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  #16  
Old 01-30-2019, 10:40 AM
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Ludere Ludere is offline
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Thanks DesertTwang!
Regarding remembering chord progressions ... I have an unfair advantage, due to adaptation ...
Back in the day (pre internet) when we wanted to learn a new song, my then girlfriend, (now ex-wife) and I would go into the music store and I would look at the sheet music for the songs we wanted, memorize the progressions, and then walk out and go write them down. Yes, we were that broke.

I got to where I could do three or four songs at a time ... sometimes I would make up acronyms to remember the trickier ones ...

I have decided to make this one a work in progress, and I have already nuked out other legitimate forms for the two hardest (for me) chords ... some are still pretty tough for me, but those will be my "stretch" exercises.

I pretty much have the whole song committed to memory at this point ... but actually playing it? - not so much.

Thanks again!

~ Paul
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  #17  
Old 01-31-2019, 10:08 AM
SouthpawJeff SouthpawJeff is offline
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Ok I took a look and there’s definitely two chords in there that would take me a bit to get under my belt. Of course we all have different abilities and so what one person finds easy another may find nearly impossible. Having said that I think very generally speaking, chords shapes like the ones in that lesson are in reach of most of us, but just take a bit of time. I can say with certainty I would not get them clean in a week let alone a day! So stepping back and taking a deep breath, which it sounds like you have, can be helpful. And I agree with you if your desire is to improve as a guitarist, then avoiding the difficult parts is not going to help😉

I might recommend not spending as much time on one specific piece. Again, we’re all different and we all have opinions so take this for what it’s worth.... but I find when learning difficult chords I won’t spend more than say an hour a day. Otherwise the constant straining to finger correctly can be difficult physically as well as mentally. Patience and perseverence are so important in learning. And the reward is one day you’ll pick up the guitar and find the chords are there for you!

Last advise is to consider easing into the more difficult chords. Either capoing up on your guitar or alternately, what I do a lot, practice them on the electric. Either way will allow you to fret easier while you get “used to” the shapes themselves. Once you have the shapes down you can move down a bit at a time to stretch out for the open chord🙂

Good luck,
Jeff
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  #18  
Old 02-02-2019, 09:45 AM
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Ludere Ludere is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthpawJeff View Post
Ok I took a look and there’s definitely two chords in there that would take me a bit to get under my belt. Of course we all have different abilities and so what one person finds easy another may find nearly impossible. Having said that I think very generally speaking, chords shapes like the ones in that lesson are in reach of most of us, but just take a bit of time. I can say with certainty I would not get them clean in a week let alone a day! So stepping back and taking a deep breath, which it sounds like you have, can be helpful. And I agree with you if your desire is to improve as a guitarist, then avoiding the difficult parts is not going to help��

I might recommend not spending as much time on one specific piece. Again, we’re all different and we all have opinions so take this for what it’s worth.... but I find when learning difficult chords I won’t spend more than say an hour a day. Otherwise the constant straining to finger correctly can be difficult physically as well as mentally. Patience and perseverence are so important in learning. And the reward is one day you’ll pick up the guitar and find the chords are there for you!

Last advise is to consider easing into the more difficult chords. Either capoing up on your guitar or alternately, what I do a lot, practice them on the electric. Either way will allow you to fret easier while you get “used to” the shapes themselves. Once you have the shapes down you can move down a bit at a time to stretch out for the open chord��

Good luck,
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff - some really good suggestions there.
Just for the record I never expected to get that song "down" in a day ... but at least walk through it end to end, slow ... I have indeed stepped back and taken a breath and as I said earlier, this one is now a work in progress.
You are spot on regarding us all being at varying levels, and I am certainly at the lower end of the scale in this company.
In retrospect, I think I was just tired, cranky, and felt the need to start whining ... and for that I apologize.
Thanks again to all for the great support and suggestions.

~ Paul

...
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  #19  
Old 02-06-2019, 11:00 AM
Laughingboy68 Laughingboy68 is offline
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Some of the chord voicings that he demonstrates in this video are very tasty and sound great, especially on the type of guitar he is playing. However, if the fingering is a bit unwieldy, there are much simpler and less physically demanding versions that will provide most if not all of the colour from his arrangement. The Cm6 can be played in open position as a Cm6/9. The G13 chord can be a one finger barre at the seventh fret for the top three strings. The diminished chords can be played a bazillion ways all over the neck. When someone has their own arrangement for a song, you can take it as a guide, but don’t feel like you’re a prisoner to their version.
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  #20  
Old 02-06-2019, 04:45 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Paul;

Many of the chord shapes that the fellow is using are found in the first lesson of The Mickey Baker Introduction to Jazz Guitar music book... you might grab a hold of one of those books, if you like the sound of those "jazzy" chord shapes that are in the tutorial...

Truth is, I first got that book in the 70's and I still go back from time to time, just to reacquaint myself with some of the chords in that first lesson! I have found that if I'm using a chord or shape in a current tune I'm playing, it will stay with me easily - conversely, if I learn something "just because" and don't employ it consistently, I'll forget it very quickly.

Pretty sure that Simon did not write this one on the guitar (nor any of the songs on that album!); at that time, he was dealing with issues with his hands and fingers and actually thought he might never play guitar again... this was the first album he wrote on the piano... it was a long time ago, but that's what I recall...

If you are stretching yourself, you're always going to run into aspects of music that will have you stumped... kind of goes with the territory, when you think about it. This is a great tune, though, and certainly worthy of the effort to learn and play it well!

Having a good working understanding of Diatonic Chord Theory would help you remember all the changes... there are a lot of fairly common jazz-type progressions in the song. Getting a handle on Diatonic Chord Theory has been perhaps the MOST useful "musical" thing I've learned/studied... both as a performer and a writer.

Keep going with this one, and let us know how you do!
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  #21  
Old 02-07-2019, 08:55 AM
Laughingboy68 Laughingboy68 is offline
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Thanks for presenting this tune as a challenge. It sounds much simpler than it is, but really that’s because it uses fairly common jazz/blues/gospel changes with interesting extensions and substitutions. I’ve worked out my own arrangement now and I’m having some good fun now. I avoid a few of his chord suggestions because they are pretty tough to get sounding smooth. As I said earlier, there are many good substitutes.

It surprised me how high the vocal is. Because Paul is often paired with Art Garfunkel’s soaring voice you don’t realize how effortless the top of his range is. Especially with the key change to A at the end. Lovely tune.
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  #22  
Old 02-07-2019, 09:15 AM
Laughingboy68 Laughingboy68 is offline
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The intro and the bridge are both really cool as well. I’ve left out the killer sax solo when I play it. I just have to imagine Michael Brecker’s wail.
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  #23  
Old 02-07-2019, 08:33 PM
rwmct rwmct is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludere View Post
which means I don’t have a starting point for practicing it, which means I won’t, which means I wasted a day, AND I really wanted that song.
The only thing I have to say in this one (given that the song is out of my league) is that if you have been working on a song, you have not been wasting your day, regardless of whether you get it down or not.
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