QUOTE (AK Rich @ Dec 10 2011, 10:11 PM)
Hey everyone,
Here I go again picking at your brain
Was just wondering how you guys go about learning songs, Do you simply try to learn by ear, Use Tablature or musical notation, Use media players or software to slow the song down, or all of the above? Any other methods?
Basically what I do is learn as much as I can by ear, Including using Windows media player to slow it down for fast passages or just to get the phraseing right,and then Tabs if there is something I just cant figure out.Or even listen to see how other players cover the song,
The biggest problem for me really is that some songs are hard to make out the notes at very slow playback speeds if there is alot of mud or effects on the song, or the sound of other instruments making it hard to hear the notes being played.
Regarding media players and such ,Do you guys know of any media players or software that can somehow isolate the guitar parts to be heard more clearly or even just a player that doesnt sound as muddy at slow playback speeds.
Also, when you are learning cover tunes, are you a stickler for trying to play the song as it is written or do you like to come up with your own arrangement or solos? Does it depend on what song it is?
Looking forward to your responses guys and thanks alot!
Peace! Rich...
Hey mate!
There are some steps that I always take.
1st step is tabbing the song. It is something I really enjoy to do, simply love the sound of midi! It also helps the learning process alot since you've already analysed the parts you're gonna learn when its time to practice.
When the problem of not hearing whats going on in the song occurs I'm lucky to have a friend who isolates the guitar sound in Logic pro for me, bad news is, I don't know how he does it, I just know it is possible to do with that software.2nd step is practicing the structure, I take it pretty slow, and I try to get used to the whole structure of the song in my muscle memory, not spending too much time on details or playing it 100/100. Just try to learn the feel and way the song is headed.
3rd step is practicing the details, I slow down the tempo alot and isolate the hardest parts, I practice them until I'm comfortable with a raise in BPM. I usually go with: "If you can play it flawlessly 3 times in a row, increase the speed with 5 BPM." And do this until you're able to play it at full speed.
When I'm done with the 3 steps above I go over to the 4th step which is playing the song, over and over
and over again.4th step is basicly, and I quote, what I think it was Steve Vai saying.
"You got to stick at it, stick at it and stick at it! Then you will be able to play it perfect and beautifully. Become one with the music"
And I usually apply thoose steps to everything I practice, not only songs
Cheers
Marcus
You are at GuitarMasterClass.net
Don't miss today's
free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with
free content!