| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/15/2017 : 11:23:52
Didn't see this topic anywhere else on the forum, only saw a good discussion on good fbf songs for beginners.
Anyway, for me it was Strange Goodbye. I had just picked up the guitar a few months before, the chords seemed easy, and I was listening to a lot of Honeycomb at the time because it was resonating on some personal levels.
Anybody else remember their first time playing an fbf song? |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| timhortonz |
Posted - 03/13/2023 : 11:18:16
Where's my Mind, I was able to figure it out
Than The full setlist of the 88 live .at town and country
found some chords on internet and the visual cues serve me to find the others
I can play almost the entire original 5
The harder ones : those relying too much on orchestration
Debaser, as singer and rhythm
Dead - His best one on musical merit imo - to th9s days i can play it et can comprehend how He could wrote this shit ... Mesmerizing
Hang Wire: not taught to play but to get the verse right is not easy its a shme as i beleive its one of the best verse flow ... :)
Ht me back if a track give you trouble ;
I could tell you a story that will make you cry ... |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 08:28:14
Thanks Arm Arm Arm and picpic for tips! |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 07:28:55
quote:
Originally posted by picpic
What's your greatest achievement playing BF tunes ?
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Where is My Mind?
One of the first, if not the first Pixies songs I learned years ago when I realized I better learn songs instead of playing the same scale over and over and over.
It was quite satisfying to play the riff and to slide around during the verses and of course, great fun in varying how I play it, sometimes doing it the Catholics way where Frank would mute some chords, sometimes just repeating a note or two from the riff before playing the whole thing.
It's also just a fun riff to play around with.
Once years ago I was at a bar playing with some people, an informal guitar jam meetup, amazingly fun, and towards the end of the night I noodled around with the riff. This random guy at the bar recognized it, wandered over, borrowed another guitar and just solo'd like crazy while I played the rhythm, it went on and on, a lot of fun!
Accepting how I play instead of holding myself to some crazy standard was very liberating as well. You like how I play fine, if not, that's fine too, I'm enjoying myself. Ironically, I improved the most after this realization, not worrying about playing the song perfectly was liberating, I let go and felt the music. I still am improving, there's a lot to learn on the guitar and it's fun doing so.
cheers
|
| picpic |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 07:17:31
3 string version power chord is the way to go. And you can do major/minors with them.
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 06:44:57
Bedbug,
Power chords. Much easier to play than barre, very effective, used in everything pretty much.
http://www.dummies.com/art-center/music/guitar/how-to-play-power-chords-on-guitar/ |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 06:30:09
is there any hope for me if I can't seem to learn any barre chords? any tips? |
| picpic |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 03:27:47
What's your greatest achievement playing BF tunes ?
I must say it felt really good when I discovered how to play the great Trompe D-songs like Alec, Memphis, Palace & Bird. Or Joey lead on Sad Punk !
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| Bedbug |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 01:05:31
And after all these years my favorite album closer is still Brick |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 04/04/2017 : 00:49:05
quote:
Originally posted by Arm Arm Arm
I think Trompe, Planet and Alec are the three best opening songs on anything Frank has done. However, it's a tie for second between Pong/Thalasocracy and Capt. Pasty/Threshold. I might just give it to Threshold, that's one of my all time favorites of his. Anyway, reading all this about Pong I might have to get around to giving it a go.
Hey Picpic, you could try playing Pong at a really slow tempo till you get the chords/rhythm without thinking about it and slowly work your way up to speed.
cheers
I've actually had the exact same thoughts Arm Arm Arm. I think those 3 albums are his best opening salvos of anything he's done.
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 04/03/2017 : 19:42:46
I think Trompe, Planet and Alec are the three best opening songs on anything Frank has done. However, it's a tie for second between Pong/Thalasocracy and Capt. Pasty/Threshold. I might just give it to Threshold, that's one of my all time favorites of his. Anyway, reading all this about Pong I might have to get around to giving it a go.
Hey Picpic, you could try playing Pong at a really slow tempo till you get the chords/rhythm without thinking about it and slowly work your way up to speed.
cheers |
| picpic |
Posted - 04/03/2017 : 05:02:17
Challenging for me at least. Pong chords are basic, but the tempo is way too wild. Beyond a certain amount of BPM, my brain just freezes.
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| Bedbug |
Posted - 04/02/2017 : 18:42:53
quote:
Originally posted by picpic
U can do it MrDutchie ! Thalassocray is also an easy one to start with, only a few barre chords. My ultimate goal for a BF song is to be able to play Pong. But it's damn too fast.
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picpic, would you say Whatever Happened to Pong? is one of his most challenging songs?
