Have you ever started learning a guitar solo....

Bubba po

Bubba po

Tiny Stonehenge Moment
...and got to the point where you come to the realisation that you simply can't move your fingers any faster? :(

I'm at that point with the solo from "My Best Friend's Girl" by the Cars. I know the record is speeded up, because the standard-tuned guitars are a semitone higher than they ought to be, going on live performances; but that's no consolation. The song ought to be played at about 125 bpm and I can't get faster than about 116 bpm. The live versions are played at the same tempo, so I know it's possible, but perhaps not for me!:mad::mad:

Dealing with one's own shortage of talent is a difficult thing. Any suggestions or similar experiences?
 
If that works I'll be very grateful! :D I am learning on 10 gauge, so I'll have a go on my lad's Epiphone LP which is strung with 9s. :thumbup:
 
It works. The lighter strings will make your fingers go a lot faster when you're used to playing the heavier ones. :D
 
You'll hit alot of brick walls like this when practicing speed. Best thing to do is use a metronome and pick out the phrase you are having trouble with. Start at a slower speed than you would normally play it and concentrate on synchronizing your movements. Bump it up 1 bpm after 4 or so repetitions of the phrase. When you reach a point where you are struggling back off about 2 bpm. Just make sure that before you increase the speed that the current speed you are playing at is comfortable and you are pulling it off without many mistakes or struggling. It will pay off and you will also notice how simply increasing speed by 1 bpm can make a big difference.
 
While I can greatly appriciate folks who can do the nuetron finger dance, I have no desire to go there. I was built for comfort, not for speed.:D
 
That solo isn't about speed...it's about L/R hand fingering technique.
Change your approach.
Check out this live video...he's not working real hard at it.



Boy...that takes me back!!! :D
We use to play that in one of my bands back around '79-'80
They sound cheesy today, but durring the New Wave period, they were hot.
 
I meant it may sound cheesy to today's younger crowds...but for us old farts it's nostalgic. ;)
 
Ok, after much practice and sore fingers, I've now got it up to 126 bpm, but there's no way it's comfortable! I feel like I'm on a breakneck rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. :laughings: I don't think there's any way I could attempt that live - I'd crash and burn every time. :D
 
I didn`t see a "solo" per se. Are you talking about the lick around 2:10 or so? I`ve found that experimenting with different guitars can make a pretty big difference. Neck shape is the biggest factor for me. After learning it on heavy strings or whatever, try playing it on a different guitar. You may surprise yourself
 
theD1CKENS said:
I didn`t see a "solo" per se. Are you talking about the lick around 2:10 or so? I`ve found that experimenting with different guitars can make a pretty big difference. Neck shape is the biggest factor for me. After learning it on heavy strings or whatever, try playing it on a different guitar. You may surprise yourself
Click to expand...

This is listed as a solo in the tab:


Guitar solo
-----------------1--10-10---12^12--10--8-6-12^-10-12-6-12-12-10--8-10-8-6-|
------------1-1-----------------------------------------------------------|
----2-2-3h4---------------------------------------------------------------|
2h3-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|


------8----6----/8--6---4p3p1---1-----------|
1-2-3---3----3----------------4-------------|
----------------------------------3p1-------|
-------------------------------------3p1h3--|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|

1---1-----------1----4p3p1---1-------------1---1---------1-----5-|
--3---1-----------3--------4-----3p1---------3---1----------3----|
-----------2h3-----------------------3p1h3-----------2h3---------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
 
yeah, i've been trying to learn a solo from the band foreign objects where james murphy (guitarist from death) played the solo, and for the life of me i just can't get it down as fast as him. i've pretty much given up, and then realized the last time i sat down and learned a solo was like 5 years ago...ugh i gotta get on it lol..check it out,
‪Foreign Objects - Universal Culture Shock‬‏ - YouTube

ugh!
 
theD1CKENS said:
I didn`t see a "solo" per se. Are you talking about the lick around 2:10 or so? I`ve found that experimenting with different guitars can make a pretty big difference. Neck shape is the biggest factor for me. After learning it on heavy strings or whatever, try playing it on a different guitar. You may surprise yourself
Click to expand...

Yes, but it's a bit more than a lick! It lasts for six counts of four, then a slight reprise after a couple of bars.

I like my solos to be short and sweet - any longer than a few bars and you're either rambling or masturbating. :D
 
diggy_dude said:
This is listed as a solo in the tab:


Guitar solo
-----------------1--10-10---12^12--10--8-6-12^-10-12-6-12-12-10--8-10-8-6-|
------------1-1-----------------------------------------------------------|
----2-2-3h4---------------------------------------------------------------|
2h3-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|


------8----6----/8--6---4p3p1---1-----------|
1-2-3---3----3----------------4-------------|
----------------------------------3p1-------|
-------------------------------------3p1h3--|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|

1---1-----------1----4p3p1---1-------------1---1---------1-----5-|
--3---1-----------3--------4-----3p1---------3---1----------3----|
-----------2h3-----------------------3p1h3-----------2h3---------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
Click to expand...


Looks a bit simplistic to me - this is the tutorial I've been using. :)

 
hmmm...great tutorial. I wish all "learn to play..." videos were like that. the toughest part looks like the trills(or whatever they're called) near the end, and the picking accuracy

out of curiosity, is it trouble with the fretting, or the picking?
 
theD1CKENS said:
hmmm...great tutorial. I wish all "learn to play..." videos were like that. the toughest part looks like the trills(or whatever they're called) near the end, and the picking accuracy

out of curiosity, is it trouble with the fretting, or the picking?
Click to expand...
Yes, its a fantastic tutorial, isn't it? And so refreshing on youtube to see a really competent player delivering the goods. It's very, very clever to use pitch shifting technology to keep the slow-mo sections in tune with the track. The fast pull-offs at the end I find fairly easy, as luck would have it. Those bluesy licks with the deep bends are the hardest parts for me because they really aren't part of my playing style and it's something I'm having to learn almost from scratch. The two trickiest parts for me are: the first upward run (first count of four) - it seems deceptively simple, but getting the "feel" of the notes right is difficult for me, and the lick at 0:10 to 0:12 with the two different double-note bends separated by a little 1&2 finger trill. I know these will seem laughably simple, bread-and-butter licks to all you blues and country players, but they're new to me. :D

I've literally got blisters on my fingertips and I rue the day I changed from 9 to 10 gauge strings four years ago, for the improvement in tone. :laughings:
 
Something I've always found helps (sort of) is to simply move on to something way harder. That will completely kick your ass, and when you come back the original a couple weeks later, suddenly it's pretty easy by comparison.

Based on that solo, I suggest you discover Danny Gatton. :D



Also worth a thought- there's probably a particular technique employed in that solo that's a struggle for you. Isolate that. Is the picking too fast? Is it the faux banjo pick and finger stuff? Find it, then make up a drill that works just THAT. Then practice that a lot until it comes naturally.
 
miroslav said:
That solo isn't about speed...it's about L/R hand fingering technique.
Change your approach.
Check out this live video...he's not working real hard at it.

Boy...that takes me back!!! :D
We use to play that in one of my bands back around '79-'80
They sound cheesy today, but durring the New Wave period, they were hot.
Click to expand...
ditto ..... I went and checked it out ........ not really that fast IMO. I'm not looking at any more clips 'cause I gotta go gig but I'm gonna say he's fingerpicking or using a hybrid finger/pick technique on his right hand .... the left hand is really just a series of grips.
 
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