Songs that improve technique

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RockerRocker Frets: 4941
An idea gleaned from another website is to compile a list of songs, songs that require/utilise certain techniques that improve your overall ability as a musician. One option is to check out Justin or Marty but you can DIY if the song needs it.

Anyone care to get the ball rolling. Include the technique(s) required for your nominated song and other relevant information such as artist and album.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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Comments

  • What kind of level though? And won't the songs have several techniques? Or do you mean songs which particularly excel for one technique.


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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4941
    Each and every song needs to be played correctly to sound it’s best. Some songs require strong rhythm, others some different aspect/skill in playing. If you take ‘rhythm’ for example, what song will significantly improve rhythm playing? And so on...
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9549
    Rhythm

    Tom Petty's Learning to Fly - every other chord change happens on the 'and' before the beat.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • m_cm_c Frets: 1211
    HAL9000 said:
    Rhythm

    Tom Petty's Learning to Fly - every other chord change happens on the 'and' before the beat.
    Another one with the same change timing, is California Dreamin'.
    I learnt it while doing Justin's beginner course, and it was the cause of much frustration!
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  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    edited August 2018
    I'd add RHCP's "Under The Bridge" into the Rhythm category. I know it's one of those songs everyone is sick of hearing, but so few people actually learn the verse/chorus compared to the intro, which is a shame because it's actually a lot of fun to play, requiring precision as well as rhythm chops.

    Hell, I don't even really like the song/band, but I love playing it.

    For picking techniques & ear stuff, I've always liked classical music, so I'll try & come up with my own ways of playing some things, and look to someone like Paul Gilbert for others.



    Sounds great at any speed (I'm nowhere near playing the whole thing at tempo), & Songsterr have a great tab for giving you the gist of it (it's not 100%, but it's still great): https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/paul-gilbert-bach-partita-in-dm-tab-s77148t0

    The second version of CPEB's "Solfeggio in CM" on Classtab is one I've been playing the intro to for years as a picking exercise, but I never learned the whole thing. Still, sounds great, covers every string (and fret) on the guitar, & really helps me warm up: http://www.classtab.org/bach_cpe_solfeggio_in_cm.txt

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  • I’ll list a few that have helped me:

    Why Don’t You Do It? - Little Barrie — Jazz chords, great melody, lots of mixing harmony and melody. 

    Lenny - SRV — a masterclass.

    Wait Until Tomorrow — Jimi — Great rhythm lesson, like most Hendrix.

    Fracture - King Crimson — Good luck!

    Poor Black Mattie — RL Burnside — it’ll seem impossible, and then it’ll seem easy. 

    Meet Me in the City — Black Keys — This one can be tricky. You have to play fingerstyle, but also stray off the groove with some really beautiful vocal lines. 



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  • CHRISB50CHRISB50 Frets: 4286

    Andy McKee - Drifting, for two handed tapping.


    As it's played on acoustic your technique has to be spot on. I learned a lot.

    I can't help about the shape I'm in, I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin

    But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to

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  • The main riff of Michael Schenker's "Into the Arena".  Not a lot of notes and not a million miles an hour, so easy to remember.  

    But it "bounces", it'll push your timing and picking, if you're off at all you feel like you've fallen off something moving fast :)
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  • One that really helped me on classical is:



    The intro has some awkward position shifts, but it's the main 'verse' with singing melody over the repeated figure that I really got a lot out of (and that bit isn't that hard), from about 1 min 30 onwards. 

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  • A lot of Metallica is good for the rhytm and leads. The big 4 of thrash too.

    Troy Stetina did have songs you could practise up for while learning how it works in his books. Flight of the bumble bee in Speed Mechanics book. Lead and Rhytm guitar books.
    Computer Shop UK Your PC Needs In One Place: https://computershopuk.com/
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    Stevie Nicks, Edge of 17, try playing that rhythm as tightly and evenly as the recording 
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  • KilgoreKilgore Frets: 8599
    Fingerstyle thumb independence.

    I used to spend ages practising various thumb independence "exercises", making very little progress. The exercises were fine, but applying them to actual songs just didn't work, as soon as I started to play any melody my thumb stopped moving. 

    I started playing Baby Please don't Go (lightning Hopkins et al). It's got a driving monotonic bass and very simple melody lines. Played it over and over and over. Something "clicked". My thumb kept moving while my fingers did somthing else. I was soon able to apply it to more complex songs. 


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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    I keep a folder of songs that I have transcribed but never cracked playing properly. Every so often I pick one out and work on it. Sometimes they end up out of the folder, sometimes they go back in; either way I’ve made progress in my playing.
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  • I use a couple of classic rock gems for lead guitar students, Steely Dan - "Reelin' In The Years" and Rush - "Spirit of Radio" both have great hammer-pull examples.

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • LewyLewy Frets: 4123
    The acoustic part for Jolene is perfect for people who've got the basics of alternating thumb bass down but it's all sounding a bit ploddy and samey.
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