Guitar Philosophy: Use Songs to Learn About the Instrument
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- This is a popular topic amongst music teachers. How do we demonstrate to our students that learning doesn't stop once you can play a specific groove, riff, or melody?
And, what is the purpose of this analysis?
(...it's to inspire creativity)
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Sound Tools Used in This Vid:
Early 2000s Epiphone Firebird VII
Morley Volume Pedal sweetwater.sjv...
MXR Phase 90 sweetwater.sjv...
Boss Waza Chorus sweetwater.sjv...
Strymon Deco sweetwater.sjv...
TC Flashback Delay sweetwater.sjv...
TC Ditto Looper sweetwater.sjv...
Silvertone 1484 Amp
Weber Attenuator tedweber.com
Beyer M160 Mic sweetwater.sjv...
Cloudlifter sweetwater.sjv...
Art Tube Preamp sweetwater.sjv...
Tascam Field Recorder sweetwater.sjv...
Thanks for watching!
“Creativity is when the student and teacher reside in the same body at the same time.” -my favorite definition of creativity 😁
Oooooh I like that!
And the feeling??????
Sounds kind of like what happened with my highschool coach and the girls softball team
@@danegoodwin3057 Jesuuuus 😂
Hendrix is my guitar teacher. Learning his stuff unlocked the fretboard and creative playing for me.
"I do notice that with a lot of self-taught folks, music just floats around..."
Yeah, that one stings a little bit -- I'm pretty sure I've driven my bandmates crazy with my self-taught bad habits. Thankful for your music theory series...
I know the confusion!
It's very hard to start seeing music as "bricks of time!"
There are a lots of great things about being self taught, though.
@@InAtlasAtLast True! Bad guitar teachers are everywhere! Lazy, entitled & bitter hacks that think people should give them money to sit in a room with them.
Honestly, Kurt didnt have perfect form but then again his intro in "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of the most iconic because of his un-perfect form
@@scootinhootin6928 I get your sentiment but the intro to that song is played perfectly straight, not much sloppy about it.
Fugazi is kind of slept on for their cool intertwining guitars. They started punk but at some point they actually got really good at their instruments.
That firebird sounds so good
I feel very lucky that I was constantly doing this to songs as I would learn them, read tabs, figure them out by ear etc. It was never JUST about learning the song but "reading" the song to glean what "rules" or guidelines could be understood from them as well as techniques, tones etc. I always felt like kinda illegitimate being mostly self-taught after my first two years of playing guitar but it turns out I've sort of intuited what a lot of teachers teach. I know my fretboard up and down and have for years, I think my next big challenge is getting into the chord composition range.
You have taught yourself well indeed!
Very inspiring video. You made me thinking about “dissecting” human body when I was studying in a medical school. You gave me some concrete ideas about learning music by ears. Thanks a lot!
The tone of the guitar this video has almost a classic Rhodes keyboard quality to it, and I'm absolutely in love with it!
The trem on that old Silvertone is so good!
Another thing to keep in mind is that learning to speak the language of music allows us to communicate ideas to other musicians so we can play together, a great joy for any guitar player.
Sade IS the greatest of all time. Their music never gets old. Good lesson!
I teach my students the fundamental theory (scales, triads, arpeggios, chord functions etc…) through the lens of their favourite songs.
Sometimes I do dry theory lessons but I don’t hammer that on them. I want them to not take themselves to seriously and to enjoy making music.
I agree with all this 1000% !
I can't thank you enough for these bite-sized pieces of musical wisdom. You've truly made playing guitar fun for me again. And you can't put a price on that.
Honestly, I think all aspects of music theory should be taught in the context of existing songs, even the very basics.
I can't imagine it would make anyone less inspired to learn.
My guitar teacher did this to a certain extent, we would go through our classical textbook stuff but then he'd show me the same concept as seen in some blues or classic rock that we both had a shared love for, sometimes I would even ask him myself "oh yeah that's similar to like [x song] right?" I was always really proud when I could identify those elements myself
This.
Perfect example from my own experience: Augmented chords exist. But wtf even are they? And why? Then, as my ear got better, i noticed this weird thing the melody does in Stevie Wonder's "Too Shy To Say". Turned out to be an augmented chord. First time I heard one and could recognize it. Now I hear them more often than I ever could before, all because the theoretical idea was made real.
@@Th3Raz96 I had a vocal teacher who had his doctorate teach in this way. He completely changed everything for me.
