How long to learn this song...

[kcboy]

What song have you learned recently that you are proud of, and how long did it take?


For me, I'm learning "King Kong goes to Tallahassee" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSI_ksxQLLk
and its taken me 2+ weeks of 1-2 hrs a day to play well and memorize up to the mid way 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3 riff.
This riff and the next one will likely take me a few weeks to get muscle memory and timing perfect. In general there are some tricky muscle memory and timing in this song, IMO.
But it is so very thoroughly addictive to play, I can't stop.
Anyone else tackled this piece? and how long did it take you to play to a satisfactory level? (Eg: you would play it to your friends)

[ljguitar]

[size=2]

Originally Posted by kcboy

What song have you learned recently that you are proud of, and how long did it take?


For me, I'm learning "King Kong goes to Tallahassee"…it is so very thoroughly addictive to play, I can't stop.
Anyone else tackled this piece? and how long did it take you to play to a satisfactory level? (Eg: you would play it to your friends)

Hi kcboy
I learn songs like this to a performable level in under a week once I start putting it together. Often I'll listen to a piece like this for a week solid (10 times a day) and then let it marinate without listening for a week. Then I go 'technical' and start figuring out fingerings, and putting parts together.

I'll have the basics in an hour, and then it's just memorizing form (intro-verse-chorus-bridge etc) and differences between how verses are played, and putting in some time to work it into the hands/brain. I've also been playing for 57 years, and I taught fingerstyle for 40 years.

The key is to get the melody and form correct and then put the techniques together. Your skills will grow with continued learning of new songs (and the speed with which you put it all together).

I find video learning more helpful than digging it out old-school. Here are two from YouTube of Cockburn's song you listed. And I've NEVER seen so many YouTube versions of a song as this one!! I think the video of Josh Turner playing it (there are at least two) are some of the best 'knock-offs' of the original.

One guy below has the second chord change different. Lots of help from both of these videos. Neither is album ready, but they both have a good idea of how the song goes, and ways to play it. The song is played in Dropped D in both videos.

After I play these type arrangements, I often make 'my' changes and build an arrangement of my own (trying to retain the music thoughts of the composer).

Hope this adds to your progress…

[rmp]

Originally Posted by kcboy

What song have you learned recently that you are proud of, and how long did it take?


For me, I'm learning "King Kong goes to Tallahassee" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSI_ksxQLLk
and its taken me 2+ weeks of 1-2 hrs a day to play well and memorize up to the mid way 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3 riff.
This riff and the next one will likely take me a few weeks to get muscle memory and timing perfect. In general there are some tricky muscle memory and timing in this song, IMO.
But it is so very thoroughly addictive to play, I can't stop.
Anyone else tackled this piece? and how long did it take you to play to a satisfactory level? (Eg: you would play it to your friends)

Time?

it takes what it takes...

stick with it, it will be worth it.

that's a cool piece.

[Skip Ellis]

I can listen to something like that three or four times and get something real similar. To me, it's not a 'song' - it's a style thing with a bunch of blues licks strung together. I don't usually learn anyone else's arrangements of anything - they've already done it - why copy?

[blue]

The more familiar you are with a genre, I mean obsessively familiar, having learned and forgotten dozens to hundreds of tunes, the faster you get. The complexity of the tune matters. But the more familiar you are the less complex songs become. New songs become variations of a theme.

If you are playing music that you don't consider a successful performance if it doesn't match the record, it takes as long as it takes! I wouldn't feel bad taking two weeks or longer to learn a complex ragtime tune note for note by ear, I can tell you that!

But at the same time, the more familiar I am with a genre, the less compelled I am to play it note for note after learning it. In most cases music intended to be packaged and distributed has very simple "consumable" rhythm patterns. That's usually where I'll stray. Throwing in triplets, or open space. I don't necessarily want a 1-2-3-4 emotion through the whole song. You have to be true to the groove of course. Sticking with ragtime as an example, it the song is bouncy you have to keep it bouncy!

I switched over from "Proud of" to "enjoy playing" a while ago. Don't get me wrong. I've been proud of myself over a few Kottke songs! His style if most definitely not natural for my brain and muscles. Life is easier if you go with your strengths, but you also don't want to be too comfortable.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by blue

The more familiar you are with a genre, I mean obsessively familiar, having learned and forgotten dozens to hundreds of tunes, the faster you get. The complexity of the tune matters. But the more familiar you are the less complex songs become. New songs become variations of a theme.

I think that sums up my experiences too.

I started down the path of learning alternate tuning pieces quite a few year back. (Ed Gerhard, Alex D Grassi, Tommy E as a few examples. some of the pieces are quite involved.)

the first ones took a bit of time to learn, then master them was another plateau to reach for

The more you do, similar things, the less steep the learning curve is.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by kcboy

What song have you learned recently that you are proud of, and how long did it take?


For me, I'm learning "King Kong goes to Tallahassee" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSI_ksxQLLk
and its taken me 2+ weeks of 1-2 hrs a day to play well and memorize up to the mid way 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3 riff.
This riff and the next one will likely take me a few weeks to get muscle memory and timing perfect. In general there are some tricky muscle memory and timing in this song, IMO.
But it is so very thoroughly addictive to play, I can't stop.
Anyone else tackled this piece? and how long did it take you to play to a satisfactory level? (Eg: you would play it to your friends)

If you are talking about playing it pretty much note for note and to about Bruce Cockburn's level of style, precision and flow you did very good
to get it done in that amount of practice time. Congrats.

[_Tachyon_]

Originally Posted by kcboy

What song have you learned recently that you are proud of, and how long did it take?


For me, I'm learning "King Kong goes to Tallahassee" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSI_ksxQLLk
and its taken me 2+ weeks of 1-2 hrs a day to play well and memorize up to the mid way 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3, 5-6-5-3 riff.
This riff and the next one will likely take me a few weeks to get muscle memory and timing perfect. In general there are some tricky muscle memory and timing in this song, IMO.
But it is so very thoroughly addictive to play, I can't stop.
Anyone else tackled this piece? and how long did it take you to play to a satisfactory level? (Eg: you would play it to your friends)

I've tackled this... it took me some time to TAB it , but while doing that I probably listened to it 100 times, so that helped too. I probably only spent 1/2 hr a day at it so it probably ended up taking me a month or so... If you're interested in the TAB, msg me.