What are some of the others? |
| picpic |
Posted - 04/01/2017 : 12:01:58
U can do it MrDutchie ! Thalassocray is also an easy one to start with, only a few barre chords. My ultimate goal for a BF song is to be able to play Pong. But it's damn too fast.
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 04/01/2017 : 09:43:44
That's great, McDutchie! Learning to play guitar was one of the best decisions I made, it's a constant source of pleasure and stress relief. Good for you. The internet is an amazing resource and there are so many who put up lessons and tutorials for free, God bless their generosity!
Getting barre chords down is important but so is warming up your fingers before playing.
I usually start simple, at the neck, playing each note, (F F# G etc) up four frets on the low E, then repeat on the A string and so on, reach the high E and move up a fret and work my way back, this time starting with my pinky finger and ending with the index finger. So if I start on the low E, at the first fret (F) I end on the low E at the second fret (F#).
I don't know if that made sense or not. It's easy to see someone do things like this on youtube or with a tab then writing it out like that.
Anyway...
You can practice alternate picking, all down or upstrokes, switch to alternate strings, etc. Sometimes I play simple scales, or little riffs from songs across different strings, that way I'm learning and warming up at the same time but the important thing is to start slow and easy, just warm up your finger muscles.
You'll be amazed at how quickly you can learn songs once you've learned some, so many are variations of the same chords and simple riffs.
cheers |
| McDutchie |
Posted - 04/01/2017 : 05:56:45
I'm still working on my first FBF song. I finally took up guitar a few months ago in my 40s. Self-study with YouTube and books. Probably doing it wrong. Don't care. I'm now at the point where playing Robert Onion's intro barre chords has mostly stopped hurting my wrist. |
| Gramoul Zlu |
Posted - 03/30/2017 : 14:05:07
Hi guys, glad you liked the story, it's really great to talk about all this and to read your whole processes / thoughts about it, thumbs up for the original idea and all contributions.
I think that when you have a very limited set of abilities / equipment, you happen to try compensate it by getting to the point the way you know you can, or something like that, which can sometimes bring something evocative as an experience, it's a language after all. The clearer / stronger the message, the better the reception in a way. Though overtly trying to puzzle people can also be a very rewarding way to go. I'm not at all against talented artists who spend tons of time and energy into crafting their skill, it really is a thing that I admire, having known from quite close musicians that I love, I have a tremendous amount of respect for such powerful experiences. Just mentioned the difference to contextualize my path a bit.
And once more, Arm Arm Arm I'm with you on appropriating for yourself the stuff cover in terms of choices, arrangements, bringing new flesh on the table. Though it might be an interesting technical exercise to try replicating the things you love, at some point it has to live differently I think. Anyway you can guess which side I'm on with this topic ;0 |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 11:20:53
quote:
Originally posted by Arm Arm Arm
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
That's awesome! I didn't mean to diss real musicians in any way.
Good luck at the next open mic Arm Arm Arm!
I didn't think you were.
I find it amazing when guys go up there and play things like Van Halen and nail the solos. It's impressive. Conversely, I often feel people don't put their own stamp on covers, they nail it like the radio single but nothing more. I realize open mics can't become endless twelve minute jam sessions but a minute or two of adding to the outro or something would be nice.
In general, the more I listened to music, the more I appreciated simplicity, doing more with less, the power of brevity on record. Live, I like a good mix of songs performed like the album spaced out with extended versions, improvs, jamming.
Thanks. It's not often I venture to the open mic though I should probably do it more often, it's good to do things like that, helps ya grow.
cheers
Totally agree with your simplicity point. That's got to be part of why the classics are classic. Dylan or the Beatles just strumming something is timeless.
And of course that takes me back to our countless IC / HC / Compression discussions. I would trade my copy of IC in for the demos of Frank just playing the IC songs on his acoustic or electric. Or for a version IC with the production of SR. Either way I sound like the old man I am. |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 11:07:50
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
That's awesome! I didn't mean to diss real musicians in any way.
Good luck at the next open mic Arm Arm Arm!
I didn't think you were.
I find it amazing when guys go up there and play things like Van Halen and nail the solos. It's impressive. Conversely, I often feel people don't put their own stamp on covers, they nail it like the radio single but nothing more. I realize open mics can't become endless twelve minute jam sessions but a minute or two of adding to the outro or something would be nice.
In general, the more I listened to music, the more I appreciated simplicity, doing more with less, the power of brevity on record. Live, I like a good mix of songs performed like the album spaced out with extended versions, improvs, jamming.
