Author Topic: TR-501 • Song Tips 1 (Pop and Rock) (Read 49469 times)

plukey · « **Reply #25 on:** June 26, 2009, 09:42:44 pm »

Hi All,
Let me begin by saying thanks for talking me in to transcribing! (maybe that should be in the thankyou thread??!!). I've worked my way through a good 2/3rds of this list, most of the time without looking at the tips. I found I only needed to check with the chord pallette a couple of times (for both travis songs for some reason) but to be honest I didn't think I was doing that well until today. I had a lazy day off work and decided to put on some Tesla (great rock band for those who don't know them), and was listening to 'The way it is'. I could see the chords in my head straight away! And its all thanks to you, Justin! Of course I then went and played it, and I was very close first time. A bit of tweaking and I'm pretty sure I'm spot on.
I guess my main point here is to recommend this song to anyone who's wondering where to go next after finishing Justin's list. And from listening through Tesla's greatest hits today I think there are a few more candidates too. Great songs but nothing too complicated for the most part.
Anyway, I do actually have a question for anyone who's made it this far!! The solo's for this song sound reasonably straightforward too, though there are a couple of sections that sound beyond my technical ability for now. Is it worth the time and effort trying to try and transcribe these now, or will I be better of waiting till my 'chops' are up too it??
cheers, plukey
and apologies for the ramblin'

plukey · « **Reply #26 on:** July 04, 2009, 11:14:39 pm »

Me again,
I decided to go ahead and attempt the solo's in the aforementioned song. I pretty much nailed the 'intro' solo, and the first main solo, aside from a bit that is too fast for me (in terms of my ability, and in 'hearing it' full speed). On the one hand this gave me a great confidence boost for the bits I can play, on the other I quickly found my limitations. Have to say I've got the transcribing bug. I've made a start at a couple more tesla songs, but I would really appreciate some advice on some more 'next level' songs, in the rock /guns n roses to rolling stones/ kind of genre.
ta
plukey

Linsen · « **Reply #27 on:** July 05, 2009, 07:58:38 pm »

Quote from: plukey on June 26, 2009, 09:42:44 pm

I had a lazy day off work and decided to put on some Tesla (great rock band for those who don't know them), and was listening to 'The way it is'. I could see the chords in my head straight away! And its all thanks to you, Justin! Of course I then went and played it, and I was very close first time. A bit of tweaking and I'm pretty sure I'm spot on.

Amazing achievement. Please tell me you've been doing this for a few years, because I don't see myself transcribing anything properly within the next decade.

Btw, I used to listen to Tesla quite a bit back in the late 80s to early 90s. Was one of my favs back then and I still have the records -- Psychotic Supper, Mechanical Resonance, The Great Radio Controversy, Five Man Acoustical Jam. Unfortunately I still haven't gotten round to having my old Dual 1209 repaired, yet, so I can't really listen to them anymore. Maybe, and if it doesn't turn out to be too expensive, I might have it repaired some day. CDs certainly are much more convenient, I must say (they sound better, too, imho).

MediaMan09 · « **Reply #28 on:** July 06, 2009, 02:36:05 pm »

About playing the melody with the chords...

I thiink it was the Justin song lesson for Yesterday (not sure if there are other examples), where he demonstrates a version where both the chord and the melody notes are played together. This is a great way to play (especially for those who cant sing) as its enjoyable to play for oneself as well as for others as its easily recognizable.

I heard this technique as played by the pros, and the child prodigies, but at a more practical/recreational level, this is really well demonstrated by Siggi Mertens for dozens and dozens of songs. See youtube links for songs like

Aint No Sunshine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1GU1ACvliQ
Heart of Gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbdQHpKAYgs
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbdQHpKAYgs
Your Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqIIId0FLCw

I hope Justin considers more of this style in future lessons.

plukey · « **Reply #29 on:** July 06, 2009, 04:36:23 pm »

Quote from: Linsen on July 05, 2009, 07:58:38 pm

Amazing achievement. Please tell me you've been doing this for a few years, because I don't see myself transcribing anything properly within the next decade.

Hi Linsen. Thanks for the compliment! I have to tell you I am very new to this whole transcribing thing, this is only the third song I've attempted outside of Justin's list. But I have been playing guitar off and on for twenty years (with limited success), and of the few songs I could play a bit quite a few have a little 'major chord-sus4-sus2' sequence in them. Think 'Patience' - GnR, and 'Wanted dead or alive-Byjovi'. As 'The way it is' opens up with one of these sequences, I recognised it quite easily. The intro and first verse only have 3 chords (apart from the sus4+2), so it's a really good song to get into. The thing that helped me a lot with the rest of the song is Justins Practical Music Theory. Knowing about the diatonic chord sequences meant that, once I had the first couple of chords down the rest really just fell into place. Highly recommended. I think that knowing (and loving) a song makes the whole transcribing process easier too. I noticed when going through the song tips list that I was most successful with the songs I had listened to for years, the others I struggled with a bit.
On the whole it's well worth the effort. I was on a high for days after figuring out the intro solo!!! Thanks again J.