11:50 "Analysis and creativity go hand in hand" thats an amazing line. I'm an art graduate and I've never seen it put like this, in an objective and simple way, what my pretentious professors always try to say.
oooh thanks so much! I love it when I'm accidentally poignant :-)
I'm so glad I'm not the only one blinded by the lights on the Monument tremolo.
Yes! It sounds so good but LORD those lights are bright!
I've been finding myself in a learning rut recently, learning songs and riffs, but not really learning about the songs, i.e. any theory or takeaways. I think this vid has kinda helped me refocus on what makes guitar rewarding for me, which is actually building up my own creativity, understanding, and ability to express the musical ideas I have. Thanks for the awesome vid!
That is absolutely the key to progressing.. not to learn how to play the song, but learning how & why the song works
I’ve always loved Fugazi
Such a dynamic band 🤙🏼
Clicked on a random thumbnail because anyone playing a Firebird can't be all bad, subscribed for the wisdom!
Yay!
Welcome!
It was a passing comment you made but such an important reminder to a self-taught guitarist. After you mentioned the CAGED method you said "you need to learn [chords] and keep re-learning them"
The natural light in these videos give this channel a very positive vibe. Great content too of course! ☺️
I’d Love to here u talk about ur opinions on specific guitar players, their sound n technique n what the recognisable moves n feels are that make their sound so unique. How does Joey Santiago sound so Joey Santiago. There’s so many great character guitar players out there. So many useful idiosyncrasies to highlight.
Yeah!
I've done that with my main 3: Hendrix, Rawlings, and Ribot. But there's so many more to explore!
Man, Eric I appreciate you so much ! Your approach is so well designed for people that want to understand not parrot.
Damn, you're not only a fantastic teacher, but you are a very chill person as well. You're like a guitar Terrence McKenna. So inspiring, awesome video man, thanks for what you are doing. I really appreciate it!
Thanks Domin!
I try to curate a relaxed and encouraging space here on my little corner of the internet :-)
I need to watch this only 96 bitter more times and I will get it. Loved that you brought up Fugazi.
Man, I watch this channel and almost feel like I’m listening to myself tell my students these things! Kindred spirits
This video is absolute gold. Curiosity, imagination, playfulness…all that leads to insight and wisdom.
I could gush about your stuff all day.
Thanks brother!
I was self taught for years until I got stuck and learned from a teacher.
What I noticed was that there were some perks but mostly, it was like I half understood what was going on and the other half was full of holes.
Long story short, now I know more than I ever would've understood alone. It's important to know what you need right now, vs what you used to do.
Thanks Eric, I was always skeptical about some believes / concepts stated by some of the greatest musicians (recognised by the mainstream) - saying that they only played by ears and feels, but I also trust that most of the best musicians in history had the ability to analyse music. Analysing definitely help us gain confidence and certainty when playing, therefore better performance. Thank you for making these videos - from Melbourne, Australia
I agree and there are a few things I add when learning a song. About your @4:30 mark, I would figure out the inversions for each chord using the same string grouping but then dive into the higher registers. Once that's figured out, I add color to the chords by adding a 7th or 9th - whatever that may be - then, I transpose it. Mostly because when working with singers, it's good change key if needed. Once chord work is done, I get into chord tones...
Smart move, Oscar!
Wow, those pedals are so cool. Im not playing electric guitar but still love to learn it. Very easy to understand. Thank you for sharing it.
watching your videos makes me feel like other youtube instructors are holding back on us.
I don't fix amps and guitars for a living but have been working in electronics for almost 20 years and can re-wire, solder, repair, anything including all my own amps, guitars, pedals. I would totally barter some lesson time for repair work if we lived near each other! Man, I am so connecting with this message. I don't enjoy playing with people who just (as you have said before), learn a song and poop it out!
never knew I wanted a firebird until this video
My favorite Gibson-style guitar!
I love SGs, but have had bad luck with tuning issues in the past.
These lessons, these pearls of wisdom are absolutely priceless. Thankyou for uploading these Eric.
Aww shucks thanks Paul!
I don’t even look at the titles, just click to hear this awesome guitars that he has
im going through your videos so im just liking and commenting as i go. I made a notebook after this video
Thanks man! The clicks help!
the instructions do not get more interesting and inspiring than this...way to go Eric.
