This Was Not My Proudest Moment - Playing Beat It Live
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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lol....there are thousands of us out here that wish we could play as good as you play "bad."
For real
100 percent
Exactly!! Come on! ❤
He played "Beat It", not "Bad"
I'd settle for 1/3rd as bad!
I've learned this solo, and I actually appreciate when it's slightly "wrong" because it's not really "wrong", rather just your own take and feel on it. Its not like Eddie played it live exactly like the recording either. 😊
Agreed. I appreciate JNC shared the performance -- which was really good...
“…the bride’s mom is kind of winking at you from the bar with her lazy eye…” haha sheer greatness.
I forgot about that bit. LOL 🤣
My experience is that the audience feedback is always much better than you think it will be. You and the band hear every little mistake, the audience don’t notice (unless you are stopping and restarting, etc). So to your point - just keep going. No point in looking backwards, look forwards, relax and enjoy. I love your comment of a frame for a solo, so that you not panicking about getting every single note spot on.
Sounded amazing. As everyone said before me : don't be too hard on yourself.
95% of us wouldn't be able to play half of a quarter of what you played there.
You're a terrific musician John.
Cheers from France !
You nailed it.... we definitely over analyze our playing in the moment. And the audience never notices. They only thing they will hear/judge you on, is the last note you play.
It sounded great and captured the essence of the solo.
This is so true, so obsessed with nailing it live. All it leads to is tensing up, my strings feel like glue and I completely lose my flow! I guess this is an important lesson in relaxing and enjoying the moment! Trust the muscle memory !!
I think you did a good job on the solo. You kept the timing and the "feel", hitting the main notes that everybody expects to hear in that solo. Anybody there that wasn't scrutinizing the solo probably wouldn't even have noticed!
I have a bad memory from the mid 90s of me absolutely screwing up the "Wait" by White Lion solo on stage in front of a hundred people, so I feel your pain! I had played that solo perfectly 90 times before that night, but that night my tapping hand let me know that I had too much to drink! 😂
Reflecting on that night later led me to the realization that every night can't be a great night or there would be no great nights!
You're an amazing guitarist and I enjoy your videos.. keep on rocking, John!
We always beat ourselves up when we think we've fluffed a "big" solo, or just made a general mistake. 99 percent of the time the punters haven't got a clue you fluffed it so don't let it ruin your night. Move on. The best bit of advice anyone ever gave me when coming up to "the big solo" is, take a deep breath. Or take a couple of deep breaths during your rhythm part prior to hitting the solo. It steadies you. It really does work. And John, your playing with or without mistakes, is where most of us are trying to get to, so thanks for all the fabulous lessons, comments tips and advice.👍
I appreciate that you're hanging it out here and having this conversation. No one ever plays things perfectly, but no one ever shares the flubs. It's also part of the gig...especially when we play in unfavorable circumstances.
I was very impressed, and the solo was spot on - but those kids with the inflatable banana were a tough audience!
Pretty sure that guy has a concussion now
I agree if you can’t mail the solo in cover bands just mail the main iconic notes and fill in the rest. As long as it’s close and you get the timing right. Worrying about not nailing it can distract you from what’s important and that’s finishing the song well
"winking at you from the bar with her lazy eye" - best lick of the video
You’re always amazing, and you learnt a lesson and nothing was howlingly awful.
As far as the audience knows, you killed it!
So cool of you to put this up there. In our social media existence we put the very best of ourselves out there and life is so rarely like that.
I've had great gigs and I've had shit gigs. Even in the best gigs there can be mistakes. It's a normal part of playing live. How you move on from that is what's important.
Kudos to you dude.
One thing you learn quickly about function gigs is; often good enough is good enough. People don't notice or care about the silly mistakes.
For the record, this ain't that bad dude, wasn't the record but was good enough.
"winking at you from the bar with her lazy eye" is the best lick of this video
Tabs?