Thanks. It's not often I venture to the open mic though I should probably do it more often, it's good to do things like that, helps ya grow.
cheers |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 07:03:52
quote:
Originally posted by Arm Arm Arm
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Lots of insights about our common humanity here. I appreciate the story.
I have found when attending open mic venues, that the performers who are least "real musicians" are usually the most enjoyable.
The last time I did an open mic, it was more of an electric set up, just bring your guitar and plug in. There was a drum set and some really skilled musicians playing, guys that could play Rush songs sounding exactly like the album, heavy metal songs, shredding and so on but seemed friendly and cool and laid back, no negative attitude.
A nice and really talented guy (guitar/drums/keys) sat in on drums and another on bass.
Me (guitar) and a friend (he sung) went up there and played Tom Petty's Last Dance with Mary Jane and Rockin' in the Free World.
It was fun but a bit nerve wracking, everything seemed to zoom by yet felt long too.
By the time I was warmed up it was time to get off the stage; tried to get the bass player to take a solo while me and the drummer kept up the rhythm but he either didn't understand my head motions or didn't care to, so took a quick solo myself and got to improv a little which was good.
Either way, it was fun. Will probably do it again in the future.
cheers
That's awesome! I didn't mean to diss real musicians in any way. I've done some open mics with real musicians backing me up and they definitely make things sound better.
Good luck at the next open mic Arm Arm Arm! |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 06:25:31
quote:
Originally posted by Gramoul Zlu
Didn't care, just enjoyed the magic of some ridiculous little something emerged from what seemed really nowhere at all, and keeping on adding stuff to my very personal version of a semi-outsider, half-karaoke repertoire.
This is really good!
There's lots of guys that can play guitar but can't write a song, not even an "semi-outsider" tune.
Of course there are lots of guys who are virtuosos on guitar and can write memorable songs too; for me, it's about the music that's created, regardless of technical ability, though I do love when someone can really shred on the guitar. It depends on their music and knowing when to let loose and when less is more.
cheers |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 06:21:10
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Lots of insights about our common humanity here. I appreciate the story.
I have found when attending open mic venues, that the performers who are least "real musicians" are usually the most enjoyable.
The last time I did an open mic, it was more of an electric set up, just bring your guitar and plug in. There was a drum set and some really skilled musicians playing, guys that could play Rush songs sounding exactly like the album, heavy metal songs, shredding and so on but seemed friendly and cool and laid back, no negative attitude.
A nice and really talented guy (guitar/drums/keys) sat in on drums and another on bass.
Me (guitar) and a friend (he sung) went up there and played Tom Petty's Last Dance with Mary Jane and Rockin' in the Free World.
It was fun but a bit nerve wracking, everything seemed to zoom by yet felt long too.
By the time I was warmed up it was time to get off the stage; tried to get the bass player to take a solo while me and the drummer kept up the rhythm but he either didn't understand my head motions or didn't care to, so took a quick solo myself and got to improv a little which was good.
Either way, it was fun. Will probably do it again in the future.
cheers |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 06:09:02
quote:
Originally posted by Gramoul Zlu
... Didn't care, just enjoyed the magic of some ridiculous little something emerged from what seemed really nowhere at all, and keeping on adding stuff to my very personal version of a semi-outsider, half-karaoke repertoire.
Anyway, the first cover song I did was actually Cactus, found a convenient personal arrangement completely by accident, previously that was a song I'd love to sing and was less difficult than others, on top of that it seemed to fit the persona I had developed "on stages"
Thanks for sharing Gramoul, that's a great story! Glad you're keeping at it, too.
cheers |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 05:49:51
quote:
Originally posted by Gramoul Zlu
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Didn't see this topic anywhere else on the forum, only saw a good discussion on good fbf songs for beginners.
Anyway, for me it was Strange Goodbye. I had just picked up the guitar a few months before, the chords seemed easy, and I was listening to a lot of Honeycomb at the time because it was resonating on some personal levels.
Anybody else remember their first time playing an fbf song?
I might have a strange story to share about all this.
7 years and a half ago, following a friendly challenge proposed to me, I entered an evening where I was supposed to give a private solo acoustic guitar show on some friends house... while I didn't know how to play at all in the first place. This ended up in an extreme performance of me alternating overly loud screamings with completely lame note by note lines on the lowest string of the guitar with small themes on toy keyboards. Quite particular of course, but people were happy still at the end (I had never done such a thing and wasn't known for anything close to that so it happened to be kind of a revelation for everybody). I then became that outsider guy mixing very raw rock - punk music feels like Bach, compared to what I was doing - and childish tunes on cheap instruments.