I agree. The song becomes a sandbox -like playing in the same room with the band. You can either test yourself to follow along as accurately as possible down to the minute aspects , or just use it as a backing track of sorts where you are now just an extra member
Well put!
absolutely, I find my self changing around songs I'm learning and filling in original parts where there is downtime, just finding a groove that fits the songs theme, or making a different riff inspired by said song.
I started doing this a little while ago . You are absolutely right . Learn more than just a song . Learn key , what are they using over the chords . How does this song make you feel ? Great when you want to write a song ,
yep. this is the philosophy right here. case and point: earlier this year Touch of Grey by the Dead came on my shuffle after whatever I was listening to ended. a song I've heard a million times (I'm a huge Dead fan), but this time I realized how absolutely PERFECT Jerry's solo is on it. fast forward to now and I have listened to pretty much nothing but Jerry Garcia music since then and I have learned an INCREDIBLE amount from him.
Jerry's approach to improv is GOLD!
@@EricHaugenGuitar there's no one that's ever done it like him. he never falls back on stock licks and tricks. always moving forward. usually turning over the vocal melody in myriad ways. also he was able to inject more emotion into his playing than just about any guitarist I've ever heard. a true Master.
"Sade, greatest of all time" - [hits thumbs up]
Your process is spot on. Thanks Eric! I don't regret the years I spent learning basic music theory on my own. It's a great foundation. But in my humble opinion it's much more effective, and enjoyable, to leverage a song as your path to exploration. My fundamental question is always "Why does this work this way?"
Yeah!
"Why do i like this??"
I've been on a Steve Miller kick since last weekend. Man - that dude had some crazy melodic intuition -, particularly for the blues scale. I was thinking about how playing his vocal melodies gives a totally different relationship to the song and scale.
Yes! Vocal melodies are great to learn on guitar because they show us HOW SIMPLE a melody can be!
Sounds like the song Me Deixa Legal by the Brazilian band Maglore (I strongly recommend to everyone)
Some Maglore song to you guys:
- Me Deixa Legal
- Mantra
- Dança Diferente
- Motor
- Espelho de Banheiro
- Debaixo da Chuva
- Se Você Fosse Minha
- Ai Ai
- Café Com Pão
- Aquela Força
- Todas as Bandeiras
- Eu Consegui
- Quando Chove No Varal
Search for rock bands (and other genres) from Brazil. There's so much incredible stuff. I'm brazilian and very proud of our music.
I'm glad I found your videos I was making good progress until a sertain point but my thinking was in another philosophy which I was trying to continue so when I found your vedioes I believe has put me back in track so thank you and if I could get my debit card back I don't mind paying but I'm coming off a part of my life that interrupted my progress in my dream of playing guitar so hear we go...Roland J Gutierrez from Magdalena New Mexico USA 🇺🇸
11:39 was spiritual... and true. No need to back track on it 😜
Haven't finished the first video yet and I'm already glad I found your channel
Great lesson! As for faulty switch on guitar , in case you haven't figured it out yet , I suggest checking if it is cold solder joint. Happened to me on my SG. Was happy to fix it without replacing the switch. Good luck!
Great title. This is what I use to get better, and improve my vocabulary.
i think u rly speak a lot of sense on a lot of topics that few other ppl broach
I'm from Milwaukee...
And there are 4 bars per every block on the Eastside...
12 bar is mostly the Southside, and was very popular.
Learned many blues tunes there😉😎👍
Finding that some of my stable of guitars like playing rhythm well, while others prefer being played well for soloing...and only a couple that like doing everything... well😎👍
Groovyful video as usual 😎👍
😎👍❤🖖
Love Brother
Love hearing your stories and guitar playing. Can you talk about making a song your own? Go off on a tangent. Play it the way you want to within the boundaries that are there. Like here are the markers: I IV V etc but you take it where you want to go between the boundaries.
Great videos. 👍
Good idea!
I gotta make a series on how to come up with different guitar parts!
Hey Eric, cool approach. I might add that it’s easier in the long run to deem this song in the key of F rather than key of Dm. Dm, Gm, Am are the 6-2-3 in Key of F. Keep on with these!
Man, I'm so glad I found you. My sincere compliments on this video, clear and well put together. Definitely sticking around :)
Best guitar video I ever seen
Thanks Eric. You’re my mellower. So much better because of you. Such a positive enabler.
OK, OK back to the video.
Yay!
That's my main thing - I want people to have fun and do cool shit!
