Best way to learn fast bit of a solo?

Busterthedog

Hi,I can play the slow bits of Gary Moores Parisienne Walkways,but the fast bit of the solo I can't,I have the transcription but really,what is the best way to learn it?,play it very slowly over and over?,learn just a few notes then add the others?

Plectrum

Just take it slowly and build up speed. Perhaps break the faster bits down into several shorter phrases and just practice them on their own. Again start slowly. Once you're got those licks to the point you that you can do them without thinking you'll also be able to include them in your own stuff.

octatonic

One note at a time.

I use transcribe to isolate individual notes.

I don't slow it down at all- it changes the feel- but plenty of people do this.

Then I write down each note with its timing (notation is better, but tab with note duration is fine) and then piece it together a bar at a time.

mike_l

Work with a metronome, Once you have the fingering and timing right at slow speed, then build the speed up.

allen

I'm not 100% successful at doing this, but here's my method.

1. Memorise all of the notes - if it's a long solo then do it phrase by phrase (say 2 or 3 bars, but usually obvious by the way the music is phrased. When I say memorise, can you just play them in order without looking at the tab etc. or without stopping to think.

2. Get the track in my slow downer computer programme (I use capo on the mac, but there are several and some are free)

3. Play along with the track. I usually have to start at about 50% speed. I usually concentrate on this bit so that I have the note duration and feel just right, including things like mutes and rakes.

4. Once I can do it reliably at 50% then I go up to 60% and start again trying to sync my playing to the track. When I say reliably I have heard the usual rule of thumb is 10 times IN A ROW without any errors. My general weakness in playing is trying to do anything exactly right 10 times in a row. 

5. Repeat until you get to 100%

NB. You may find you get to 70 or 80% and get a bit stuck i.e. can't seem to do it once without a mistake. That means you need to go back down a step and spend some more time there before coming back.

I do think this is the right way to do it, but some things I just don't seem to get any faster e.g. scuttle buttin by SRV - I can get to 80% and I've reached terminal velocity.

Using this method you'll be surprised how much progress you can make in 30 minutes of focussed practice.

Good luck,

Allen

Harborne_Blue

This: http://anytune.us/products/anytune-for-mac/ ;

Totally changed how I learn other peoples solos.

nick79

I'm currently struggling with this. Never really bothered with fast solo's before  but now i'm in a band i want to up my game. So working through the solo to Bark at the Moon. I've pretty much got the first bit nailed but the fast run that starts on the low e and goes up to the B string (3 times but changes slightly each time) has me stumped. I can play it at half speed but can't seem to improve any.. 

Evo

The methods outlined here are generally in the right ball park in my opinion. Slow the phrase you're struggling with and analyse it, making sure you understand the rhythmic aspect of the phrase as well as the pitches of the notes (is it straight 16ths or are there triplets?). Quite often the phrasing will give you subtle clues to things like when you need to position shift etc. Another source for clues is learning to recognise the difference in sound between a hammer on/pull off and a slide. Quite often online tabs (and even printed books) will get these articulations confused, especially if they were transcribed by a keys player (as tab books often are). If you have analysed the hell out of the phrase and you still find that you're struggling to get over the 70-80% hump, it's time to turn your attention to your technique. You need to isolate the specific phrase which is repeatedly tripping you up and work out what it is about that part which causes you to stumble. Perhaps it's a tricky inside picking motion, maybe a string skip, maybe even an awkward hammer on from nowhere. But that shows you which technique to work on. Finally, if you can't see any specific problems, or there are more than a couple of phrases tripping you up, then you've tried to go too fast too quickly. Slow it down and be honest with yourself, otherwise you won't see any improvement. Slow and right is a hundred times better than fast but wrong

DLM

nick79 said:

I'm currently struggling with this. Never really bothered with fast solo's before  but now i'm in a band i want to up my game. So working through the solo to Bark at the Moon. I've pretty much got the first bit nailed but the fast run that starts on the low e and goes up to the B string (3 times but changes slightly each time) has me stumped. I can play it at half speed but can't seem to improve any.. 

@nick79 Does this help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ZzuxgXut4

nick79

It certainly does, thanks very much! 

Clarky

if you have Logic, use the flex tool to slow down the audio

Van_Hayden

And don't forget the handy YouTube speed setting on videos!

DavusPG

This piece of wisdom from Mr Govan has always stuck in my head:

The killer quote is 40 seconds in

DLM

@nick79 Gladly!

nick79

That's really helped, thanks mate. I'm still nowhere near fast enough yet, we played Bark at band practise the other night and i only managed to squeeze in about half of each run lol. 

I've been working on the last bit of that solo too, and thats even faster if anything. Beginning to wonder of i've bitten off more than i can chew....

groovie

Ben Eller is hilarious, his mugging is almost as good as his playing.

jpfamps

I concur with the above.

The key is first learn to play it properly, which will be slower, and then work up to the speed you want to play it at.