Fast forward some months after this personal event, I had decided to try at least to be able to play the equivalent of a very simple bass line while singing(trying to be a bit better at that too), still on the lowest string of the guitar and ended up creating very minimalistic songs this way, with the inclusion of a constant five semi-tones higher note on the string after the lowest... and with the exception of some very occasional tricks, this was the end of my musical knowledge but I kept on practicing just for the fun and challenge of it.
Never had the tranquillity enough to learn how to play the guitar, and never was too interested by how to play a more conventional way either to be honest, even though I remained pretty realistic about how lame what I was doing was... Didn't care, just enjoyed the magic of some ridiculous little something emerged from what seemed really nowhere at all, and keeping on adding stuff to my very personal version of a semi-outsider, half-karaoke repertoire.
Anyway, the first cover song I did was actually Cactus, found a convenient personal arrangement completely by accident, previously that was a song I'd love to sing and was less difficult than others, on top of that it seemed to fit the persona I had developed "on stages"(did some various shows based on the same formula for a while after my first terrifying breakthrough). And thus I played it, then other ones and it was great fun.
I never cared too much about my musical output's quality as the experience was so rewarding. I agree with lots of stuff Arm Arm Arm's been saying all in all, even though not being your typical musician.
It helped me to have a brand new perspective on Frank's work, to enjoy a new form of creative stuff and even sometimes, expression / a way of letting off steam. Plus progressing in understanding things a bit, I even made some collaborations with actual real regular musicians which also were great experiences on their own so I would be a fool not to have entered this path, or to have and now regret it, even if this was all in all a pretty weird way to start I'll admit.
So I don't fit in musicians conversations but am to this day still glad I tried a long time ago and keep on doing it currently ;0
Lots of insights about our common humanity here. I appreciate the story.
I have found when attending open mic venues, that the performers who are least "real musicians" are usually the most enjoyable. |
| Gramoul Zlu |
Posted - 03/24/2017 : 15:33:39
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Didn't see this topic anywhere else on the forum, only saw a good discussion on good fbf songs for beginners.
Anyway, for me it was Strange Goodbye. I had just picked up the guitar a few months before, the chords seemed easy, and I was listening to a lot of Honeycomb at the time because it was resonating on some personal levels.
Anybody else remember their first time playing an fbf song?
I might have a strange story to share about all this.
7 years and a half ago, following a friendly challenge proposed to me, I entered an evening where I was supposed to give a private solo acoustic guitar show on some friends house... while I didn't know how to play at all in the first place. This ended up in an extreme performance of me alternating overly loud screamings with completely lame note by note lines on the lowest string of the guitar with small themes on toy keyboards. Quite particular of course, but people were happy still at the end (I had never done such a thing and wasn't known for anything close to that so it happened to be kind of a revelation for everybody). I then became that outsider guy mixing very raw rock - punk music feels like Bach, compared to what I was doing - and childish tunes on cheap instruments.
Fast forward some months after this personal event, I had decided to try at least to be able to play the equivalent of a very simple bass line while singing(trying to be a bit better at that too), still on the lowest string of the guitar and ended up creating very minimalistic songs this way, with the inclusion of a constant five semi-tones higher note on the string after the lowest... and with the exception of some very occasional tricks, this was the end of my musical knowledge but I kept on practicing just for the fun and challenge of it.
Never had the tranquillity enough to learn how to play the guitar, and never was too interested by how to play a more conventional way either to be honest, even though I remained pretty realistic about how lame what I was doing was... Didn't care, just enjoyed the magic of some ridiculous little something emerged from what seemed really nowhere at all, and keeping on adding stuff to my very personal version of a semi-outsider, half-karaoke repertoire.
Anyway, the first cover song I did was actually Cactus, found a convenient personal arrangement completely by accident, previously that was a song I'd love to sing and was less difficult than others, on top of that it seemed to fit the persona I had developed "on stages"(did some various shows based on the same formula for a while after my first terrifying breakthrough). And thus I played it, then other ones and it was great fun.
I never cared too much about my musical output's quality as the experience was so rewarding. I agree with lots of stuff Arm Arm Arm's been saying all in all, even though not being your typical musician.
It helped me to have a brand new perspective on Frank's work, to enjoy a new form of creative stuff and even sometimes, expression / a way of letting off steam. Plus progressing in understanding things a bit, I even made some collaborations with actual real regular musicians which also were great experiences on their own so I would be a fool not to have entered this path, or to have and now regret it, even if this was all in all a pretty weird way to start I'll admit.
So I don't fit in musicians conversations but am to this day still glad I tried a long time ago and keep on doing it currently ;0 |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/24/2017 : 12:13:20
Yeah, thanks. Joeys' solos are a good place to start. I'm not interested in replicating Rush or Van Halen solo, though typing it out now maybe I should for the challenge.