Yones · « **Reply #30 on:** July 14, 2009, 04:53:53 pm »

Hey!

I have just started to transcribe and when i transcribed Blur - Song 2
and i looked what chords you have wrote it didnt seem right to me isnt it Fb instead of F sounds wierd to go from F to Eb or am i wrong

RobGordon · « **Reply #31 on:** August 27, 2009, 10:49:01 am »

"Where do you think you're going" from the Dire Straits is a nice song to transcribe. Especially the chord progression is easy to figure out because the bass notes are accented at the beginning of each chord.

bebop and rocksteady · « **Reply #32 on:** September 11, 2009, 03:04:30 am »

WOW LOOK WHAT I FOUND

I think iv just found the easiest song to get you into transcribing, its def got me sold!

The song is molly lip's by Nirvana. I now love the fact that i worked out a whole song myself just by listening too it twice. Never even come close before

. Really easy and fun too work out!

Justin please recommend this song in the pop song tips section

Solus · « **Reply #33 on:** December 23, 2009, 08:39:51 pm »

Hello Justin! This is my first time posting around here although I've been watching your vids and stuff for some 6 months now. You really one of the coolest dudes ever man! Thanks sooo much!

I don't have time right now to write everything I would like, but I have a problem and I'm not sure what to do. I can play chords easily by now, including barre and power chords and I know quite a few songs. I've been the acoustic exclusively and hope to buy an electric guitar soon. But anyway, I've recently got into this transcribing thing as I think it is just the best thing to learn; I am simply blown away by the thought that some guys can play a song immediately after they hear it. However, I've been having problems with this. I tried to write down a few chords used in Hey Joe and Boulevard of Broken Dreams and I failed miserably. $:-\$ I thought it was E, C, A in the verse of the latter song. What I would like to know is: is it possible for ANYONE to be able to transcribe songs through practice? I think my audition is not exactly great so I'm kind of disappointed and let down by my inability to distinct even the simplest chords. I know I haven't even started doing it yet but I was just wondering if it can be achieved by anyone with enough practice.

Thanks!

close2u · « **Reply #34 on:** December 24, 2009, 07:06:38 am »

Hello Solus
welcome to the forum

yes, anyone can transcribe given patience, practise, some guidance and tips

for the green day song you will be using power chords ... try just strumming your bass e string along with the song ... can you find the right note to fit each chord in the progression ? if so, try making the power chord from it ... does that bass note take you a long way up the neck ? if so, try making your power chord from the matching note having a root on the 5th string to make for easier chord changes

note - green day do use Eb tuning and / or drop d tuning sometimes but I think this song is standard

for Hey joe, ignore all the fancy guitar work and just listen out for some straight forward open chords ... again try the bass note method

hope that helps
good luck

Solus · « **Reply #35 on:** December 24, 2009, 07:30:38 pm »

Hey thank you so much for the quick reply! I like this root note method, much much easier than trying to find open chords. Thanks once again!

I just wanted to know one more thing. When transcribing solos, how do I know where to start? It seems stupid to try all the frets so how do I figure which scale the solo is based upon? This obviously reduces the area on the neck.

Thanks!

Guitaro · « **Reply #36 on:** December 30, 2009, 03:14:54 am »

Hey Justin and everyone,
I've been playing guitar since March, and I've just gotten into transcribing. I've tried transcribing Knockin' on Heaven's Door, but the problem is my amp is broken so it's been kind of hard for me to tell if I have the right note. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to learn this song?

Tourniquet · « **Reply #37 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:03:42 am »

Quote from: Solus on December 24, 2009, 07:30:38 pm

Hey thank you so much for the quick reply! I like this root note method, much much easier than trying to find open chords. Thanks once again! I just wanted to know one more thing. When transcribing solos, how do I know where to start? It seems stupid to try all the frets so how do I figure which scale the solo is based upon? This obviously reduces the area on the neck.

Thanks!

trial and error, if it means trying every fret on the board that's what you do (should be able to narrow it down a bit quicker than that though).
Once you have 4 or 5 different notes in a particular area of the fretboard you can see if they fit any of the scale positions you know which, if you get it right, should take much of the guesswork out for the rest of the solo and put you in familiar territory.

Quote from: Guitaro on December 30, 2009, 03:14:54 am

Hey Justin and everyone,
I've been playing guitar since March, and I've just gotten into transcribing. I've tried transcribing Knockin' on Heaven's Door, but the problem is my amp is broken so it's been kind of hard for me to tell if I have the right note. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to learn this song?

