So what do you guys think of my Little Wing cover?

selfobsessednewguy

I'm really insecure about my Little Wing covers and would like some criticism before I perform this live. This is my cover of Little Wing

edit: Ver 2: 

boogieman

Sorry but your timing is way off. Maybe practise over a backing track to get it better. The actual playing and phrasing is ok though. 

Alnico

selfobsessednewguy said:

I'm really insecure about my Little Wing covers and would like some criticism before I perform this live. This is my cover of Little Wing

Don't take that on stage.
You can play, there's no doubt and the sound, although i thought it had a little too much gain for that song, was fine.

What's not right is as @boogieman says the timing is off but also the structure of the song seems to lose itself.

Try going back to it and writing the song out on A4.
Structure it in on paper and remember what that image looks like, you will then see that on stage and remember the songs structure by that image.

If you go back and break the song into chunks, learning each one individually and then recognising where each section effectively stitches together it will help drastically.

Also listen out for contact points.
If you've never heard or heard of these, they're licks or phrases that are recognised by the band to signal the end of a section or even the song itself. There is a VERY obvious one played by DG, ascending the neck in whole tone bends at the end of the long second solo in Comfortably Numb. It actually signals the last few bars of the song.
You might find this and other songs you try to learn work better when you know their structure inside out.
I do something i call 'Immersion' whereby i listen to a song i'm trying to learn on repeat on headphones for a couple of hours, again and again. When i pick the guitar up i know what's coming next every time (Most times !).
That might help too.

You can play and you can definitely play THAT song, it just needs some finesse and confidence but it's a really gutsy attempt at a song that's not as easy as it might first appear.

Well done.

If you want any direct help, PM me anytime and i'll help all i can.
Learning by ear and playing covers live, especially at jams is what i did for many years and would still be doing now if my health would allow.
If you think i can help, just ask i'd be glad to.

richardhomer

Don't want to be negative - but as the others have said, the timing is a real issue. The 'greats' usually take liberties with timing in the sense that they effortlessly subtly shift their phrases around the basic rhythm of the song - but you can still count through it.

You should practice along to some kind of backing track, a metronome or a drum machine. I've recently bought a Boss RC-3 looper, which has a limited range of decent drum patterns built in, which makes it a really good practice tool.

Once you've nailed your timing you'll be all set - everything else is good.

Hope you take this as intended - trying to be helpful/honest....

selfobsessednewguy

Thank you guys very much, my equipment is awful so the tone definitely has too much gain (using a £200 guitar with a £15 amp and my phone's microphone) and I won't be taking this on stage for another 2 months yet, so that's why I'm looking for help now. I didn't use a background metronome or track which is regretful actually (I just thought I could get a feel for the BPM but clearly that didn't work), I will do it again and upload it here tomorrow. Thankyou all again, do not apologize, any cnc is greatly apprectiated

5redlights

All the phrasing is there, but just needs a slight bit of work on the timing. 

Just try playing the chords of the intro first to get the timings, e.g moving from the G to the E etc. Slowly bring in the key phrases he uses, then add your own touches. Also, don't worry about needing gain to give definition. Clean and some reverb will do it, and play different parts with different levels of force to accent it. 

Chalky

selfobsessednewguy said:

Thank you guys very much, my equipment is awful so the tone definitely has too much gain (using a £200 guitar with a £15 amp and my phone's microphone) and I won't be taking this on stage for another 2 months yet, so that's why I'm looking for help now. I didn't use a background metronome or track which is regretful actually (I just thought I could get a feel for the BPM but clearly that didn't work), I will do it again and upload it here tomorrow. Thankyou all again, do not apologize, any cnc is greatly apprectiated

My timing is crap. The main skill you need in playing live is timing.  Any musician with good timing, not just guitarists, will find it much easier to get gigs.  Some people are naturally blessed with it but if like me you aren't then you have to learn it the hard way with a metronome.

