attempting to learn a song

From the Jumpin Jim's fake book. I have no idea what I am doing lol. I am reading from the book in the video its in front of my by the keyboard of the computer I have a few chord changes memorized. Thats about 10 minutes of effort. I have NO idea what the tempo does after that so I'm going to have to go watch the video of elvis singing it to figure out what to do next, as that was just from memories I had of the song.

Thats how far I was able to get on my own, which is better then my last attempts at songs from the book. I think because there is mostly a chord change every word or 2 words, it just sounds better. The ones that have a whole sentence with only 2 chords sometimes I just can't get into a rhythm/melody or anything so I hate learning it and get very aggravated. This by the chord changes seems to naturally give it a rhythm.

You are absolutely on the right track pixiepurls. Good job and keep on playing.

Great work PixiePurls! You sing really nicely! More please!

Love it! That's absolutely awesome. Keep on going, you're doing great.

You look like you know what you're doing! Good stuff!

Thanks everyone, positive re-enforcement is wonderful. Its easy to get discouraged!

Keep it up pixie. Don't try and master everything at once.....chords, changes, lyrics, strums, timing. Practice slowly until you "get it." I think you are doing great at this stage.

Sounding good so far! That's a good idea to watch a video if you don't know the tempo. You have a lovely voice.

Well done Pixierpurls! Yes, find videos / recordings of the song if you are not sure how it goes. And take it slowly. Those chord changes soon fall into place.

PhilUSAFRet said:

Keep it up pixie. Don't try and master everything at once.....chords, changes, lyrics, strums, timing. Practice slowly until you "get it." I think you are doing great at this stage.

Click to expand...

Agreed. When I learn a new song that has lyrics, I don't even attempt to put in the lyrics until I can fully play the song. Because once you add in the tempo and strum pattern, it gets a little confusing to multitask. So basically I learn a song until I can play it fully without having to pay much attention to my playing and then add the lyrics later.

You are doing a great job. Keep up the good work! It is hard to strum, change chords and try to sing all at the same time, and you are doing just fine. Keep going.

PixiePurl, you're doing fine. Simple down strums are a good way to start and yours are nicely on the beat, so the basic rhythm is there, the chords are clear so the song sounds good.

Kyle23 said:

Agreed. When I learn a new song that has lyrics, I don't even attempt to put in the lyrics until I can fully play the song. Because once you add in the tempo and strum pattern, it gets a little confusing to multitask. So basically I learn a song until I can play it fully without having to pay much attention to my playing and then add the lyrics later.

Click to expand...

I go the other way. With a new song, I learn to sing it first without accompaniment. Only when I'm confident I have the melody in my head, do I add the accompaniment. There is no right way, you need to find what works for you.

Btw, A song, by definition has lyrics. My music dictionary defines a song as "A short vocal composition"

What Tootler says...learn the song in your head first. This is why I recommend playing songs that you love and listen to because that part is already done...you will know instinctively when the rhythm is off or what have you as you are playing it. There is a real danger in relying too heavily on books or tab, also. For the longest time I thought I just could not remember songs...I always had to have a lead sheet to remember the chord changes and stuff. If I worked really hard I might remember a song for a little while but if I didn't play it for a few days I'd have to pretty much start over.

Then...I started changing the way I learn the songs. I now start with a song I know well enough to sing the lyrics/melody without looking at a cheat sheet. Then, I look up the chords and begin playing. I've found that when I approach learning that way I learn the songs much more quickly and can remember them much longer. For example, I learned "Proud Mary" in about 15 minutes several weeks ago. It has stuck with me and I could play it now without even thinking about it. Why? Because the song was already firmly planted in my musical memory from listening to it for the better part of 50 years. I already knew the words/melody/rhythm/ and the sound of the signature riff. All I have to remember to be able to play it is the chord changes and they are pretty simple and intuitive when the song is already "playing" in your head.

John

Tootler said:

PixiePurl, you're doing fine. Simple down strums are a good way to start and yours are nicely on the beat, so the basic rhythm is there, the chords are clear so the song sounds good.



I go the other way. With a new song, I learn to sing it first without accompaniment. Only when I'm confident I have the melody in my head, do I add the accompaniment. There is no right way, you need to find what works for you.

Btw, A song, by definition has lyrics. My music dictionary defines a song as "A short vocal composition"

Click to expand...

I wasn't talking about learning the lyrics, I was talking about playing and singing them. It's much easier to learn how to play it before you add in the words so you can so you can play it without thinking about it. When you try and remember how to play a song with the chord changes while trying to add in the words, the multitasking is very hard... Especially for a beginner. It's the same thing as learning a strum pattern before you try and go directly into the song with it. You want to learn to do the strum pattern without even thinking about doing it before you add in the complexity of the chord changes.

I hope that made sense.

Looks like you need a strap...

TG&Y said:

Looks like you need a strap...

Click to expand...

HEHE!! Yes, I need to setup my appointment to get my strap buttons put on and I'm going to have my first private lesson!

pixiepurls said:

HEHE!! Yes, I need to setup my appointment to get my strap buttons put on and I'm going to have my first private lesson!

Click to expand...

Where will you be taking lessons, and who will be your teacher?

Bill

One thing that may help is learning to play a few songs that you are already very familiar with. Being intimately familiar with the song to begin with makes the rhythm and timing seem like second nature. If you don't get the rhythm right, it won't sound right to you. It'll help you to figure out where the chord changes should fall, and what the timing should be.

Explore some songs from your favorite band, or from your favorite movie, musical, or TV show. If you need to listen to a video of the original artist to know what to do next, you are immediately at a disadvantage.

You're doing great so far! Keep on practicing, and keep seeking input. Both will help you get to where you want to be....

KamakOzzie said:

Where will you be taking lessons, and who will be your teacher?

Bill

Click to expand...

I've signed up for a lesson here: http://fanguitarandukulele.com with one of the owners.

and will be having my strap buttons put on right after!

I'm in a bit of a funk, I don't know what to play.. not motivated to pick up any of the books. I've been entirely self-teaching up until now so I think this will help a lot. I stall out on songs because I don't ENJOY playing them because well.. they either don't keep my interest enough, or are too hard for me to figure out.

I need a better song, the elvis one I will still work on though!

Kyle23 said:

I wasn't talking about learning the lyrics,

Click to expand...

I wasn't either. It actually takes me quite a long time to learn lyrics

I was talking about playing and singing them.

Click to expand...

That's what I was getting at. I learn to sing the song and get the melody properly in my head before I try adding the uke/chords in. As you rightly said it's one thing at a time. Actually learning the lyrics for me tends to come last as it often takes quite a lot of time. I only usually memorise songs completely if intend to sing them out.