If you feel embarrassed for playing the Beat It solo wrong, imagine how the rest of your band must feel knowing they were playing Roxanne. You just missed a few tapping parts, but they got the whole song wrong! 🤣
LOOOOOOOL true
Hahaha awesome
@@johnnathancordy was it actually some kind of mashup? Or did the singer have sudden onset Aphasia or something? 😆
The bridge pickup tone on the riff after the solo sounded great! Love when strat goes like that
Perhaps it goes without saying, but playing that solo on stage is 5 times more difficult than playing it in the comfort of your home. Especially when you're not performing it regularly!
YES!
Yup.
Good band, good singer, good solo. Never rehearsed together? Bloody marvellous solo!
Tone 10. Solo was excellent. Only the most critical would critique that solo with minor issues.
You got the essence of it spot on! I bet the only person who noticed anything was yourself - love your playing - esp the live clips
We are always our own worst critic when it comes to our playing. Especially when you feel like you bomb something. It actually sounded pretty darn good John. Although it's not the exact solo, it worked. So don't beat yourself up because I'm sure a lot of people didn't even notice.
Great video John! So relatable as a fellow gigging musician
Y’see there is a very easy solution to all this. Play original songs only and then no one will ever know! 😄
And as you said upon reflection, there was nothing wrong with your solo- it was an excellent solo and you adapted/ improvised your way out of potentially difficult moment. Nice one!
Mate, I needed this video today. Had a couple of what I consider rough gigs the last couple of weeks where stuff I know inside out just didn't translate at the time. It's so easy to end up in your own head about mistakes but you're right, alot of the time they're not as bad as you think at the time and infact to the audience sounded completely fine. Some nice tips too on how to conquer it. I've found just a simple deep breath before taking on something that's a little more challenging live helps, get yourself back in the moment and enjoy playing like you did back when you were a kid just noodling about.
"...winking at you with her lazy eye.." Hilarious! Thanks for this video 😂
Your playing is awesome!
As long as you nail the tremolo picking bit at the end, it's all good :-) Eddie's technique is his completely loose and natural Frankenstein's monster on that solo, doing Eddie note for note is a whole separate school of learning that few ever get to, but not necessarily worth the effort if the rest of your style and technique is equally awesome like yours is.
I don't think anyone in that audience was disappointed in that solo and it sounded like some were impressed.
But you know what is much worse? Covering Shadows tunes and hitting just one bum note, it’s so clean and precise that Hank can make anyone look like a fool. Defo a red card moment of which I’ve had a few or as our lass would say “was that the Les Dawson version ? “ lol
What do you mean Bro, your rendition to that solo rocks! Even Eddie plays it differently live.
Hey John, this is definitely something I can relate to. I thought the solo was great. When I was really struggling with playing live (over thinking everything) I spoke to somebody who plays in a professional orchestra. They put me onto the Alexandra technique. It’s changed my life, that and running. The Alexandra technique was a costly one off outlay but once you get the basics it’s something you can practice daily. Great video, a very real topic that doesn’t get discussed enough 👍
That's pretty good Man, out of your memory is amazing
Great chat about a very common and important topic to anyone who performs live.
The only thing I'd add is:
- that's probably not the last chance you'll have to play that particular song. If this time it went bad, you'll have another chance in the future to make it right. The best thing with live music is that there's never a definitive version of a particular song.
- be in a band with people that will support you and can have fun and laughter from everyone's mistakes. With time, the burden over your shoulders will get lighter and everyone's gonna have a good time remembering those wrong notes that only a couple of people could have noticed.
Totally! Try not to take it too seriously and you realise nobody was probably listening anyway ha!
that song was in our live setlist while ago, but being quite away from my craft I ended up doing it more like the John Mayer version (he played that solo for another band) which is kinda easier. So my advice would be know your limits.
Man, I liked that solo!! It's the Beat it solo, but you are doing your thing. Kind of like a jazz musician playing around the melody. I much prefer that than a carbon copy!
It just sounds like you made it your own. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that solo. Well done!
