BS-105 • I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash

[DarrellW]

With a looper pedal you can layer things, and add new bits on a different layer; it's fun when you get it right. I'm not using it the way it's meant to be used, I'm adapting it to do what I want.
Trouble with mp3 files with the track on you're learning the don't have a count in so what you do with the looper is to give yourself a count in before you start to record the mp3. I've just more or less got through Bob Marley's Redemption song using it - it has been very useful and we'll worth what it cost. You can record an electro acoustic straight in or a miked up acoustic. You can also record your voice miked up so lots of options apart from its intended use.
The downside is that you do need an amplifier, so if you don't have one to use it you would need one, something like this would do the job, also be useful if at some time you decide to go for an Electro acoustic.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/LANEY-LA12C/acoustic-guitar-amps/laney-la12c-la-acoustic-guitar-combo-12w
Here's what a looper can do:
https://youtu.be/hCI4xp5xFFs

[Rossco01]

Laila, you can go the looper route or indeed go the full hog and go the DAW route but you'll need to invest in things for that e.g. usb mic.

You might want to search the app store for a multi track app. I haven't used one but I think there are a few on there. That would allow you to record your guitar first and then sing over it. It is the best way to ensure you get both the best guitar and vocal track (As you only have to think about one at a time) that said it's not always easy.

[Sweed77]

Laila

I don't know why but that boom\chicka pattern is hard to get just right and be able to sing too.  It looks so simple but...   I can sing while playing some pretty complex 16th patterns but still struggle with boom\chicka 

I recorded "I Walk the Line" 2 years ago when I was doing the BC at maybe stage 6 or 7.   

A simple way to play it is to use your simple 4 down pattern but make the 1 and 3 beats a Bass only strike, like this and alternate the bass...
1 2  3 4
B D B D

A link to my very old recording to https://soundcloud.com/sweed59/i-walk-the-line-key-changesmp3  It is a key change version, that stretches my range, but gives you an idea of how it can sound with simple strumming.  And as you'll hear, at the time, I also had some problems making the lyrics fit 

[SiegeFrog]

I think this is difficult to sing because for most of the song the vocals follow the rhythm of the guitar leading you to lock in the vocals to your playing. Then, he switches the rhythm of the vocals up. If you're not ready for it you'll most likely either mess up your playing or your singing. You have to get the playing really on automatic, so you can concentrate on the vocals.

[Laila]

I think this is difficult to sing because for most of the song the vocals follow the rhythm of the guitar leading you to lock in the vocals to your playing. Then, he switches the rhythm of the vocals up.

Yes! This is sort of what I was trying to say. I feel like I lose conscious control of the rhythm of the vocal because it follows something else, most probably the rhythm of the guiatr which I'm trying desperately to keep steady.

A lot of good feedback here. I will look into an app that will help record guitar and vocal separately. At the same time the skill I'm trying to develop is playing and singing simultaneously. I'm beginning to realize that some songs are a lot harder to sing while playing than others, no matter how well I know them.

[Laila]

@sweed77 thank you for that tip about the bass note. I'll try it out and see if it sounds more interesting than the 4/4. For now the link to the recording is sent so she gets what she gets ;-)

[Mikeyah]

What the end bit justin plays?

Interesting version on songnotes if you youtube it.
It has a g and a b7! he even gets a plug in for justin!

[PeterD]

Hi,
I have some confusion. I started on this song using the payed app with a karaoke type beat you can slow to suit your ability. This has 2 x bars per chord nearly all throughout.
I then got both hard copy songbooks and it has 1 bar per chord change.

I thought the app would be great as you can adjust the bpm to suit but it doesn't align with the book.

This isn't the only song I think, any advice please.

[stuartw]

This song (https://www.justinguitar.com/songs/johnny-cash-i-walk-the-line-chords-tabs-guitar-lesson-bs-105) is down as White difficulty so thought I would have a go. Well I can just about play the chords but doesn't sound anything like the video or the JC version, which I listened to on Spotify. )JG has a Beginners Playlist that includes this and a number of other White songs.) Having listened to the JC version I can't even tell where he changes chords to match the JG version!!

[Rossco01]

So first things first...you've got to understand that Justin simplifies a lot of songs so that those beginning can play something approximating the original. During the beginners stage this goes on all the way through slowly building to a point where the songs are more complex, more chord variations, more complex strumming etc. If you have the song books then Justin does in may say how you can take it to the next stage. In that video he starts off with the simple variation for the stage i.e. all down strums, then introduces something more complex (hitting the bass note as part of the strumming). The simple variation is what you're aiming for at this stage.

Secondly the tracks you're listening to on Spotify, in particular if it's an original, are going to be in a "band" situation with drums and probably at least two guitars with one playing rhythm and the other some form of lead guitar part OR if it's an acoustic they are probably playing a picked pattern over those chords...all just way to difficult for someone on that this stage.

Think of the songs as reinforcing the lessons being learning and slowly leading to a point when they sound more like them. Even without the complex picking this song sounds okay once you've got better at chord changes and strumming. Learning simple songs like this breaks you out of the pattern of just chord changes and prepares you for learning more complex songs as you progress....give it time

[DavidP]

So first things first...you've got to understand that Justin simplifies a lot of songs so that those beginning can play something approximating the original. During the beginners stage this goes on all the way through slowly building to a point where the songs are more complex, more chord variations, more complex strumming etc. If you have the song books then Justin does in may say how you can take it to the next stage. In that video he starts off with the simple variation for the stage i.e. all down strums, then introduces something more complex (hitting the bass note as part of the strumming). The simple variation is what you're aiming for at this stage.

Secondly the tracks you're listening to on Spotify, in particular if it's an original, are going to be in a "band" situation with drums and probably at least two guitars with one playing rhythm and the other some form of lead guitar part OR if it's an acoustic they are probably playing a picked pattern over those chords...all just way to difficult for someone on that this stage.

Think of the songs as reinforcing the lessons being learning and slowly leading to a point when they sound more like them. Even without the complex picking this song sounds okay once you've got better at chord changes and strumming. Learning simple songs like this breaks you out of the pattern of just chord changes and prepares you for learning more complex songs as you progress....give it time

Yet another incredibly helpful reply, Jason ... good vibes to you 

[close2u]

Don't forget that the original Johnny Cash song contains five changes of key - one each time a new verse comes along.

[stuartw]

Don't forget that the original Johnny Cash song contains five changes of key - one each time a new verse comes along.

That's another new word (key) which I have seen mentioned on here and am aware of but don't really know what it means. I even googled it but still not sure!!

[close2u]

That's another new word (key) which I have seen mentioned on here and am aware of but don't really know what it means. I even googled it but still not sure!!

The chord progression you are playing in verse 1 is changed for verses 2, 3, 4 and 5. The vocals have to change pitch to match this.