I'm Gonna Just Leave This Here...

1. Flirtin' With Disaster's solo is both a lot easier and more difficult than I realized. It still stays within this scale:

E--12--15-------------------------------------------
B----------12--15-----------------------------------
G------------------12--14---------------------------
D--------------------------12--14-------------------
A----------------------------------12--14-----------
E------------------------------------------12--14---

But there are parts like these:
B----15-13-13-12-12------12---------------|
G-12-------------------14----14-12-14-12--|
D--------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------|

B-----------------------------|
G----12----------------------|
D-14----14-12-14--12----12-|
A-------------------------14----|
E-----------------------------|

It's all in the same scale, but spread out over the strings. Guitarcardio.com had some exercises that address this, but it's riffs like these that make it much more difficult to learn real guitar.

But you know what? Even playing it slow, it feels good. That's one feeling I can never get from a plastic guitar.

Speaking of which:

2. OH HAI. I'M IN UR INTERNETZ LEAKIN' UR GAME

The 2009 Show

What have I done this year?
Learned 30 songs.
Played 6 open mic nights.
Saw 2 concerts.
Reviewed 4 CDs.
Entered a couple contests.
Got old enough to drink.
Fell in love.
Broke up.
Got into some new stuff.

Yeah, it's been a good year.

ENTER SANDMAN
The solo for this song gave me a greater appreciation for Metallica. The solo uses a blues scale that I fucking love to play.

B|--9b---9b---9b--9b--9b-----------------10---10--8--7-------
G|--9b---9b---9b--9b--9b---7--9-------7----------------9-----
D|-------------------------------------7h9-------------------------
A|---------------------------------------------------------------
E|------------------------------------------------------------


B|--7/8\7----7------------------------------------------------------------
G|----------9----9--7-----7----9p7---------------------------------------
D|---------------------9-----------9p7----7--9--7---------------------------
A|----------------------------------------9----------9--8--7------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------10--7/----------

The Year Of The Bastard starts tomorrow.

SETLIST UPDATED

Down The River With A Black Guy

TOM SAWYER

Intro, fun as hell, and in convenient Power Chord form!
G-------9-------7--------2-------5
D-------9-------7--------2-------5
A-------7-------5--------0-------3
E-0-0-0---0-0-0---0-0-0----0-0-0--

It's an overall easy song, it's just that the solo is on the hard side. Fortunately only one part gave me trouble:
B-5h7p5----5------------5-
G--------7---7-6----6-7---
D-----------------7-------
It's not that my fingers have to change position up and down the neck, but a technical thing.
Looks like I better work the finger permutations...


Nevertheless, what's really great is that how it flows. Every slide leads right into the next part.

SETLIST UPDATED

No Need To Be PARANOID, Phil's Safe

Phil's safe everyone, even though I posted this song a day late (I threatened to sue). FOR AWESOME REASONS. WHICH YOU WILL FIND OUT ABOUT LATER.

Anyways,

PARANOID

Easy up until the solo, hich even then deals strictly within the pentonic scales. I learned the first half from this thing I got for Christmas one year.

Other than that, this is what you'll be doing for most of the time:
B----------------------------------------------12-
G----------------------------12---------------12-
D-14------14------12------12---12-----14--12-
A-14-x8--14-x8--12-x8--10--12-----14------
E-12------12------10-----------10-----12------pm................................................................................

Oh, How Sweet It Is

Shit, sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. I haven't gotten bored with this at all, it's just that I have a lot going on right now. BUT, I managed to own another song. BTW, this is REALLY easy considering it's up this high.

BALLROOM BLITZ

There's a man in the back who's ready to crack, because it's late, and I gotta million things to do, but this part, the main riff:

D-9--11-12--11--9--
A-7---7--7---7---7--

Not the hardest part. Good for stretching out your hand though.

Nor is it the solo. Just pentonics, nothin' to see here.

No, it's this bit that comes after the bridge:

G---10--8-------------8-----8-10--
D-----------8--8h10-----10--------
A-8---------------------------------

Nice lick, but comes out of nowhere. Easier if you bridge all three strings with index finger.

BTW, "your" DLC song choice is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. No-one voted, I decided.

SETLIST UPDATED

Damn Welfare Queens

This title will so give me google hits from hardcore conservatives. Maybe they can beat out the people looking for the Guitar Hero Arcade Setlist.

GIMME SHELTER

All right, I gotta come clean on this: I can't for the life of me ind an accurate tab for the second half of the first solo, and the entire second solo. NOT TO WORRY! Only maybe 5 notes from the pentonic scale:

E-------------------------9--12--
B--------------9---12------------
G-------9-11---------------------
D-9-11---------------------------

Blues inspired piece like these have fun solos. I'll tab it out eventually. BUT THAT WASN'T THE HARDEST PART!!!

The hardest part is the intro.
Part 1
Part 2

It's tricky, and way too much to explain here. But overall it's a very fun song to improvise with.

SETLIST UPDATED

Go Wit It

Wow. That was a longer break than usual. Anyway, here is a song lesson:

GO WITH THE FLOW
I hate these songs because it requires a rhythm and lead guitar part.

