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Hi. I've asked questions like this before, but here goes again.
How on earth do you go about figuring out those rhythm guitar parts for
those Shadows/Atlantics style songs that feature super-fast strumming? Is it
just practice?
It doesn't help that the fidelity of those recordings are sometimes so-so,
plus the rhythm guitar often gets buried in the mix.
And once you figure out the chords, how do you go about learning to play
them up to speed? Are there some good general DVD's or videos on different
rhythm styles?
Do you guys use lighter gauge strings for these parts?
Any suggestions would be welcome, but I realize "practice" is probably the
answer.
Thanks,
BN
Brain,
Sometimes it helps to listen for bass parts. Also once you find out
what key the song is in learn the lead part so you can hum it along
in your head while you try to figure out the chords to it. When I
write songs I always come up with the lead first and have to find the
chords to it by humming it in my head.
I think heavier strings work best for strumming fast rhythms because
1) they sound better when played hard 2) can be played hard and not
knocked out of tune and 3) heavier strings don't move as much when
chording. If you use lighter strings and make a barre chord its
easier to move those which makes chord sound out of tune.
As for the technique nothing beats practice. Find a techinque that
works for you and stick with it.
Bill
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Hi. I've asked questions like this before, but here goes again.
>
> How on earth do you go about figuring out those rhythm guitar parts
for
> those Shadows/Atlantics style songs that feature super-fast
strumming? Is it
> just practice?
>
> It doesn't help that the fidelity of those recordings are sometimes
so-so,
> plus the rhythm guitar often gets buried in the mix.
>
> And once you figure out the chords, how do you go about learning to
play
> them up to speed? Are there some good general DVD's or videos on
different
> rhythm styles?
>
> Do you guys use lighter gauge strings for these parts?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome, but I realize "practice" is
probably the
> answer.
>
> Thanks,
> BN
Brian-
One suggestion is to see if the instrument you want is on one channel
of the stereo recording. In those days they often to panned the
instruments ridiculously far apart... and a lot of the time either
the left or right channel by itself will give you a good shot at
whatever you're trying to hear. (Example, Shadows "Man Of Mystery"
has the drums and bass left, rhythm guitar right, and the lead
halfway on each --- so it's really easy to pick out whatever you
want. Sometimes too easy--- if you solo the left channel on this
song the whole last verse is a beautiful train wreck preserved for
posterity.) So that's one little trick that can help.
Rob Woolsey
Detonators
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Hi. I've asked questions like this before, but here goes again.
>
> How on earth do you go about figuring out those rhythm guitar parts
for
> those Shadows/Atlantics style songs that feature super-fast
strumming? Is it
> just practice?
>
> It doesn't help that the fidelity of those recordings are sometimes
so-so,
> plus the rhythm guitar often gets buried in the mix.
>
> And once you figure out the chords, how do you go about learning to
play
> them up to speed? Are there some good general DVD's or videos on
different
> rhythm styles?
>
> Do you guys use lighter gauge strings for these parts?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome, but I realize "practice" is
probably the
> answer.
>
> Thanks,
> BN
Practice is definitely the biggest part of it, Brian,
1. The more you listen, the better your ear becomes and the easier the process
becomes.
2. Don't be afraid of getting it wrong. Unfortunatly that keeps many from even
trying. Make an attempt and get it as close as you can. Then come back to the
recording later and revisit your initial attempts with fresh ears.
3. Start by listening for root tones at the beginning of each chord change.
Often these are heard easiest by listening to the bass. Stop the recording once
you hear the chord you want and hum the note. Try all the chords that you know
that have that note in them and use the one that fits best. If you hear a low E
in the bass, then start with an E chord. If it doesn't sound right, go for an
E-minor, if that's not right, go for a C chord etc...
4. There are computer programs that will slow the music down without changing
pitch. The slow down process can help for figuring out the strumming techniques.
You can hear them slow and them bring them up to speed. Sonar is one program
that has the slow down feature.
-Marty
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Hi. I've asked questions like this before, but here goes again.
>
> How on earth do you go about figuring out those rhythm guitar parts
for
> those Shadows/Atlantics style songs that feature super-fast
strumming? Is it
> just practice?
>
> It doesn't help that the fidelity of those recordings are sometimes
so-so,
> plus the rhythm guitar often gets buried in the mix.
>
> And once you figure out the chords, how do you go about learning to
play
> them up to speed? Are there some good general DVD's or videos on
different
> rhythm styles?
>
> Do you guys use lighter gauge strings for these parts?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome, but I realize "practice" is
probably the
> answer.
>
> Thanks,
> BN
.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Brian,
There's a TASCAM CD-player called the "Guitar Trainer" that I've
found extremely helpful for both lead and rhythm playing. It is
similar to the computer programs Marty described, it allows you
to slow things down and listen to patterns. You can also isolate
a single phrase and listen to it over and over. I start with the
slowest setting and stay with it until I can play to actual speed
by starting really slow, I can nail the lead or rhythm so that when I
speed it up, there are no mistakes.
I am leaning a lot of The (New) Atlantics tunes this way.
As I mentioned, the Atlantics "Flight of the Surf Guitar" CD also
has only backing tracks, so you can really dig in and learn the
rhythm stuff or play Martin Cilia's leads over the rhythm section.
Similarly, the Play Surf Guitar with the Torquays CD is split into
channels, so you can turn down the lead or turn up the rhythm
sections simply by adjusting the left/right balance. (I know you
are interested in the 1960s stuff, but once you have enough
patterns, a lot of these just plugs into other songs, especially the
less complex older music).
Ultimately, tho, a lot of rhythm playing is ear...almost every tab
I've seen shows the chords for the rhythm player, but you have to
work out the pattern. That's where slowing the music down and
repeating phrases over and over seems to help.
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Hi. I've asked questions like this before, but here goes again.
>
> How on earth do you go about figuring out those rhythm guitar
parts for
> those Shadows/Atlantics style songs that feature super-fast
strumming? Is it
> just practice?
>
> It doesn't help that the fidelity of those recordings are
sometimes so-so,
> plus the rhythm guitar often gets buried in the mix.
>
> And once you figure out the chords, how do you go about
learning to play
> them up to speed? Are there some good general DVD's or
videos on different
> rhythm styles?
>
> Do you guys use lighter gauge strings for these parts?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome, but I realize "practice" is
probably the
> answer.
>
> Thanks,
> BN
Wow, thanks everyone for some good advice. I especially liked what Marty
wrote:
> 2. Don't be afraid of getting it wrong. Unfortunatly that keeps many from
even trying.
> Make an attempt and get it as close as you can. Then come back to the
recording later
> and revisit your initial attempts with fresh ears.
I think I was in this boat to some extent. It is a bit overwhelming at
first, thinking "how in the hell will I ever get this?"
I do have software to slow down parts (CoolEdit 2000). In my experience,
this works great for leads. But slowing things down without changing the
pitch isn't free. You loose fidelity the more you slow down. If you go too
far, all you hear is indistinct mush, which isn't terribly useful when you
are trying to fish out the rhythm guitar that is already buried in the mix.
I'll have to look into the pan left/right tricks. Thanks, I had forgotten
about that.
The Torquays song/tab book is great, and perhaps is a good place to start.
But they don't have those crazy Shadows/Atlantics furious rhythm parts. I am
in awe of people who can figure that stuff out, and play it (Ivan Sr comes
to mind).
Thanks again everyone...back to practicin'
BN
