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Let me count the ways……
With the NW weather the way it is this time of year- (sunny and warm…… not)- I have been burying myself in guitar-stuff the last few weeks. Think I’m making good progress lately.
One of the biggest things that has come to light for me is that I’m realizing that there are LOTS of different ways to play a song…… and that goes ANY song…….
You can play it in different KEYS- (maybe so you can sing along easier), you can play the chords progressions within a key- (but in a different order), you can spice it up by using some of the SAME chords- (but up- or down- an octave), and you can add UNLIMITED different types and “flavors” of solos, improvisations, and riffs. You can change strumming patterns, you can play it fingerstyle, or play it “quietly and melodically, or bang it out in louder, “rocker” style.
I’m SURE there are things I’ve missed– the variables are probably endless, actually.
So….. We’ve all seen YouTube videos about “THIS is how you Play this- (whatever)- Song”- (and they are GREAT, actually). But, I now look at it a lot differently. I know that THAT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO PLAY THAT SONG. I play it that way the video describes- (but mostly just to get “the feel for it”)…….. but then I try all the different things mentioned above.
It changes EVERYTHING about how you “see” that song- (and all others)…..
Give it a try!
theoldcoach
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7 Replies
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So true! Good words for us as we learn techniques to apply to songs in different ways
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During my practice session today, I went over into YouTube videos, looking for some actual examples of the point I was trying to explain in the original post in this thread.
Wow…. there are SOOOOO many “How-to-play this song” videos in there!!!- thousands. I couldn’t even begin to pick one out!
It’s amazing to me that even though the videos for any given song can all be different- (and they all sound great)——- It’s the same song! It might be in a different key– (and/or maybe MANY things changed that I mentioned above).
So, I use that to remember that even though I might play a song a bit differently than someone else…… that’s OK. Maybe I like “my version” of it better! And if I change my mind and change it her & there– (experimenting/noodling)…… that’s OK too!………
There isn’t a “you have to play it ONLY this way” requirement🤔.
This is one of the GREAT things about the TAC method. Here- we’re NOT learning how to play one song…. (even though the TAC-way may take longer and is harder)….. we’re learning more broad-based, to be able to play ANY song.
Any way we want to play it……… simply…….. because we KNOW how that song’s music-structure WORKS- (vs just “memorizing” it).
Any thoughts?
Sorry yet again about being so long-winded- (and I promised myself I’d work on that😕).
theoldcoach
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Yes @the-old-coach I have several thoughts, the most important at this moment is…by gosh T-O-C, you have learned to play guitar rather than learned the choreography to play a song. Well done. Now you play all and any. And I think that most of the time you are having fun, am I right?
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Jeff- Your reply means a lot.
Being honest, I have to say I’m having fun…… mostly “in my own way”…….
I’m an investigative, curious, person by nature- (in case you haven’t noticed). I really enjoy the diggin’ into something I’m not necessarily knowledgeable about.
Crazy/goofy example……… My brother & I had lots of minibikes/ dirt bikes/ go-karts, etc, when we were growin’ up, and we used to tear them apart and then just put them back together— just for the fun of it— and…. to see what actually made them work. And we didn’t just take the engine OFF, we took the engine APART. Everything…..
You LEARN A LOT by tearing something apart and seeing – (and thinking about)- how it really works😉…..
So….. even though learning…. and also practicing…. guitar, is “work” in some sense…….. I thoroughly enjoy the “task” part of it.
Am I peein’ all over myself like a puppy as I make my way down the hall to a guitar session???…… no.
Do enjoy the practice sessions???……. absolutely.
I get the fun out of it by—-
1. Discovering “new” things- (guitar light-bulb-moments).
2. Seeing results– that mostly come from studying, and just plain old **thinking** about guitar-stuff…… and LOTS of repetition. (I can MAKE that stretch, or pull off that scale, or clumsy chord transition, that I couldn’t a month ago!!!)😎.
3. Just plain hearing the sounds I’m making that are coming from an instrument that makes NO sound until I play it.
These three things are the dessert!
I like the vegetables, too!
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Hey @the-old-coach , it is very inspiring to read your posts and feel the excitement you have for your guitar journey. There is a definite “buzz” that occurs when something “clicks” with the way the guitar works, what a guitarist can invent with that and experiencing the outcome! One word: magic! Thanks for sharing my friend!
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Thanks for responding, K-man!
As I read your post here, I couldn’t help but glance up at my long-winded ramblings.
I promised myself I’d knock it off with the blah-blah-blah….. It appears I have failed miserably at that.
Doing better at learning guitar than learning how to tone it back🙄
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😂 – don’t worry about the length of your posts. It seems to me you are processing the hat you are thinking and feeling and sharing that with the TAC family. That’s a good thing!
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