If you think you have it right, compare what you have to justins lesson
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/ST-501-EasySongs1.php
and get your amp fixed (if it's worth fixing, if it's not, replace it)

Viktor · « **Reply #38 on:** January 05, 2010, 09:52:40 pm »

For transcription training I recommend 2 songs:
Bloodhound Gang - The Bad Touch (Discovery Channel): It was the first song I've ever transcribed and it was fairly easy. Also I learned to play it fast and I think its a great song to start with.
Manu Chao - Mentira: Its a slow song with a clear guitar sound so it should be no problem for beginners.

Transcribing is awesome. Firstly you dont have to look it up on the internet and secondly its a great feeling... a realy great feeling. Just play some song on your CD player (loudly), grab a guitar and start guessing which note the song begins with.
Then listen to the song and find out which tones are the same, which ones are higher and which ones lower than the preceding one. Try going up/down 2 or 3 frets to find the next tone. If it doesnt match try going further...

z0s0 · « **Reply #39 on:** July 14, 2010, 05:48:56 pm »

Just finished my first successful transcribing on a song and that is Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, the little riff was pretty easy, when you get the riff the chords are easy as pie

I haven't done the solo yet, but i'll try it, although im not quite sure about it.
Im so pleased with myself

Thanks for making me try, Justin

sophiehiker · « **Reply #40 on:** September 11, 2010, 06:38:10 pm »

Woo Hoo!!! I made it through the entire list!!! I transcribed 21 songs (the other four I knew already).

I saw the 100th video and was convinced to give transcribing a try. I knew nothing about it. Didn't think I could do it. It took some patience and time, but I learned how. If I can do it, so can you.

Learning a bit of theory from RUGS1 and the intervals on the guitar neck helped.

Thanks Justin!

Rockstar · « **Reply #41 on:** November 10, 2010, 07:32:30 am »

Does any one know the end solo of Boulevard of broken dreams? Could you reply to this with the chords / riff thanks

tammy2838 · « **Reply #42 on:** November 22, 2010, 10:38:07 pm »

Yay! Congratulations!

Quote from: sophiehiker on September 11, 2010, 06:38:10 pm

Woo Hoo!!! I made it through the entire list!!! I transcribed 21 songs (the other four I knew already).

I saw the 100th video and was convinced to give transcribing a try. I knew nothing about it. Didn't think I could do it. It took some patience and time, but I learned how. If I can do it, so can you.

Learning a bit of theory from RUGS1 and the intervals on the guitar neck helped.

Thanks Justin!

Wisey · « **Reply #43 on:** February 05, 2011, 01:17:22 pm »

Hello!
I started with the beginner course a while back, and I am at Stage 3 right now.

I saw the lesson on Transcribing, and I thought I would give it a try.

I am not really sure whether I am really ready for it though.
Should I jump into the mix now, or should I wait till I have learnt more chords?
I ask this because only a couple of the recommended songs exclusively contain the chords that I actually know of, and I have no idea about how to go about figuring out solos and individual notes.

sophiehiker · « **Reply #44 on:** February 05, 2011, 02:52:22 pm »

I would not jump into solos and individual notes just yet. However, if you know your power chords on the 5th and 6th strings, there are a lot of songs you can transcribe.

Blur - Song 2
Green Day - Basket Case
Hives - Hate to Say I Told You So
Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus
Nirvana - Polly

Wisey · « **Reply #45 on:** February 09, 2011, 03:10:46 pm »

I am still on the third stage in the beginner's course, so no power chords.

Would it be alright if I take the recommended songs in each stage and try to figure them out instead of going to the videos to learn them?

sophiehiker · « **Reply #46 on:** February 09, 2011, 04:54:15 pm »

Yes, of course! Brilliant!

l_morgan10 · « **Reply #47 on:** March 21, 2011, 08:52:01 pm »

great suggestions here but I've gone through them all. I struggle to find songs to transcribe so could anyone (preferrably Justin) post some suggestions or a new lesson

Wisey · « **Reply #48 on:** March 26, 2011, 02:27:25 pm »

I managed to figure out the chord order in the verse part of Wish You Were Here correctly.

Strumming is still beyond me, but it still feels really great.

I was just browsing around and I see Justin has recommended songs for transcribing in the Intermediate course, should I really wait until then till I do it properly, or should I continue what I am doing right now, that is trying to figure out the recommended songs in each stage in the beginner's course?

WE ARE MOVING HOUSE

Author Topic: TR-501 • Song Tips 1 (Pop and Rock) (Read 49469 times)

Linsen

MediaMan09

Yones

RobGordon

bebop and rocksteady

Solus

Solus

Guitaro

Viktor

z0s0

Rockstar

tammy2838

Wisey

Wisey

l_morgan10

Wisey