I'm a beginner, but really glad I stumbled on this. Will definitely look over the song I've been trying to learn and its structure, and probably come back to this vid in a few months. And I'll also check out your other vids of course!
Yay! Welcome to the guitar club!
I have a whole series of simple & chill theory vids:
ua-cam.com/video/M9VGjTQMqTk/v-deo.html
Just for us simple guitarists :-)
Man, with every new video it’s getting more and more obvious to me that you’ve got the best guitar related channel on YT. You’re perspective on playing and teaching the instrument is just something different, that the other guitar guys are missing.
Thanks so much man!
My main thing is all about taking it easy! Guitar is actually very hard to play, but if we give ourselves the time and space, it's so friggin' cool!
The most eye-opening guitar video I have ever seen - thank you so much for the vast gold mine you have given us access to Eric, time to learn!!
Yay! I'm happy to help!
Thanks Eric, these videos are invaluable for my enjoyment and growth as a player.
Yay!
Enjoyment and creative growth is what it's all about!
Good video man. I have a similar approach where I take each song I learn and then expand upon it so I can play different things in the song if I choose.
I do similar things as bass player. If I learn a song, I don’t just want to know the notes. I learn the chords the part is playing over. I try and figure out what scale the part is using. It’s usually a good learning experience and it helps you become better at improvisation for songs you don’t know or when you’re playing original music
I was talking with a friend who started paying for bass lessons for her son. She was telling me how after two lessons he’s already learned to play five songs. It broke my heart. It was like learning an instrument without learning music
I understand the frustration but as a guitar teacher of 5 years or so I’ve gotta say it’s important to realize that most students don’t practice at first and haven’t found their inspiration. Teaching kids a song they can connect with right away inspires them and gives them something fun and satisfying to do every time they pick up the guitar so it’s not a 100% learning grind for the first year or so. You have to do anything possible to get the instrument to stick because the beginning is without a doubt the hardest part and even if they quit at least they have a deeper connection with a song they love that makes it easier to come back eventually.
Thank you so much. I can not wait to watch more of your videos I didn't have a way or words to explain to my daughter how to feel or create. Thank you for explaining the meaning of playing any certain instrument.
Creativity is so hard to talk about!
I think about it alot - how to curate a space where it's welcome :-)
I like you. You're cool and talk sensibly about the guitar, and I like the funny bits in between. I wish you all the best in getting the money together to fix that switch! Bye.
The set design in this video is amazing.
That's just my apartment!
You'd be surprised how clean you keep your place when you live in a UA-cam thumbnail :-)
@@EricHaugenGuitar Haha. Well the lighting and depth is brilliant.
Thanks Eric great words. I'm always inquisitive and want to pull pieces of music apart to learn why, Otherwise I learn a song and a few weeks later it's gone again. Time is what I lack but I love this instrument and I'm always interested to learn and keep learning. Once again thanks.
I love where you've gone with this channel and the way you chunk the info you teach. Cheers!
Love the lessons, EH! Finally found that teacher that "clicks" with me. -lol Thank you
9:53 also the Octonauts theme...I've been watching too much of my 5 year old's kids shows
The GOATman guitar teach back at it again!!!
Ooh, that synchronicity again. After over a year not listening to Sade, unrelated to this I went on a little binge, and meanwhile, you uploaded this... and now I see it.
THE QUEEN!
That she is - no contest.
Writing things down let's me memorize in a short order I, even do it at a new job.
I've submerged myself in videos to learn the language of theory. David Lee Roth did it for learning Japanese, he just moved there and dove in.
That is the most beautiful firebird I have ever seen
Just an epiphone!
Firebird VII, from the early 2000s - you can still find them for not too much $$$
Yes.yes.yes. Learning songs is the best way to learn to play guitar.
Great video! I bought your CAGED Guitar Zen lessons and am working on open forms. Having to get better with keeping track of where my pick is but I am learning so much! Thank you! 😊😊
Thanks! Yeah it's funny how much simple humble things are actually more rewarding than the flashy stuff!
I liked uncaged you can do and learn all the scales modes … on a single string and actually learn guitarists are to caged in boxes patterns… in my opinion. I totally agree with songs as learning tools ! They have everything, interval keys … so I did sub great work thx!
Just with the firebird alone it’s a good reason to subscribe to this channel 👏🏻 gorgeous guitar my Friend
It's just an epiphone too!
They made those for a few years in the early 2000s - great guitar for under $1000
That silvertone sounds soooooo good.
really the only youtube guitar teacher that matters
Thanks man!