Rhythm part here: E, C5, Amin
B------------------1-----
G-1--------5------2-----
D-2--------5-x8---2-----
A-2-x16---3-------0-----
E-0----------------------

It never stops.

LEAD part: EASY AS HELL. You know that scale I showed you in the Mississipi Queen update?
Move it down a bit, and you get this:
e-------------------------------------------12--14--15----
B--------------------------------12--13--15---------------
G------------------------12--14--------------------------

Exactly all the notes you play over the chords is some where in here.

There weren't any really tricky parts, I guess it's this high because the chords come at you so fast.

For a bit of extra spice, toward the end, these three notes are played:
e-15----------17--------16--------

Because I'm such a bastard, play it with tremolo picking.

"Crushcrushcrush" is the Reader's Choice DLC song.

SETLIST UPDATED

Oh Yes, It Is So

DUH DUH (bwah wah) NUH NUH (bwah nah)

SAY IT AINT SO
Ha Ha! Success!

Yeah, so as for the hard parts, the entire goddamn song. For the main riff, this guy has your number. Bar chords ahoy.

For the three parts I mentioned, buckle in it's gonna be a loooong ride:
First Interlude-
E---------------------------------------------
B------------9----10/12-10--------------9---
G----9-9----9----11/13-11--9h11p9-----9-9-
D----9-9h11---11--------------------11----9-
A-11------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------

The only real problem is playing it up to speed. Other than that, keep the index finger over the ninth fret is the best I advice I can give.

Second Interlude:
E-----4-4---x-0--------------5--5----------7--11-7-9---7--------------
B-4h5-5-5--x-0------0-------5--5----9----7----------9---7-9--7------
G-4---4-4--x-5------5----5/-6--6-6--9----8------------------9---9--
D-4h6-6-6--x-6-----6-----6/-7--7-7--9----9--------------------------
A-4---------x-6-----6-----6/-7-------7---------------------------------
E-----------x-4------4----4/-5----------------------------------------

Right here-----------------------------^ Pick in the (slightly) adjusted chord form, then it's pentonics all the way.

E--------------------------
B---------------------------
G--9br-8h9----6h8---6---
D-------------------9---6-
A--------------------------
E---------------------------


Solo:
E----------16-----------------16-------)-------
B--------17--19p1716-------17--19p1716
G-16s18-------------16s18-----------)

E-----------16--14---------16br-14---16-----
B--------17--------17--16~---------------17--
G-16s18-------------------------------------

Speedy Pentonics all the way. I used Power Tab to lower the BPM, then gradually work my way up.

Not a whole lot of "reccomendations" this time around, other than just working on dexterity.

"I Fought The Law" by The Clash is the DLC song.

SETLIST UPDATED

New Hotnesses

Me and my brother got Rock Band 2 Sunday!

Sadly, I spent all day working on a lab report, but from what I played it's still the same. The only problem is that it suffers from the same fate as Guitar Hero: 1st edition, great, filled with popular songs you heard on the radio yesterday, as well as quintessential songs everyone learns why they start (to play guitar/form a band). 2nd edition goes a bit... "indie". Less popular acts, and more obscure songs by popular artists. Plus, RB2's songlist a bit more poppy and more metal than it's previus incarnations. Granted AC/DC's on it, and I got it on a system where I can make a Virtual Bastard, and play online, and download DLC, and should proabbly stop bitching. '

Anyway, on to the songs!

GIRL U WANT
There are quite a few bits that are left out of these things it seems. Still a blast to play.

For example, after the hook "Just a girl/ just a girl/ The girl u want!" there's an awesome little lick that goes like this:

E)-----------------------------------
B)-----------3--------3--5-----------
G)--4--2--3-----2--3-----------------
D)--------------------------2--------
A)-----------------------------------
E)-----------------------------------

Solo's a bitch, with it's bends and upside down power chords:

E----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------6^--6^---------------8^---8^------------------8^--6^--------
G-----------8^--8^--------------10^--10^-----------------8^--8^--------
D--10^---7--------------12^---9 ---------------10^---7-------------------

E---------------8^---8^----------------------------------------------------
B---------------10^--10^-------------8^---8^-----------------6^--6^----
G----12^---9-------------------------10^--10^----------------8^--8^----
D---------------------------12^----9 ----------------10^---7--------------

E--------------------------
B-----5^-5-5-5^-5-5-5^---
G-----7^-7-7-7^-7-7-7^----
D-----------------------------

It's fun, but hard to keep track of fast. It helps to look at the fret you're going to bend next.

MISSISSIPPI QUEEN
Good southern rock song, especially to work on pentonic scales. Only caveat is that you need rhythm guitar to play properly in a real band. According to a source I didn't TOTALLY rip off, both versions try to cram in rhythm as well, Rock Band less so. The hard part is memorizing all the different licks. Another song that should have been much harder.

Pentonic scales are good because unlike GH and RB where you have to move your hands up and down the neck, you move your finger up and down the strings for a fine solo. It's mostly used for improvisation in more traditional blues. Here's the first pentonic scale I learned:

E-------5---8-----------------------------------------------------------
B----------------5-----8---------------------------------------------
G---------------------------5----7-------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------5----7-----------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------5---6---7--------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------5-----8--

SETLIST UPDATED