Good insights here about having fun and not focusing on "mistakes." The think about live playing is that (with rare exceptions, I suppose) the audience isn't there to criticize. They're basically on your side, at least to begin with (and even after some flubs). They've come out to enjoy themselves, and as long as you're having fun, they're most likely having fun (enough!). I only play out occasionally, and if I start getting nerves, I consciously remind myself of this, and also remind myself, "This is pretty my favorite thing to do; just enjoy it." -Tom
LOL!! that was amazing!!! I guess it is good to hold yourself to a high standard, but I would consider that a great success. I doubt if anyone there thought it was anything less than perfect!
Yer kicking ass n taking names bredbin, and sick tone ofc. Over analysing is huge, def wrecks my head in the moment. And almost always goes not as bad as I think it did whilst doing it! Half the battle is letting go what just happened!
Good to remember that sometimes things turn out better than we expect too.. having fun either way is the most important thing.
Sounded good to me! 😎👍
The last time I played beat it live, I had to borrow a beat up squier strat that couldn't stay in tune, also tuned to c# standard with 9 gauge strings for the sake of our singer. I was bricking it thinking about the upcoming solo and kept having to put my ear to the monitor to see if I was even in tune still. Thankfully someone knocked out our singer when he ran into the crowd spitting water at everyone, so we had to stop mid-song right before the solo.
After 40 years of playing I've learned one thing... The audience either doesn't care or doesn't notice the minute details. If it's close any you look like you're having fun, they think it's great!
Been there, done that!😂 I've gotten thru half of the solo in Pink Floyd's, "another brick in the wall" and then my mind just went blank for some strange reason and had to limp thru improvising the 2nd half! It's tough but you own it when playing live!😮 It's not always easy playing live.
It's probably fair to say that not 1 person in the audience could tell the difference. The solo sounded great and although you may reflect on what you could do better, it's important to see the crowd's reaction to what you are doing. I can only imagine they loved it. Live music will never and should never sound the same as the record, it's always about the idiosyncrasies. That's why live music is so great. Really good job by the way!
I think the way you played ir was awesome, it wasnt just a copy, it had the feel!
Ha! That's the exact same look I give my bandmates every time I attempt the 'Jump' solo. 'Maybe next time....'.🤣 Great tone BTW.
so easy to over think and feel bad about your mistakes post gig or even during the show! I think live music is all about learning to let go and stay in the moment instead of letting bad vibes take you out of the moment, not enjoying music is way worse then making a few mistakes imo
Hey John, fellow working guitarist in the UK here. I used to battle with this phenomena for a while and it used to really get to me! I think that feeling of being on the spot and putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed ironically messes you up and then you can start to believe that you can't play well or nail stuff live. It's totally in your head though and you're bang on about focussing on having fun with it! You're clearly of an ability whereby if it goes a bit wrong you can easily style out of it! Seriously, if you thought you butchered that - listen to a video of Eddie himself try and play it! It's not great. I have to say as well though - having done this solo live - the build up to it can seriously get your pulse racing hahah but you just gotta enjoy it.
I should have also said you sounded great. It was in no way bad at all!
Ive heard Eddie play it worse live 🙂but he was drunk... Nothing wrong with your take on it
Hell, look at all the videos of these aging 70s and 80s rockers that cant even play their own damn solos anymore. Yeah, alot is old man hands and shitty arthritis and their fingers dont work like they used to.
That guy that does shred with, whatever his name is. He nails his guest's solos better than they do when he asks them to demo their classic solos they came up with in the 70s and 80s, It's actually pathetic and sad. ha
I've not seen many videos of Eddie actually playing this one? Any recommendations?
ua-cam.com/video/ShV2Hu8veoE/v-deo.htmlsi=pbZ1yP6MVcGXllnX
@@johnnathancordy I saw a video of him from the 2000's probably two years ago on YT. He was totally wasted sitting down and playing like a 6 yo. It was sad and pathetic.
If I find it I will send you the link.
