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What song can you just not play

M

msaone

May 13, 2012
473
9
www.msaone.com
#1
Just curious what song you've given up on? You've worked and worked and it just won't come.

For me it's one of our bands originals. Very fast riff at the end of the neck on all four strings.

We're still doing the song but I just can't get this riff.
 
#7
NYCbassist said:
Show me the Way by Peter Frampton. I can get through it but I've yet to not make a minor mistake at the last 5 shows.
Click to expand...

I sang and played this ditty when it originally came out, six nights a week. Mindlessness is the key. ;)

However, I have recording of my Yes cover band from the early '70s and I'm still amazed that I could sing and play Chris Squire's parts. Don't know if I could do that now. In my Holiday Inn band days, we played 5 sets, 6 nights. Everything became so ingrained that I didn't have to think about much.
 
#9
It's mostly jazz tunes that trip me up. Most rock and pop tunes I have no trouble with, but some of that jazz stuff is really out there and far beyond what my little fingers can do.
 
#11
Try visualizing yourself playing it, nailing it effortlessly. Think of how would you move your hands, imagine the sound it will do, etc. Then start practicing the riff VERY slowly, with a metronome. Play it over until you can play it perfectly and don't have to think about it, then bump up the tempo a bit. Repeat until it's fast enough.
 
#12
Trying to play Paul Chambers' bass lines is tough. I don't cover songs note-for-note (mostly because I don't play with folks who care), but when I need to, I usually can, with some practice as Euka suggests. I have yet to try to play Jaco's Donna Lee past the first two bars.
 
#15
Going back to the late 80's/early 90's I was into neo classical metal - Yngwie and the like. The band I was in played mostly originals, but we did so covers. One of the covers was an Yngwie song called Krakatoa. It is a truly difficult song- very fast runs doubling the guitars (yngwie played the bass on it, and it shows- like him or not the man is a technical monster). I worked and worked at it, and at times could play it if I was absolutely playing at peak capacity. It really drive me nuts, and probably was one of the leading causes of me obsessing with flat out speed, which lead to me developing tendonitis in my left wrist/forearm.

If I had been smart I would have just admitted to myself that it was just a bit beyond what I could do, and just told the guys in the band that I cannot do it. It would have saved me a bunch of discomfort and down time recuperating (think not being able to play for about a year), and then for another year or so only being able to play for 20-30 minutes. Ok now though.
 
#19
i wont say i cant play it, i just cant play it with the same exact feel and groove lenny plays it. the bassline to "it aint over 'till its over" by lenny kravitz. for myself, its one of those songs that note wise is simple, but groove wise is elusive. i have seen tons of videos of people covering that song and no one can ever fully replicate that groove. its very nuanced.
 

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