Kev, Thanks for checking it out, and thanks even more for the comments and observations. It all helps, and I appreciate it.

Well, the good news for me is that we're probably at the same timeframe as far as attempting this piece; about a year and a half in. Lol

So yeah, the 3/4 time took a bit to get synce'd with the LH and RH, and yes perhaps it IS a lot to expect to learn the thing in one day, but I did it. And I intend to leverage what I learned from this piece to get others learned in the same fashion. I think that anything with an arpeggio sequence in the bass is kind of tough for me... The location of the BS chords isn't too big of a deal, it's about the same difficulty whether I play them where I am or up the neck... Did I mention how much I hate ledger lines? Lol

Anyways, the "brute force" element is something I find necessary, as I just don't have the patience to spend weeks getting the piece to the same level that I can in one day. Now that I know it's possible, I think things will go quicker... I think that the more pieces that I learn like this will help me get a groove going where I can hopefully leverage the struggles of previous pieces and get it together with a bit more competence.

And yeah, I thought this tune was tough on Stick. I know, typical noob... Haha

As for my tuning? Ummmm sometimes in 4ths, sometimes in 5ths? Lol

I guess what I was trying to convey with the brute force comment is,....with each successive tune you learn (time on the Stick) ,some of the tools you learned previously,i.e...subdivisions of time between both hands, chord shapes, etc......will translate to the next tune you learn. Its like a bank of tools that you constantly add to.

You already know that though, so I'm just spitballing.

Dood, once you get this one under your belthook (wink, and gun) you will feel a great pride, and rightfully so......'cause its not an easy tune to pull off..

cheers,
k

Aww, Kev, I appreciate any of your comments and thoughts. I take 'em super seriously, man! You always take a sec to listen or watch, and then you always comment - even when the playing is horrific! Haha


Yes, leveraging what I learned previously is exactly what I am after. The first one is always the most difficult I think... Lol I think that what I have now that I lacked previously was a sort of 'method' by which I could approach learning a tune. This Stick business is challenging! I am really hammering my way through the Free Hands Book right now, it's helping too.

I played this a good twenty or so times today. I just couldn't believe I could play it, haha. It's getting better. Miles ahead of where it was, that's for sure.

And man, you have been so helpful it's not even funny... Thank-you!

Hi Scott. Glad you succeeded in getting this uploaded. This definitely was not a waste of time--though I know no one has insinuated it was.

Here is something I used to do when learning a song(and still do when trying to come up with a melody or chords over a bass line I come up with--I attack the Stick from the bass side first most of the time). I remember this from a Bob Culbertson VHS tape I bought in 2003 or something, I think it might have been the last one SE had in stock!

Learn the bass line or arpeggiated chord progression on the bass side first. Play it once or twice through to get your bearings. Then find the tonal center or a note that sounds good in the melody and keep time with it. 1, 2,3..G,G,G or something like that. Play that one note while you really cement he bass part in your mind.(Maybe 4 or 5 times ) Then start adding another note that fits in the Key signature--1,2,3...G,C,G...or G,Bb, G...or whatever. Keep expanding this out for a while with notes in the key of the song while keeping the bass part going.(this could take 10 mins or 10 days depending on the complexity of the bass part)

Usually after a short time you can introduce the real melody, now that your bass hand is all but on auto pilot. If your left hand is used to playing way up on a guitar neck you should expect it to need some time to adjust to the expanded territory it will now need to cover. Then, if you are like me, you will feel the urge to get your right hand into shape. I would recommend not neglecting the left while you do this. I believe that is what I did, and now I need to take my left hand to the wood shed...sounds vaguely dirty.

Great job on the progress of this tune.

Mike

I do like Mike does as well, learn the bass part cold,......then instead of trying the melody part with my right hand, I always try singing it (I use the term singing but I'm no singer) first. I find this really helps me tackle the melody side easier.

cheers,
Pavaroti

Well, the good news is that I am far and away ahead of where I once was on this tune. I got it down pretty good, actually. I will post a "finished" version later this week. It's a really, really good feeling to get something down that seemed really impassable! A bit more refinement, and possibly some "twisting to my own ends" arrangement and I will definitely share.

I have Bob's DVD's, (Bob is awesome) and I do get the bass bit and then play, like an octave note over it on repeat in whatever rhythmic subdivision... And that does help. I also sing the melody over the chord progression in the early stages. Try as I might, that bass side never goes to "autopilot" though. In all honesty, I am not sure I want it to... I like having the awareness, despite it being a diversion of concentration. Wood shed indeed haha

Great work Scott! You know, that's one of the reasons I focused very early on memorizing left hand arpeggios: I was on a tight schedule to learn a way to be able to learn and perform a bunch of songs in a short period of time: work was not that good and the stick had to pay for itself anyway, I would spend a lot of time, and I mean a LOT of time, just playing one chord, up and down, even while doing other stuff, like for instance watching TV, letting the brain work the finger movement out and the body figure out a way to relax while doing it. My main focus was on this! With every new song comes the memorization of a different variation, in a different key, different time signature, inversions, different fingerboard options and the hand movement from one place to the other. But the continuous arpeggio in the left hand is quite simple now that the brain has enough experience with it. As with any other instrument, after a while, the hand knows what to do to keep the ears happy.
Now days, I'm heading the other way: getting out of the left hand arpeggiated triad and moving on to bass lines combined with block chords. And I'm back to square one: one movement at a time, very slowly, feeling very dumb, but pushing it, while my right hand checks emails, plays melodies or whatever, making everything so many times that it will eventually become as easy and natural as holding the stick - on the way to making it become just another part of the body.
And you know what? Everyday I feel I'm a little better. So you should be proud of yourself, this video is another landmark. Keep it, it was an important day. Congrats!


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Scott,

Decades ago, when I was growing up, I listened to Cream and Simon and Garfunkel and Classical. Then I found Jethro Tull, and the gateway was opened. This song is near and dear to me, so I felt compelled to try a different arrangement. Your day is longer than mine, so my practice regimen is much simpler. I read the piece. I try the piece. I pick a few points to modify. I record the piece.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhnswSd3wik[/youtube]

and for those with a longer desire for incomplete music...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WEFV8HxYLk[/youtube]

Thanks for watching.

Hey, that is a different way to go about it. I like the hands free mic or over the ear mic or whatever it is called. Singing the melody instead of just an instrumental is something I have tried in the past. It gives your hands the ability for a much fuller accompaniment. It seems like the more advanced Stickists here do mostly instrumental music, playing chords or bass lines with the left and the melody in the right. I have heard some folks say that the Stick and how it sounds is what interests people and vocals over your playing are a distraction. I disagreed fervently at the time, but guess I just started to follow what the more known Stick players were doing anyway. The original idea I had for my Grateful Dead cover was to sing the lyrics while playing the song, but it turned out to be a bit of a stretch on some of the high notes.

Pretty good job here! Lots of multitasking. I wonder if Jayesskerr sings?

Mike

Yes, yes I do sing. And yep, adding the vocal aspect to the Stick is the ultimate endgame... But baby steps...

Sagehalo, Bachdois... y'all have given me a lot to think about...