in your approach looking forward to that post mate!