TR-501 • Song Tips 1 (Pop and Rock)

[justinguitar]

Questions...

Lesson Link: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TR-020-SongTips1.php

[Vaara]

I really want to learn how to transcribe, but could you give some sugestions of classic rock songs like Aerosmith for example, I've been trying to learn it in a while. I noticed when I transcribed Walk This Way it was much funnier and much more easy, you think that's becouse I like doing it more? It would have been cool if you could make like this list with loads of songs that's easy with different genres! Without give any help just give sugestuons. Well that's about it, it's just an idea and I thought I should put it up. 

p.s. just want to say thank you so much for all the help your really awesome!

[thisismyname]

and you give more metal songs in your transcribe area? like iron maiden and diamond head megadeth metallica, some more hardcore stuff? plz?

[gareth51]

I have just tried transcribing my first song - Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.  I have got most of the chords now.  The hints from Justin obviously helped a lot.  I haven't attempted to work out the fills yet (played after the words "I walk alone") nor the solo bit after the 2nd chorus.  I have just tried working out the ending, but I have found that it is not possible to play it with the capo on because I want the low E at the end of that figure (if I have got that part right?)  I could play it with the capo but an octave higher, but that doesn't sound right.  I also thought about using the whammy bar so I could play the low E while still using the capo.  That is a bit hit and miss and I guess it is bad technique.  Looking at the You Tube video of the live version, the singer, who plays the power chord section and the ending, doesn't have a capo on his guitar, whereas I think the other guitarist does use a capo, although there isn't a good shot of his guitar.  So I guess I have just answered my own question - you need 2 guitarists.

Gareth

[xXForget itXx]

I really want to learn how to transcribe, but could you give some sugestions of classic rock songs like Aerosmith for example, I've been trying to learn it in a while. I noticed when I transcribed Walk This Way it was much funnier and much more easy, you think that's becouse I like doing it more? It would have been cool if you could make like this list with loads of songs that's easy with different genres! Without give any help just give sugestuons. Well that's about it, it's just an idea and I thought I should put it up. 

p.s. just want to say thank you so much for all the help your really awesome!

+1 to everything, except the fact that I did Mama Kin and not Walk This Way

[rockgod37]

justin I was wondering if you could show how to transcribe solos

[dumhole327]

You go about transcribing solos in the same way as everything else. Just listen to the notes being played and then find those notes on the guitar. It helps a lot to know the key/scale the solo is in, but finding that is a different story, one that I don't want to get in to. It also helps to slow the song down to half speed or so, because hearing the notes can be quite a xx--xx full speed. I use a free program called Audacity for this which can change the tempo of the songs. You can get it by googling Audacity.

Just start slow finding the notes, and you may be able to recognize a certain scale shape, and then you can start looking just in that scale and eliminate other notes. It can seem extremely hard at first, but you get better at it really quickly.

[Fernando]

Hi man, i was trying to transcribe "Song 2" by Blur and I think there is a Db in the chorus, around 1:00 in the original track, can you tell me if that is right?

[Tomps]

I don't understund. In the video (tips for beginners) you said that I should work out the order of the chords by my self out of the given chords, but in the tips you tell the order in the "rundown" part. So what do I have to exactly do when I "Transcribe" these songs? I mean there's nothing else to transcribe anymore, except solos and melody which are not beginner stuff I think.

-Tomps

[xXForget itXx]

When you know the chords for the song (in wrong order) just stop reading! And if you get REALLY stuck, take a look at it

[close2u]

Hi
was hoping that someone can save me a lot of time searching for 'contemporary' songs using chords A  D  E   (and maybe a few other simple open chords too).

I am teaching my grandson from beginner level and he likes bands such as Green Day, Guns n Roses, Queens Of The Stone Age and similar ...

I am not too familiar with their stuff.

all suggestions gratefully received - thanks.

[Tomps]

Hi
was hoping that someone can save me a lot of time searching for 'contemporary' songs using chords A  D  E   (and maybe a few other simple open chords too).

I am teaching my grandson from beginner level and he likes bands such as Green Day, Guns n Roses, Queens Of The Stone Age and similar ...

I am not too familiar with their stuff.

all suggestions gratefully received - thanks.

Knocking' on heavens door is good, simple and guns n' roses made a cover of that song. Chords are G, D, C in chorus and G, D, Am in the rest of the song. ( Goes like this: G, D, C, C   G, D, Am, Am)

[close2u]

Thanks tomps - I know that song (being a dylan fan) and I do know some of the 'well known' tracks by these bands

I am still hoping for some suggestions of their songs that are basically revamped rock 'n' roll 3 chord classics

I am going to use Oh Boy and Something Else as classic A  D  E songs but my grandson doesn't know these (not yet anyway...!)


More suggestions then please folks


also add to the list The Killers perhaps or similar ... again I only know a few tracks of theirs

I want to hook him with the simplicity of three chord song structure

thanks

[jconn12153]

my transcribe application is not working it says i have to open it with itunes? how do i do it

[gareth51]

my transcribe application is not working it says i have to open it with itunes? how do i do it

If you bought the song through iTunes Store, there will be restrictions due to DRM (digital rights management) and you can not use that song in Transcribe.  However, iTunes have started to convert all their songs to iTunes Plus which does not have the DRM restrictions and can be used in Transcribe.  It costs 20p (if you are in the UK) per song to upgrade a song you already have to the version without DRM. 