But like Neil above said, the only reason he couldn't play his guitar is because he was drunk and or on crack. The one I saw, he was missing teeth, dirty greasy hair, gaunt, wearing loser grunge clothes and blasted on meth/crack. He sure had a rough patch for a few years.
@@johnnathancordy I dont think there is that many to be honest but i do recall this one, and it's a sober Eddie in his prime. Granted its a poor recording but your take is actually more faithful to the studio recording to my ear.
ua-cam.com/video/ShV2Hu8veoE/v-deo.html
I failed that solo worst that that! One particular festival gig in Montreal still haunts me.
I hope to play that badly one day. Us musicians are never happy with what we play, whilst most listeners think we are so clever being able to play what we can. As for nerves, we need enough to encourage us to give of our best and keep improving.
Great solo in my opinion!
This solo was good enough indeed John!
I used to play Schenker's solos in Too Hot to Handle about 90% correct. Some of it I couldn't figure out at the time. I did try to nail his attack and vibrato. On stage I always felt like "I need to learn this all proper, it's embarrassing. To this day other guitar players comment on how well I played the solos in that song. Go figure!
That solo was awesome lol
When I was young, I would do solos note for note even if it was Dream Theater or Steve Morse. If it was a blues song or something more improv-based, I'd just do the iconic licks and improv the rest, so I could be myself - even if I had cut my teeth learning every song note for note beforehand.
I think the latter was the best solution, in the end. As you gently touched on, the audience will be nonethewiser 99.9% of the time on mistakes/etc. We beat ourselves up quite often on mistakes or disappointment, so the sooner we can stop doing that the better.
That sounded great!
You got thro it and not many bad notes at all, to the audience it sounded pretty good . 😎👍🏻
Even Eddie kinda miffed it when sitting in with the Jackson's.
Maaaate, absolutely nothing wrong with that solo. There's only one EVH, and the rest of us are just playing versions of that... and so did he for that matter. He never took himself too seriously, I don't know why people make such a big deal about it.
You nailed the tone and I give your solo an 8 out of 10. Bottom line, it's live and 95% of the public are clueless unless you totally freak it up.
John’s worst is better than most of our best 😅
You only remember your best try when you play at home. When you’re playing live, you get one chance for that performance so it seems like you play worse. The trick is to keep at it and play lots of shows. That way you get lots of chances at that solo.
I mean...you can beat yourself up over the nuances, but the essence of the solo is there. The audience will have heard the "Beat It" solo. If I were watching a gig and the guitar player did it that, well I'd have been a satisfied punter.
I don't know the solo, but that was awesome. If I was there I wouldn't have thought anything negative about it.
That sounded alot like the Beat It solo I remember from way back when. Except the middle part that made me think Dani California.
I’ve been a lead guitarist for over fifty years. The band wouldn’t notice, they are concentrating on their own performance, as for the audience that solo is in their head. So they wouldn’t notice. The only one apart from you who would notice, would be a guy in the audience who plays it note for note, and he wasn’t there. I personally think you are a brilliant lead guitarist.
That solo in simply the best was ace
Oh man. ha ha! The only mistake you made was show your feelings after the solo. The audience takes what you give especially your reaction. I wish I could play it that incorrectly. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Michael
'I'm playing all the right notes just not necessarily in the right order'! Well if I could play it half as badly as that I'd be a happy guitarist! You should have heard my attempts to play Joe Satriani's 'Always with me, always with you' when I was gigging 😄
I wish I could play it like you did
Tha5 sounded pretty great dude ❤
Dude, you worry too much. You did great!
Well, you nailed it well enough for the kid with the banana, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.
I'm usually too lazy to learn solos not to note. I try to grasp the identifiable parts and general idea and then play around that in a way that comes naturally for me. Usually this means jamming at home to get a feel on it and possibly few variations down to memory. This approach helps me live because then it's more like playing my own stuff instead of trying to remember note to note something. Of course there are exceptions and iconic solos that are good to learn but usually even in those there are in between parts that are not that precise.
seemed fine to me, actually pretty awesome playing!
