MrSamson's method of:
Learning songs in the 21st Century!!!
OK, OK....What the heck is this anyway...?
I mainly wanted to address a particular software package here that I use in working with sound files that aids me in learning new songs. When I ran by Stonedragon what I do to learn songs, he was blown away...times have changed since the days of rewinding a tape recorder over and over again to master a particular part...OR...playing a black record at the slower turntable speed so that you could more easily pick apart a pariticular lick...only to have the slower speed drop everything in pitch. Although this was an excellent method for the time, there is much easier method.
First, lets look at tabulature. Thousands of sites have guitar tabulature available, but my favorite is HarmonyCentral...they also have product reviews and whatever else under the sun to read about music. Tabulature in itself is EXTREMELY limiting in that there is NO WAY to get the TIMING of a song from a piece of tabulature...BUT...if you already have access to the song you wanna learn...who cares!!?? I am not going to talk about how tab works, there are PLENTY of sites dedicated to explaining how tabulature works already, for more information....check out the page Stonedragon put up to explain tabulature, I think it is direct and to the point. There are also guitar tabulture books available at any music store or online...check out MrSamson's Guitar Music Books for pictures of some of the books I own and how I attained them for good prices online via auctions.
Second...lets take a look at actual sound formats available...
Briefly...this is hopefully new to no-one...but mp3s are the way to go...they provide high quality at a small expense to the hard drive. I have always known that mp3s were the way to go for learning songs because...If you only want one particular song by an artist, you can usually attain it online, without having to purchase the ENTIRE cd. HOWEVER...my biggest problem was how do I play the mp3s so that I can just repeat one particular section of a song...or slow a part down...etc...I still found myself in the boat of rewinding the tape...if you will...having to manually go back to the section of the song I wanted to repeat...for those of you that know...this is hard to do with both of your hands on a guitar!!!
BUT...then I discovered something...a sound program called CoolEdit2000. This program is the best I have seen for the musician that is recording material for his/her own personal use. The company that puts out CoolEdit2000 is Syntrillium, and a demo version of CoolEdit2000 is available for a trial period of 30 days, or something like that...
And no...I do not get any kickback for this product...none whatsoever...I just REALLY believe in it...
Ok...for the guitarist learning songs...what does this program do that is soooooo cool?
Well...it allows you to work with mp3 songs, among about every other sound format out there...anyway, rather than just simply playing an mp3...CoolEdit2000 actually analyses the sound spectrum of a sound file...then...you can select a particular PART of a song...and play that over and over and over....just hit the looping button!!! that way...both your hands remain on the guitar at all times!!!
(This is a picture of what the program looks like)
OK, ok...so you select a part of a song...repeat it over and over again...but at normal speed...it is still too challenging!!!?? Well, another cool feature of this program is that it allows you to slow the speed of a selection down...with minimal pitch loss...UNLIKE the old turntable. These features alone are worth the price of admission in my opinion, an excellent purchase. So what I do is if I have a part of a solo that is particularly challenging and I cannot nail it at regular speed, I select that section of the song I want to learn, and slow it down...say 80% the original speed. Then, I practice it until I can nail it at 80%, then I bump the selection up to 85%....and so on until boom....I can nail it at regular speed!!!
FREQUENTLY...when I have a hardcopy or a songbook of the particular song I am trying to learn, I will go through at regular speed and mark with a pencil different time positions within the solo or whatever I am trying to learn, then systematically learn each section in the above manner, until I can get the entire song!! Very cool, and unheard of in the relatively recent days of old.
Anyway, this is just a fraction of what CoolEdit2000 can do...but it is what is worth mentioning here because it really revolutionizes how a guitarist learns to play songs that he/she owns.
ALSO, CoolEdit2000 has an add-on feature that I also recommend that will turn it into a 4-track recorder as well. This is invaluable when trying to evaluate your soloing abilities, and actually creating the ability to critique what you are doing.
What I do...is to systematically practice...say practice Aeolian mode...I first record a rhythm track...say VI-V-IV-VI...in whatever key you wish...then...I turn around and use the other tracks to record my soloing...so, I do one solo...turn around and listen to it...then do another on track 3 trying to improve on the one I just did...then track 4....etc...
It is VERY, VERY cool....but I must warn you, VERY addictive!!
Say...here is an example that I did today...check it out...That is me playing on both the rhythm(track 1) and the solo(track 2)...
The chord progression is Gm7-Dm7-Cm7-Dm7-Gm7....and the solo is simply in G minor pentatonic...
CoolEdit and the wonder MrSamson.....can ya dig it?
Anyway...Not only can you practice soloing...but you can also evaluate where you are at in learning a song....think you got a song nailed? Check yourself!!! Import the actual song to track 1, and try and play what you think you have nailed in track 2....adjust the volume levels so what you did stands out...and evaluate your accuracy...this can be very sobering, yet very invaluable as well, saving yourself face and your audience's ears in the future!!! And obviously you can record your own work that you come up with...or in my case, your own twisted covers to existing originals....Check out the sound sample I put together using the CoolEdit2000 4-track recorder for my lesson review pages....it was a blast, and keep you eyes pealed for more in the future!!
Lastly...how do you practice with your guitar inline with your computer?
Well, first of all, I am not a tech guru...so I am simply going to state here what I do...you may need to do something different, or have a better idea. If that is the case, so be it, more power to ya. You might want to post the question on the Stonedragon Jam Session bulletin board to inquire how others might be recording themselves via their computer and software...
Anyway, I use what I call the "Pocket Rocker"...or Rockman Guitar Ace...to be exact.
(this is exactly the same unit I have)
This unit is available at Musiciansfriend online...simply do a search for Rockman...and this unit will come up...I just tried it. There is also a Rockman Bass and Metal Ace pocket rockers....The Guitar Ace is what I use...you might even try and attain this via an online auction like Ebay....at any rate, I highly recommend it...
This is about the size of a tape walkman, and all it is is a little guitar amp that has a place to insert your guitar jack (input), and a headphone jack (output). What I do is put the Rockman inline to my soundcard via the headphone output jack on the Rockman to the External CD input on my soundcard....and walla...I have my guitar directly inline.
CoolEdit2000 has a sampling feature so that you can adjust the input of the Rockman so that it does not cause your speakers to clip, or blow!!!! Be very careful!!! I take no responsibility for your actions if that happens!!!
Oh...also, the Rockman is an Excellent way to practice guitar without disturbing the roomates!!! Just plug QUALITY headphones in...and you can have an all-out concert in your bedroom, while everyone else sleeps soundly.
I say Quality Headphones because the headphones that come with the Rockman unit are worthless, you will have to get GOOD QUALITY headphones to maximize the Rockman...it scared me at first...Check out the pic above for a glimpse at the cheapy headphones included....I thought I got ripped off...but then I bought quality headphones, and realized it was the cheap headphones that were the problem, not the Rockman. I have never looked back since.
I personally use the Rockman religiously VERY SINGLE DAY...probably overuse it...it is Soooooooo easy to use, and you bother no-one!!! Easily worth the price of admission as well.
YO BABY....check out my cover of the intro to Pipeline in which I used the Rockman and CoolEdit2000 to record my playing.
The sick reverb was added via CoolEdit 2000....Check it out...it has a mother load of effects to play with...
Anyway, I just spotted something...gotta go!!
