Hi there!
I have a couple of questions. I've been playing the guitar for 7 1/2 years now. I would greatly appreciate if anyone can help me out.
I've been trying to play the really fast riff in the beginning of "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey for a couple months now....But I still can't get it to sound like the recording. I want it to be perfect. I got the muted part of the riff down, but I can't seem to get the part that's not muted. I'm fast, but not fast enough. I just need to get a little faster for it to sound correct. When I alternate pick (or play a solo), my picking hand usually rests on the strings. My question is.....Is this what's slowing me down? Is this a bad habit (my picking hand resting on the strings while I play)? Should I lift my hand off the strings while I play or am I fine? If I lift my hand off the strings while I play, will this improve my speed or not? If so, by how much (alot or little) will my speed improve?
And also, I've been trying to play the solo to "Any Way You Want It", also by Journey. I can't get this solo down either....I'm just slow. Any tips on playing solos?
Thanks!
Yours Truly,
Michelle
P.S. At what level do you think the beginning riff of "Don't Stop Believin'" and the solo to "Anyway You Want It" is (Intermediate or Advanced) ?
NEAL SCHON = AWSOME GUITARIST!!!!
I took a listen to them both and then peeked at the powertab version. Here's my take on these songs:
The riff in "Don't stop believing" is fairly basic - the trouble (as you've also stated) is the speed at which it is played. It starts out as quarter notes and then speeds up, which also entails some problems when it comes to keeping in time.
The picking part and fretting for this isn't complicated, but pay close attention to your right hand. You should pick this down, up on the B-string and down, up on the G-string at all times. The only way to get anywhere with practicing this would be to a meteronome, gradually building your speed untill you can play it. Start off real slow - quarter notes around 70-80 bpm.
As for resting your hand on the strings. I don't think this will affect your speed much. I rest my hand on the bridge when I have to play fast, and in my experience not having the hand 'ancored' on the guitar makes it more difficult to play single note lines accurately. This is probably an individual thing, just like how you hold the pick. There are no "rights and wrongs" - different things work for different players. If your picking isn't any faster when you're not resting on the strings then it's probably not worth the effort to switch picking methods. Just concentrate on improving the technique you do have.
The "Anyway you want it" solo is a bit trickier - there are some very fast scale runs in there. The key is to get the pattern down first - teach your fingers to play it flawlessly at no tempo, then start with a very low speed on the meternonome and go from there. Make no mistake though - this song requires good chops to play.
I would rate both songs as "advanced" due to the technique required to play the leads. You might want to consider starting out on some solos that aren't so technically demanding, like "Back in black" by AC/DC, "Stairway to heaven" by Led Zep, or "Hotel California" by The Eagles. All great solos that don't require as much sheer speed to get down.
This space for rent
Yah, Neal Schon really ripped it up on those songs (and others) and to cop his licks will take a fair amount of work. On Don't Stop... like was mentioned, he speeds up slowly, and there are points where it's not in time with the beat because he's trying to keep the speed-up even, basically 'aiming' for the bends at the end of the phrase. He's a masterful guitarist and very musical too -- like with your 2nd example of Anyway You Want It. He borders on some John McLaughlin style 'cascades' of scalar and sequenced runs in that solo.
He's a great musician to learn stuff from though, real clean, melodic style, but blazing fast when needed (and always done tastefully).
Best
Another bit:
I looked at some photos of him playing, then found this site, which sorta confirmed what I thought:
http://p221.ezboard.com/fdigitechrp2000usersforumfrm4.showNextMessage?topicID=28.topic
"...Watch some tapes of him, he has an unusual picking style where he turns the pick the opposite direction of most players. He slices the string instead of
hitting full on. Ironically George Benson plays this way as well. It's a good way to get really quick speed, but the tone sounds thinner due to the slicing...."
Another guy who plays like that is the guy he was in a band with for a few years -- Carlos Santana.
I don't agree that his tone suffers though :)
