Struggling with a ridiculously easy song

[Drop1]

I've been going back and picking up songs I used to like.

I'm tyring to learn "Californication". It should be ridiculously easy, but I keep rushing the hammer ons and pull offs. ( side effect of playing in metal bands most my life).

I can slow it down fine, but the second I try to play it at tempo I wind up blazing through that little part of the riff.

Any advice ?

 

[Lobster11]

I've been going back and picking up songs I used to like.

I'm tyring to learn "Californication". It should be ridiculously easy, but I keep rushing the hammer ons and pull offs. ( side effect of playing in metal bands most my life).

I can slow it down fine, but the second I try to play it at tempo I wind up blazing through that little part of the riff.

Any advice ?

If there's a slower tempo at which you can play it perfectly, don't try to jump directly from there to trying to play it at the song's actual tempo: Work your way gradually, in steps, from the slow-tempo-you-can-play to the target tempo.

 

[Drop1]

If there's a slower tempo at which you can play it perfectly, don't try to jump directly from there to trying to play it at the song's actual tempo: Work your way gradually, in steps, from the slow-tempo-you-can-play to the target tempo.

I can play it correctly about 10 bpm slower. I guess I'll just try to step it up 1 bpm at a time until I get it. It's infuriatingly simple but I swear the harder I try to not rush, the more I wind up rushing.

 

[Lobster11]

the harder I try to not rush, the more I wind up rushing.

Yup, that's exactly the problem -- it's all in your head! Hopefully sneaking up the tempo one or two bpms at a time will solve the problem.

 

[Drop1]

This had a happy ending but it sure made me mad along the way. I've learned whole a$$ albums in less time than it took me to get the timing of those 3 notes under my fingers.
I had to break it all the way down and just repeat the hammer on an pull off paying careful attention to make sure I held the hammer on long enough. I still want to rush it, so I have to be aware of it at all times. It's dumb.

 

[JonathanPDX]

When tackling a tricky part it can help to set your metronome slow and play that part in time, but ONLY those notes. You already know the notes before and after, so you can sing or hum or even record those on a loop, but only actually play the passage that's giving you trouble, think of it like it's own little bubble.

Obviously you need to put it in context to really master it, but sometimes isolating that one fingering can help you get it under your hands without rushing in and out of the passage you are working on.

 

[RattleSnack]

Lots of musicians have problem with playing song in some specific tempo.
One practice to play the song in tempo AND make it groove, it to dance to it while playing. Try it.

 

[jj.833]

Californication actually is not easy, everybody struggles with it.
Since you are experienced musician, you surely know that the fastest way to learn a hard riff is to get comfortable with its basic techniques. I'd suggest to practise hammer-ons and pull offs separately, then incorporate these into the riff. You can start here:
Hammer Ons & Pull Offs #1: Basic Hammer Ons – TalkingBass

 

[albertus]

you are thinking mechanically and not musically. practice at slow tempos but with NO metronome. focus on hearing what you are playing instead of how you are playing it

 

[Govner22]

I struggled with the tempo on it too. What helped me was to hit only that third note, the octave, with more emphasis. Somehow that got me to feel the tempo. If I hit all the notes with the same or similar attack it didn’t work for me.

 

[Drop1]

Im pretty sure this time around my grief was caused by short pinky syndrome.

I was using my ring finger for hammers and pulls which put my pinkie rather far way from the fretboard and had me rushing to jump up strings with the pinky.
Not using my ring finger ar all on that riff made it much easier to keep time.

 

[buldog5151bass]

If you know the part, don't concentrate on the notes, but the time. Even if you get a few notes wrong, once you feek the groove, you can iron out any wrong notes.

 

[mambo4]

focus on hearing what you are playing instead of how you are playing it

I think this advice is more broadly important than it may at first appear.

 

[matti777]

This may or may not be your issue but my problems are often due to spending too much time trying to play a song and not enough time listening.