Hello to all!
I was going to wait 'til Sunday to post this but it turns out that I may be away from the computer all weekend (yet) again. Probably for the best at this point...
But I digress. We're going to take a little deviation in our lesson plan, which means that this whole idea of "going in order" actually has something to it. After going through all the songs (that we have online so far)
in the Easy Songs for Beginners section, I decided that our next step would be to build on what we've learned so far. At least strumming wise.
So we're going with Three Marlenas. As always, discussion is open to all things covered in the lesson. Ideas and techniques to be considered will probably include:
1) G and D chords - fingering, switching, etc.
2) continued use of percussive strumming
3) using a "transitional" chord (in this case the A7sus4) as a way to disguise a chord change
4) incorporating anticipations in your rhythm playing
I'm sure there's a lot more that can be added to this list, but I figure this should be enough to start with!
See you on the boards (although probably not 'til Monday!)
Peace
I had fun with this lesson and picked it up surprisingly fast. Unfortunately the D B G transition managed to ingrain into my brain and I have had a tough time working on any other songs that have a D G progression without hearing 3 Marlenas and losing what I was trying to play.
Is this normal to get stuck on a rhythm/progression like this?
Hi, IceTiger,
Losing track is quite easy in the early stages, because the muscle memory instinctively goes for the next chord from a song it already knows.
It happens in Classical, too. You'll be fine.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Listening to the actual song on CD really helped me get the strumming pattern down on this one. I tried learning it without benefit of the song at first, going by memory of this great song, but had a hard time hearing it in my head by just looking at the strumming patterns given with the lesson.
Once I listened to the song, with guitar in hand, and lesson printed out from the computer, I "got it"! Now, I've made a whole CD with songs on it that I want to learn how to play, many of them are the Beginner Lessons from this site. It's kind of like the advice on this site: use whatever sources you can find (i.e., books, videos, internet, CDs, etc.) Thanks for a great site!
this lesson was a complete pain in the ass at first, mostly because its the first song ive learned that switches chords mid bar. very frustating
i had no problem picking up the basic idea, but as soon as i tried to play it at more than a snails pace my fingers just wouldnt seem to go where i wanted them to :(
thats when i got the song on cd and listened to it. it really makes things alot easier if i have the melody clear in my head before i start to play. another few days of practice and ill have it off perfect and ready for the next lesson :)
mord
This is my signature. Fear it.
I've been enjoying trying to get the cool beadie percussive strum (sounds like beads sort of chinking together to me) that David's got on the MP3, I find if I strike the strings at a slight downward angle I can get a similar sound, though not as good as David's yet.
The rest of the strumming on the previous two songs is starting to sound pretty good which has given me a boost ie I can see improvement and feeling at ease with all these new strumming patterns.
One thing I find helpful to speed up chord changes is to watch the fretting fingers change for eg from the D to A to G without strumming at all for a while, just repeat that movement over and over while watching, then add the strums, a teacher once showed me that hint.
I picked up on an Australian site ( http://www.chaosmusic.com ) Bringing Down the Horse for AUS$12.95 (US $7.77) yesterday, it's on special at the moment, so look forward to getting that and trying to play along with it. :)
I love playing this songs but I am getting hand cramps big time. My pinky goes whacko after I get tired. The G chord is giving me fits. Any suggestions on making my pinky behave and getting the cramping to stop? Maybe time will help.
Great song!
Zeph
Hi everyone
Zeph,
I had no idea before I started playing guitar how much my left hand would hurt. Oh the pain - isn't it awful!?! Luckily they don't put warning labels on guitars or I think I would have opted for the piano there and then.
However, it's true what people tell you - it gets better with practice (well, that is, straight after practice it feels worse but the next time you pick up the guitar it's just that little bit easier ::)).
One thing I found helpful was changing the angle my left hand made with the strings. Sometimes just a little shift to make the 'intersection' a bit more.. umm.. perpedicular (?) eases the pain.
I also once met an amazing person who stretched all his fingers before and after playing. A kind of yoga for your left hand! :) Sometimes I find I do this after I've played a particularly challenging song and it's a real relief. After all that cruel torture LOL.
I wish David would sing as well as play this song. The strumming pattern is really cool, but I haven't heard the lyrics and I'm curious to see how they fit in with the music.
Great lesson btw!
Hey, that's my first real post ;)
One thing I found helpful was changing the angle my left hand made with the strings. Sometimes just a little shift to make the 'intersection' a bit more.. umm.. perpedicular (?) eases the pain.
That does not help me, cause after a couple of chord changes I am back to the original thumb position. Don't now how to keep it in place. Maybe this hideglue could be something ;D.
Somebody mentioned in a post earlier this year that a piece of sticking plaster on the back of the neck was good for keeping your thumb in place - you keep it on the plaster kinda thing.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Somebody mentioned in a post earlier this year that a piece of sticking plaster on the back of the neck was good for keeping your thumb in place - you keep it on the plaster kinda thing.
A :-)
Thanks for the idea.
I mean, on your keyboard you got some small notches on the F and J key to help you position the fingers. Shouldn't there be something similar on the back of the neck?
Great Easy Lesson!! It was a rewarding experience. I get so frustrated with my guitar deficiencies, but this really cheered me up! I don't really have anything to add to the conversation. (hehe) I just wanted to post a "Thank you" to David.
Thanks for the easy-to-understand lesson!
It's one of those newbie moments "Hey, I get it...wow, I CAN do that!" -OR- "Ohhh.... That's how you strum. Doh!"
It feels great!
I really enjoy these beginner songs. Thank you!
But, perhaps I am being too literal. Do I have to learn the words too? I am putting together a play list so to show off my new talent. Thing is, I don't like this song.
:)
By the way- I am a bad speller.
Is there a spell checker on this thing?
No. Unless you plan on singing it.
(I don' t sing out loud -- I do often sing along in my ahead to keep track of where I am in the song, etc.)
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I just got the official sheet music for The Wallflowers' "Bringing Down the Horse" and was having some problems with the rhythm/counts for this song, so it was nice seeing a little lesson on it.
I noticed the chords on this site are D, A7sus4, and G. However, the official sheet msuic actually states that it's D, Asus and G. It doesn't sound that different, but just thought you might be interested in knowing.
some are only born to try
