Pierre Bensusan's "Silent Passenger" Tips?

[wgnorman]

I've started working on Silent Passenger - it is at the edge of my skill ability - I have music with tab and read both - also have a Pierre instructional video on the song - still, I'm thinking it will take at least 6 months for me to learn if I continue to work on it everyday.

Anyone have some tips on learning this piece? Any real gotchas in it? So far, it seems that I just need to work a measure at a time and get it down. Also, it is the first and only DADGAD I'm working on, but that does not seem to be a problem since I am mostly depending on tabs for notes and music notation for rhythm. Don't even want to attempt to think DADGAD conversion of 6,2,1 strings on upper frets...

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
anks

[Doug Young]

Sounds to me as if you have the right idea. It's hard to get better tips than from Pierre himself on that video. Great closeups of his hands, should be all you need. Just take it slow and get it down measure by measure. Check out Transcribe if you want to slow down the video for a closer look. Since that video is quicktime, you can use it to video at any speed you need, while keeping the pitch, which might help if there are some sections that go by too fast.

Anything by Pierre is going to be a challenge, tho this seems to be one of his easier tunes, if I'm remembering right, so it's a good place to start.

Doug

[Doug Young]

Hey Grant, how far have you gotten with this? I just got it out and read thru it (well, stumbled thru it....). It starts out simple, but in typical Pierre style, gets complicated and difficult fast. All the usual Pierre challenges, impossible stretches, unique phrasing, syncopated bass lines. Hard stuff :-) In the end, I think this one is more challenging than L'Alchemist. Nice tune, tho. I may see if I can make some progress on it.

Doug

[wgnorman]

Hey Grant, how far have you gotten with this? I just got it out and read thru it (well, stumbled thru it....). It starts out simple, but in typical Pierre style, gets complicated and difficult fast. All the usual Pierre challenges, impossible stretches, unique phrasing, syncopated bass lines. Hard stuff :-) In the end, I think this one is more challenging than L'Alchemist. Nice tune, tho. I may see if I can make some progress on it.

Doug

Haven't gone real far on it - opening measures and a couple measures from the middle. It will defintely be a long project for me (although I'm hoping as I get used to different sections I will be able to learn other sections easier) - also, my practice time will increase more and more as motorcycle riding season winds down....the conflict of two passions. I do have the song on my Guitar Trainer, so I can play back difficult passages at real slow speed in tune - so I have all the technology (although I will look at the video playback you mentioned also).

The song is my wife's absolute favorite - she doesn't know I've been working on it - would like to surprise her with it one day. We'll see...thanks for the comments.