Anyway, I love the crazy Vamos solo from Surfer, (I know it was chopped up...) but perhaps his most potent and powerful one is from Hey. It's perfect in its length and melody and fits the subject of the song perfectly.
Another solo that does that for a completely different song is Mike Campbell's from Running Down A Dream. It's emotional and fast moving.
ciao |
| picpic |
Posted - 03/24/2017 : 01:48:22
Learning lead/solo play with Joey parts is a good place to start I guess. Easy to learn, immediately satisfying, mistakes allowed !
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/23/2017 : 08:03:26
quote:
Originally posted by picpic
Subbacultcha rocks. I remember the last verse is the most challening. E. E. E. E. E. 
Do you record your performances ?
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Yeah, that ending is quite tricky, I have to write it out. E E E (hold on...) D...no fuck! E. etc.
I've recorded jam sessions with my friends where we get together and play covers and improvs for the fun of it, but it's nothing I'd inflict on the forum, I like this place.
Let me dust off this soapbox, there we go:
I believe that in times of olde more people knew how to play an instrument and were fond of getting together and just playing and singing music. I think people would be happier if they did know how to play an instrument, once you get past the beginner phase and can actually play something that sounds like something, well...it's a heck of a lot of fun. Eat dinner, walk over to your neighbors, sit around and play some music instead of watching tv.
Great stress reliever too.
Let alone playing with friends, that's super fun.
And that must be one heck of a high to be on stage having crowds cheer for your music and singing your lyrics.
Anyway, I usually aim for as close an approximation of a song to be recognizable, generally. I can make my way through Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' Bout Love but mainly the riff and the chords, not the soloing.
Learning some Rush songs was quite the confidence booster as their music seemed too complex, but when broken down, things like (most of) YYZ and La Villa Strangiato aren't that complex after all. Thank God for the people who share their how-to's on youtube.
But not the solos.
I still mean to learn some Joe Satriani as that's at another level of complexity.
There's nothing like being out in the park on a bench, in the summer, playing music with friends. Loud enough if people want to come by and listen they can, but not overpowering others good time in the sun.
cheers
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| danjersey |
Posted - 03/22/2017 : 22:17:30
Valentine and Garuda "I don't know where to begin" coincidentally
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| picpic |
Posted - 03/20/2017 : 08:49:11
Subbacultcha rocks. I remember the last verse is the most challening. E. E. E. E. E.
Do you record your performances ?
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/19/2017 : 14:18:31
Subbacultcha is really easy and fun to play, too. |
| picpic |
Posted - 03/18/2017 : 09:23:57
From FB: Thallasocracy. Easy and sounds great.
From BF/Pixies: Trompe le Monde. Same reason probably.
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| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/17/2017 : 07:02:43
It's one of those things I do without thinking, maybe the tips of my fingers are muting the string the same time as I pick. Then I'll slide my fingers back up to return to that fuller sound.
cheers |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/17/2017 : 02:42:26
quote:
Originally posted by Arm Arm Arm
I meant to say I started learning Freedom Rock but never bothered getting past the riff; I probably will at some point. That's a nice list of songs. I usually play 'em on acoustic, just changing where you hold the pick with your fingers, moving them closer to the tip and the strings creates a nice muted sound when strumming.
I don't know if it's feasible (I try not to play my guitar late at night) for you but if you can without annoying anyone, just practice while watching tv or a movie. It's a good way to learn a new riff, scale, song etc. Get the pattern down so you don't have to focus on it and watch tv, your mind focuses on the movie while your hands just go over the same pattern. Just a thought.
cheers
Thanks for the good tips. I didn't realize that re: guitar picks. I'll have to try that. |
| Arm Arm Arm |
Posted - 03/16/2017 : 11:07:48
I meant to say I started learning Freedom Rock but never bothered getting past the riff; I probably will at some point. That's a nice list of songs. I usually play 'em on acoustic, just changing where you hold the pick with your fingers, moving them closer to the tip and the strings creates a nice muted sound when strumming.
I don't know if it's feasible (I try not to play my guitar late at night) for you but if you can without annoying anyone, just practice while watching tv or a movie. It's a good way to learn a new riff, scale, song etc. Get the pattern down so you don't have to focus on it and watch tv, your mind focuses on the movie while your hands just go over the same pattern. Just a thought.
cheers |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/16/2017 : 10:23:17
Also I found the tabs to O Little Cloud somewhere and that's a very cool song to play. I can't remember if it was here on the forum. |
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