Cats in the cradle was a great lesson to learn. It is right at my skill level & I love the song.
I noticed many parts missing from the song, after the second part of the intro after the Am chord there is another part
that raises in pitch which I haven't figured out yet. And the bassline is missing also. Any recommendations to spice up the verses would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody & Thanks for the article dave, you're my favorite columnist here
This isn't a response to the first post, but I didn't want to make a new thread. David (or anybody) I'm having trouble transitioning from the fingerstyle parts to the strumming parts and vise versa. It sounds real choppy and disconnected. Is there anything I can do to improve this or is it just a matter of practicing and concetrating harder on those sections? (Barring that does anyone have a magic wand that I can use to make my hands get it right. :) ) Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Where am I going....and why am I in this hand basket?
For most people starting out, being able to combine strumming and picking usually does sound choppy, and usually for two reasons. First, it takes some getting used to. I don't know if you've been listening to any of the Guitar Noise Podcasts, but this "fluid" shift from strumming to picking is one of the things I'm trying to help people work through. Hate to tell you it takes practice, but it certainly does.
Second, and this is actually an offshoot of the first, don't worry about hitting the whole chord. Remember that when you're listening to the recorded version of the song, you're getting several instruments, not to mention overdubbed parts on some instruments as well) and things sound a lot fuller. Once you get used to the sound of partial chords and the feel of strumming them, it will also sound fuller.
Finally, and this is more a matter concerning this particular arrangement, with this song, having it capoed up so high takes away a lot of the natural fullness of the guitar. That will also contribute to the uneven feel of the song. But if you get three or four people singing along with you, you'll (hopefully) be pleasantly surprised that it doesn't sound all that choppy. Remember that you're supposed to be the accompaniment! :wink:
Hope this helps.
And to also answer the Duke, I'll try to hunt down a recording and work out those "missing" parts. Sorry about that...
Peace
Thanks david, thats helped me as well.
Jack
Awesome lesson! I finally overcame my fear of finger picking with this song thanks!!!