I find the worst thing is if I start to worry about the solo just before it is coming up - much better to not think about it and just go for it with confidence.
thats your idea of fucking up?? lol
u crushed it dude
Totally agree
You got some audience whoops so it was a success!
I can't for the life of me figure out why you aren't touring with a top international act. You are on the same level as Eric Johnson or Robben Ford. Are you doing session work? The solo might not have been perfect but it was uniquely yours! Your channel is really awesome by the way.
Tips for playing live: 1) Boots! 2) leather pants 3) silk shirt, preferably dark and billowy 4) Lots and lots of jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. 5) If you must wear glasses, have tinted lenses 6) Play with the guitar so low your elbows are straight! There! Now you'll be a proper live guitarist!
Hey, it had the right vibe, it was fast, overdriven, and ended on that high, high E (flat)! Plus, there was nothing that jumped out as a “wrong” note. Yes it wasn’t the EVH solo note for note, but it sounded damn good to me!
gotta say - most would be more than happy to have pulled that solo off as well as you did there. Also billing is everything when you do a gig like this.
Its funny, an afternoon slot by a great band like this can still end up being a gig for the Creche. 5 hours later a mediocre band can have the best audience ever.
That was totally acceptable. You are trolling us.
No, chatted with John the following morning, he really thought he butchered it. It of course sounded much better than he was replaying in his mind.
Definitely not trolling, for me personally I had an idea of how accurate I would be able to play these bits and as I broke down, at least 2 out of the 4 main ideas I didn't execute properly!
It isn’t bad , it sounds really good , it could be slight different than the original recording but Van Halen itself played it different live. It’s not mandatory to play exactly like the original recording, the essence is there
I've started recording myself. The first replay way a huge turnoff for me, but evetually I've started correcting my mistakes and it became a huge opportunity for improvement.
I’m a tad confused, you JNC’d the solo perfectly…to hear this live would have sounded very impressive. Improvising in your own style makes the solo even better. Too critical of yourself John, you’re a mighty fine player.
sounded pretty good to me
First play through shown, gotta be honest..I was like what's wrong with it? Sounded good to me. Perfect example of the crowd isn't paying as much attention to you as you think. Mostly just there to have fun and enjoy themselves. Great video LEGEND!
Exactly. Don't worry about playing a song note for note.
that was pretty good for live
Did I just hear you say the bride's mum is something to fall back on that is comfortable, and achievable??
Unless you are hired to reproduce note for note a particular solo, there is no need to apologize for failing to execute an exact copy of a guitar solo. The pressure on players who have recorded an iconic solo to reproduce it note for note is enormous, and I doubt that many of them attempt to do that. For me the most important thing is to execute a solo that fits into what the rest of the band is playing, and to capture the spirit of the original recording in the context of the actual live performance. Playing an iconic solo note for note may impress the guitar nerds, but it is more important that I and the rest of the band get the listeners to dance, tap their feet and or sing along to the music. After all, we are there to entertain people, and it's more important that the listeners have a good time. Our personal feelings regarding our performance is a secondary consideration.
It wasn't perfect but it was very good, JNC. If I heard that band and that solo live I would be psyched. Great tone - what rig and preset did you use?
A bit off, but sounded good to me. We played our worst gig as a band 4 weeks ago, felt so bad after. I forgot the chords to the bridge in the first song. But after, like 20 different people came up and said it was great. And the ones who hired us, said “your on for next time if you want”. Go figure.
We had a gig after, with 10 other bands, and we rocked that joint 😋 that gig gave us 3 new gigs
That was damn good.
Played live Wednesday night, messed up the solo on My next broken heart by Brooks & Dunn. I felt bad, but nobody noticed or cared, not the band, not the audience. So if you choose to learn something it has to be for your own enjoyment and satisfaction over mastering something new and maybe difficult. Because nobody else cares, except the occasional fan or muso in the audience.
A guitar teacher told me that if you make a mistake playing live, make it again. It'll sound intentional and heavy.