If you have imported songs from CD, you won't have this problem.

[adhdband]

Wow, great lesson I was surprised how fast I was able to figure out Seven Nation Army.  I'm better at transcribing than I thought.  But then again, I seem to be having trouble with Flight of Icarus.

But then again the whole concept here is to practice it over and over until you get it.  So, uh anyways good lesson, I'm off to make use of it.

[ILove]

Great lesson, have put off transcribing up until now but surprised myself with Basket Case. Not the hardest song to do I supposed but I got a lot more correct than I expected.

[nellicus]

Hi everyone.

First of all, thanks to Justin for the lessons and getting me to try transcribing. Finding it very hard but its rewarding and I am determined to stick at it.

Can anyone help me with this.....I am working on Foo Fighters, Next year.....

Justins notes show it as chords of G D and C......the D sounds to me a bit like D/F#, I dont trust my ears yet am I completely off the mark??

Secondly, am I right in thinking that the strumming in this is sixteenth note strumming?? Was having a little trouble getting my head aound it.

Thanks

Neil

[titbot]

any recommended easy blues solos to transcribe?

[AndW]

Hi all!

After I watched Justin's 100th video about transcribing and the importance of it, i realized that i had to start. I'm doing the beginners course at the time and I'm learning about the powerchords now. Song 2 by Blur was mentioned in the text about Power Chords and i thought it would be smart to try transcribe it. Without looking at Justin's tips/chords for this song I started listening and trying. After a while I was pretty sure I'd got it.

I had worked out this chords in this order for the song: C, Bb Eb, F and G. But when i looked at Justin's chords in random order there was no G. He had also a Ab chord which I didn't have. Since then I've tried to get the right order of Justin's chords, but i still haven't got it. I think my chords sounds much better, lol
Can anybody tell me the chords and in the correct order for this song please? That would be awsome.

Thanks

Anders

[jordan_v86]

Hi all!

After I watched Justin's 100th video about transcribing and the importance of it, i realized that i had to start. I'm doing the beginners course at the time and I'm learning about the powerchords now. Song 2 by Blur was mentioned in the text about Power Chords and i thought it would be smart to try transcribe it. Without looking at Justin's tips/chords for this song I started listening and trying. After a while I was pretty sure I'd got it.

I had worked out this chords in this order for the song: C, Bb Eb, F and G. But when i looked at Justin's chords in random order there was no G. He had also a Ab chord which I didn't have. Since then I've tried to get the right order of Justin's chords, but i still haven't got it. I think my chords sounds much better, lol
Can anybody tell me the chords and in the correct order for this song please? That would be awsome.

Thanks

Anders

Hi AndW,

I also just started transcribing and as a first song i also picked Song 2. After searching for a while I ended up with the same chords as you being C, Bb Eb, F and G. The Ab chord from justin's tips just doesn't sound right. Can somebody confirm this please?

Greets,

Jordan

[MediaMan09]

A general question...

My goal is for solo versions (chords and melody), personal pleasure only, but would like the result recogizable when others listen! Kinda of a simpler version of Justins amazing version of YESTERDAY!

My question is, in general, other than Justins great videos,  what set of aids should I be using, ie

1) lyrics with chord refernces (either with name and/or diagrams) ..just like song books from years back before internet. ie No tabs.

2) tab diagrams (with or without chord refercnes)

3) tef files

What I currently do sfter listineng to the recorded song a few dozen times is google for (1). I I then feebly attempt to build off the chords, and do a ad-hoc combination of :

-strum the chords, typically only a few at-a-time
-right hand bass note plus fingering on the high strings
-plucking occasional two-at-a-time strings together
-and a few single note sequences thrown in.

..until it starts to sound recognizable!

Am I forming bad habits? Shoold I be using (2) or (3) instead? or is it anything goes!

IF I stick with (1), what is a good source? Choidie.com???

[GeordanUK]

Hey guys, I'm a follower on the beginners course, and I took a breif look at the transcribing, but figured that I'm not prepared properly for it yet, but I read through most of it anyway,

I know the basic 3 chords (D, A and E) and Justin has taught me

Anyway! I was listening to Bachman Turner Overdrive - Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, and I was playing my guitar at the same time, and I subconciously played the same chords in the song, so I recommend this song to anyone who's still at the same stage as me!

[licksnkicks]

Hi
was hoping that someone can save me a lot of time searching for 'contemporary' songs using chords A  D  E   (and maybe a few other simple open chords too).

I am teaching my grandson from beginner level and he likes bands such as Green Day, Guns n Roses, Queens Of The Stone Age and similar ...

I am not too familiar with their stuff.

all suggestions gratefully received - thanks.

Look at some AC/DC songs for  these keys. Most of there songs are in these chords. 

Licksnkicks

[close2u]

mmmhh - thanks

unearthing an old request of mine ...


The good news is he's learning really well, I see him about once a fortnight on average for 1-1 half hours.

I have been teaching him Highway To Hell (easy version, straight forward chords) ... did you see my AC/DC vids??

He has progressed rapidly and knows more chords and can play more fluently now so we've actually found some Green Day (Justin has one I think), Foo Fighters (Times Like These), G 'n' R (Heaven's door) etc

This is one of my ways of passing it forward ... learn from Justin and teach someone else !!