I think more and more about HOW we play and HOW we practice as opposed to WHAT we play and WHAT we practice :-)
Love your version of smooth operator at the start!
Great lesson. This lesson expanded my CAGE knowledge and it's great fun to put into use. Thanks a lot.
Eric your videos are fantastic. You always help me connect the dots in my mind. Absolutely top content.
What a beautiful guitar you have there
It's just an epiphone!
Eric is such a brilliant engaging instructor (instructor is a crude description. Sensei might better describe Eric) I’ve been playing for decades. As a youth I was instructed by Paul Gilbert, I used to be able to shred. I can play the instrument, but did I know the instrument short of memorization of scales? Not really…I have some years on me now and finesse is my goal, and since discovering Eric’s UA-cam/Patreon I have made connections in my playing that surprise even myself. Cheers
Miyagi is 100% my life goal!
I'm seriously looking forward to my hair going white - I'm gonna lean into the wizard shit HARD.
That firebird is sooooo sick
It's just an epiphone! They made these reissues for a few years in the early 2000s
@@EricHaugenGuitar do you happen to know if they make them lefty? I absolutely need one
I'm really into Cloud Nothings dude, you talented
I didn't know them but I love cool recs! Dig it, bruh!
Thanks Eric... you operated very smoothly throughout this lesson.
Thanks man! ✌🏻 out from a different place on earth.
We're all on spaceship anyway!
YOU ARE THE MAN
awww shucks thanks Alex!
Great entrance! You really are a smooth operator you know.
I love seeing the blue painters tape over the crazy bright LED pedal lights! Lol! I definitely do the same thing on my board. Great topic and video per usual!
YEAH!
It's a great pedal, the LEDs are SO BRIGHT!
That is a Sears silvertone amp, I used to have one of those and it would give me a massive electric shock anytime I got anywhere near a mic
Oh yeah, I've spent hundreds and hundreds keeping this amp alive and safe :-)
I really like how straight to the point you are with you’re videos, just subscribed! Keep up the good work!
I really try hard to not waste people's time!
Man!! That tone is dripping with honey! Sub'd
Yay! Welcome James!
Great help! Thank you. Feeling like I can finally "get it"
Your best lesson
This is great stuff. To piggy back off of your point of exploring the "why" behind the "what" - My biggest "lightbulb" moment as a player was realizing that the relationship between the tonic and its relative minor have the same key signature. Playing an A minor pentatonic over a piece in the key of C, for example, would utilize the same notes as playing the C major pentatonic scale, only using that C as the tonic note rather than the A in that case.
I may have explained that poorly, but that moment, specifically, opened up a world of options for writing, and especially improvisation. A lot of players that started from a hobbyist's mindset, like me, who just wanted to learn basic chords and be able to play some standards for/with friends and family, tend to miss the theory side of things. And let me just say, I would be leagues better as a player if I had just learned the theory in tandem with the playing itself. Knowing "why" things work is just as important as the results of them working.
I love you! Love that Fugazi riff
Underrated band!
@@EricHaugenGuitar Very! Their chord progressions is 👌
This just got into my recommended and my feed has been blessed by this beautyful nice video. You just inspired me to start playing my guitar aswell again and im sending you much love from vienna
Yay! That's what I love to hear!
The nucleus of a song well dude during the
90s we used to say this
“ It’s the song that matters!?…” and your philosophy is also correct we need to believe and become the song from within and without like Jedi/ Sith philosophy
Also use knowledge of school and school of life
Eric, I've struggled with guitar for years because for every song you learn, you then forget or have to keep practising endlessly. My mind has always been curious not just to learn a song but to know where those chords come from? What is the key? What scales can I use? What does the artist use? Why did they use a chord or bote out of key? Why is the chorus in a different key and how do you get from one to another seamlessly? So many questions! It's a bit like having some pieces of a puzzle some missing maybe 3 corners a bit in the middle a bit here and there but not knowing how to put it all together? Do I even have all the pieces? Moreover do I need all of them? Thanks to you and others my study and understanding this last yearvis getting much better so thank you. And I will keep striving to learn more. I too find physically writing things down sometimes more than once helps. My old revision technique for my studies was read it, write it, say it out loud and with music play it.
yeah! Just about every song we love has something in there that doesn't exactly fit the equation!
Bowie's a great example - there's many a times when looking at his music where we just shrug and go "....welp, that's David Bowie..."