Gassage

I think it'll fly.

selfobsessednewguy

Chalky said:

selfobsessednewguy said:

Thank you guys very much, my equipment is awful so the tone definitely has too much gain (using a £200 guitar with a £15 amp and my phone's microphone) and I won't be taking this on stage for another 2 months yet, so that's why I'm looking for help now. I didn't use a background metronome or track which is regretful actually (I just thought I could get a feel for the BPM but clearly that didn't work), I will do it again and upload it here tomorrow. Thankyou all again, do not apologize, any cnc is greatly apprectiated

My timing is crap. The main skill you need in playing live is timing.  Any musician with good timing, not just guitarists, will find it much easier to get gigs.  Some people are naturally blessed with it but if like me you aren't then you have to learn it the hard way with a metronome.

Yeah I've heard this before, it interests me and makes a lot of sense. Does anyone use the convention of performing with a metronome in one ear (in-ear bud)?

EDIT: Also thankyou @Alnico again for the ideas, especially the one about writing the structure down. This will help me massively x

Alnico

selfobsessednewguy said:

Chalky said:

selfobsessednewguy said:

Thank you guys very much, my equipment is awful so the tone definitely has too much gain (using a £200 guitar with a £15 amp and my phone's microphone) and I won't be taking this on stage for another 2 months yet, so that's why I'm looking for help now. I didn't use a background metronome or track which is regretful actually (I just thought I could get a feel for the BPM but clearly that didn't work), I will do it again and upload it here tomorrow. Thankyou all again, do not apologize, any cnc is greatly apprectiated

My timing is crap. The main skill you need in playing live is timing.  Any musician with good timing, not just guitarists, will find it much easier to get gigs.  Some people are naturally blessed with it but if like me you aren't then you have to learn it the hard way with a metronome.

Yeah I've heard this before, it interests me and makes a lot of sense. Does anyone use the convention of performing with a metronome in one ear (in-ear bud)?

EDIT: Also thankyou @Alnico again for the ideas, especially the one about writing the structure down. This will help me massively x

No problem 

57Deluxe

...more like a wing nuts cover...

blueskunk

57Deluxe said:

...more like a Wing Nuts Cover...

Nice and helpful...

selfobsessednewguy

To @boogieman, @Alnico, @5redlights  and everyone else thankyou for your help, I have redone the cover with the added help of a backing track and I have added some reverb and thought about structure more. Here is an updated version, please let me know if there is anything which sucks that stands out which I can change:

Alnico

So much better and really, *really* good expressive playing.
Fucking really well done i really enjoyed listening to that.

Take *That* one on stage and you'll shine.
Keep practicing it every day like that and keep that inside-out knowledge of every aspect of it, like it sounds like you've got right now.

If i was listening to that in a pub i'd have a massive smile on my face.

selfobsessednewguy

Wow, thanks man, awesome, I'm glad you enjoyed listening to it. I will try to find a way to bring a backing track on stage then. 

Alnico

Try HERE for more tracks.

On stage through a PA shouldn't be difficult from most devices.

boogieman

Wow. 100% better, well done. I wouldn't have thought it the was the same person playing. Very nice soloing and phrasing and the timing is just soooo much better.

I only have one more suggestion: keep the tone cleaner at the beginning and then wind the wick up when you go into the solo so you get a bit more light and shade. Otherwise, a very nice job. 

littlegreenman

@selfobsessednewguy ; I didn't hear the first one, but the recent one posted was cool. With a decent backing track, or better yet an actual band, that would be fucking great as a live thing.

Less gain on the intro though, just back off the volume on your guitar so you can whack it up as it gets going.

p.s. Welcome to the forum

Moss

That second one is genuinely brilliant

Great phrasing, love the vibrato in particular

Gulliver

Some really nice phrasing and great note choices - not just sticking to Em pentatonic like a lot of people!!

Col_Decker

I didn't comment on the first version as what I would have said was already covered. The second version however is excellent, great work mate. Really really good.